Saturday, December 08, 2012

From the Jaws of Victory

Why can’t the President take yes for an answer? A month after voters affirmed him, why is he signaling so many concessions to a GOP in disarray?

There are sightings of the Barack Obama who botched the first debate with Mitt Romney—-disengaged, distant, bogged down in details of issues rather than passionate about what’s at stake.

All this goes beyond ideology and partisan score-keeping into the realm of temperament and character. Will Obama II revert to more of the law professor than the community organizer?

In his Weekly Address, the President describes himself as ready to work with GOP opponents on “a plan that gives both sides some of what they want. I’m willing to find ways to bring down the cost of health care without hurting seniors and other Americans who depend on it.  And I’m willing to make more entitlement spending cuts on top of the $1 trillion dollars in cuts I signed into law last year.”

With Republican backs to wall at the fiscal cliff, the weekend brings alarming Administration leaks about compromises—-raising Medicare eligibility age to 67, flexibility about the key campaign promise to raise income tax rates of the superrich back to 39.6 percent.

As Boehner and McConnell play their tired old games with no acknowledgement that this year’s flood of partisan money failed to tilt Washington in their favor, why is Obama slipping back into his outdated dance with them?

What many voted for this year was an end to being stuffed like holiday turkeys with Washington rhetoric and a return to something more like traditionally tough legislative negotiation about the future.

It’s disheartening to see Barack Obama of all people approaching us with a carving knife this early in the season.

1 comment:

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

Patience.