Obama's Ultimatum

He's president-elect of the United States of America, but we barely know who he really is.  For someone who has risen so far, Barack Obama has been in the public view for a remarkably short period of time.  So we speculate about what kind of president he will be.  Will he be a centrist or a leftist?  Will he be a friend of capitalism or will he aggressively shove us toward socialism?  What is his agenda?

Now that the campaign is over, we can assume that Obama isn't just trying to win votes every time he opens his mouth.  So who is Obama? Let's take him at his word. Here are some fresh quotes with some analysis from yours truly:

" ...part of what I'm hoping to introduce as the next president is a new ethic of responsibility where we say that if you're laying off workers, the least you can do when you're making $25 million a year is give up some of your compensation and some of your bonuses ... That kind of notion of shared benefits and burdens is something that I think has been lost for too long, and it's something that I'd like to see restored."

Here Obama is reinforcing the idea of spreading the wealth (and the misery).  He is also telling us that he should should have a say in how America's businesses are run.  

Next quote:

"...sometimes when we start talking about taxes, and I say I want a more balanced tax code, people think, well, that's class warfare. No. It turns out that our economy grows best when the benefits of the economy are most widely spread. And that has been true historically."

More redistributionism.  Apparently this is very important to Obama.  Don't forget it.  

Here's an Obama quote regarding the bailout of the Big Three auto companies and the executives' willingness to agree to Obama's prescribed "reforms":

"If this management team that's currently in place doesn't understand the urgency of the situation and is not willing to make the tough choices and adapt to these new circumstances then they should go." 

There he goes again.  This time with an ultimatum. Good thing Obama knows best.

So how does this all add up?  Is Obama an aspiring capitalist, socialist, communist or fascist?  Let's review the terms:

• Capitalism:  an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods.
• Socialism:  a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.
• Communism:  a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed.
• Fascism: Strict regulation and control of the economy through some form of corporatist planning in which the legal forms of private ownership of industry are nominally preserved but in which both workers and capitalists are obliged to submit their plans and objectives to the most detailed state regulation and extensive wage and price controls.

As Obama and his friends in Congress talk about appointing a car czar to oversee the auto industry, let's think very carefully about where this country is headed.

More

Godwin's Law: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 100%.

Obama's Ultimatum: Auto bosses should adapt or go.

Obama and Brokaw: Transcript from 'Meet the Press'