Yes!
Diana Lind | Wed, Nov 5th, 2008 | Category: Commentary | Tags: barack obama, infrastructure, transit, sprawl, amtrak, new deal, joe biden, bridges, levees
Whatever party you belong to, you have to admit that Barack Obama and Joe Biden should be an excellent team for American cities. It’s been a long time since American cities have had a federal partner who deeply understands the connection between cities and the health of the nation. I’m in the midst of writing an op-ed about how Barack Obama can help improve American cities. I’ll start the conversation off (but considering how tired I am this morning), I’m wondering if you can help me out and help fill in some of the blanks.
For starters, I think Obama needs to invest in some kind of New Deal for Infrastructure. A large plan that would include modernizing our train system; improving structures like bridges, tunnels and levees; and investing in cities to revive downtowns and curb sprawl.
What else would you add to a long list of things Obama should make happen?
Diana Lind is editor in chief of Next American City magazine.
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Josh Leon
Wed, Nov 05, 2008 at 8:21pm
Maybe I’m getting far afield, but I don’t think Obama will be capable of much while committed to two wars (and he hasn’t ruled out two more in Iran and Pakistan). These can ruin his agenda in two ways. First, by making the government broke. And second, by destroying his political capital if they continue to go terribly. Both factors converged to sink LBJ’s great society, the last serious federal initiative to improve our communities.
The first thing, though, should be a federal bailout for municipal governments that are about to take it on the chin if they haven’t already. It makes sense for the federal government to carry the load in hard times--after all they have more ways of financing projects than just taxes and bonds.
Whatever he does, I’d like to see Barack Obama set concrete goals (like full high speed raill by 20XX, or poverty in inner cities halved by 20XX, 90 percent graduation rates in Detroit by 20XX etc.). Some of his proposals just seem like ends in themselves, rather than means to achieve anything. If the UN can do it (like with the Millenium Development Goals), why not the “can do” US? That way we’ll know he’s serious.