In my view, one of the biggest problems with the US Congress in 2010 is the recalcitrant minority.
In the past 3 years, Americans have given a clear mandate via elections, not for a political party, but for relevant issues that need to be addressed. A few of these can be acknowledged by the vast majority of Americans:
- Reform the Health Care system to control costs and provide for universal coverage.
- Repeal Bush-era interrogation violations (i.e. torture)
- Address energy cost and commodity issues (includes $4/gl. gas, climate change, foreign oil dependence)
- Address runaway spending
In the last 50 days of the 2008 election, the Great Recession hit full force. The Bush Administration took steps (TARP) they would never have to be responsible for. Now, this too is a major topic, including unemployment. No national election has addressed this topic.
The Democrats, almost by default because of the recklessness of Republicans, gained the largest Congressional majority in modern memory. Their strategy has always been one of conciliation to their opponents. As President Obama stated on the campaign trail, he wanted to bring a new tone to Washington. By definition, this meant changing the partisan rancor that was so prevalent.
The Republican Party and their massive media machine decided from the beginning that their best strategy was to play the recalcitrant opposition. In a move unprecedented in Congressional history, they have placed stumbling blocks on EVERY piece of legislation in the Senate. Such was their destruction that it is impossible to count the number of bills they prevented from coming to the floor. For the first time ever, the Senate Leader needed 60 votes to actually BRING a motion to the floor.
The Democrats did not develop an effective counter-opposition to the Republican strategy. Since they actually had 60 senators, they attempted to "shoot the moon" (so to speak) and pass only what could maintain 60 votes. This had never been done before and, though the political climate at the time may have made such a strategy seem possible, the inertia of the political wave that brought the Democrats to power would soon wane.
Tell-tale signs have been ignored by Democratic leaders and President Obama that could have been used as an opportunity to change course. Scattered regional elections early on provided mixed reviews. Delays in the summer of 2008 were ignored. Critics were marginalized rather than debated. Finally, a Senate seat switched in the Republicans favor and the 60 vote possibility was no longer relevant.
Since 2010 began, very little has emerged from Congress. The Democrats are revising their strategy. This is a 'last chance' opportunity for them before the 2010 Elections. They have to pass legislation that Americans want or they are likely to lose terribly in the Fall (in spite of the fact that the opposition will do more damage than ever to our current woes).
The Republicans have been called out time and again by Real Journalism (mostly online; no broadcast news included) for their hypocrisy. There is no reason to believe anything they are saying is what they actually mean. While this can also be said to be true of the Democrats, we know from very recent memory what the Republicans will do with leadership. The Great Recession is brought to us by the Republicans. The Democrats' new strategy must be to call-out and even demand an opposition party.
Democratic leaders, starting with President Obama, in no uncertain terms, must begin using phrases such as the following:
- The Great Recession, brought to us by the Republicans
- On health care reform, we want the whole thing, including the public option and medicare over 55. We'd love it if the Republicans would agree to talks and compromise, providing they both TALK and VOTE for what they propose.
- In the U.S. Congress, a hand-shake should mean something. Republicans think it doesn't.
- On jobs, we want it all. We want a second stimulus for Main Street. We'll pass it with reconciliation. We'd love it if the Republicans would agree to talks and compromise, providing they both TALK and VOTE for what they propose.
- We want joint talks on legislation. We want compromise and agreement at these talks, not political strategy. When we're done, we want an immediate press conference. This is the 21st Century. We think everyone deserves to know right away what their Congress has decided to do next.
When asked what you'll do if Republicans won't come to the talks, tell them:
If Republicans won't come to the talks, we'll do it ourselves and we'll reason what's best for everyone to the best of our abilities.
We want all Americans in districts represented by Republicans to be represented. We have invited your representative. When your party is in power, we hope you'd do the same. If you don't come, it's a tragedy for those Americans you represent and it's questionable leadership, in my opinion.
We've always been ready to compromise and members of our own party think we're crazy for doing it. We DO want a different tone in Washington. We DO want a jobs bill. We DO want to fix health care. We DO want to curb spending. And we ARE willing to both TALK and COMPROMISE, as we've made plainly evident in the past. However, what we will no longer do is sit paralyzed by a minority party unwilling to engage, unwilling to represent their constituents who elected them to do just that.
This is important legislation. We WILL pass it. I highly recommend to my Republican colleagues that they stop making appearances on TV talk shows and start making appearances in Congressional meeting rooms and offices. Then, in November, the American people can choose who is helping them and who is standing in the way of progress.
If the Democratic Party wants to maintain their positions in the U.S. Congress, they need to pass significant legislation in the next 6 months. Many members are afraid, recalling the legislation passed in 93 that raised taxes. That legislative 'fix' lead to the incredible economic successes of the 1990s, but the lack of a political response left them vulnerable at the polls and they lost control of the Congress for 14 years. Apart from the fact that this Congress was elected with a mandate to address these very problems, this "Demand an Opposition" strategy is meant to allay these fears. By having a strategy, you can both pass the legislation and combat the Republican opponents politically.
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Editors Note to DU: I wrote this from a moderate perspective, meaning I deliberately refrained from elaborating on several facts that many here already know. (e.g. I know that wanting "everything" in health care legislation means much more than just a PO and 55+ for Medicare.) It's not because I'm unaware, but because I think the 'clean slate' idea won't happen in time. I also know that compromise and bi-partisanship is a pipe dream. That's not the point. The point is to find a way to turn the tables on the Republicans and make them look like the bad guys they really are. These are just my thoughts at how Dems might get themselves out of this political pickle (to put it mildly). If you got this far, thanks for reading! ~Peace
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