The "No We Can't Coalition" Wants President Obama to Fail
During its first six months, the Obama administration has worked hard to enact progressive measures that both respond to our immediate economic crisis and provide a foundation for moving the economy forward for all Americans. However, the administration can't make change on its own. It needs Congress and the American people's support to enact the changes that will solve our biggest problems - getting the economy back on track, regulating Wall Street, reforming our health care system and slowing global warming. There are bound to be differences amongst well-meaning people on what the best solutions are.
But aside from those who have different views about how to tackle these problems, there is a group on the right, including many members of Congress and a small but vocal portion of the public, who is mainly focused on seeing this administration fail as a means to keeping business as usual.
Cutting across all of these particular issues is a fundamental contradiction between visions. Progressives see the need for an economy that works for everyone; the No We Can't Coalition" sees the need for an economy that protects the most privileged among us. We see the need for a strong public role to protect regular people from the excesses of the market; the right sees the need to limit any restraints on the market except those that favor corporate interests.
Health care is a perfect example. Many on the right have been openly honest about their goals in the health care reform: kill it. They've called for it to become the administration's Waterloo. So desperate are they to inflict a political wound on the President, there is no consideration of the wound they are inflicting on America.
Over and over again the GOP has lined up against President Obama and they are doing it for brazenly political reasons. They are seeking to revive their own party, not with new ideas, but by merely causing President Obama to fail. If the welfare and prospects of millions of Americans need to be sacrificed in pursuit of their political resurrection -- then so be it.
It's cynical Washington at its worst. The President has repeatedly extended his hand across the aisle, only to be met with disdain and naked political opportunism.
Our challenge going forward is to fight to ensure that the solutions Congress develops on a host of issues are as true as they possibly can be to the overarching vision for change that we share, while recognizing that to actually enact legislation we need to put together a workable majority in Congress.
We can start moving in that direction by taking action. America, you voted for change. The President is working hard to deliver change, but too many on the right and too many special interests simply can't give up their old ways. It is time to chose. The moment for a line in the sand has come.
Does America stand for the special interests or does it stand for the people? When Americans overwhelmingly vote for change, does democracy prevail or does naked political opportunism kill hope and change yet again?
We need to show them the President isn't alone. He is representing us. We're not going to allow a small but vocal minority to hijack our country. You can make your voice heard here.