The Adults Are in Charge

by: Matt Stoller

Mon Nov 10, 2008 at 12:12


Here are the Brookings Institution's recommendations for Obama.

In addition to the economic meltdown, the memo suggests Obama should begin with issues such as public funding of stem cell research, expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and passing new subsidies for renewable fuel research and development.

"The point is to start with legislative proposals that avoid reigniting bitter partisan battles," said Darrell West, the memo's author and Brookings' vice president and director of governance studies.

Here's the incoming Chief of Staff:

Asked what Barack Obama was elected to do, and what legislation he's likely to find on his Oval Office desk soonest, Mr. Emanuel didn't hesitate. "Bucket one would have children's health care, Schip," he said. "It has bipartisan agreement in the House and Senate. It's something President-elect Obama expects to see. Second would be [ending current restrictions on federally funded] stem-cell research. And third would be an economic recovery package focused on the two principles of job creation and tax relief for middle-class families."

Don't worry, they've got it all under control.  The system works.

Matt Stoller :: The Adults Are in Charge

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The Adults Are in Charge | 28 comments
Is it too soon to declare (4.00 / 1)
the Employee Free Choice Act Dead?
It better not be. (4.00 / 1)
That would be a complete disaster.

I don't think Obama will do that.

[ Parent ]
Well with everything (4.00 / 1)
else on his agenda, is Obama going to bring on Armageddon?

"This bill is Armageddon for the employer community," said Randy Johnson of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.reuters.com/article...

I was, of course, being hyperbolic in declaring it dead. But I just can't see him moving it till much later. I hope I'm wrong.

[ Parent ]
Obama owes the unions. (0.00 / 0)
Better Armageddon now then later.  

The C of C needs the government now.  

[ Parent ]
Maybe he doesn't move it... (4.00 / 4)
But Congress does.   If its going to be a close vote on cloture, then it might be better if it moves from within Congress.  We do know he WILL NOT veto it, so if it passed congress its in.
[ Parent ]
Great point (4.00 / 1)
This is THE issue Republicans are gearing up to fight. It is far better that this originate in Congress. Politically speaking, if it doesn't make it through the Senate, it doesn't go down as an L in Obama's win-loss column and it will have received something resembling a fair shot. If it does, it deserves to be passed.
[ Parent ]
Obama should be out in front (4.00 / 1)
I'm taking your post to mean that it's better to have EFCA fail and have it be Congress' fault than put give a loss to Obama...  

Working people deserve more than "something resembling a fair shot."  They deserve labor law that allows them to collectively bargain.  For unions this should be a "which side are you on?" question.  Anyone who doesn't go to the mat to ensure it's passage is on the other side.

[ Parent ]
I don't mean that exactly (0.00 / 0)
Yours is a fair criticism but I don't mean it quite so starkly. I am willing to take some risk on the bill not passing in exchange for political gain.

But I think it stands a good chance of passing going through Congress, maybe even a better chance and that's why I'm willing to put the onus on Congress. The right's going to fight it either way but the MSM will be all over it if Obama is pushing it.

But I also think the chances that it will fail regardless of how it's pushed are very real, if not enormous. I do not want Obama's entire agenda to be more at risk because his honeymoon/mandate is ended early by a loss that will immediately be tagged with the 'don't ask/don't tell' label.  

[ Parent ]
It depends on when... (0.00 / 0)
If you want this passed in the first 100 days, then yes, most of the Risk needs to fall on congress.  If we are talking first year or two, then yes Obama needs to fight for it.  
[ Parent ]
Bringing on Armageddon (4.00 / 1)
is basically the job description of the Anti-Christ.  Don't say John McCain didn't warn us! ;)

Srsly though, I think it comes down to whether they have the 60 votes for it.  It absolutely will be filibustered.

vodamusic.com

[ Parent ]
i'd say, yes it is too early. (4.00 / 1)
considering that:

a) obama isn't even a month away from being in the white house yet.

and

b) we are not powerless to push it.  

[ Parent ]
No (4.00 / 1)
If there are the votes it will pass.

In 2007 it got 51 votes. All Democrats + Arlen Specter. Tim Johnson couldn't vote on it beacuse of his condition. So we started out with 52 votes.

We picked up 6 more seats all of whom are for EFCA.

So that gets us to 58. We need two more votes for it. We're not going to find more Republican votes. The result is not final in AK and MN pending final counts and recounts and in Georgia beacuse of the runoff. We need to have two of those swing our way to get to 60 for EFCA.

Which is why 60 DOES matter. And why the Georgia runoff is so critical.

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

[ Parent ]
Rahm also said (4.00 / 1)
smething about "taking advantage of a crisis."  Now is the time to act on health care and other key aspects of Obama's program.

If we are afraid of a Republican minority now, we never will accomplish anything that matters.  The Republicans need to be bipartisan.

Then you must be very pleased with (4.00 / 1)

this part, which is designed to avoid a deep global recession and make the U.S. once again globally competitive:

"...an economic recovery package focused on the two principles of job creation and tax relief for middle-class families."

and this part, which is an essential component of pretty much anybody's guide to curbing global warming:

"...passing new subsidies for renewable fuel research and development."

[ Parent ]
Damn SCHIP. Damn that regressive legislation to hell. (4.00 / 1)
.
? (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
snark (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Don't understand your point (4.00 / 1)
Are you unhappy about S-CHIP, stem cell research, and an economic recovery package for some reason?

If your complaint is that the Brookings Institute and the Obama administration are in complete agreement over first-action priorities, I don't really see how this is a problem in and of itself, considering that I very much support these three actions.  If they agreed that the first priorities should be something stupid or harmful, sure.

And just because the Brookings Institute is concerned chiefly with advancing "bipartisanship" in this instance doesn't mean that we should attribute the Obama administration with the same stupid motives.  They probably are just doing this stuff first because it's easy to get it lined up before the inauguration.

My feeling is... (0.00 / 0)
I think Matt's afraid this is the ONLY stuff they will do first thing... instead of a big big bill.  Based on the FT article, I'm thinking he has a big big plan ins tore to press the advantage.
[ Parent ]
I think that his point is that he thinks Obama should act more partisan (0.00 / 0)
The results of the policies implemented aren't important I guess.

http://transgendermom.blogspot....
[ Parent ]
'Whipping' (0.00 / 0)
Here and there in the comments on various posts people have made observations that if the netroots stop complaining then Obama et al may stop moving left to satisfy us.

The parties have 'whips' in the house and the senate whose role it is to keep the party members in line for votes. The generally sour note in the front page posts may be an effort to keep us 'whipped' - agitated, pissed and unhappy by accentuating the negative so that were still motivated and engaged when the big fights come around.

[ Parent ]
Have they perchance forgotten (4.00 / 1)
That there was a bitter partisan battle over SCHIP?

On the other hand, if they have, that's a great opportunity to marginalise those who never learn.

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog

If Obama's serious about pushing Universal Health Care? (4.00 / 2)
Why are we messing around with S-CHIP?  What's the point of amending an existing law now, only to have all of that hard work get subsumed by a UHC law.
You could argue that it primes the pump (4.00 / 2)
S-CHIP forces the Republicans to start capitulating. They just got walloped in an election. Before they have time to regroup, hit them with something that is definitely that is overwhelmingly popular and certainly one of the things that made people vote for the democrats. Make sure they know this is just the start. But laying the groundwork for UHC will take some time - it has to be done right, and even though there has already been a lot of thought put into doing it, all of that thought was "theoretical" - now that doing it is actually realistic, all those arguments will be rehashed one more time.

Basically, S-CHIP is something that can be voted on in January. The legislation is written, the negotiations have already been made, the polling is already done. Keep the Republican caucus squirming and divided rather than letting them regroup and put up a real fight.

[ Parent ]
SCHIP (0.00 / 0)
Schip can be up and running faster than UHC.   Based on some of his words, I'd guess UHC will be part of a long range Middle Class New Deal type legislation that goes for the gusto... Tax Breaks, UHC, Education, and alternative energy.
[ Parent ]
I agree! (0.00 / 0)
This is evidence that the adults are in charge and this is a good thing.
Brookings Institution (4.00 / 2)
has as one of the few specifics the Fairness Doctrine.  Of all of the current crises and problems going on that has to be the last thing on the plate frankly and since Democrats seem to be targeting conservative talk radio and from the election results we can see how well that worked out for them, I don't know why this should be in any way a priority right now.  

Seems like everyone and their brother is trying to tell Obama what to do at the moment.  

 

NoSlaves.com  


The Economic Populist

Agree completely. (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
The Adults Are in Charge | 28 comments
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