Pay to Play?

In his speech to a fully assembled Congress Tuesday night, President Barack Obama spoke of Leonard Abess, a Miami bank executive who, upon departing his job, received a massive separation bonus. Instead of pocketing it all, however, Mr. Abess shared it with the hundreds of people who work and used to work for him.

There's no doubt this was a great act of kindness, but was Mr. Abess's prominent placement in the new president's first "state of the nation" address a result of his political loyalty over the years?

It turns out Mr. Abess is a significant donor to the Democratic Party, amassing $25,000 in "soft money" contributions on top of more than $137,400 political contributions, according to a search of Federal Election Commission records. Try the query here.

Not sure this is anything to cry about, but in this age of cynicism about politics, it's hard not to think that he got props in a major national speech as some sort of reward for his financial support of (mostly) Democratic candidates - although he did contribute to George W. Bush's re-election campaign.

Wanted: An Asian Miracle

On her first crack, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been making one of the most symbolic American diplomatic tours in recent memory. Indeed, it is a harbinger for the major shift of economic and political power from West to East currently in progress.

As the elastic thinker has previously insisted, any solution to future solution to the economic maelstrom of the day must include Japan, the world's second largest economy, one of the United States' primary trading partners and a key bulwark against nuclear North Korea and rising China. The Obama Administration is making a shrewd, no doubt intentional, move by hosting Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso as his first visiting foreign head of state.

Clinton's visit also highlights the urgent imperative of engaging Japan in addressing the current global recession. Japan itself is due to experience the worst economic conditions it has ever experienced post-WWII -- mostly riding on the decline of the export-driven manufacturing sector. And unlike other countries that are currently suffering the brunt of recession -- namely the U.S. and United Kingdom -- Japan has the dual misfortune of having a strong/appreciating rather than weak/depreciating currency, exacerbating its poor economic prospects due to an already precarious reliance on exports.

By inviting Mr. Aso to the White House, President Obama is making it clear that not only is Asia the new center of political and economic gravity (even it's not centered in Japan). He will also likely seek advice from Japanese authorities on how to prevent an American version of Japan's "lost decade of growth." Sadly, Japan has its own issues to worry about - and this could indeed be Mr. Aso's first and only visit as prime minister; he is due to call for elections before September, and the Democratic Party of Japan is waiting to seize control.

Enough Said...

I need not write anything more, other than to quote one of President Obama's responses to a reporter at his first primetime news conference as head honcho:

"When it comes to how we approach the issue of fiscal responsibility, again, it's a little hard for me to take criticism from folks, about this recovery package, after they presided over a doubling of the national debt. I'm not sure they have a lot of credibility when it comes to fiscal responsibility."

I'd like to thank the prez for finally pulling a little punch on the obstructionist senators who are dragging their feet. It's not quite a knockout uppercut, but a slight jab from the Illinois southpaw.

Transparency or "Obama 2012"?

Today I received an e-mail addressed from David Plouffe, President Obama's campaign manager, on behalf of BarackObama.com. He asks me to watch a YouTube clip of the president's nationally televised plea for Americans to support his economic recovery plan. An abbreviated screen shot of the e-mail:


Note that it is signed by Mr. Plouffe, as Mr. Obama's campaign manager. So, what exactly is Mr. Plouffe's role in the Obama Administration? Obviously, having engineered one of the most effective (and expensive) presidential campaigns ever, Mr. Plouffe undoubtedly has won the president's loyalty. But with such an e-mail, who is Mr. Plouffe representing (especially when, at the e-mail's end, a statement reads that it was paid for by the Democratic National Committee)?

Ultimately, I think this e-mail is fairly innocuous - and it reveals the president's desire to communicate directly with constituents (or those who signed up to an e-mail list) in a direct, seemingly transparent fashion - but is this e-mail an item of electioneering? Or is it the president communicating with his constituency? I think Mr. Obama should be careful in such messages, as they could be construed as an ongoing re-election project, rather than factual communication on public policies currently being debated.