Winners win
Singer 9 – editor of MyDD.com, J.D. candidate (Jonathan, 3/3. “By Expending Capital, Obama Grows His Capital.”
http://mydd.com/2009/3/3/by-expending-capital-obama-grows-his-capital)
Peter Hart gets at a key point. Some believe that political capital is finite, that it can be used up. To an extent that's true. But it's
important to note, too, that political capital can be regenerated -- and, specifically, that when a President expends a great deal of
capital on a measure that was difficult to enact and then succeeds, he can build up more capital. Indeed, that appears to be what is
happening with Barack Obama, who went to the mat to pass the stimulus package out of the gate, got it passed despite near-unanimous
opposition of the Republicans on Capitol Hill, and is being rewarded by the American public as a result.
Take a look at the numbers. President Obama now has a 68 percent favorable rating in the NBC-WSJ poll, his highest ever showing in
the survey. Nearly half of those surveyed (47 percent) view him very positively. Obama's Democratic Party earns a respectable 49
percent favorable rating. The Republican Party, however, is in the toilet, with its worst ever showing in the history of the NBC-WSJ
poll, 26 percent favorable. On the question of blame for the partisanship in Washington, 56 percent place the onus on the Bush
administration and another 41 percent place it on Congressional Republicans. Yet just 24 percent blame Congressional Democrats,
and a mere 11 percent blame the Obama administration.
So at this point, with President Obama seemingly benefiting from his ambitious actions and the Republicans sinking further and
further as a result of their knee-jerked opposition to that agenda, there appears to be no reason not to push forward on anything from
universal healthcare to energy reform to ending the war in Iraq.
Winners win – capital is perpetually renewable
Pascal 09 – independent business and management consultant in Phoenix (Marc, 10/5. “Obama’s only priority: get re-elected.” The
Moderate Voice. http://themoderatevoice.com/48571/obama%E2%80%99s-only-priority-get-re-elected/)
Many political leaders incorrectly confuse political capital with financial capital. The first is a perpetually renewable commodity if
used correctly and the latter is always finite no matter how much is amassed. One cannot hoard political capital for some future battle
that may or may not come. It grows and shrinks directly as one uses it, and it directly mirrors political fights taken and avoided.
Actually winning on certain core issues and major legislative battles helps increase political capital for future use. But not using
political capital causes it to dissolve rapidly. Talking too much and never getting anything accomplished is a good recipe to dissipate
valuable political capital.
China bashing will happen – Obama concerns about U.S. economy
Reuters 9/30 “W.House keeps pressure on China over yuan” http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2010/09/30/whouse-keepspressure-china-yuan/
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House kept pressure on China Thursday over the valuation of its currency but gave no clear sign whether
President Barack Obama supports a House bill that threatens to penalize Chinese goods. The House passed a measure on Wednesday that would treat
China's yuan exchange rate, widely seen in the United States as kept artificially low, as an unfair subsidy, opening the door to punitive
U.S. tariffs on Chinese products entering the United States. Asked whether Obama would sign such a bill if it made it tohis desk, White House spokesman
Robert Gibbs told reporters: "Idon't have any clarity on that." Obama has yet to take a position on the legislation, which is not expected to be taken up by
the Senate until afterthe Nov. 2 congressional elections. But the White House has insisted that any such measure must meet World Trade Organization rules. The
Obama administration has stepped up criticism of Beijing over its currency, mindful of the need to show that the president and fellow
Democrats are serious about anything that jeopardizes U.S. jobs in an election season when high unemployment and an anemic
economy are voters' top concerns. Gibbs said he did not know to what extent the House bill had been evaluated by the administration. "Obviously, it has at least
another step, at least one more step to go in the Senate," he said. "Lawmakers on Capitol Hill share the same serious concern that the president and
(Treasury) Secretary (Timothy) Geithner have," he said. "We have said for quite some time that the currency is undervalued and that reforms
need to be undertaken." Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao discussed China’s currency and huge trade surplus with the United States during meeting on the
sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last week, aides said. China on Thursday warned that the House bill could seriously affect bilateral ties. Relations have already
been strained by a series of economic and foreign policy disputes.
Will pass – Obama is pushing it and China hasn’t reciprocated
Reuters 9/20/10 “WRAPUP 3-Obama says China has not done enough on yuan”
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2027444620100921
WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama
said on Monday that China has not done enough to raise the value of the yuan,
keeping up tough American rhetoric on Chinese policy as U.S. lawmakers weigh new legislation to punish Beijing. A bipartisan group of
former cabinet officials warned Congress, however, that action against China for not letting its currency rise faster could backfire on the United States. And U.S. Trade
Representative Ron Kirk said it was not clear whether various bills in Congress to pressure China on the currency issue were legal according to World Trade
Organization rules. [ID:nN20261954] The yuan "is valued lower than market conditions would say it should be," Obama said, giving China
an advantage in trade because it makes Chinese goods less expensive in the United States and U.S. goods more expensive in China.
[ID:nN20275380] "What we've said to them is you need to let your currency rise in accordance to the fact that your economy's rising, you're
getting wealthier, you're exporting a lot, there should be an adjustment there based on market conditions ," Obama said at a town-hall
style meeting hosted by CNBC television. "They have said yes in theory, but in fact they have not done everything that needs to be done,"
Obama said. Calling for a fairer trade relationship with Beijing, Obama said Washington was bringing more actions against China before the
WTO. "We are going to enforce our trade laws much more effectively than we have in the past ," he said. With the currency issue tensing
relations, Obama will meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao when the two attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York later this week. U.S. Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner said last week he will rally other world powers to push China for trade and currency reforms . In New York, U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi discussed currency issues at length during a meeting on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the
U.N. General Assembly. "It was a significant part of the discussion," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.
Will Pass – Obama is getting on board and house vote
Fox News 9/29/10 “U.S. House passes bill aimed at Chinese yuan” http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2010/09/29/housepasses-aimed-chinese-yuan/
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House stepped up pressure on China to let its currency rise faster , passing a bill on Wednesday that could penalize
Chinese goods, as lawmakers blamed it for lost jobs in America . The bill is likely to fan the flames of a long-running dispute with China
over trade and jobs, even though passage in the Senate remains far from a sure bet. The bill passed with solid bipartisan support just over a month
ahead of mid-term elections as voters focus on the still-struggling U.S. economy and persistently high unemployment. Many lawmakers
both in the House and the Senate have complained for years that China's policies create an unfair trade advantage, but this is strongest
step taken yet. The bill treats China's exchange rate as a subsidy, opening the door to extra duties on Chinese goods entering the United States, some of which are
already subject to special levies. It passed by a vote of 348-79, with 99 Republicans joining 249 Democrats to pass the bill. Five Democrats and 74 Republicans
voted no. Any vote in the Senate, however, won't come until after congressional elections on Nov. 2 when the U.S. political landscape could be greatly changed.
"China's persistent manipulation of its currency contributes to the outsourcing of American jobs and poses a very serious problem that
requires real action," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the bill would give President Barack
Obama leverage in talks with China and "make it clear that if China wants a strong trading relationship with the United States, it must
play by the rules." The Obama administration has not taken a stance on the bill. But after the vote, a Treasury Department
spokeswoman said the legislation reflected the "serious concerns" in Congress about China's currency practices . "The president and
Secretary Geithner share those concerns. They both have said repeatedly that China needs to allow a significant, sustained
appreciation over time," she said. Before the House vote, China's central bank reaffirmed its pledge to increase the flexibility of the yuan and improve the way it
manages the exchange rate. Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao talked about China's currency and huge trade surplus with the United States on the sidelines of the
U.N. General Assembly last week. Despite the yuan's modest gains against the dollar since Beijing allowed more movement in June, International Monetary Fund
economists estimate the yuan is 5 percent to 27 percent undervalued.