Anyone who missed Obama’s Q&A session with Republicans last week should check it out, if only for the laughs. Obama, cool and wry, crushes Republican talking point after talking point, and leaves the GOP wishing it had never agreed to allow the session to be nationally televised.
If this had occurred a year ago I might’ve been impressed. But not anymore. We all know that Obama is a masterful rhetorician, capable of making most people who challenge him look foolish. But in all honesty, running circles around the ignoramuses who currently populate the Republican Party is essentially child’s play.
The real test of Obama’s leadership is not whether he can win arguments, but whether he can win Congressional votes and get his agenda passed. And while there were some significant victories in his first year, none of his signature priorities—healthcare reform, financial reform, and cap and trade—have made it to his desk. There is a chance that all three could pass in some form, but it’s more likely that all three will fail. This would be catastrophic not only for the country, but for the Democratic Party.
I question whether Obama and his team are doing everything they can to push Congress to act, but all of us need to do our part as well. It’s time for letter writing, phone calls, and emails, in that order of importance.
Here’s a summary of the key players to contact:
For healthcare reform
1. Your two senators - urge them to fix the recently passed Senate bill through reconciliation so that the House can pass it
2. Your congressman/woman - urge them to pass the Senate bill as soon as the Senate makes the necessary fixes
3. Senator Harry Reid - urge him to push reconciliation as the solution to the healthcare impasse
4. Congressman Tom Perriello and Congresswoman Betsy Markey - applaud them for their bill to repeal the anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies, which is an attempt to get the process rolling again, and urge them to propose more bills in this vein
For Financial Regulatory Reform
1. Senator Chris Dodd - urge the senator not to water down his financial regulatory reform package and to force Republicans to go on record either for it or against it
2. Senator Harry Reid - urge him to bring the strongest possible bill to the floor
3. Your two senators - urge them not to accept anything but a strong bill
For Cap and Trade
1. Your two senators - urge them to vote only for a comprehensive energy bill that includes mandatory and significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions
2. Senators Graham, Lieberman, and Kerry - urge them to put forth their proposal in its entirety and not let it get watered down (this is an instance in which a Republican senator and a turncoat Democrat are actually playing a constructive role)
And contact your friends and family and urge them to do the same!
P.S. In the long-term this is what needs to happen.
Jason Scorse