Some perspective Obama should consider
When Clinton took office in 1992, he had a 58 seat majority in the Senate and a larger majority in the House than the Democrats have right now, maybe even larger than they'll have after all the election results are in.
Clinton came swaggering into town ready to shove through his own brand of 'change' of the time and the Republicans pulled back and left him hung out to dry with his own party. With the GOP disengaged the Democrats squabbled and got nothing of substance done for two years and the people threw their asses out and the Republican revolution started.
Minus the Republican takeover midterm I'd say that Clinton would have had a much harder time moving his agenda and being the effective president he was. It was only after the Congressional shift that Clinton was able to co-opt enough of the GOP's agenda, free trade in the form of NAFTA and welfare reform the two most significant, and get enough clout of his own to start pushing his own agenda.
Again, if not for that opportunity to take welfare reform and free trade away from the Republicans Clinton could have conceivably been another Carter, unable to staunch the squabbling in his own party and risk be marginalized as a result.
This is the dilemma for Obama, to not get in the same rut that Clinton was in with an even bigger Congressional majority than Obama is going to have. The GOP is going to be even more conservative and more reactionary after the election than it was before. The Democrats stupidly targeted vulnerable moderate Republicans with their own conservative Democrats and the GOP as a result has been condensed down to a more radical base than they were where at the same time the Democratic party has been diluted with even more conservative Democrats that are going to have to deliver lest they lose in 2010 what they took in the House 2008.
This is why I think Obama should reach out to McCain after he takes office, or even before, the sooner the better. If he doesn't, if he lets the GOP pull back into itself thinking he doesn't need them, then he's gonna have the same problems that Clinton had his first two years. And I don't see the GOP taking back the House let alone the Senate after only two years, which makes it even worse for Obama come 2012.
If Obama can't draw the GOP out and all he can do is pass partisan crap for four years he's likely to be a one term historical foot note in the history books.
Clinton came swaggering into town ready to shove through his own brand of 'change' of the time and the Republicans pulled back and left him hung out to dry with his own party. With the GOP disengaged the Democrats squabbled and got nothing of substance done for two years and the people threw their asses out and the Republican revolution started.
Minus the Republican takeover midterm I'd say that Clinton would have had a much harder time moving his agenda and being the effective president he was. It was only after the Congressional shift that Clinton was able to co-opt enough of the GOP's agenda, free trade in the form of NAFTA and welfare reform the two most significant, and get enough clout of his own to start pushing his own agenda.
Again, if not for that opportunity to take welfare reform and free trade away from the Republicans Clinton could have conceivably been another Carter, unable to staunch the squabbling in his own party and risk be marginalized as a result.
This is the dilemma for Obama, to not get in the same rut that Clinton was in with an even bigger Congressional majority than Obama is going to have. The GOP is going to be even more conservative and more reactionary after the election than it was before. The Democrats stupidly targeted vulnerable moderate Republicans with their own conservative Democrats and the GOP as a result has been condensed down to a more radical base than they were where at the same time the Democratic party has been diluted with even more conservative Democrats that are going to have to deliver lest they lose in 2010 what they took in the House 2008.
This is why I think Obama should reach out to McCain after he takes office, or even before, the sooner the better. If he doesn't, if he lets the GOP pull back into itself thinking he doesn't need them, then he's gonna have the same problems that Clinton had his first two years. And I don't see the GOP taking back the House let alone the Senate after only two years, which makes it even worse for Obama come 2012.
If Obama can't draw the GOP out and all he can do is pass partisan crap for four years he's likely to be a one term historical foot note in the history books.
posted by opus512 at 1:55 PM
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