E. J. Dionne: Bold Is Good

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/09/AR2008110901896.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Bold Is Good
What Obama Could Learn From Reagan

By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Monday, November 10, 2008; Page A17

snip//

In fact, timidity is a far greater danger than overreaching, simply because it's quite easy to be cautious. And anyone who thinks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her followers are ultra-leftist ideologues has been asleep for the past two years. As Pelosi noted in an interview in her office this week, her moves have been shaped by a Democratic House caucus that includes both staunch liberals and resolute moderates. She knows where election victories come from.

"We have some fairly sophisticated people here who understand that you win seats in the middle," she said, noting that Democrats did not win their majority in 2006 and then expand it this year "by espousing far left views." The priorities of congressional Democrats, she added, are close to those of the new president.

That's true, and it underscores the fact that you don't have to be "far left" to be bold. This is something that Rahm Emanuel, the new White House chief of staff and no ideologue, understands. In interviews yesterday on both ABC and CBS, Emanuel made clear that Obama's overarching priority is to right the economy and that his other objectives fit snugly into that framework.

He sees Obama acting in four areas of concern to a middle class that "is working harder, earning less and paying more." The list: health care, energy, tax reform and education. All are issues on which Obama should not be afraid to be audacious.

The economic crisis, Emanuel said, provides "an opportunity to finally do what Washington has for years postponed." Here, the model is Franklin Roosevelt, who in the 1930s saw the objectives of economic recovery and greater social justice as closely linked.

President-elect Obama can spend most of his time fretting warily about the shortcomings of past presidents and how to avoid their errors. Or he can think hopefully about truly successful presidents and how their daring changed the country. Is there any doubt as to which of these would more usefully engage his imagination?

[ixion]

1. health care reform, education... these are certainly things we need to work on

however, the social fabric cannot begin to mend until we put the so-called 'war on drugs' to rest, because this 'war', and it's ugly younger brother the so-called 'war on terror' are destroying our society.

End the otherwise never-ending 'wars' on abstractions and let's return to rational government.

[underpants]

2. Dionne is great. He completely called this in Sept. 2007-the burbs and the Party of the South

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x398990

I completely agree. Demand more than you expect to get-that is basic negotiating.

It is hard to notice that Dionne is rarely on This Week anymore.
What WOULD George Will do if he had to face that on a weekly basis?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x400069

Also-the New England Republicans (Rockefeller Republicans) are basically dead now. Due mostly to the "Southern Strategy" of the RNC. Lott, Barbour, Newt, Delay, etc. all were just sure that their righteous indignation would carry the party where it needed to go (the midwest would buy into that old time religion) and we are now seeing the result. The New York Republican especially never had much time for that crowd nor did they need to, they had their own money apparatus thank you. Still it isn't going well for either right now.