David Axelrod, on today's Meet The Press, once again hammered the Republicans for not having any new ideas. Some would say that this is beyond the point of bullying as these kinds of statements are echoed by every other Democrat. In all frankness, until the Republicans actually come up with one... we say hammer away. However, with all that hammering, the Democrats really need to build something. But are they? That's the real story.
This week, President Obama's Climate Bill went to the floor of the House and came out with a three-vote victory. Forty-four Democrats didn't vote for it. Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) said later in the program that Democrats were jumping off from the President's agenda faster than Republicans. To say that's a bit of hyperbole is a modest understatement, but nonetheless the victory was a narrow margin. Mr. Graham also made a point of saying that the bill would go no where in the Senate.
On the healthcare issue, Senator Graham analogized that the Obama Administration was using Rovian and Tom Delay-type tactics to make people vote for something they don't want to vote for. In that statement, he basically threw most of George Bush's policy wins under the bus. Using those tactics pushed their entire agenda through the Congress. Now, a Republican Senator is invoking those names as negatives. He used bullying as a criticism instead of offering a solution.
However, Democrats seem to be getting sheepish about their agenda and this is an area of grave concern. It is the Democrats who actually need a new idea, which is that, as a party, they have to not be afraid of upsetting the other side. The need to lead and ignore the kicking and screaming of the Republicans while stepping through the door. Additionally on healthcare, today's first guest David Axelrod, President Obama's senior advisor, said that he thinks there will be a public option in the bill.
Mr. Gregory phrased the question to today's panel, a good one, (New York Times' David Brooks, Washington Post's E.J. Dionne, Vanity Fair's Dee Dee Myers & Republican Strategist Mike Murphy) this way: Is this pragmatism and the art of compromise on the part of this president, or is it weakness? The Obama Administration needs to remain pragmatic, but comprise less. Mr. Axelrod needed to make it clear that a public healthcare option is essential to the bill and that they is no way the President will not sign it into law without this provision - Senator Graham's statement be damned. Say it today and start fighting for it or the rhetoric will nosedive in credibility.
And a note on credibility, this column gives more reverence to Mr. Mike Murphy then any other Republican Strategist that appears on the program or otherwise so it is reassuring to have The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne as his foil on today's panel to... well, frankly to call 'bullshit' on some of Mr. Murphy's statements. Case in point being the Wyden Bennett Healthcare plan, which basically stipulates that healthcare would be available to everyone through private insurers who are mandated to become more cost efficient and not adding insanely to the deficit. Mr. Murphy said that this is a much better plan than the public option and that the Democrats could pass that instead. At this point, Mr. Dionne rightly pointed out that the bill, which is law in Massachusetts, could have been passed at any time while Republicans held the majority.
Speaking of Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney, Senator Graham's companion guest today, pointed out the success of the program passed under his leadership. Mr. Romney relies on people's short term memories in the hopes that they will forget some very liberal stances (being a pro-choice Republican Governor) he held while Governor of the state. Credibility remains an issue for Mr. Romney and will dog him when he attempts another unsuccessful run for the Presidency.
So, lastly, when he says that public figures should be held to a higher standard, in reference to the revelations of Governor Mark Sanford's (R-SC) behavior this week, we agree with him but for completely different reasons. Affairs are personal matters, a tragedy of family life that no one is immune to, and most people understand this. Where Mr. Sanford should be held accountable is in his duties as Governor of South Carolina. He left the state without informing anyone as to where he would be and then had his staff lie about his location. This is irresponsible behavior - obviously if there were an emergency while he was away, it leaves a leadership void in the most crucial hours of any crisis - the first few.
