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The unprecedented event that could reignite the Obama Presidency
Posted by Kasch Wilder (@KaschWilder)
Saturday, 30th January 2010
After a difficult first year in office featuring dwindling poll numbers, fierce right-wing opposition and the loss of the Liberal Lion's Senate Seat in Massachusetts, President Obama turned the tables on the Republican Party by taking a page out of the British playbook.
The President travelled to Baltimore on Friday to address the House Republican Caucus, where he spent close to ninety minutes engaging and taking questions from the very lawmakers who have been unanimously disrupting his agenda on taxes, health care and the economic stimulus as well as Democrat-pushed conservative measures such as a "blue ribbon" commission to reduce the deficit, a pay-go provision that would limit new expenditures, and a spending freeze on non-military programs.
Why are the Republicans kicking themselves? They let national and cable media networks play the entire event live across the US. (The President delivered such a strong performance that Fox News pulled their coverage 20 minutes before the event ended!)
Before the question and answer session began, Obama slammed what he said was a Washington culture driven by opinion polls and nonstop political campaigns.
"I don't believe that the American people want us to focus on our job security, they want us to focus on their job security,".
(When's the last time you heard a badass line like that in British politics?!)
During the Q and A Obama destroyed Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) for calling his economic agenda radical.
"I am not an ideologue, I'm not," he said. "It doesn't make sense if somebody could tell me, 'You could do this cheaper and get increased results,' then I would say, 'Great.' The problem is, I couldn't find credible economists who could back up the claims that you just made."
The President carried on, guns blazing when he hit the leadership (who were sat right next to him) for portraying his health care reform proposals as "Some kind of Bolshevik plot".
He further whacked Republicans in the audience for galvanizing against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and then turning up at "the ribbon-cuttings for some of these important projects in your communities."
All of this done while calling for more civility instead of "slash and burn politics".
The consequences for the Republicans could now be severe. The President was able to refute every single Republican talking point used against him on all the major challenges facing the US today.
If the White House is consistent with this level of engagement and accountability, it could turn the tide and strengthen the Democrats capability of defending their largest congressional majorities in a generation. Don't count strong health reforms (even the public option) and cap and trade legislation out just yet.
