Beware Speaker Pelosi: Boehner Knows How to Play Offense

There are times in politics where carrying a big stick works, but they are few and far between. The House Republican leadership found out how short lived a majority is when the stick is swung too hard in 1994. The once touted "Contract for America" had ten agenda points that were well organized. The politics of ramming it through failed, leading to losses that resulted in leadership coups, and loss of Republican seats. It was Rep. John Boehner at the helm then and now.

If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pays attention, all she needs to hear has already been laid out before her. The Republican leadership resents her. Okay, no big deal, right? Wrong. They know a popular President on a honeymoon when they see one. So who is their target? That's right. Speaker Pelosi.

There are plenty of ways to poke holes in any spending package, no matter who offers it. That is true when it is offered by Republicans and Democrats alike. But with Republicans in the Minority, House leadership has to remember that their stakes are low, they have nothing to lose, and nothing to defend right now. So where are they going? On offense.

House and Senate leadership roles are changing. Democrats have to learn to be on defense - and fast. Republicans are already on offense. They have been digesting the script since November.

President Obama won red states, so he is not the target of the offense. But an unpopular Congress is a good target. Congressional Democrats should walk softly. And drop the stick. And listen.

Comments

[gorideabike]

So President Obama proposes a stimulus package and the Republicans come up with a Boehner. Snicker.

[hsr0601]

It is my understanding that the explosive overpopulation especially in China, India, Brazil , which make up almost half the global population, can be behind this financial crunch. As China, India fell short of self-sufficiency in natural resources unlike before, they began hunting for the resources from the other countries, meanwhile, the U.S. opted for a seemingly convenient path of invasion rather than advanced science /technology available for sustainable energies, worse yet, during that period petrol cost has shown steep increase, which finally has disorganized a century-old energy base. Until recently, nonsense thus overruled science, low price prouct quality. Now this century calls for a fresh, smart energy base, like a old saying, nothing adventured, nothing gained, I'd say. The smart idea to reduce the deficit can go to energy-saving endeavour, and it is a matter of life and death for the now and future, I think.

[billw8017]

President Obama is the ultimate target of Republican obstructions; Pelosi and Reid are targets of convenience and looking to 2010. It the Republicans can shut down stimulus and reform, the Democrats will get the blame. Democrats do dominate both houses of Congress and the Presidency. Apportioning blame is trivial but what else can be done if there is gridlock and nothing can be done? Yes, the President should reach out to his opponents, but there is a line to be drawn. He has to succeed for the country's sake, and his opponents should particularly suffer for being unreasonable and anti American.

Jobs have become the greatest issue. The Democrats can fool around but the economy had better be on an upswing in November 2010. Health care is important. The Veterans Administration has to be restored to the quality level of the Clinton years. A universal system would rescue Medicare which is now sinking into deficit. Housing and education are the other issues of current interest.

There are emerging crises of pollution, food and agriculture. We cannot let our farmland erode except that a cost must come due. Laws against food critics should be repealed as they leave some serious criticisms unsaid.

[Persson4]

Pelosi and "Bay Area Politics" are still at the root of Republican resentment. It is as if Repubs have never gotten over the changes of the 60's and 70's. They have spent forty years trying to undo social progress. They finally figured out how to do this by completely corrupting the economic system.

Pelosi has always been the target. Remember Boehner and Cantor after the first TARP vote waving Pelosi's speech in the air as the reason they didn't vote for the bill. I hope SNL can parody those two with Boehner's spray on tan and Cantor pasty white. For me they are the Beavis and Butthead of the house. Sorry B + B fans

[RRonin]

You could take the combined intestinal fortitude and backbone of Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid put it in a flea's navel and still have enough room for eleven caraway seeds and Dick Cheney's heart. (Apologies to Fred Allen)

[rj1340]

I'm the most rabid Obama fan in Chicago (that's going some), but I'm disappointed that he allowed Pelosi to write this bill and push it through. In the spirit of bipartisanship SHE should have reached across the aisle for input or at least brought in some impartial economists who would've told her that tax cuts have a quicker impact and give more bang for the buck (almost 2 to 1) than expenditures. We'll be spending a lot of money over the next 3-5 years and the returns on that investment may underperform badly. In his defense, while some say that the Prez should have approached the Repubs earlier, it would have been purely window dressing as President-elect.

[Bobandbubs]

House Republicans have a tough choice. Vote to please their constituents who put them in office, or vote what the majority of Americans want. If they anger their base they risk losing the job. But, if they anger the rest of the voters including the independents who they must have to stay in office, they likely loose the job anyway. I think from this day forward the Democrats can point to the Stimulus package vote by Republicans and say "this is what they will do to any important legislation if we ask them to cooperate.­" The offer of bipartisanship was on the table, but it need not remain there if both sides do not seriously want to operate within that framework.

Sooner or later, even the most ardent opponent of increased taxes must accept the fact that without more tax revenue, the federal, state and local governments are simply going to drown in debt. If we want government to take care of your everyday needs and improve your lives, you need to pay the tab. Anybody who advocates otherwise is just trolling for votes and has no vision of how to correct our problems. In a nutshell, it seems to me that the majority of Republican "solutions" are at the heart of our problems. Nothing will change until they change philosophy or become a non-factor in the decision making process.

[plsps]

They will never be ashamed of their greed and their thoughts for the big companies that they think can better run the nation. They never consider the real people who live in this country. We are just the the peons that are the workers.

[Eclectic Radical]

This is the kind of thinking that has broken the Democratic Party as a serious engine of reform. It is the kind of thinking that we need to break free from if we are to enact meaningful reform of this nation's damaged government and economy.

The only chance we are going to have to succeed is when we are in position to succeed. We were in this position during the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and in both instances we shot ourselves in the foot.

Democrats must unite, aggressively, behind a strong liberal program of reform and they must pass that program. Democrats can play defense by playing effective offense: by making it clear that they are working to solve the problems and meet the challenges that face our entire nation while Republicans are fighting to protect the privileges of one class of American society.

What is the purpose of holding seats or maintaining a majority if our only goal is to stay in power? What good is power if we do not use it in the best interest of the nation?

Ms. Donahue, are you suggesting that the Democratic Party should simply maintain power for the sake of maintaining power? If so, I am offended. That is not what democratic government, or republican government for that matter, is all about.

[toosinbeymen]

I agree. The days of playing nice and expecting fairness from the other side are gone. We keep giving them chances and they continue to prove their bad faith. I wish it weren't so but if one side plays checkers and the other plays chess, the results will never come out right.

[SilviaMaria]

It would be nice if Nancy Pelosi could show some spine. If she just could say "Trickle down economics is a failure, or it does not work, Republicans have tried in the past and in the past 8 years and it does not work"; something directly, it would be great, just go to the point, and I could have some respect for her, but she needs to have more balls).