Why The Long Game Matters

Posted on 02/14/2009 at 9:20 pm by admin

by Lee Stranahan

“Results” aren’t the reason to be civil. It’s a virtue in its own right. And things may go differently in the future. But President Obama’s decision not to kick Joe Lieberman in the gonads may have already paid off…

The successful passage of the stimulus began with Obama’s decision to pardon Lieberman for the sin of campaigning for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during the presidential election.

Lieberman initially stayed at the edge of negotiations, but as they dragged on, he inserted himself more forcefully, leveraging the close relationships he has with Republicans – after all, they asked him to join them – to peel away a few crucial votes.

And the civility may start to peel off more Republican politicians as time goes on. Or they can stay hitched to the GOP wagon as it heads for the cliff. Either way works, really.

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  • viccan

    Now that you mention it – how does one find out how the independents voted?

  • viccan

    Were there any who voted ‘no’ with the Republicans?

  • eve

    Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut are the only two Independent Senators. Although they are not exactly Independents since they both caucus with the Democrats. They voted for the bill.Currently there are no Independents in the House.

  • eve

    Excellent post, Lee. Ethics and civility as part of the government’s goals and strategy. We did have a revolution.

  • viccan

    Thanks, Eve!One of these days I will finally understand the differents levels at play in the American government. Of course, I would understand faster if I did some research and stopped waiting to be knowledgeable by a process of osmosis.

  • http://www.windonwater.net QueenTiye

    Interesting observation from our president (who is much smarter than ME)

    Cooperation on the economic agenda, he suggested, may have been unusually difficult because it “touched on… one of the core differences between Democrats and Republicans” — whether tax cuts or public spending can best stimulate growth. He predicted there may be greater opportunity for cooperation on issues such as the budget, entitlements and foreign policy. And if he keeps reaching out, he speculated, Republicans may face “some countervailing pressures” from the public “to work in a more constructive way.” White House aides suggest that regardless of how congressional Republicans react on upcoming issues, Obama will pursue alliances with Republican governors and Republican-leaning business groups and leaders.

    QT

  • JG

    The other thing to consider is that the more Obama gets his message out there the way he did last week, the more he will chip away and gain more Republican support in the Senate–which is all that matters–

  • eve

    you’re welcome, viccanOne thing all the extreme partisan politics has done is make many of us learn more about the process and procedures that accompany all the politics. Also, it’s so much easier now to learn anything with so much info at our fingertips. Still, there is tons I don’t know about how all this works.

  • http://annette-justmylittlepieceoftheworld.blogspot.com/ Annette

    Very interesting write up of a sorta interview with the President in the National Journal Friday night.. don’t know how many have read it…http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20090214_5045.php“Obama was flexible about tactics and unwavering in his goals. He signaled that he’s open to consultation, compromise and readjusting his course to build inclusive coalitions, but fixed on the results he intends to produce. “My bottom line is not how pretty the process was,” he said, looking back at the congressional fight over his economic recovery package. “My bottom line was: Am I getting help to people who need it?” “Like I said it is very interesting… well worth a read.

  • cminri

    It seems that the Republicans are so used to being the bullies that they dont know how to behave any other way. They probably cant even begin to understand the concept of being civil for the sake of civility. My hope is that Obama continues this tone but does so without capitulation.

  • Ref

    Is it worth “chipping away a few Republicans” if you have to gut your legislation to do it? I say leave the door open for them, quit pandering, and get out into the countryside and rouse the VOTERS to let their reps and senators know what they want.