Making Obama do it

FDR was, of course, a consummate political leader. In one situation, a group came to him urging specific actions in support of a cause in which they deeply believed. He replied: I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it.

-- William J. vanden Heuvel, cited by the Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Insitute

Jobs. Tax cuts. A popular president. And an ad campaign by Americans United for Change and AFSCME that congratulates and thanks President Obama, and that finishes up with the declaration: It’s the first step on the road to recovery.

It's hard not to conclude that the ad, which will be running on national cable and in Washington, D.C., through the end of the week, is designed to "make him do it." The ad, after all, ends with a phone number urging viewers to "Tell President Obama: Thank you for putting jobs first 202-456-1414."

It's also hard not to conclude that the White House is begging to be urged to go further, faster, and would welcome a little overt, highly publicized shoving. The same "first step" language in the ad was resonating through Democratic circles all day yesterday, most of it coming from the White House in one venue or another, on the occasion of the president formally signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

There were the president's remarks during the signing of the act itself:

As important as the step we take today is, this legislation represents only the first part of the broad strategy we need to address our economic crisis.

There was the email from President Obama to his fabled millions-strong list, sent by Organizing for America:

Today, I signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law.

This is a historic step -- the first of many as we work together to climb out of this crisis -- and I want to thank you for your resolve and your support.

Then there was Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, leaving the door open during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One yesterday (gaggle transcript received via email):

Q    Robert, what are the prospects for another economic stimulus package following this one?  I mean, have you guys ruled out that you would do something of this -- another step of this significance?

MR. GIBBS:  I don't -- I think we believe that the steps contained in this piece of legislation that the President will sign in a few hours will be the beginning of getting our economy back on track.  Whether it is creating jobs, creating -- or investing in our infrastructure, putting money directly into people's pockets, ensuring that states and localities don't have to lay off firefighters and teachers, represents a strong start toward economic viability.

And investments that are contained in this piece of legislation, some of which we'll showcase today in Denver, provide the foundation for sustained, long-term economic growth through investments that we've neglected, quite frankly, over the past many years.

So I think we're anxious and eager to implement the plan that the President has called for, ensure that the money is given out in a transparent and accountable way, and that it creates and saves the jobs that we believe it will before we go any further on an additional stimulus bill.

Obviously the President has spoken many times about the need for many other things to happen in this economy.  Obviously we're working on a financial stability plan to increase lending to small businesses and families.  The home foreclosure aspect is something the President will detail tomorrow.  And then, most importantly -- and you'll hear him talk about all these things today -- or not most importantly, but as important is a plan to enforce the rules of the road so we don't find ourselves in this economic dead-end again.

Q    It seems like you're almost taking a wait-and-see kind of approach to this, but not closing the door to another step.  Would I be incorrect in interpreting it that way?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, without -- let me give you two answers.  One, the President is going to do whatever he thinks is necessary to get our economy moving again.  I think if you look back at the -- well, in just four weeks since -- four weeks since the President was sworn into office, we're going to sign the largest economic recovery package in this country's history that will do many of the things that I've enumerated -- most importantly, we think, save and create 3.5 million jobs.  That's our focus, and I think there's obviously a lot of work to be done in ensuring that this money gets out quickly and gets into the hands that -- and in the hands of people that need it the most.

So I think the President is going to do what's necessary to grow this economy.  But there are no particular plans at this point for a second stimulus package at the moment.  I wouldn't foreclose it, but I wouldn't say, at the same time, there's -- we're readily making plans to do so.

Certainly as citizens we want all doors open as we move ahead, with many economists already warning that more stimulus might be necessary sooner rather than later. And it's a good sign that we're seeing the president and his team insisting on this room to maneuver--and that we have groups like Americans United for Change and AFSCME stepping up to the plate to help us focus our voices on bringing the necessary political pressure to bear.