Category: Ari Fleischer
Published for The Wall Street Journal, November 3rd, 2010:
If the president wants to get things done, he must recognize that in Washington only he has the power to make the first move.
Now that Republicans have taken the House, a check and balance has been restored to Washington. President Obama and House Republicans will need to figure out who’s going to make the first move.
Having served as the majority spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee after Republicans took the House in 1994, I’ve seen the promise and the peril of divided government before. President Obama and likely Speaker of the House John Boehner (R., Ohio) will begin this exercise like two sumo wrestlers circling each other on the mat. They’ll both be looking for weaknesses and opportunities, waiting and wondering what’s the best strategy.
Can the president shift to the political center and reach agreements with majority Republicans without alienating his liberal base, which is more influential now among House Democrats thanks to the defeat of so many Blue Dog Democrats? Can Mr. Boehner create majorities to work with President Obama, or will the newly elected tea party rank and file see compromise and cooperation as dirty words?
All of this is why the two leaders can be counted on initially to talk politely about the importance of working together. But in reality they will continue to circle each other, biding their time, gauging where public supports lies, waiting to figure out how to make the first move.
If Bill Clinton’s presidency is any guide, Mr. Obama must go first. After two years of fighting, government shutdowns and little to no agreement on anything except welfare reform in 1996, President Clinton was re-elected and decided it was time for compromise.
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