Because You Never Asked

 

(9/10)

     In the essay “Europe-Obama-2009”, I set forth the idea that the battle over meaningful health care reform would be the Stalingrad of the Obama presidency, that is, the political engagement that would tip the whole war one way or the other. I’d have to say this has proven correct. During the Battle of Stalingrad-Health Care Reform, Mr. Obama lost the respect of an American electorate that has a much better feel for leadership than ideology. He was pushed around by a numerically weaker foe and fought back timidly. This could be the greatest sin of any American president in the eyes of its rank and file. Although it is not impossible, he will have a hard time redeeming himself.

     A few days ago, I spent about 5 minutes with Chris Matthews and his daily political talk show. The conversation gravitated around what has gone wrong for Obama and Matthews asked the $64 question: what else could he have done? When one of his guests began giving him things he could have done, Matthews rudely cut him off insinuating nothing could have been done. This made me feel like jumping through the screen and into the studio, something which does not fall within the laws of physics, so my rant will be feebly relegated to this essay. Hey, Chris, listen up! This is what he could have done:

     The American people may be politically unsophisticated, but they are not brain dead (that is a somewhat optimistic statement, but I’ll risk it). Even the American people, after 8 years of Bush-Cheney fiasco, realized something had gone wrong and something had to be fixed. They overwhelmingly voted for change, like hey, do something, we don’t care what it is, but do it! Not only was Obama easily elected, but he demonstrated the most valuable commodity a president can have --- “coattails”! Democrats were elected all over the red state map in a lusty display of disgust for the old and hope for the new. (Isn’t it ironic how Republicans are now associated with the color red? How I long for the days when a “red” was a “red”).

     So Obama comes into office with a tremendous amount of political capital, and, not unusually, he rolls out the olive branch. He offers an attempt at bi-partisanship. He wants to heal, to bring people together. Fine. In truth, that is a fairly standard procedure for an incoming president, but Obama seems sincere in all this. Perhaps he sees himself as a King Solomon of sorts, imparting uncommon wisdom to his flock.

     But there comes a time when one has to realize the other side is not interested, they are playing you for a fool, they are going to hit you low, sucker punch you and knee you in the groin every chance they get. There comes a time when you have to take off the gloves and fight back. That is the only thing the American people understand.

     That moment arrived in August of 2009, when the well funded, well organized, well rehearsed, not grassroots disruptions of Democratic town hall meetings on health care reform occurred. The opposition threw a series of low blows, rabbit punches, kidney shots, whomps to the back of the head, and anything else they could land, while the President did little more than cover up in a political form of “rope-a-dope” where he ended up the dope (maybe he should’ve called Mohammed Ali for advice?). This all culminated with some of the most respected Republican senators on the “bi-partisan” health care reform committee accusing Obama of trying “to kill granny”.

     I don’t know about you, but I, as President, would have taken offense to that. That would have pissed me off. Wouldn’t it have pissed you off?

     Before getting into what he should’a-could’a-would’a, let’s discuss what he did do. While the opposition continued to pummel him with nothing even remotely within the parameters of reality, he continued to compromise away anything that could be called meaningful reform until we were left with little more than a windfall giveaway to the same drug and insurance companies who’ve been cheating and tyrannizing the American people for generations. The so called “public option” was dropped like a hot coal early in the game, even though it was popular amongst the American people and exists successfully in every other developed country in the world (what a “radical” idea). Eventually, this autistic reform was passed with the use of a technicality called “reconciliation”, used to circumvent a Republican filibuster.

     But the best part is this: after so much compromise, so much attempt at bi-partisanship, so much attempt at unity and coming together --- IT GOT NO REPUBLICAN VOTES!

     OK, here’s what should have happened:

     Obama’s early attempts at bi-partisanship were proper, perhaps even necessary. Such signs of goodwill can never be seen as a negative thing, but signs of weakness can be fatal. This low brow insurrection orquestrated in August of 2009 by back stage billionaires and the political operation known as Fox News, should have put an end to the bi-partisanship game. Obama’s game face had to come on. No more Mr. Nice Guy. While always granting the opposition a chance to offer their ideas --- we will always listen, etc. --- the President had to make it clear, in the face of such lies, distortions and undemocratic disruptions of the national discourse on this pivotal subject, “that we cannot wait any longer. With or without them, we are going to do what is not only right, but necessary for the American people. If all they can do is disrupt, interfere, distort, lie and defend an unconscionable status quo, then we will have to move on without them. We won the election because people want change. This is not a “coup” or dictatorship, but a democracy at work. The American people want meaningful health care reform. The American economy needs meaningful health care reform. The American people need a public option and the American people are going to get it --- blah, blah, blah, God bless the United States of America ”.

     The varying plays on this theme are almost infinite, all perfectly suited to make a president look good, look strong, look --- “presidential”.

     The Chris Matthews’ of this world would now remind us that Obama had big problems within his own Party and this is where the game was lost.

     Wrong. If the bi-partisan game had been discarded in a timely fashion (in August of 2009), the internal problems in the Democratic Party could have been addressed. With the “reconciliation” tactic as his ace in the hole, Obama had the numbers and since the Bush Administration had used the same tactic for some of its important agenda items, the political liability was minimal. But you don’t want too many of your own peeling away. It is bad for morale and does not look good. This is where you have to be President. You gather up all those centrist “blue dog” congressmen elected on your coattails and you forcefully “explain” the situation: “Look, you guys are here in Washington because of me. You rode into office on my presidential campaign. The American people voted for change. You did not get elected to be just like the Republican who normally wins in your district. You will not get re-elected by being less of a Democrat than me. You will only get re-elected by being part of something new, something big, something successful. My success is your success. You have to understand that! You can play the gun control game as you’d like. You can defy me on abortion and that Christian stuff, but you must get on board with me here. If I lose, you lose --- now let’s get to work”.

     Such a reality check would be less effective in the Senate, where it is more expensive to get elected and a certain number of your own Party’s senators are employed by drug-insurance company interests they simply cannot abandon. If 5 or 6 of them jump ship, so what? Fifty one is all you need and you have it. You end up looking good. You look strong. Your fervent base is still in love with you and will work hard for you. Those who voted for you with hesitance are now impressed. This guy is tough. He’s what we need. You win!

     Would’a, should’a, could’a.

     Much of the country’s professional political punditry blame Obama’s fallen popularity almost exclusively on the economic doldrums the nation is still drifting in. You do not have to be a talking head on TV to see the logic in this, but, I repeat, this is an overrated concept. If, during the battle of Stalingrad-Health Care Reform, Obama had won the confidence of the American people, he’d be given more time to pass through these doldrums until fairer winds could be found. This is especially true when the opposition can do little more than make excuses for a crisis born on their watch with the help of their policies. This is especially true when the opposition does not have a single new idea to offer. They are little more than a cavalry unit coming to the rescue with no horses.

     Tragically, the President fought timidly, defensively, he covered up, absorbed too many blows and threw very little in return. Putting up a fight is what the American people most respect and understand. Obama is now like a coach who has lost his team. It is hard to get them back once you’ve lost them.