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"Obama 2.0"? On Abortion, More of the
Same Part Two of Three By Dave Andrusko
I've written a number of blog entries about NRLC's State Legislative Strategy Conference. Thanks to the work of people such as Director of State Legislation Mary Spaulding Balch, in 2011 NRLC's state affiliates will hit the ground sprinting. Having watched his own party take it on the chin--both at the federal AND state levels--you would anticipate that pro-abortion President Barack Obama is in the uncomfortable position of having to do some serious re-evaluation. Or, perhaps not, judging by a piece that ran in Politico--"President Obama 2.0: Becoming 'CEO of America'," by John Harris and James Hohmann. They argue, convincingly, that it's not just that Team Obama has a weak bench. The first-string lacks many of the skill set successful White House teams have possessed before. (And Obama, himself, has very little real legislative experience and is learning executive skills on the fly.) Given all that, the advice is to "discard the Congress-focused strategy of the first two years and coming up with new and more creative ways to exercise power and set the national agenda." Where to look for guidance? "Presidential scholars and veterans of previous administrations from both parties point to five strategies past presidents have used to meet the challenge Obama is confronting now," write Harris and Hohmann. Let's look at three. Trust me, it's essentially blue smoke and mirrors--and executive orders. On the one hand Obama is being counseled to avoid Capitol Hill/the legislative process by issuing executive orders. It cannot be good for us, or the babies, or the medically vulnerable when Obama is following his instincts which include enthusiastically advancing the agenda of his many pro-abortion allies. On the other hand, he is advised to "co-opt" the GOP opposition by adding some token Republicans to his Administration. ("Obama's challenge is to make sure that wave [of "conservative anger and energy"] is a spent force by 2012 -- in part by letting conservatives think they have achieved some of what they want"). Obama may think the public is an unsophisticated as this recommendation assumes, but in an era of limitless communication, meaningless gestures have short shelf-lives. He's also advised to follow in the footsteps of Bill Clinton and use the powers of the executive branch (in "legitimate ways," of course) to expressly serve his own political ends--aka make use of the two million people who serve the Executive Branch. This is just another way of saying take credit for everything under the sun that is good, a strategy that Clinton excelled at. And, I almost forgot, Obama should also "Draw new lines -- with new ideas." Put another way, "focus on issues for which debate transcends traditional partisan terms." But this is the same rigmarole that Obama served up running for the Presidency--and ever since. For us in particular, all we EVER hear is that if were "really pro-life" or "really concerned about reducing the number of abortions," we'd buy into one or another bogus "compromise." Or we would accept Obama's assurances that an executive order can neutralize/obviate/eliminate all the provisions of ObamaCare that promote abortion. So, we may hear that Obama is re-tooling, but there is zero reason to believe that means he will take his foot off the abortion-enhancing accelerator. Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |
January
1 may be the day for New Year's Resolutions, but December is the time where
politicos and think tanks and activists start planning their new initiatives
in a big way.