I am mellowing out after my fit of outrage and pique at Obama and remembering the lessons of the Clinton years, lessons that many on the left (myself included) don't really want to learn.
I have been harshly ranting recently and criticizing Obama, but I am starting to sober up and remember where the blame really lies for a lot of this stuff. Congress.
It reminds me of the Clinton years. Much is made about Clinton's triangulation, pushing policies that were favoured by the right wing, not getting stuff done for his base. But I remember him having a congress that didn't back him, failed to get stuff to his desk to sign. A bit like Obama.
Obama's not perfect. Neither was Clinton. I am deeply unhappy with much of what hasn't been done (if you can parse the negatives in that sentence). I am not really all that happy with what has been done. But I am starting to see the same trend as in the Clinton years.
During the primary - where my preference was initially Edwards then Clinton then Obama, though I ended up swinging behind Obama - I read a lot of great points about how Bill Clinton had let down the party and had won elections while his Democratic senators and congressmen lost seats. How he compromised to get bills through etc.
It was all part of the "the Clintons can't be trusted" line of reasoning.
Something always nagged me with this line of attack though. It was that the way I remember it Clinton just wasn't backed by his party the way the Republicans back their presidents. When major bills came round the Democrats were swayed by lobbyists and small ball politics and weakened them and tamed them until they were weak. Or they didn't put hard votes out there because they were worried over timing votes to election cycles.
The same thing has just happened this last two years. Why did Obama compromise on HealthCare? Well truth be told Democrats didn't put enough votes together to put more robust options in front of him by way of legislation. Why has Obama had to compromise on this tax bill? Because Democrats didn't vote for it before the elections because they were frightened.
Instead of putting legislation on his desk to sign and then making him go out and defend it as a track record of achievement in the elections, they put him in the weaker position of trying to offer promises instead - and that didn't work. And sure enough the Republicans had all the leverage post election because they're prepared to be tougher than Democrats are.
So I am starting to lean towards a different position to that which I have held this last few weeks. I am starting to think that haranguing Obama for not fighting enough is letting the Congress off too lightly. They talk a good game but don't put the votes in when it matters.
He compromises and proposes stuff because Congress doesn't take the lead and do it instead.
You know what though? The Republicans won't be as timid. Democrats have missed a huge chance - not Obama, the legislative branch. Watch over coming months how Republicans craft legislation to their wants, push through tough votes by being, well, tough. Watch how they put bills on Obama's desk that they want to pass. Democrats didn't do this.
Obama - yeah he's not the superhuman leader some of us (blaming me not you - don't get pissy in the comments) hoped he could be. But he's not as bad as all that. He's just a good quarterback on a shitty team. Like all arguments we make on DKOS it's a simplification - reality is a bit more complex - but I think the thrust of what I am saying here is correct.
Oh and as an aside - stealing the comprehensive Tax Reform mantle from republicans as a way to do an end run around the hostage that is the Tax Cut decision deferral is very smart IMHO. It needs to be done and I'd trust ANY Democrat leader over ANY Republican leader on a process like that. It could also provide some real fire-up-the-base fights on meaningful substantive changes in time for 2012.
EDIT:
Ugh... I so regret enabling many of the Obama haters by getting dispirited and negative myself. It's getting stupid out there right now. Obama and Clinton are not enemies. They may not have done as much as we'd like. They may sit under the right hand side of our tent. But they're not in the Republican tent.
