「One reason I think the Reagan administration succeeded the first term as well as we did was that we had a really definitive, well-thought out, right-here hundred-day plan ...... The first and only priority was the president's economic plan (and we were) single-minded focus on that plan.」
這與他的刺激經濟方案一直被詬病為缺乏細節、徒具形式,而且在國會中拖拖拉拉有關。財長蓋特納表現差強人意,尤其是對AIG向員工派發巨額花紅後知後覺。人事任命亦面臨阻滯,尤其是財政部,至今還有23處尚未得到參議院確認,而獲奧巴馬提名的很多人事任命,事後都被挑出問題,被迫撤回,連他自己都承認「screw up things」(把問題搞砸了)。這都讓人覺得他倉卒上馬,「出閘脫腳」、「落筆打三更」,成了他施政的隱憂。
因篇幅關係,我們稍後再另文詳談。
#本文來自筆者與一位在哈佛大學就讀的朋友彼此間之交流所寫成,特此鳴謝。另外,讀者亦可參考《紐約時報》2月份刊出的〈100 Days —— Starting the Job from FDR to Obama〉專輯。