Game Changer

[babylonsister]

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=game_changer

Game Changer

It takes presidential leadership to break through our system's obstructionism.


Robert Kuttner | March 29, 2010

snip//

Despite his exceptional potential, Obama dismayed his progressive base in his first year in office by clinging to an illusion of bipartisanship long after Republicans made clear that their only goal was to destroy him. But since early March, something potentially transformative has happened. The seeker of common ground has metamorphosed into a fighting partisan. Faced with the prospect of a humiliating, defining defeat on health reform, Obama has begun exercising the kind of leadership that his admirers discerned during the campaign.

Things that were seemingly impossible have suddenly be-come necessary to avert a rout. Passing legislation in the Senate by simple majority, despite Republican whining, is now thinkable. So is passing legislation in the House with Democrats only. Despite warnings by the likes of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell that a vote in favor of the bill would mean retribution by the voters, it has dawned on skeptical Democratic legislators that whatever the measure's deficiencies, going before the voters in November as the can-do party is preferable to facing re- election as the ineffectual one.

snip//

If Obama does emerge as both an effective partisan and a progressive who delivers, the pundits' morning line will change overnight. The president will be depicted as a giant-killer. That can only be good both for his general public approval and for his support among Democrats. The party base, which has been in agony about Obama's dithering, will be newly energized.

The nation still faces a crisis too severe to indulge the luxury of obstructionism. For now, Democrats should be willing to use reconciliation as necessary. Next January, Senate Democrats should scrap the filibuster rule once and for all.

And if his near-death experience on health care has finally ended his futile quest for a bipartisan consensus, Obama will be in a better position to deliver on other fronts. Let's hope that we are seeing a real turning point in his presidency.

[livetohike]

1. "going before the voters in November as the can-do party

is preferable to facing re-election as the ineffectual one." If my Republican Congressman ever has a town hall, I am going to chastise him for being the ineffectual one :-). Voting 96% with the Republican party on all bills, he hasn't done anything for his C.D.

[unblock]

2. let's hope indeed!

can-do obama sounds a whole lot better than dithering obama.

[rosesaylavee]

3. Please make it so. n/t

[MissMarple]

4. Good political timing, too.