The media will not be describing the Democratic Congress as unable to get things done. Instead the meme will be how the Republicans tried to obstruct, but failed.
The Republicans, prodded by the Tea Partiers, will be running not on what they will do for the American people, but even more than ever as the party of NO - and for all the anger the TPers (TP - an appropriate abbreviation, don't you think?) bring to the table, that negativity may well turn off independents.
Democrats should move the ball down the field by trying to remove the anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies. As unpopular as they are, will not that push the party of NO into the position of defending them, and thus acquiring some of that unpopularity.
"No we can't." Is not that what John Boehner said? Cannot we run that as the image of the Republican party, and against that remind the American people that not only is it "Yes we can" but also "Yes we did - and for you"???
But let's not stop here -
Let's push hard for regulation of the financial services industry
Let's push hard for a meaningful energy policy
Let's push hard for a larger jobs bill
Let's help the state and local governments facing imminent layoffs and cutbacks on key programs by continuing to stimulate the economy
Let's protect the rights of those who want to join unions
Update - thanks Ben Masel
Let's move forward on full equality starting with repealing DADT
Let's move to fix health care beyond what we can do in Reconciliation
The media said health care reform was dead with the election of Scott Brown. It was not.
The Democrats achieved positive change. The Republicans played politics.
The Democrats worked for all the American people. The Republicans played politics.
The Democrats accepted ideas from the Republicans. The Republicans voted against bills full of Republican ideas, because the Republicans played politics.
Now comes the hard part. The corporate interests are going to pour millions, even billions, into attempting to win back the Congress. We will not be able to match them dollar for dollar. But we can certainly outmatch them with our commitment to preserve what we have won, and to win some more - for all of us.
We can force the media to cover what we already know:
.. the TPers are racists: spitting on Rep. Cleaver, calling John Lewis a Nigger, calling Ciro Rodriguez a wetback, calling Barnie Frank a faggot
.. the Republicans are worse than rude: on top of Joe Miller's Wilson's shout about Obama lying, we now have George Radanovich calling Bart Stupak a baby killer. Bart Stupak a baby killer? Hell, take Bart's words in response to the motion to commit and run them, that the Democrats are the party of life, that the Democrats for the first time are giving that baby's mother care before and after the birth, that the Democrats are providing health care to all Americans and Republicans don't even think health care should be a right
... that Republicans have a history of opposing the programs Americans have come to love and want: Republicans opposed Social Security, Medicare and now this health care reform
... that Republicans have been consistently wrong about the effects of social programs and economic programs proposed by Democrats: wrong on Social Security, wrong on Medicare, wrong on Bill Clinton's economic plans
Last night our President reminded us that real change comes from the bottom up, that this success would not have been possible without all those who made phone calls, wrote letters, sent emails. We learned that during that last two election cycles. We learned before from Howard Dean that we have the power. We used it. We won. And now those we helped put into power have finally, more than a century after Teddy Roosevelt first proposed health care for more Americans, made a significant move in that direction, even though the press and pundits said we could not, even though some Democrats said we were being too ambitious, even though Republicans ridiculed us, lied about our proposals, and obstructed us at every turn.
In 1969 we watched as man first stepped on the moon. The words Neal Armstrong actually said, but which did not come through clearly, were That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Last night was a step, one step, not for a man, not for a party, but for all Americans. It was not a tiny step. It was not a giant step. It was the first step on a journey that may yet save our nation and our society. We moved forward, and thus stepped back from the abyss of a dysfunctional government. WE GOT SOMETHING DONE. WE - not just the President, the Speaker, the Majority Leader, and our elected officials. WE the people.
We should enjoy it. We should celebrate it.
And then we should get back to work. It is the first step. It cannot be the last step.
The party of NO, their corporate allies, the real special interests in the corporate management class, will all try to turn back our movement. We cannot let them.
We must match their dollars with what we can offer. We must continue to make calls, knock on doors, pressure the media, use the modern tools of communication.
That's one not so small step by this administration and Congress. Now let's make some more steps. Let's keep moving the country forward.
Peace.