Javier Ogaz

January 24th, 2012

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The Making of a Post-Post-Partisan PresidencyToday’s guest submission is from Javier Ogaz.
As President Obama prepares to give his State of the Union address, which pundits will parse for evidence of how he plans to take on Republicans this fall, it’s easy to forget how different his strategy toward the opposing party was at the outset of his presidency. Three years in, it appears Obama’s efforts at post-partisanship have been futile. Ryan Lizza writes for the New Yorker on whether it is possible to reach across the aisle when an energized opposition has little interest in compromise:

Obama didn’t remake Washington. But his first two years stand as one of the most successful legislative periods in modern history. Among other achievements, he has saved the economy from depression, passed universal health care, and reformed Wall Street. Along the way, Obama may have changed his mind about his 2008 critique of Hillary Clinton. “Working the system, not changing it” and being “consumed with beating” Republicans “rather than unifying the country and building consensus to get things done” do not seem like such bad strategies for success after all.

Read the full article here.

The Making of a Post-Post-Partisan Presidency
Today’s guest submission is from Javier Ogaz.

As President Obama prepares to give his State of the Union address, which pundits will parse for evidence of how he plans to take on Republicans this fall, it’s easy to forget how different his strategy toward the opposing party was at the outset of his presidency. Three years in, it appears Obama’s efforts at post-partisanship have been futile. Ryan Lizza writes for the New Yorker on whether it is possible to reach across the aisle when an energized opposition has little interest in compromise:

Obama didn’t remake Washington. But his first two years stand as one of the most successful legislative periods in modern history. Among other achievements, he has saved the economy from depression, passed universal health care, and reformed Wall Street. Along the way, Obama may have changed his mind about his 2008 critique of Hillary Clinton. “Working the system, not changing it” and being “consumed with beating” Republicans “rather than unifying the country and building consensus to get things done” do not seem like such bad strategies for success after all.

Read the full article here.

Reblogged from Read This, Not That

January 2nd, 2012

2012 Politics

Political convictions are complex and not always easy to express. They give background and history to the beliefs that guide and influence our political life. We take our beliefs and reconcile them with the choices that are provided to us whenever it is time to vote. In essence, we try to translate the way we see the world into a checked box.

I’m sure there are arguments, some valid and some not, about the effectiveness of representative democracy. Is it possible to directly affect the policy and decisions being made on behalf of U.S. citizens? We are told that the vote makes this possible. If we trust this system, we should vote our conscious, knowing full well that there are others who disagree with us. Going into this year’s election I want to take a moment to share my general thoughts on some political issues.

November 6, 2012

Exactly one year from tonight, I will be anxiously waiting for important news: the United States will have chosen its next President. It’s impossible to guess who that will be; a year is a long time, especially in politics.

However, I do know a few things. I know that this next year will be consumed by shallow political discourse that does nothing to address the tough issues we face. I know that more money will be spent on this election than any other election in the history of our country. I also know that we will have more of the same.

The last part is the most difficult to accept. If we profess to believe in democracy, and consider it sacred, than why do so many people feel the contract has been broken? A recent poll states 84% of Americans disapprove of Congress.

I’d like to think that things will get better. Over the next year, I’m sure I will have a lot to say about politics. If there is such a thing as an election of a lifetime, this one seems like mine.

Javier Ogaz

2012 Politics

November 6, 2012

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