Time for Obama to Start Spending Political Capital

Throughout his presidential campaign, but more notably, during his presidency, President Obama has shown himself to have an impressive ability to accumulate political capital. During his tenure in the White House, Obama has done this by reaching out to a range of constituencies, moderating some of his programs, pursuing middle of the road approaches on key foreign policy questions and, not insignificantly, working to ensure that his approval rating remains quite high.

Political capital is not, however, like money, it cannot be saved up interminably while its owner waits for the right moment to spend it. Political capital has a shelf life, and often not a very long one. If it is not used relatively quickly, it dissipates and becomes useless to its owner. This is the moment in which Obama, who has spent the first few months of his presidency diligently accumulating political capital, now finds himself. The next few months will be a key time for Obama. If Obama does not spend this political capital during the next months, it will likely be gone by the New Year anyway.

Much of what President Obama has done in his first six months or so in office has been designed to build political capital, interestingly he has sought to build this capital from both domestic and foreign sources. He has done this by traveling extensively, reintroducing to America to foreign audiences and by a governance style that has very cleverly succeeded in pushing his political opponents to the fringes. This tactic was displayed during the effort to pass the stimulus package as Republican opposition was relegated to a loud and annoying, but largely irrelevant, distraction. Building political capital was, or should have been, a major goal of Obama's recent speech in Cairo as well.

Significantly, Obama has yet to spend any of his political capital by meaningfully taking on any powerful interests. He declined to take Wall Street on regarding the financial crisis, has prepared to, but not yet fully, challenged the power of the AMA or the insurance companies, nor has he really confronted any important Democratic Party groups such as organized labor.

This strategy, however, will not be fruitful for much longer. There are now some very clear issues where Obama should be spending political capital. The most obvious of these is health care. The battle for health care reform will be a major defining issue, not just for the Obama presidency, but for American society over the next decades. It is imperative that Obama push for the best and most comprehensive health care reform possible. This will likely mean not just a bruising legislative battle, but one that will pit powerful interests, not just angry Republican ideologues, against the President.

The legislative struggle will also pull many Democrats between the President and powerful interest groups. Obama must make it clear that there will be an enormous political cost which Democrats who vote against the bill will have to pay. Before any bill is voted upon, however, is perhaps an even more critical time as pressure from insurance groups, business groups and doctors organizations will be brought to bear both on congress, but also on the administration as it works with congress to craft the legislation. This is not the time when the administration must focus on making friends and being liked, but on standing their ground and getting a strong and inclusive health care reform bill.

Obama will have to take a similar approach to any other major domestic legislation as well. This is, of course, the way the presidency has worked for decades. Obama is in an unusual situation because a similar dynamic is at work at the international level. A major part of Obama's first six months in office have involved pursuing a foreign policy that implicitly has sought to rebuild both the image of the US abroad, but also American political capital. It is less clear how Obama can use this capital, but now is the time to use it.

A cynical interpretation of the choice facing Obama is that he can remain popular or he can have legislative and other policy accomplishments, but this interpretation would be wrong. By early 2010, Obama, and his party will, fairly or not, be increasingly judged by what they have accomplished in office, not by how deftly they have handled political challenges. Therefore, the only way he can remain popular and get new political capital is through converting his current political capital into concrete legislative accomplishments. Health care will be the first and very likely most important, test.

Comments

[Awake-and-Sing]

The problem with holding political capital is that it doesn't gain interest. It depreciates. Even now, his approval rating is down to 56%.

It's now or never.

It would be a tragedy if he sat on his political capital all year and then found when he needed it, he didn't have it anymore.

There are two ways of wasting political capital:

1) Spend it on the wrong thing

2) Don't spend it and it depreciates to the point of negligibility when you do need it.

Spend it on health care or something big NOW while he still has big capital to spend.

It's one ting to learn lessons from mistakes Clinton and Bush made with their political capital. Going too far in the opposite direction can be the flip side of the same erroneous coin.

[research]

yes!

[BarryS]

Lets see:

1. continuation of illegal detentions without trial in Guantanamo
2. sellout to right wing religious bigots on DOMA
3. sellout to bigots in the military and those chicken hawks who constantly carp about "showering" with Gays, by supporting DADT
4. no single payer even though it is the only thing that will accomplish his goals
5. continued illegal wiretapping
etc, etc, etc

time for some action

[jmpurser]

Amen!

[norgotoad]

I second the AMEN!

[bbbear]

It hurts, but it's all true, and then some!

[valleygent]

Here, here! Now...what then to do about Reid and Pelosi and their wimpy approach to congressional success?

[bbbear]

If political business in DC proceeds as usual, then I'm voting for anyone running left of the current bought and paid for crop of greedy dems... But in a pinch, I'll probably, BAAAARRRRRF! again vote for the so-called lesser of the two evils... which translates... I'll never vote for an effin' republican!

[exCalifornian]

But why continue to vote for democrats - they've essentially become republicans.

[powercosmic]

Bill Maher has made most correctly addressed this issue facing Obama, because Obama doesn't seem to get it. Americans voted for him to get the JOB-DONE not to be popular or bring Right and Left together.

What we want is the US out of Iraq, we need Banks out of Wall Street , we need Wall Street neutured, we need the Public Health option so that our health isn't "up for sale" to Insurance companies.

Obama is trying way too hard to appeal to the right and to be popular, he doesn't understand that if things improve then the country will come together. He's just got thing turned around.

Hey Obama, stick the boot in! and GET BUSY! We're behind you so make it happen.

[Charmed]

powercosmic.....where is the push for congress to do their job. This is the problem with all the people complaining about Obama. He can't sign a bill if they don't get it donw. You need to be pushing the democrats to do their job. I guess it's more fun to down the President for NOT doing congress job.

You guys are so smart, I'm learning a tone from you.

[WritusMaximus]

Could it be that Obama is as he has always been---the signs were there back in 2008 campaign but the worshipers could not/didn't want to see anything but what they projected onto him?
Nah, can't be. It's just that Obama is slow, real slow, very slow but when he picks up speed everything will be taken care of.

[ThePeoplesKey]

It's time for President Obama to to start leading the Democratic Party. Democrats are not republicans. They won't just blindly follow the leader just because "pastor" puts the fear of hell into them. In addition, the blue dog dems (And others) are little more than republicans in disguise. It's time to start playing with the hard ball. This issue is too important to "kindly" ask the troops to fall into line and march or wait until republicans see the light. The POTUS made the decision to put health care on the table NOW amid all of the other important issues he has on his plate. So be it. It's time to start spending his popular capital using the one thing that every politician knows and loves . . . MONEY. Time to start taking names and numbers for the party members that are doing their damnedest to gut what should be a simple solution (Single Payer or Universal Health Care, with no Insurance/Pharmaceutical Company input). No DNC funds for the Dems and their up coming elections who are blocking what the people plainly want for a health care system . No campaigning for them, no army of volunteers to help them get re-elected. Nothing, Nada, zero, zilch, zip. They're on their own unless they do the right thing and stand up to their corporate masters and do the peoples bidding. Mr. President, you put it on the table. Now start the water boarding required to make it happen . .

[marlojohn]

While everyone agree we need healthcare reform I'm afraid that the public option is doomed to fail. It's going to be a repeat of 1993's bloodbath. Just because we (on this blog) want it doesn't mean it will happen and then we will be left with nothing except higher health costs. There are too many special interests involved and the public has too great a distrust of the efficiency and effectiveness of government.

[WritusMaximus]

Having spent hundreds of billions and committed trillions for upcoming years, Obama has run outta money---he said so himself. He either raises taxes, cuts spending, or asks the fed to print more money, which is what the fed is doing right now.

[MThomasNC]

I agree w Bill Mahr, where is the audacity? I see where Obama wants the country to be - dead center w a lean to the left. He can't do it by himself. Where are the democrats speaking up for the policies the people voted for them to enact. The corporations (special interests) are dogging Obama as shown in the latest round of polls we are seeing where his policy plans are below 50%. We gotta remember that what we see and hear on tv/radio is what corporate media wants us to see/hear. Lately, the republicans' concern about Obama's alleged deficit spending is the biggest crock of bull to behold. Corporate media lets these clowns come on tv/radio and spew this nonsense. The repubs have no creditability after their eight years on office, but they are allowed to speak, and speak.
It's time for Bill Clinton and Al Gore to come on stage. Enough of Cheney and Bush.

[jmpurser]

President Obama has certainly "reached out" and repeatedly watered down anything of substance he might have done but he's gotten exactly nothing for it. He has however lost the respect of a lot of the progressives and liberals who voted for him.

A black president who supports both separate but equal and justice delayed is beneath contempt.

[bbbear]

Yep. On every occasion Obama sing his sweet smoke screen then comes down on the side of the Corporation.

[impik]

I have to agree. I adore Obama, think that he has done a wonderful job so far, but now it's time to really take side. Heath Care reform is the one issue in which trying to please everyone, will end up not pleasing anyone. Compromising can't be the way all the time. Obama is a brilliant man and could become a great president, but now his whole presidency is on the line. He's got a massive public support for this reform, he should bring all those pathetic blue dogs to the oval office, and seriously kick their collective a@@..

[Charmed]

impik.....the people have the power to push their congressman....or is that to much for people. Is it easier to sit back and wait for Obama to do everything. We the people should stand up to the people we elected to go to congress to make the bills. Why aren't we holding their feet to the fire? Why aren't we lobbying the people we voted for? Why are people only blaming Obama for not signing a bill that the congress has not come up with yet.

[noneIn2008]

He is already running on borrowed political capital.

[WritusMaximus]

He has to borrow, but that source of "funding" will also run out. Obama has said we are already outta money.

[JamesA1102]

But Professor the President has spent his political capitol on:

* Starting to close down GITMO
* Allowing Caskets to be photographed when the return from Iraq with family approval
* Working on getting us the heck out of IRAQ by next year
* Filling the SCOTUS seat with Sotomayor instead of a 6th Right Wing Justice
* Not drilling in ANWAR as a knee jerk reaction
* Getting Partner Benefits for GLBT Government Employees
* Lifting the ban on Stem Cell Research
* Banning Torture / Waterboarding
* Protecting Wilderness Areas
* High Speed Rail Plan
* Lily-Ledbetter Act,
* Assisting the Auto companies, and keeping thousands of Union employees employed
* Increased funding for sciences and education
* Created a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
* Established a credit card "bill of rights"
* Expanded loan programs for small businesses
* Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
* Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
* Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
* Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
* Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
* Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
* Created a White House Office on Urban Policy.
* Increased funding for the NEA
* Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps
* Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees
* Investment in

[noneIn2008]

Yes, but I have not yet heard his plan to revitalize the national park system.
He inherited the National Park problem from Bush.
Doing nothing is not an option.
We must act now.

[RoloTomassi]

I agree, but healthcare must be the priority, and he must go all out if he wishes to do more than produce a result that will in time be viewed as a half-measure.

[Chernynkaya]

As a Progressive, here is how I view Obama's accomplishments:

*Gitmo- remains to be seen
*Caskets- yawn
*getting us the heck out of IRAQ by next year- how about 2012?
*SCOTUS seat with Sotomayor- she's a centrist and how low is the bar that we're glad she's not Scalia
*Not drilling in ANWAR- again, so he's not a Republican
* Getting Partner Benefits- WEAK
* Lifting the ban on Stem Cell Research- NICE
* Banning Torture / Waterboarding- OH, REALLY?
* Protecting Wilderness Areas- NICE
* High Speed Rail Plan- NICE, LET'S SEE IT
* Lily-Ledbetter Act,- NICE
* Assisting the Auto companies -VERY NICE
* Increased funding for sciences and education-NICE
* Created a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners-MAJOR FAIL, HELPED 1%
* Established a credit card "bill of rights"-WEAK, STARTS IN 2012
* Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch- HUH?
* Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)- VERY NICE
* Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners-THAT INS. CO'S WON'T PAY FOR
* Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba- YAWN
* Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program-YAWN
* Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, - NICE
* Created a White House Office on Urban Policy.-WEAK
* Increased funding for the NEA-YAWN
* Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps-NICE
* Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees-WEAK

They are all half-a**ed and not essential. WHAT ABOUT REAL FINANCIAL REFORM?

[JamesA1102]

Yes let's make the perfect the enemy of the good. That has worked so well in the past.

[masher]

But if you look at the details of most of these they really are just talk. And the proof is in the fact that none of the interest groups that matter (Wall Street, GM, Insurance companies) said anything.

Its really just a bunch of talk.

[ceindependence]

Obama better spend what he has, he will be broke within twelve months. He spent his capitol with trillions of dollars and little to show.

He has:
hired lobbyists
brought career politicians to Washington
passed thousands of earmarks
hired financial regulators from the Fed
cancelled five day review of new legislation
set a date, that may be extended, to close Gitmo
set a date, that may be extended, to vacate Iraq
done nothing to stop or inhibit N. Korea
spent trillions of dollars that we do not have
took control of the banks
took control of the financial market
took control of the auto manufactors
gave the auto business to unsecured creditors, ignoring secured creditors
there was no ban on stem cell research, just a ban on funding research
allowing congress to approve legislation allowing drilling in Gulf of Mexico
increased funding to unions
threw a wing bone to the gay rights groups in the federal government
abandoned Israel and supported Hamas
declared his respect for all things muslim

Obama better spend what he has, these "accomplishments" will catch him. Remember, 66 million voted for Obama, 58 million voted against Obama. Millions were independents and are feeling nervous. Tn news media are showing cracks in their adulation of Obama. Israel or Iran don't seem to think he was sent by God as per Nancy Pelosi. Independents did see the democrats run when it came out they supported "enhanced interrogation techniques"! Whistle past the graveyard, the writing is on the wall.

[mikey683]

"Getting Partner Benefits for GLBT Government Employees"? Sorry JamesA1102 but that changed nothing. Anyone in the administration could have provided those benefits at any time. Which makes this a sad joke for gay people. Comparing us to pedophiles and incest, wow. Obama and the DNC have lost my money and my vote.

[JamesA1102]

You mean the brief written by a Bush holdover. Yes I'm sure the President reads every DOJ brief before it is issued.

[Charmed]

President Obama should do somthing bold like Clinton did with DADT because in 1994 it sure helped other democrats.......sounds like a great plan if you add on another NFTA deal....now that would be sweet.

[thirdlinechecker]

Nice read Lincoln. They say you don't get anything straddling a fence except wet paint. Push hard for which you believe in. The american people gave you the authority to do so. Do not believe for one second that the republican party wants anything to do with change in this country. They are quite content with their lobbyist and corporate buddy "fraternities". Once in the circle, always in the circle. Outsiders (the president, liberals, progressives) are frowned upon. Notice I didn't say democrats, because some are part of the fraternity of brothers.
Now is the time to break up the health care industry for the good of the people. Health care is a moral issue. Not a money issue.
It's time to take the political capital out for a spin.

[RoloTomassi]

"Do not believe for one second that the republican party wants anything to do with change in this country."

I agree, but so far the democrats in congress do not make the opposite impression; as a snapshot impression for this moment in time, the majority of congress seems to be far more concerned with corporate and monied interests than with representing the will of the people.

[thirdlinechecker]

I agree Rolo. Look what was just posted here on HuffPost. Daschle now says he is against the public health care option. Oh wait, I just remembered he is a lobbyist for the insurance and pharma industry...doh!

[bbbear]

Well said! Consider me a fan!

[IseFire]

Thank you for the insights. It is absolutely true that Obama must "push for the best and most comprehensive health care reform possible."

[CitizenJ]

When will we see the next 60's style march on Washington to show our "representatives" - and I use that term very loosely - that we want real health care reform?

[RoloTomassi]

We may see it if this effort at reform is viewed as a failure; every sane, open-minded, mature adult in this country not employed by the healthcare insurers or somehow connected to that industry or the political efforts to preserve it must know at some level that the healthcare insurance industry is a cancer on US healthcare efforts, and is in every practical sense obsolete.

We also know now that the DC status quo will foist that industry upon us until the day we rise up and throw it off.

[Awake-and-Sing]

This may very well be what is needed.

Why not a March on Washington for Universal Health Care?

As we seem from Tom Daschle caving to the Republicans on health care today (and thank goodness he's not HHS Secretary now), "new politics" only ends up with watered down legislation that conservatives wont' vote for anyway.

[bbbear]

Daschle and Wife have long been bought and paid for... so that's not big news... However, I like your notion of marching on DC for Universal Health Care!

[WritusMaximus]

Spread the word! It's been ages since a true, grass roots rally has gathered in Washington, DC. However, expect some "democrats" in Washington to try to kill the idea, so as not to "embarrass our prez", and assuring us that it's not needed. I say don't stop marching until the bill is read, understood, does what the mouthpieces say it will do, and finally signed into law. Do not stop marching until then!

[pollyannish]

Now you idiots want to march even though the issue is not whether there will be universal health care(there will be) but how to pay for it. Everybody agrees about Universal Health care including conservatives . The problem is how to pay for it. and it is not so simple as saying let the rich pay for it. I love the President but even his revenue proposals only part way address the issue of the cost and how that will affect deficit. The republicans like to talk about the deficit but they have not suggested any way to really address the problem. Fixing healthcare will fix some of the deficit but not if we don't raise taxes and cut spending. We don't need a march we need people to be objectively informed about the issues(all the issues) Im getting really tired of all our important issues getting treated as part of some big football game(media sponsered) we really can't get the best solutions by cheering for the dems against the repubs to win the news cycle. There is real work being done in congress and the whitehouse - just don't let the media yahoo's or self serving political nabobs misinform you. Check out healthreform.gov (the whitehouse effort to get citizens involved) or the CharlieRose show( he knows how ask good questions by being informed) or David Leonhardt of NYT(I can't see that he has an agenda other than to get sh*t right with an honest assessment and appraisal)

[ThePeoplesKey]

"The problem is how to pay for it"

Let me be clear . . . The problem is not "how to pay for it." If the "For Profit" health insurance industry is eliminated in favor of the "Not For Profit" single payer system based on 1 big risk pool, everyone currently paying for private health insurance will be contributing to a single payer plan, except at far less premium than they're paying now. It's simply a transfer of funds currently being paid to private insurance to the public plan.

The "How to pay for it" argument has no merit because it seems our brilliant politicians are simply ADDING on the costs of a new public plan to the existing costs of the current one without considering that the need for private insurance companies will no longer exist.

It's simple math people. You're being sold out by your representatives because they refuse to push big health care away from participating in a viable solution.

Again, they are the cause of the problem! Therefore they shouldn't be involved in arriving at a solution!

[Konnie]

ain't it the truth!
if ever there was a time for BOLD this is it.

if i could say one thing to our new President it would be - ACT LIKE YOU ONLY HAVE
1 TERM! ACT LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION! ACT LIKE YOU
DON'T GIVE A D**M ABOUT THE PARTY AND YOUR COATTAILS! ACT LIKE YOU
DON'T HAVE TO RAISE ANY MONEY FROM ANYONE.

DO EVERYTHING - BIG AND BOLD - DAZZLE US! MAKE US PROUD AGAIN.
we will take care of your re-election and the party - just never you mind about all that.