The leader of our nation, it was decided more than two centuries ago, should not hold the supreme rank of King. The title of president, the founding fathers decided, would be sufficient and capable enough to meet the many dangers and opportunities that the fledgling nation would face in years to come.
After 43 attempts to fill the office of the presidency with occupants capable of negotiating the chess board of national and world affairs successfully; few have lived up to the potential they guaranteed to the American citizenry as they campaigned and later took the highest office in the land.
Each occupant brought certain strengths as well as weaknesses with them as they struggled with the mundane tasks of everyday affairs combined with the imposing tasks that required decision making on a grander scale; which combined tactical maneuvering and dexterity with a well conceived notion for strategic planning .
Why is this an important point to consider at this moment in American history?
Mainly because the challenges that face our current chief executive stand apart from those moments in our collective past when decisions were made that seemed to involve a less vexatious confluence of troubles that linear thought could sufficiently address with a high degree of certainty that appropriately favorable outcomes would result.
President number 44, Barack Obama, finds himself participating in a much more complex competition against seasoned opponents that as a matter of their demeanor for the competition at hand must contend with their once pre-eminent esteem that their party commanded; now severely shattered and weakened, and with their future viability as a party uncertain and their tactical positions at bay; the Republicans are in a much more obviously weakened state that nevertheless still makes them formidable adversaries in search of retribution.
President Obama must deal with experienced and opportunistic antagonists as he labors against national and international conditions that require a great deal of skillful adroitness.
Mr. Obama will find that the Republicans are still skillful in their tactics of strike and retreat; leaving Obama and his fellow Democrats to answer questions that divert them from their task at hand: bringing unemployment under control and struggling against the strengthening pressures of the undeniable effect toward deflationary momentum that will surely impose its draining and enervating effect upon not only our nation; but the global economic system that the United States provides it's long standing role of sustained guidance and leadership.
Such were the tactics of Republicans in recent days. Attack and retreat; keeping the Democrats off balance as the economic stimulus staked its way, first through the House, where Democrats emboldened by their superior numbers constructed a bill that merged tax breaks to satisfy their Republican opponents with a wide range of job producing initiatives that an astute observer would have to go back nearly three-quarters of a century to find similar ambitions.
The Republicans, playing to the creation of a populist backlash; failed in their efforts to sway popular opinion to march alongside their party against these suddenly F.D.R.-like, New Deal emboldened Democrats. Polls showed the public to remain unequivocally loyal to the House Democrats proposals.
However, the main stream media, desperate for headlines; sensed a story full of stereotypes and boisterous oversimplifications that they decided to run with. The 'political combat' trope pitted Republican pleas to the common man against Democratic manifestations of largess resulted in easy to write or broadcast stories portraying Obama and the Democrats of overreaching and abandoning their new politics of responsibility and truthfulness. And the Democrats, intent on doing the heavy lifting of complex, big ticket item legislative work, ignored, for the most part, the charges being levied against them and for a few days seemed oblivious to the attacks brought against them by their accusers without mounting a vigorous defense at least in the eyes of the Republicans and the main stream media.
That's because the Democrats had their sights set on something more important to the well being of the American people; they were dead set on getting the economic stimulus bill legislatively completed and placed before the president for his signature of the bill into law.
So Republicans used soundbites and "common sense" objections to the Democrats efforts with tales aimed straight at the hearts of the most easily swayed of the American citizenry. The GOP spoke into the main stream media's cameras and claimed the stimulus was so expensive that if a dollar a day was set down on the day of Jesus Christ's birth, we would still be putting dollar bills down today. Another Republican, Senator John Thune of South Dakota; easel chart at his side, spoke from the well of the Senate on another day and preforming to the cameras, claimed that the Democratic stimulus was so oppressively expensive that if the monies were broken down into $100 bills and stack one upon another, it would create a stack of $100 bills that would reach some 39 miles into the sky. That was a great main stream media story that ran endlessly on newscasts and talk shows in a seemingly endless loop. Then finally, as if that was not enough mulling over the ridiculous; Senator Thune showed up again with an easel at his side and cameras over his shoulder recording a new, meaningless claim: take $100 bills and attach them end to end and they would circle the Earth an 'amazing' 39 times! Quite the showman, Mr. Thune showed himself to be to the American people!
But the Democrats and Obama were undeterred, they kept working toward their goal of creating an economic stimulus bill.
Then came the stories of Democrats as tax cheats with soon-to-be Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner and some other lesser appointees. And the tale of Mr. Daschle's limousine service added kindling to Republican charges of Democratic examples of skirting the rules.
Meanwhile it seemed as if President Obama was saying too many nice things about his Republican opponents and courting them for votes that in the end; the GOP would never deliver to Mr. Obama's victory that would make a much more satisfying victory for the Democrats.
Additionally, the president was being lured into a pincer attack as moderates called for a greater outreach by Obama "even as Republicans on Capitol Hill were attacking his economic package with the kind of venom usually reserved for the handiwork of Satan."
All sorts of charges were being leveled against Obama by the main stream media in search of more stories and by the Republicans who were struggling to create their own sense of political identity; even claims that 'the honeymoon' with the American people was over despite the president's continued high standings in the opinion polls. What was a young and inexperienced president to do?
Obama knew he simply had to weather the storm and keep his eyes on the prize provided by the passage of the economic stimulus bill.
Mr. Daschle steadfastly owned up to his mistakes and withdrew his name from consideration to head the office of the secretary of health and human services; saying in unequivocal terms what Americans had never heard over the span of eight years during the rule of the former-Bush administration: “I’ve got to own up to my mistake.” And instead of embarrassing Mr. Obama, Americans showed their support for Daschle's decision by maintaining the president's impressive poll numbers.
Mr. Obama also gained more adulation from the nation when he went before five major news anchors; took the blame for Geithner and Daschle by openly admitted his mistakes 'as a dumb move' for not vetting his people better.
The president had learned an important rule of the 'chess-like' match he is engaged in; the power of the truth!
Still not satisfied that he commanded enough support from the American people to maintain their affirmation through what will be a very arduous and long road to remaking America; Mr Obama boldly headed for Elkhhart, Indiana to meet the people in a campaign-like atmosphere of a town-hall meeting where a populace resides who are being hit especially hard by unemployment and home foreclosures.
To the assembled crowd; the president made his point in no uncertain terms to an audience desperate for good news when he said: “Endless delay or paralysis in Washington in the face of this crisis will only bring deepening disaster. I can tell you that doing nothing is not an option.”
Obama had traveled into the heart of a once strong and irrepressible part of the country that was rich in it's, until 2008, support for Republicans and had come out the victor as his speech was meet with encouraging and passionate support throughout his appearance.
Bob Herbert assesses the early press reviews of Obama by keenly observing: "There is always a tendency to underestimate Barack Obama. We are inclined in the news media to hyperventilate over every political or policy setback, no matter how silly or insignificant, while Mr. Obama has shown again and again that he takes a longer view."
After two years of campaigning for the presidency and after just a few weeks as president, Obama displays a tremendous sense of purpose that artfully combines tactical decisions made in light of strategic goals.
He knows how to use his power and is undeterred by typically ridiculous Republican claims; first coming from Michael Steele, the new chair of the R.N.C. who could not contain his glee when all of the Republicans in the House voted against the stimulus and he praised them for: “The goose egg that you laid on the president’s desk was just beautiful.”
Or the uncalled for and derisive remarks that: “This bill stinks.” made by Senator Lindsey Graham; commenting on the stimulus legislation. One would rightfully expect something more insightful from a senior Republican Senator who once held a position of great power and influence with John McCain, the GOP standard bearer who could have been our current president had he been elected.
And finally, Texas Republican Congressman Pete Sessions praising and suggesting the GOP should be "picking up pointers from the Taliban" and continuing his remarks by indicating his sincerity that: “Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban.”
Anyone with a shred of understanding of how Republicans conduct politics in this country realize that the hopes for Obama failing made by Rush Limbaugh resonate clearly and decisively throughout the GOP today: it is their ticket back to power if Obama should fail.
But in President Obama, the Republicans have an opponent who sees the game of Washingtonian chess, several moves in advance of the current skirmish being waged. He clearly understands how to engage the Republicans at a tactical level that retains his strategic goals and advantages over the GOP.
Partisan Democrats who have had to endue Republican hogwash for over thirty years have demanded more immediate action from Mr. Obama and some have even felt a sense of betrayal that the man they elected has failed to produce the promises he campaigned on. But it's still very early in his presidency and many more skirmishes and battles remain ahead of the president. The nation needs more jobs and more spending to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure; something that increasing tax cuts will never be able to provide for or repair.
But most importantly, Obama has won his first victory against a recalcitrant Republican party that was used to doing things their own way for more than three decades and the president is now one for one in victories against the GOP who might not have voted along with him but had to acknowledge Mr. Obama's solid work for bipartisan support.
Mr. Obama has left the Republicans in the unenviable position of only being able to criticize the Democrats while Obama and his party have more than $800 billion to create an America that conforms to a Democratic image of what this country should represent and how it should get there! Quite an accomplishment for such a young rookie president and a party that has been out of power for far too long.
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