At a retreat for House Democrats in Williamsburg, Va., last week, an exasperated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that "Washington seems consumed by this process argument of bipartisanship." That seems like a heretical statement in this era of "post-partisanship." But she's right.
A recent CBS poll [PDF] showed that 81 percent of respondents want leaders to work together on passing a stimulus bill. That's no surprise. Asking voters if they support bipartisanship is like asking people if they like ice cream or if they'd like to end world hunger. And who do they see as acting more bipartisan? Again, surprise, surprise, it's President Obama at 81 percent. Just 41 percent see the GOP working to cross party lines.
In the end, however, voters aren't really all that concerned about bipartisanship. They just want to see Washington get stuff done. They're not really interested in how it actually happens or if the members are playing nice in the sandbox.
Even as partisans are debating the real meanings of the latest polls -- do Americans strongly support or just narrowly support the stimulus -- this much is clear: Obama is much more popular than Republicans are. So why did the president need to get on the road to "save" his plan?
Obama's message to moderate Democrats is pretty much the same one he sent on the presidential campaign trail: Red states will buy the Democratic message, but Democrats have to put it in front of them.
As we've said before, there just aren't that many moderate House Republicans to win over. Sen. John McCain noted last week that getting three Senate GOP votes doesn't make the bill bipartisan -- would getting a dozen Republican votes in the House make it so? The bottom line is that this sales pitch has as much to do with winning over Blue Dog and conservative Democrats as it does with convincing Republicans.
Elkhart, Ind., where Obama held a town hall meeting on Monday, makes for a strong symbol of the plight of the unemployed. As the president noted, this Northern Indiana city has "lost jobs faster than anywhere else in America." But it's also home to Rep. Joe Donnelly, who along with Hoosier colleague (and fellow Blue Dog) Brad Ellsworth accompanied Obama on his trip to the state. Ellsworth, by the way, was one of 11 Democrats to vote against the original version of the bill. Not included on the trip: Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, whom Obama featured in campaign ads as a way to tout his bipartisan credentials.
If Obama's goal was to court GOP moderates, why not make a stop in Wilmington, Del., home of moderate Republican and occasional aisle-crosser Mike Castle? Or New Orleans, home to freshman Joseph Cao, widely regarded as the most vulnerable Republican in the House? Both should theoretically be intimidated by voter backlash in districts that went heavily for Obama this fall. (It's interesting that Obama brought along moderate Republican Fred Upton from Michigan, another candidate for subtle pressure if Obama had visited his district.)
Obama's message to moderate Democrats is pretty much the same one he sent on the presidential campaign trail: Red states will buy the Democratic message, but Democrats have to put it in front of them. There are at least 70 House Democrats sitting in red congressional districts who understand how important that is.
Obama also had a message for deficit-conscious Democrats at his prime-time press conference Monday: "My administration inherited a deficit of over $1 trillion, but because we also inherited the most profound economic emergency since the Great Depression, doing too little or nothing at all will result in an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes and confidence. That is a deficit that could turn a crisis into a catastrophe." He'll have the chance to push that message again when he meets with Blue Dog Democrats this evening at the White House.
He did relatively little last night to encourage Republicans to join along, instead taking the opportunity to draw a line in the sand. In both his prepared remarks and his answers to reporters' questions, Obama made clear that he was not interested in pursuing the path that many Republicans have been advocating: namely, pursuing tax cuts instead of government spending. Just minutes after he finished his press conference, both the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out press releases critical of the stimulus package.
Obama is scheduled to hold another town hall meeting today, in Fort Myers, Fla., but his real selling job will be behind the scenes. After deferring the first draft to House Democrats who loaded it up with lots of pet projects, this White House must assume a much more aggressive role in conference. If moderate Republicans and Blue Dogs feel their concerns have a place at the table now, they'll be more willing to be there for Obama on his other big priorities like energy reform and health care, especially if Obama's approval ratings remain high and he can stay above the fray.
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