Yes, Bush passed his tax cuts — by using a method called reconciliation, which can avoid a filibuster but can be used only on budget issues. On No Child Left Behind and Medicare, he cut deals expanding government, which the right-wing equivalents of Greenwald denounced as a massive sellout. Bush did have one episode where he tried to force through a major domestic reform against a Senate filibuster: his crusade to privatize Social Security. Just as liberals urge Obama to do today, Bush barnstormed the country, pounding his message and pressuring Democrats, whom he cast as obstructionists. The result? Nada, beyond the collapse of Bush’s popularity.Chait, Obama defender extraordinaire (and I do not say that negatively), comes back with a follow up to his New Republic article defending Obama against those who feel our president is failing due to a lack of rhetorical backbone.
I highlight this quote because we should not lose sight of the fact that legislative success and failure is a part of every presidency. Charisma is not the same as totalitarian power.
Progressive Christians would benefit from harping less about Obama, and doing more to actually try and persuade our brothers and sisters (yes they still are our brothers and sisters are they not?) that Jesus was not a free market crusader. Part of me always wants to give up on this task, because it seems like a giant waste of time. But what is the purpose of the Church if not to make such a task worthwhile?
-Tim
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