Do you remember when Republicans used to excoriate Democrats for being poll driven, when it was a crime for a politician to test the political climate before making a decision. Or do you remember Republican assertions of George Bush's integrity based on dubious claims about his lack of concern over polls and public opinion, and his complete reliance on doing what was right, regardless of public opinion. We all know how well that went. So why is it now that the main focus of much of the criticism from Republicans, of healthcare reform, is that public opinion is against it. Should not Obama be lauded for his efforts to do what he believes is the right thing despite public opinion. In fact isn't it Obama's integrity in this regard what is beginning to turn public opinion in his favor, and revealing Obama to be the rare politician who can shape opinion.
If you listen to Republicans, Obama's greatest sin in pursuit of healthcare reform is that he is not paying attention to the polls. Glen Greenwald has a piece in Salon on the Republicans newfound respect for poll results.
One Republican leader after the next stood up yesterday to depict the health care bill as a grave threat to democracy because it was enacted in the face of disapproval from a majority of Americans. Minority Leader John Boehner mourned: "We have failed to listen to America. And we have failed to reflect the will of our constituents. And when we fail to reflect that will -- we fail ourselves and we fail our country." GOP Rep. Mike Pence thundered: "We're breaking with our finest traditions . . . . the consent of the governed." That the health care bill destroys "the consent of the governed" because it is opposed by a majority of Americans has become the central theme of every talking-points-spouting, right-wing hack around
Republican after Republican has gone before the cameras to decry Obama's refusal to bow to the will of the people as gleaned from poll results. The same politicians who applauded Bush's war strategy even as it became enormously unpopular, and hailed Bush as a man of great integrity for standing up to public opinion, now conveniently view the results of public opinion polls as their greatest ally.
In fact George Bush made it a point to campaign as a man who was not influenced by poll results.
During the 2000 campaign, Bush often emphasized his purported lack of interest in studies of public opinion. "I really don't care what the polls and focus groups say," he said prior to the second presidential debate. "What I care about is doing what I think is right" [CBS' The Early Show, 10/11/00]. Following his election, Bush's aides and supporters continued to highlight what they claimed was a clear distinction between Bush and President Clinton, whose reliance on polling data was well documented. In a speech shortly after Bush's inauguration, Vice President Dick Cheney stated: "The days of the war room and the permanent campaign are over. This president and this administration are going to change the tone in the city of Washington."
And of course, in Bush, Republicans saw strength in this quality. And it would have been a quality worthy of admiration, if it were in honest pursuit of the nation's best interests, rather than an overwhelming and irrational stubbornness and refusal to acknowledge mistakes.
In Obama we have precisely the type of man who deserves respect for his willingness to pursue goals, which he knows are in the nation's best interest, despite the polls and the current political wisdom. But from Republicans, the only reaction now is disdain. Should I say, the hypocrisy is stifling. Obama is a President who is not afraid to compromise and yield when it is called for, but who can also show stubborn determination when it is required. And as a consequence, after the healthcare fight, he is beginning to win some hard earned respect for his toughness.
But another consequence, which may be beginning to be evidenced, in some welcome new polling, is that Obama is a President who is capable of shaping public opinion, not merely responding to it. This is quality that too few Democratic politicians have had recently. Obama has accumulated some well deserved political capital with his strong and successful advocacy for healthcare reform. And if he is able to take advantage of this, it may turn out that this President's greatest strength lies in his ability to drive public opinion. If so, better days are ahead.