Earlier this week the White House struck a deal with newly empowered congressional Republicans on tax. It involved allowing the Bush tax cuts on rich people to continue and cutting the estate tax (the Democrat 'gives') whilst extending unemployment insurance and cutting payroll taxes for those lower down the income scale (the Republican gives). Ezra Klein has a comprehensive explanation of the agreement here. It sounds like a proper deal, with both sides having plenty to be annoyed about - although the left is far more upset than the right, and is loudly accusing the president of selling out, a charge they're now firmly in the habit of making.
During his press conference on the deal Obama took time out to lay into the left of his party (see below). He raked up the public option debate on healthcare, sure to rile the liberal base. He accused them of wanting only symbolic victories rather than real change.
Some have seen this as the first hint of a new triangulation strategy, in which the president positions himself as between and above the warring factions of left and right. It sounded like something more authentic to me; genuine annoyance at elements in his own party for carping about every compromise. Whatever it was, this seems like a significant moment for his presidency:
Klein and Clive Crook thought the president came across as needlessly defensive and insecure. Perhaps, but compared to his "wet blanket" impression in the post-midterms presser, this was better, wasn't it? At least he is showing signs of life. He seemed in danger of becoming Calvin Coolidge.
Bam's inherent pragmatism was evident from his books, from his speeches and voting record in the Illinois Senate and in the US Senate, and from his speeches throughout the presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008. Anyone who thought he was not inherently a pragmatist simply wasn't paying attention. If the left feel betrayed by his let's-make-a-deal approach, it is only because they deluded themselves otherwise.
And awakening from self-delusion is always the worst form of enlightenment, since you only have yourself to blame for being in the dark.
Posted by: peter | December 08, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Ahh good, he's leading again. I was getting a bit worried he'd fallen a bit comatose too - I even for a few weeks began to feel that Obama might face a competitive fight for re-election.
Still, he shows his finger is on the pulse of ordinary americans, and that he isn't into petty washington squabbles, which will make for some great authentic-sounding campaign rhetoric in 2012.
As for the tax cuts, the strategy is simple. Get all but the top 2% tax cut sustained for two more years. Use the money from the top 2% to fund a payroll tax cut for two years. This is a second round of stimulus by the backdoor - 500,000 jobs from that payroll tax. The economy gets moving, Obama gets re-elected in 2012 easily, and then to cure the deficit all he does is veto anything that isn't the full set of tax rises.
Posted by: Charlesbarry | December 08, 2010 at 03:45 PM
A pragmatist leader struggling with the extreme members of his party. It's the political trope of 2010, isn't it?
Posted by: Scott | December 09, 2010 at 03:37 AM
Can't get enough of this last question at the press conf. Something I have said to a lot of "progressives" who no longer speak to me, which is fine! The midterm press conf was hard to watch, but predictable. He called every candidate who lost...not an easy task for anyone to endure. A Staff member said he didn't sleep that night. The media was over the top that day as they embraced the teabag nonsense. Bad performance by both parties involved.
Posted by: cat48 | December 30, 2010 at 12:51 PM