My advice to Democrats in general: time for some hardball. Playing nice with these guys does not work.
Pretending to play nice is fine. As the quotable Winston Churchill observed
When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite
For political purposes it may be better that the Republicans are 'killed' by others than by the President. But the time has come - in fact, the time is past - to take the war to them.
Here is the meme for the 2012 elections:
Republicans do not make anything better.
The following are designed to support that meme.
- The time to start investigating for corruption is NOW. Do you really think that John Boehner - a guy who passed out tobacco lobby money on the House floor - is going to run an ethical caucus? It is to laugh. Choose a local Republican; check Open Secrets to find out who donated money; start digging. Convince voters that the Republicans will not make our political system more honest or responsive to the little guy.
- To provide contrast, let investigations of the Rangel's and Waters' go forward. And keep pushing for the DISCLOSE act and similar sunshine laws.
- Daniel Issa has indicated that he wants to investigate Obama for everything under the sun. Bo the dog will soon be sworn in as a witness. If Obama really wants to play hardball with Issa, he ought to let it be known that a certain amount of pandering to the base is expected, but that if Issa gets to be a pain in the ass, Dick Cheney and Dubya are going to be hit with investigations about their real felonies. Yes, I know he ought to do that anyway. But since he hasn't, it makes for a lovely threat.
- A regular focus on the off-shoring of jobs will pay dividends. Americans may be deluded enough to believe in the tax cut fairies, but no one anywhere believes that sending jobs to China or India results in yet more jobs created here.
- To provide contrast, keep trying to cut tax breaks for off-shoring companies. Force them to defend these breaks.
- Every single bit of pork in a spending bill coming out of the House should be highlighted with delighted glee. Rub the noses of the Tea Party in the fact that Boehner et al WILL NEVER CUT SPENDING.
- To provide contrast, propose a budget that actually reduces the deficit. Make them oppose a bill which is more responsible than theirs because it gasp raises taxes.
- Go after tax evaders and cheaters. Watch the Republicans defend GE paying no taxes.
- Go after employers who blatantly hire illegal immigrants. Let the Republicans defend giving scarce jobs to people who will work cheap because they have to work sub rosa.
- The time has come for DADT and DOMA to go the way of the DODO. Paint this as "standing up for the little guy".
- Try for card check. Again, paint this as "standing up for the little guy".
- The time has come for the President to actually insult Republicans to their faces. No more "drove the car into the ditch". Time for "starve American workers to give money to billionaires." Make them mad, Barack - an angry opponent is a stupid opponent.
And keep asking the Republicans: what will you do that will help ordinary Americans? When they propose something stupid (which ought to be a daily occurrence), ask the simple question "How does this help anyone?".