Steny Hoyer: Governing as a national majority [View All]

[babylonsister]

Governing as a national majority
Steny Hoyer


I will never forget how I felt two weeks ago when I watched Barack Obama celebrating with more than a hundred thousand in Chicago, tens of millions across our nation, and millions more around the world. Now, Congress has to ensure that we live up to the possibility of that day, and the promise of this moment in history.

As Democrats, our first job is to remember where our majority came from. We did not just make full-blown ideological converts of the other half of the country. What we did do _ and this in itself was a huge accomplishment _ was convince majority-making independents that we will govern responsibly and effectively at a time of national crisis. The 33 new members of Congress coming to Washington to swell our side of the aisle are pragmatic, not dogmatic. They were elected on promises of bipartisanship and fiscal discipline.

With their help, Democrats are a true national majority party for the first time in decades _ and if we want to stay that way, we must govern like one. Voters have little patience for majorities that pursue narrow, partisan agendas to the exclusion of common-sense accomplishment. As Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, we must govern from the middle, welcoming debate in our own ranks and reaching out to Republicans, as well. That is what we did in the last Congress, when 70 percent of the major pieces of legislation passed with significant bipartisan support.

Of course, Republicans have to be willing to reach back. Instead, they may choose to pursue a strategy of obstruction, especially when so many conservatives are blaming the media, blaming moderates, blaming everyone but themselves for what happened on Nov. 4. In the immediate future, with no governing responsibility and with the moderate Republican virtually extinct, the other party is likely to move even further away from the centrist and independent voters who sustained its majorities.

But that wouldn't just be bad for Republicans _ it would be damaging for our country. We need a loyal opposition to engage constructively on legislation, to challenge Democratic arguments and hold us to account.

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http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/tms/politics/2008/Nov/20/governing_as_a_national_majority.html