This week President Barack Obama reminded America why it voted for him. His State of the Union Address on Wednesday was more than just a renewal of the kinds of sensible plans the country needs to provide the jobs of the future and restore forward momentum, important though those may be. He also called out the parties to tone down the mutual attacks and get to work on the people's problems. He understands that these partisan tactics are now of themselves the greatest impediment to addressing the nation's problems. In fact, if you will recall, it was one of the strongest themes of his presidential campaign.
He continued that line in an unprecedented 82-minute question and answer session with the congressional Republicans meeting in Baltimore yesterday. You have to see this to believe it. One Republican after another made grandstanding speeches ending with attempts at "gotcha" questions. Obama proceeded to demolish their "facts" and return to his theme: if both sides spend all their time "demonizing" each other it leaves no room for them to compromise and get anything done in the public interest. It makes the public ever more cynical and working together ever more politically difficult. Meanwhile the nation's problems continue to mount.
See for yourself how he refutes their contentions by referring to OMB and GAO figures from memory, asking anyone there to correct his facts if they are wrong. No one ever does. Then he lasers back to problem solving in the public interest, reiterating that if GOP politicians keep referring to him and his plans as "crazy" and "Bolshevik" then their own base will make it impossible for them to deal with him at all.
The stated result will be that national problems will fester without resolution. The unstated but implied political result is that independents will see the Republicans as the reason things aren't getting done and vote accordingly on election day. A reduction in strident partisanship would be a blessing on so many levels in American life. And unless this changes, make no mistake, we will be overwhelmed and ruined by the myriad of increasingly intractable challenges we face. Without a crystal ball to know whether this approach will work, I can only admire the President for trying.
2 comments:
Good points, Steve. Long ago Obama must have figured out he was the smartest guy in the room, no matter what room he was in. This tete-a-tete with the Republicans is just another such room. It would be a shame to have his talents wasted through sheer obstructionism.
And it looks more and more as though that is precisely the strategy the Republicans have settled upon. Many ideas they used to embrace they now say they are against, at least as long as Obama proposes them.
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