What Obama Can Learn from Clinton

I enjoyed watching the History Channel’s 2004 series "The Presidents", which I watched on You Tube yesterday. When they got to Presdient Clinton, Leon Panetta explained his showdown with Newt Gingrich. Clinton, like Obama, was dispirited after the 1994 election. But he said Clinton knew politics and KNEW that he had to draw a line in the sand. Gringrich thought he could bully Clinton with threatening to shut donw the government if he didn’t get his way.

Clinton didn't show weakness with the terrorist. He stood firm. He didn’t cave.

Gov’t did shut down for a bit. And people were outraged... not at Clinton, but at Newt and the GOP. It was Newt that came back to the bargaining table. It was newt and the GOP that suffered seat losses in 1996, along with the defeat of Bob Dole. Newt himself had a very close re-election bid, and he was spooked enough to give a speech that essentially said "message received loud and clear".

We have the high ground here. DEMOCRATS voted for a straight middle-class tax cut. GOP filibustered it. GOP is willing to hold the unemployment benefits for struggling families hostage unless every millionaire and billionaire in this country gets $100,000 of tax payer money. They are willing to add $700 billion to the national debt for the wealthiest Americans, but say a few billion to help people who can’t find work this holiday season is too expensive. They don’t have a leg to stand on.

The only way to lose is not to fight. I hear on the radio yet another spineless Dem saying we need to take whatever deal is offered because the GOP is better at messaging than us, and that we will get blamed if taxes go up. I say enough is enough. I don’t know aobut you, but I am sick to death of this... right now we still have a SUPER majority in the House and Senate, and a Dem Prez, WHY are we still cowering? Do you really think if a deal is made the GOP will play nice?

Draw a line, dammit. No further. NO MORE. You rethug SOBs want to filibuster? DO IT!!

Maybe, just maybe, the American people will wise up to the REAL priorities of the GOP and maybe even bother to vote next time!

If the Dems can’t win this message war over what is blatantly obvious...they deserve to lose. If the Dems cave on this, who do you think is going to show up at the polls in 2012?

Draw the damn line.

PS:
WHY THE F*&^ ARE WE NEGOTIATING ANYWAY? We still have a super majority in the House, and we can do Budget Reconciliation in the Senate! That is what W. did to pass these massive breaks to the wealthy in the first place. Am I missing something?