In 2012, Obama to press ahead without Congress

[Tx4obama]

In 2012, Obama to press ahead without Congress

HONOLULU (AP) -- Leaving behind a year of bruising legislative battles, President Barack Obama enters his fourth year in office having calculated that he no longer needs Congress to promote his agenda and may even benefit in his re-election campaign if lawmakers accomplish little in 2012.

Absent any major policy pushes, much of the year will focus on winning a second term. The president will keep up a robust domestic travel schedule and aggressive campaign fundraising and use executive action to try to boost the economy.

Partisan, down-to-the-wire fights over allowing the nation to take on more debt and sharply reducing government spending defined 2011. In the new year, there are almost no must-do pieces of legislation facing the president and Congress.

The one exception is the looming debate on a full-year extension of a cut in the Social Security payroll tax rate from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent. Democrats and Republicans are divided over how to put in place that extension.

SNIP

LOTS of GOOD stuff in the rest of the article: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_FOURTH_YEAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-12-31-09-07-39

[BeaufortPenguin]

1. This Is Exactly The Approach Taken By Bill Clinton In 1996

He took the issues to the people (voters) and allowed Noot and his band of obstructors to destroy themselves from within. It worked then, and it will work now....PROVIDED he (Obama) stops capitulating to the bully minority and continues to double dare them to take that final leap off of the cliff on which they have decided to perch themselves upon.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

2. The difference is that Clinton was working with a GOP House and Senate.

It's somewhat problematic to run against Congress when your party controls one of the chambers.

[MH1]

3. The Democrats DON'T control any chamber of Congress.

And most people who pay attention to politics get that. Many who just listen to the news are starting to get that, too.

It helps when it's mentioned that the bill failed because the Democrats had only, for example, 52 votes. Most people know that there are 100 Senators, and that 51 would be 'a majority'. So it's got to be sinking in that it does take more than a majority to pass anything in the Senate, ergo, the Democrats do NOT control the Senate.

[Tx4obama]

4. It takes 60 'yes' votes to invoke cloture on a bill - that's where the GOP has been obstructing

just about everything. Also, it has been taking 60 votes to invoke cloture on admin/judicial appointments/nominees.

Since the day Obama took office the democrats had a filibuster-proof majority in The Senate for a total of only 14 weeks

[MH1]

6. And those 14 weeks included a very ill Ted Kennedy, right?

and it was complacency (plus a very poor campaign) that lost us that seat.

[Tx4obama]

8. Yes.

Sen Franken wasn't sworn in until July 7, 2009.

Sen Kennedy died August 25, 2009. (he hadn't been in D.C. for several weeks prior to his death)
Gov. Deval Patrick named Paul G. Kirk as the interim U.S. senator in early September 2009. Kirk was sworn in September 24, 2009

Then Republican Senator Scott Brown was sworn into office February 4, 2010, taking The Kennedy/Kirk seat.

So, the total of weeks that we had 60 democrats in The Senate totaled only 14 weeks.

And also note, there were breaks Congress took for Thanksgiving and Christmas which meant many weeks Congress wasn't in session, so we didn't even really even have a full 14 weeks to get stuff done.

[Major Hogwash]

9. Excellent point.

Very good post.

[ThomThom]

10. that doesn't take into account the Dems that vote with repugs on key issues

Dems were never really in control

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

5. Several pollsters are predicting that Republicans will have 52-54 Senate seats after the 2012 races.

Does that mean that they will not control the Senate either?

[MH1]

7. IF Dems have the spine to filibuster, the Repubs will NOT control the Senate.

But that is a VERY BIG "IF", no?

I sure hope the predictions are wrong. If they turn out right, then if Obama still manages to hold on, I hope to hell he figures out how to veto stuff.