They can take off their gloves (if they ever wore any) because they have been handed more points of entry from which to maneuver policy toward their own agendas.
But at the same time, he's going to great to lengths to leave himself more room to maneuver on policy than the current right-wing line would normally allow — more room for the general election, and presumably for his hoped-for presidency as well.
A great deal of maneuvering on domestic policy can be understood as the strategic deployment of the "deficit" charge against your opponent while working behind the scenes to keep the debt machine going for your own purposes.
A memorandum written by a Canadian official surfaced after the meeting, suggesting that Mr. Goolsbee had assured the Canadians that Mr. Obama's stance on Nafta was "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy".
Carries as potential baggage: A memorandum from the Canadian consulate in Chicago, which was made public during the presidential campaign, said Mr. Goolsbee had claimed that Mr. Obama's protectionist rhetoric was "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy".
Carries as potential baggage: A memorandum from the Canadian consulate in Chicago, made public during the presidential campaign, said Mr. Goolsbee had claimed that Mr. Obama's protectionist rhetoric was "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy".
Mr. Goolsbee was at the center of a controversy during the Democratic race for the presidential nomination when it was reported that he had told a Canadian official in Chicago that Mr. Obama's protectionist campaign talk was "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy" he would support as president.
A political sensation — and minor international incident — erupted during the Democratic primary when a leaked memorandum surfaced in which a Canadian consular officer wrote that a senior Obama adviser had assured him that Mr. Obama's protectionist stand on the campaign trail was "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy".
Later, the campaign was caught in a flap over reports that a top economic adviser to Mr. Obama, Austan Goolsbee, had tried to play down the candidate's remarks by assuring Canadian officials that they were "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy".
A leaked memo revealed that an Obama adviser assured Canadian officials Obama's protectionist speeches were "more reflective of political maneuvering than policy".
The era of control, political maneuvering and policy motivated by fear must end right now, and we can begin by lifting the limitations placed on private and individual efforts to do what is needed for those who are suffering fates that we can only imagine.
