As President Obama reflected Wednesday on his first 100 days in office, he took issue with criticism that he was trying to do too much too fast.
“The changes that we’ve made are the changes we promised,” he told a crowd at a town hall-style event near St. Louis. “We’re doing what we said we’d do.”
True enough, but the heads of supporters and critics alike are spinning at the dizzying pace of change. The deep recession presented the necessity for decisive action and the opportunity to seize on an ambitious agenda, and Obama has taken full advantage. Solid Democratic majorities in Congress, and Obama’s public popularity, have provided a helpful tail wind. But few expected this president, whose lack of leadership experience was so loudly derided by opponents from both parties during the campaign, to be so bold — or so seemingly confident.
Both traits are welcome, even if it will be years before we know whether Obama’s plans have worked. The nation needed a dramatic change in course, and morale.
The immediate economic crisis is being addressed, with signs of hope beginning to emerge as federal stimulus dollars and money injected by the Federal Reserve enter the system. Just as importantly, perhaps even more so, chronic problems are starting to be addressed, particularly in health care, energy and education. Obama’s first budget gets long-needed reforms moving on all three fronts.
None is without risk. Obama inherited a budget deficit of more than $1 trillion, and the investments he’s calling for are projected to keep the red ink flowing for several years. Administration officials argue that the spending is essential to the short-term plan of fixing the economy now, and for sustained growth in the years to come.
Without sustained growth, continued deficits are a certainty. Obama is taking a calculated risk, not a reckless one.
The alternative offered by congressional Republicans is largely the status quo, with changes at the margins and more tax cuts. We’ve tried that.
The 100-day milestone doesn’t necessarily say much about how the other 1,361 days of Obama’s term will go. More bad economic news, an international crisis or a poor response to a potential pandemic could turn things sideways in a hurry.
But so far, the president is projecting strong, confident leadership, and is proposing change that makes sense.
Even if it’s coming quickly, and isn’t risk-free.
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