Summer of Obama?

The Economist has a timely article on what Obama must do this summer in order to ensure a positive outcome for his agenda. I was really starting to wonder when something like this was going to come, as it does seem that much of what he said he wanted to accomplish on the campaign trail is being distorted, if not destroyed by the congressional law making process. I agree that without a positive resolution to the health care debate which involves a universal public program, or a real bill to reduce green house gas emissions, Obama will have a much harder time being elected in 2012. Based on the lunacy of the Republican party at the moment, I would greatly prefer that not happen.

Still, I’m optimistic. What I hope is that Obama is in fact playing a brilliant hand with Congress and these important bills. His plan is to simply let congress fight it out in order to demonstrate their dysfunction, and prove to the American people that in fact, they are not capable of crafting the necessary legislation. Then, while everything looks like it is falling apart, Obama will pull out the bills he wants, and that his wonkish technocrats have actually been working on in secret, and lay them out before congress and the American people, have a few news conferences to sell them, and then ask Americans to force their congressional representatives to pass the bills without changes. They will have little choice because of their failure to craft good legislation so far, and Americans will be outraged if nothing continues to be done. This way congress gets to fail spectacularly and Obama can ride to the rescue, instead of him trying to force something down congress’ throat only to be rebuffed as was the case with Hillarycare.

This is perhaps too much to hope for, but I’ve hoped for a lot from Obama so far, and he has been reasonably good at delivering.