Now That’s What I’m Talkin’ About!

No More Mr. Bipartisan; Hello Mr. Hammertime!

I’ll say this for President Obama: he picks himself up and dusts himself off better and faster than anybody I’ve ever seen. Having tried the olive branch approach in reaching out to Republicans on the stimulus package, only to be beaten up with it, Obama took control of a process that aides admit he lost control of in the first place and hit the road with a series of town hall meetings aimed at redefining his message. And it worked. In less than a week, Obama went from the owner of a bloated, pork-filled package to the leader of a bold and daring 21st century version of The New Deal. How did he pull it off?

For one thing, Obama had to admit that while the spirit of bipartisanship that he was hoping to bring to Washington was noble, it was also imminently impractical. The Republicans weren’t looking for bipartisanship; they were looking for co-ownership. In essence they wanted not just a voice in the legislative process, but the ability to coauthor that legislative process. In other words, a coalition government. Nice try, but that’s why we have elections in this country. One party wins; the other loses. The Republicans were invited to the table; they aren’t entitled to determine what is on the menu.

Secondly, Obama needed to go back to what he does best: being the great communicator. Like Ronald Reagan before him, he is best when he takes command and speaks directly to the American people. Allowing Congressional Democrats to draft his legislative agenda and then sitting by while Republicans put their own label on it was damaging. It wasn’t until he hit the road and redefined the message that opinion polls swung back in his favor.

Obama isn’t the first President to make a few mistakes early in his presidency, and there will no doubt be other instances down the road where he will err. Picking Republican Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary is a case in point. But to be effective, he must set the tone in Washington, not let the tone set him. Four years from now the American people will not ask how altruistic and fair-minded a president he was; they will ask how successful a president he was. The Republicans have their own agenda: to win back Congress and the White House. That is the nature of politics, and it will likely stay that way for the foreseeable future. For now, Obama must use the political capital he has, in the amount of time he has, to do what he thinks is best for the country. If, along the way, some “fair-minded” and moderate Republicans wish to join him, fine; if not: Que Será Será.