Obama may be on his own if he wants big changes

[onehandle]

As the tumultuous first two years of Barack Obama's presidency draw to a close, the president and his advisers have begun to puzzle over a difficult question: Now what?

There are many things Obama has said he would like to accomplish in the next two years of his term - overhauling the nation's immigration laws, passing energy and climate-change legislation, and shrinking the federal deficit, to name a few. Yet doing so may be exceptionally challenging, if even possible, given the skeptical mood of the public and the coming shake-up in Washington.

Next month's midterm elections will leave the president with fewer friends in Congress, and possibly a Republican majority in one or both chambers emboldened to thwart his plans.

In White House strategy sessions, Obama's senior staffers are debating their options. They have not yet settled on a specific plan, and the president has not spelled one out. How Obama approaches the coming years will depend in part on whether Democrats lose Congress or survive with narrower majorities. Yet no matter how the elections turn out, a consensus has emerged in the West Wing that Obama will have to set out goals that do not rely as much on Congress to advance his unfinished reform agenda. Even with his party now in control on Capitol Hill, Obama has had difficulty winning approval for big initiatives such as health care and financial regulation. After the grueling midterms, and with diminished ranks, Democrats will probably return for the new Congress in January more cautious.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/16/AR2010101602871.html

[kentuck]

1. He will need to defend the ground already won...

if the Repubs are in charge of the House. He will need to familiarize himself with his veto pen.

[OHdem10]

2. Republicans have promised to repeal Health Care or at least

not fund it. They are running campaigns with this promise.

2. They plan to repeal the Wall Street Reforms.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. In the interest of intellectual consistency I would expect...

...significant support on DU for both of those GOP positions, considering we were told, over and over again, that both bills were fatally flawed and worse than doing nothing.

Repeal gets you right back to 'nothing'.

I hope you've all kept your 'Kill the Bill' bumper stickers n' stuff. Everything comes back into fashion eventually.

[polichick]

4. He can do a lot simply as prez and commander in chief - if he dares. nt

[denimgirly]

5. Big Changes? We should all know now that Obama goes for Small Changes. Better than nothing

Assuming he is still the same person of the past 2 years and this current election season hasnt affected him into becoming a true progressive then i expect Obama, even if republicans gain the house will still be a person of small change and willing to compromise whatever it takes to pass anything. Yes he will have to give in more to republicans but i am guessing he will still sign the bills so as to say he got something.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

7. I won't rest until he gives me Canadian stock broker coupons.

[WingDinger]

6. If we dont push him like he has been begging from the begginning.

[Skittles]

8. why does he have to be pushed to behave like a Democrat?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. He seems to be out there alone. No help. No allies. It's sad!! n/t