First 100 Days: Who's The Obstructor?

Who's the Obstructor?

It appears that as much as President Barack Obama is battling Republicans, he may have had as many or more problems to date with members of his own party in the U.S. House. I spoke with Delaware Republican U.S. Representative Mike Castle about the Economic Recovery bill. Namely, its cost, what's in it and the debate about it. Castle has long had a reputation as a fiscal conservative but, overall, a moderate. When I asked him if the moderates in both parties have been listened to, he responded, "Moderates have not been heard at all in the House." He adds, because of what the House leadership has done, "the bipartisanship approach took a blow in the last 10 days."

Congressman Castle believes the House Democratic leadership has not been bipartisan or productive. He thinks the White House had "the best intentions," though he interprets the President's public tone of last night as setting aside Republicans for the moment.

The Delaware Congressman thinks not enough attention has been paid to the fact that some Democrats have voted against the plan and he says more wanted to reject it. As for the President, the Congressman tells me, "My sense is the White House is not enthusiastic about it (the House bill)." Mike Castle believes the $930-40 billion plan needs to be closer to $800 billion and that steps are already underway in the Senate to trim it.

The blaming of the Bush administration for what happened under the Bush watch is far from over. Note that in talking about the economy while expressing his support for the U.S. House stimulus package, New Jersey Governor Corzine, unsolicited, issued a statement which included, "President Obama didn't create this problem." The President himself has sounded a similar refrain. It is a reasonable question to ask though that if the people we elected over the last decade or more ...and who are still there... can be trusted to make correct decisions now when they obviously failed to do so before, in both parties.

Credibility. Why folks are frustrated. The Geithner, Daschle, Killefer and Solis tax issues undercut the President's claim about a new way. But, on the other side of the aisle, Congressional Republicans who oversaw the expansion of the deficit in the last decade and did little or nothing to ward off the current economic crisis, and who now try to claim the fiscally responsible high ground, also strain believability.

You can take a page from the Pew Survey that found that while many Philadelphians are not happy about all of the cuts Mayor Micahel Nutter is making, more than 7 in 10 of Philadelphians still like him. People believe we're in deep and the folks who they recently elected to leadership in executive branch positions are given more benefit of the doubt than those in the more stagnant legislative branches.

A new report issued by Philadelphia Foundation and 4 similar organizations in Pennsylvania and Ohio note that the safety net is in danger of collapsing. Foundation Executive Director R. Andrew Swinney tells me calls to food banks are up about 10 to more than 40 percent. Calls for mortgage assistance are up 50-percent. Utility bill and other help requests have also skyrocketed. Unemployment in the two states may total 1.1. million by next year. The report says at least $3.3 billion dollars is needed in the two states just to help nonprofits keep pace with the demand.

Renee Amoore, deputy chair of the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee and a regular on NBC10's Hotline with me, came close to being elected by Republicans to the position of co-chair of the Republican National Committee. She would have delivered energy and a fresh perspective to the Republican Party, but when Michael Steele was elected chairman, Amoore withdrew her name. While she has not yet said so, of course the Republican Party, or at the very least, Republicans in certain sections of the nation, would have had "issues" with their two Committee leaders being African-American. Hey, Democrats would have issues with it. A party that has in the last generation been more than 95 percent white either has a problem in what it is, or in how it is perceived. I will ask Renee about that this weekend on "Live at Issue," Sunday morning at 9:30 on NBC10.

Also on Sunday's program, what's good for the middle class? The new Employee Free Choice Act which would make it easier for workers to unionize? We'll take a look.

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NBC10 Political Analyst Steve Highsmith is following President Barack Obama's First 100 Days online.

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