Damned if he does; damned if he doesn't

[ProSense]

Damned if he does; damned if he doesn't

By Steve Benen

This New York Times paragraph says quite a bit, doesn't it?

Members of both parties say Mr. Obama faces a conundrum with his legislative approach to a deeply polarized Congress. In the past, when he has stayed aloof from legislative action, Republicans and others have accused him of a lack of leadership; when he has gotten involved, they have complained that they could not support any bill so closely identified with Mr. Obama without risking the contempt of conservative voters.

Well, yes, that does make things challenging. President Obama has to lead, but not too much, and not in a way that may make his rivals feel uncomfortable. He has to be hands-on and hands-off, preferably at the same time. He should use the so-called "bully pulpit," but not in a way that connects the presidency to any specific issue Republicans may need to vote on.

And it's against this backdrop that a few too many pundits wonder aloud why the president doesn't overcome Republicans' refusal to compromise by "leading" more. Many more suggested "schmoozing" would alleviate GOP intransigence.

But if Republicans are going to balk whether Obama engages or not, the advice seems misplaced.

Jamelle Bouie added, "In reality, there's only one thing that can help Obama push his agenda through Congress -- a Democratic Congress. As long as Republicans have a grip on the House of Representatives, and as long as the GOP remains unsupportive of compromise and disinterested in policymaking, we should expect gridlock in government. Put another way, it's no accident the 111th Congress -- which began with Obama's first term -- was one of the most productive in recent memory; it was controlled, from top to bottom, by a single party."

Quite right. Consider a tale of the legislative tape.

The legislative accomplishments of 2009 and 2010 were historic and extraordinary: health care reform, Recovery Act, Wall Street reform, DADT repeal, student loan reform, credit card reform, New START treaty, etc. Then consider the legislative accomplishments since: not a whole lot.

- more -

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/04/08/17657085-damned-if-he-does-damned-if-he-doesnt

Boehner is never going to agree to the President's proposal.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022623491

[Dreamer Tatum]

1. Pardon my french, but

why does he give a fuck what anyone thinks? Why can't he govern from his gut and let the chips fall where they may?

[geek tragedy]

4. Because Republicans control the House of Representatives. nt

[davidn3600]

10. Because we are not a dictatorship

[pnwmom]

19. Because he's not a dictator and all he'd have would be a pile of broken chips. n/t

[DonCoquixote]

27. true but

Americans do not respect anyone not willing to make a mess. Obama's problem is that while his governing style would fit a prime minister, people expect apresident to be "wrong and strong." Yes, it is somethign that makes us stupid, but it is a fact nontheless.

[Summer Hathaway]

29. It would seem that the voters don't see things that way

being as they elected him POTUS - twice.

[elleng]

28. Hunh?

[MotherPetrie]

2. You better believe he's damned if he does.

[FSogol]

3. K & R. n/t

[JHB]

5. I think what, specifically, one is being damned for should factor in there somewhere

Such details do pertain to the validity of the damning...

...unless one really doesn't understand what the fuss(es) is about and just perceived undifferentiated noise from from two directions. Which, frankly, would be something else to damn, from all directions.

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. Bullocks!

"In reality, there's only one thing that can help Obama push his agenda through Congress -- a Democratic Congress."

If that is truly the case, why doesn't he just admit defeat and go surfing in Hawaii until 2014? I have grown a bit tired of Dem leaders using this BS excuse as some sort of magic shield that absolves them from getting progressive legislative agenda victories.

[durablend]

31. Don't see that as a magic panacea either

Everyone has some misconception that flipping the House is going to result in Congress flipping the bird to who they're really working for (hint--NOT US) and the country will immediately turn into some progressive utopia.

Don't hold your breath.

[spanone]

7. then i would suggest he be damned with his constituents' blessings.

[bowens43]

8. He needs to learn a lesseon from the cons. Never comprimise, never give in.

[Warren DeMontague]

11. Okay, but he can't force the House to pass a budget.

What he's doing- and it's admittedly not a wonderful strategy but he doesn't have a lot of choices; is making noises like he's willing to negotiate when he knows they aren't. So that the foregone end result- i.e. no budget, because the ONLY budget they're willing to send along is some iteration of Paul Ryan's bullshit- will be blamed on the House GOP instead of our party.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Harry S. Truman

If he's afraid of criticism he should take up something less open to criticism.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. I think his recent actions have shown he's not afraid of criticism.

You think he didn't know that saying the words "Chained CPI" wouldn't engender a mass freakout?

Please bear in mind I am NOT saying I think any sort of cuts to SS are a good idea.

[Cha]

16. President has never said he's "afraid" of criticism..

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. His sycophants here certainly are.

[Cha]

20. Nor has his actions ever led anyone to believe that. Your "sychophants" insult

is ignorant. Crititcize all you want.

[RC]

13. What I don't get is that very few in Congress have the welfare of us commoners in mind.

They don't even try to do the obvious that would help Main Street and get us out of this recession faster.
Instead, the Republicans are doing everything they can to hamstring the President, even when he does what they want.
The Democrats, on the other hand don't even try, saying the Republicans will block it. And yet the Republicans can still their get bills passed for Obama signature.

What is wrong with this picture?

[durablend]

32. You answered your own non-question

What I don't get is that very few in Congress have the welfare of us commoners in mind.

They're not working for us.

[forestpath]

14. Poor POOR President Obama.My heart just BLEEDS for him. Hurting the vulnerable is HARD WORK!

[progressoid]

15. "Is it any wonder the White House has taken such a keen interest in the 2014 midterms?"

Is it any wonder the White House has taken such a keen interest in the 2014 midterms? Second-term presidents invariably start thinking about their legacies, in all likelihood, next year's congressional elections will be the difference between a series of second-term accomplishments and none.

What a load of bullshit rationalization. If they are looking to the midterms, why alienate most of the electorate and most of the base that work to get out the vote?

[markpkessinger]

24. That kind of rationalization . . .

. . . Is based on the belief that it is always better to do something, even if that something is the wrong thing, than to do nothing at all. It is an assertion most rational, thinking people find to be quite dubious.

[Rex]

18. Damned if he does; damned if he doesn't = excuses.

Funny how excuses don't pay the bills.

[Cha]

21. Yes, Steve Benen has it right.. It's the republcons he refering to when he

says Damned if does or doesn't. Those are the FACTS.

thanks ProSense

[markpkessinger]

23. So, if there's no pleasing Republicans . . .

. . . and I agree there isn't, why does the President seem to find some virtue in pissing off his own base? I mean, he will necessarily be damned by the opposition, regardless of what he does. That's to be expected. But wouldn't it be better to be damned by the other side for whatever reason, yet praised by his base for looking out for their interests? Instead, he's chosen a course of action that will not only earn him the condemnation of the opposition (which he would incur regardless), but also by much of his base, many of whom will be directly harmed by what he is proposing should it go through. And if it doesn't go through, then he has handed the Republicans a campaign issue in 2014: "those evil Democrats tried to cut Social Security." Yeah, great chess player he is!

[markpkessinger]

22. "[A] Democratic Congress" . . .

. . . may indeed be necessary to accomplish much by way of a Democratic agenda. But that sure as hell doesn't require a Democratic President to push through a Republican agenda either.

[kentuck]

25. It is obvious that the Repubs are going to anti-Obama everything...

And he was able to accomplish a lot in the first two years with a Democratic Congress. Ergo, if he wants to be successful in his last 2 years, he will need a Democratic Congress. His efforts should be directed towards that goal. Everything else is just spinning wheels...

[babylonsister]

26. He's doing that, kentuck.

All those events he's attended recently? It's all about raising $ for Dems running. I wish people would give him a break; he IS aware of the problems in DC, and he is trying to improve our lot.

[Honeycombe8]

30. This is true. nt