RightChange: Obama’s Headwinds

It seems like these days; Barack Obama has been facing some pretty strong headwinds. And it looks like they're headwinds coming from all directions, and especially from places where he promised there would be progress. Obama talks about headwinds so much that you'd think he was a grizzled sea captain or a veteran pilot.

Barack Obama has used the excuse of unpredictable headwinds in regards to unemployment especially, when having to talk about low numbers. In June he claimed that these infamous headwinds, with the natural disasters in Japan, gas prices, and economic strife in Europe being among the reasons. Former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors Austan Goolsbee defends those statements in this article.

The big question, however, is this: with the newest job report showing that for the month of June, unemployment rose from 9.1 % to 9.2% and the number for jobs created was only about 18,000, what will be this month's headwinds? Too much focus was put on the debt-ceiling crisis? Too many companies are refusing to expand? Too many people are wearing flip-flops?

Headwinds are a useful excuse. Since you can't see headwinds until they have already misdirected your course, you can't predict them coming. So they're a pretty nifty tool when something does not go as well as you thought it might have. You don't have to blame it on failed policy, inactivity, or bad prioritizing. Being the perfect excuse and all, headwinds begin to get fierce right when you need them most in order to blow your plan, which would have gone fantastically had nothing else happens, begins to go awry.

It has been about a month since Obama has referenced headwinds, but judging on the way these political winds are stirring in these budget talks, it looks like a few strong headwinds are about to blow through Washington once again. And let's hope that this time, our Commander-In-Chief will take the blame.

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