Republicans have cried foul as President Obama demands immediate passage of the American Jobs Act. It's not fair, they say, that the President would expect us to pass his bill without letting us contribute our ideas. They cite the need for compromise and discourse.
Before dismissing Republican opposition as obstructionist and crotchety, let's allow for the possibility that their grievances are earnest. The President needs some Republican votes, and these are within reach, provided that the GOP feel welcome to a spot at the table. If all they want is to make a few changes, even if only to appear engaged and influential, President Obama should allow them this opportunity. He hasn't much to lose, and this would be a small price to pay.
The President is taking a hard line in order to appear strong, as many worry about his chances in the 2012 election. This is a fair concern. But he would also appear strong, perhaps even more so, if he doesn't insist on passage exactly as written. Let them make a few changes if it's going to calm them down. Remember, this whole enterprise is mostly about injured pride and saving face.
Be strong, President Obama, and hold fast to your principles. But don't draw a line in the sand now. You are better than that, and your American Jobs Act is too good to waste.
It will be best not to invite comparison to Rep. Paul Ryan, the Chairman of the House Budget Committee who drafted this summer's Republican budget plan. The Ryan Plan, doomed to a presidential veto from its inception, was a futile exercise in bluster and a legislative failure that further undermined GOP credibility. Everyone knew from the get-go that it would never pass, but this didn't stop Republicans from bludgeoning the discourse with its irrelevant dogma.
Unlike the Ryan Plan, the American Jobs act is a centrist piece of legislation based on compromise. House Speaker John Boehner has announced that the plan "merits consideration." I hope the President will not waste this opportunity for real compromise by insisting on verbatim passage, which is about the only way the American Jobs Act could come across as unreasonable.
This is such an interesting turn of the table after Obama so strongly emphasized the virtue of compromise during the debt ceiling debate. Do you think it's possible that Obama is changing his negotiation policies because the previous result was less than satisfying?
ReplyDeleteStrong, engaged, influential, open to compromise and discourse, adherent to principles. President Obama hasn't changed at all. He is bright and aware. People underestimate his ability to maneuver around the many small and stubborn minds that try the patience of real attempts for positive change. And he won't give up. He is a calm thinker ,and he learns from his mistakes.He's been beaten by the seas ever since he took office, but he's strongly afloat and intact.He is not beaten by a temporary change of course, or many. He sails on with determination. Compromise is always part of his plan.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he's changed, I'm just a little worried that now everyone will get mad at him for seeming stubborn! Ironic.
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