Sep

It’s Time For President Obama To Lead

President Obama and Democrats are letting ideology stand in the way of making the best decisions for the American people. It may be what breaks them, but I don’t think they particularly care. Liberals suffered for eight years under George W. Bush and really haven’t had a clear shot at passing progressive reforms, such as Nationalized Health Care, since Bill Clinton’s first term in office. You would think after the disastrous defeat of “Hillarycare” in 1994 that the Dems would have learned that extremely partisan bills don’t get through Washington. But they don’t care to learn. All they care about expanding government and providing entitlement programs. They are concerned with gaining enough power to make decisions for the “collective” in expense of the “individual.” This is why liberal Democrats cannot accept a bill without a public option, even though there are other ways through the private sector of insuring every American. They don’t care about insuring all Americans, but rather expanding government jobs, so they can retain power. This is why Dems fight so hard for labor unions and teachers in expense of policies to success in educations, infrastructure, and manufacturing.

Democrats like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi are liberal ideologues and are not willing to seek common ground with Blue Dogs or Moderate Republicans in coming up with a Health Care bill. Instead they are working on a plan that will please the liberal side of the Democratic Party, while also looking to coerce Blue Dogs and moderate Republicans to support it. Health Care reform for the Democrats is not about improving the system, but rather creating another liberal entitlement. When FDR established his New Deal programs, it was in an effort to stop the Great Depression and save capitalism from extreme leftists who were looking to turn America to socialism. He had great aims. The American people aren’t so sure that President Obama’s policies have their best intentions in mind. Unlike FDR, Obama doesn’t have the confidence of a majority of Americans on his desire to provide more government programs

President Obama has been foolish in his first eight months in office by tying himself to Nancy Pelosi and others on the far left in Congress. It has put him in box that has not allowed him to reach out effectively to the opposition party or conservatives and moderates in his own party. As President, you must be willing to work with the other side in order to accomplish any significant pieces of legislation. FDR did so by gaining Republican support in passing his alphabet soup programs, such as the Public Works Administration, and Social Security through Congress. Ronald Reagan was able to secure signficant tax cuts for all Americans by working with Tip O’Neil and the Democratic Congress. In order to make major changes to American industry, such as Health Care reform, a president must be willing to work with the other side to get something done. He must court the opposition party openly, and not make arrogant, dismissive statements like “we won, we write the bill.”

If during his first month of office, President Obama had reached out to Republicans and allowed them to write the Stimulus bill with Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, he would have garnered more bipartisan support for his policies. However, the Democrats dismissal of all GOP congressman from crafting the Stimulus bill, then bringing it to a vote less than 24 hours after it was completed, harbored ill-will for the President among Republicans. Now when he really needs their support to pass Health Care reform and create his “Great Society” type program, Republicans are sitting on the sidelines. Instead, President Obama is dealing with falling poll numbers and a liberal House and Senate that are becoming increasingly unpopular with the American people. Now, President Obama has only two options to passs health care reform after the Senate Finance Committee voted down the public option 15-8 earlier today. He can either have the more liberal House bill go to the Senate where it can get passed through the “nuclear option” of 51 votes. Or, he can go forward with the non-public option Max Baucus bill in the Senate, which will infuriate liberals in Congress as he prepares to potentially send more troops into Afghanistan.

Either way, President Obama is set up for failure in 2010 and may be on his way to losing the presidency in 2012. His campaign-style appeals to the American people to pass his agenda have fallen on deaf ears. The American people want to see Obama govern, which he has not shown that he is able to do. He is at the point in his presidency where he can’t vote “present,” but rather needs to make tough decisions based on reason and principle. No matter what he decides to do on Health Care, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iran nuclear threat, he will be criticized mercily. That’s why he needs to show some political courage and do what he believes is right.

Campaigning around the country and making a multitude of television appearances just won’t cut it anymore. The American people are sensitized to it by now. It is time for Obama to show that he is qualified to be president. Every president reaches a criticial time in their first term and need to respond when the pressure is on. Ronald Reagan did so during the 1982 recession by providing tax cuts to middle-class Americans. George H.W. Bush did so by winning the Gulf War after Saddam Hussein entered Kuwait. Clinton did so by working with GOP House and Speaker Newt Gingrich by to pass welfare reform after losing the 1994 midterm elections. George W. Bush did so after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This is President Obama’s time to make a decision that will define his first term and decide whether or not he wil be reelected. The time for rhetoric has passed and now its time for action.

This post and the contents thereof are the views of only the author identified immediately above and do not necessarily represent the views of the New York Young Republican Club, Inc. (the "NYYRC"), its officers or its members. The NYYRC expressly disclaims responsibility for the contents thereof and by its charter documents may not, and does not, endorse any candidate for any office, except in a general election.