I'm finding it interesting reading a number of the diaries here on Kos as well as on other sites beginning the process of deeming Obama's Presidency A Dismal Failure.
Really? He's been in office less than three weeks. The stimulus bill is in the Senate and, while I know the DC pundits are all agog that the Republicans want tax cuts and the liberals want more spending and my God, why hasn't this passed yet - Obama is doomed! ... I see it differently.
Obama did the right thing in reaching out to Republicans. That they voted to a person against this package after that reach out reflects badly on them, not on him. They're still playing politics as usual - he's doing what he said he would, and what the American people said they wanted.
And while the GOP isn't understanding that (and probably digging themselves into a deeper hole because of it), and neither are the talking heads (and my time working in DC tells me that the "pundits" are usually at least a few months behind the public), the left is panicking.
We're still in bunker mode. We're still worried about the 24 hour cycle. Meanwhile, America is worried about their future, not who won the DC war that particular day. We're thinking short term - now! now! now! - and the public just wants it done and done right.
I believe that he will compromise a bit more, specifically with Senators Collins and Snowe, and end up getting quite a bit of support in the Senate (more than 60 votes). And once it passes and he signs it into law, lets look at what he will have accomplished:
He will have stated a goal of a bold stimulus package.
He will have reached out to the other side in an effort at bipartisanship. (Regardless of all of them voting no in the house, the reaching out and listening and compromising is bipartisanship, not the number of votes.)
He will have allowed a full and open debate in the Senate, and worked at compromise with the key moderates in the GOP to get the bill passed in that body (again, bipartisanship).
He will have signed the stimulus package with almost everything he wanted in it.
He will have shown that something bold can be accomplished without spending every day worrying about the next news cycle - and in his first month in office.
He will have used almost not political chits to get it all accomplished.
This is not failure. This is changing the way things get done. And as far as I'm concerned, its a change for the better.