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The Spectacle Blog
I’m flying right now back from a week in Southern California speaking to the opportunity voters have to retake control over the energy (and thereby economic) future of the state, which its political class has proven an inability responsibly handle ($30 million from usual suspects including those putting their money where their money is to protect a gravy train can lead to a less than honorable campaign).
I cannot overstate my gratitude and deep admiration for the work and character of the people I met working to save a beautiful place gone mad. As I now head eastward, I am reading quite a bit of discussion whether President Obama will or even can pull a Bill Clinton and triangulate, acting the moderate between congressional Republicans and remaining congressional Democrats. The consensus is that he won’t because he can’t. That’s not how he rolls. He’s a committed man o’ the Left. Indeed.
But.
The “but” is two-fold. Please, please do not fall for the coming rhetoric positioning himself as moderating (whether or not triangulating) which most surely will not be matched by substance. He will say he’s focused, laser-like on economic growth, while dealing with new radicals. Some new Members will help along in this narrative with ill-advised utterances. Others will over-compensate and ‘grow in office’ immediately. There’s not much more tempting than earning the ‘strange new respect’ of helpful lobbyist/fundraisers like Trent Lott and the Washington Post by realizing one really does need to go along to get along.
So, as predictable as that a spectacular sun will set in Orange County tonite, Obama will encourage a conflict leading to the greatest fear of the Republican leadership: a confrontation over ‘government shutdown’. This should be no fear at all for Republicans unless their real fear is that they cannot effectively message their position. It should go without saying, but 1995 proved it cannot: if you pass your spending obligation and the president refuses to sign it, you did not shut down the government (no matter how many times your Speaker inadvertently plays along by taking credit for doing so).
If the House and Senate cannot agree spending legislation, then you have a different issue. Which leads me to the coming triangulation. It will be Obama playing the tax commission - self-styled as the “deficit commission”, but, c’mon - off against congressional Republicans.
So President Obama will most certainly triangulate. But in a different way. Prepare for the tax commission’s recommendations, expected to be released soon after the elections. Which will be the first, subject-changing, Republican-defining shot in the new triangulation.
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More Blog Posts by Chris Horner
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/10/29/the-coming-triangulation
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Tim*| 10.29.10 @ 5:23PM
Obama Will Play The Blame-Credit Game.
He's played The Blame BUUUUUUSSSSHHH Game Aaaaand it ain't workin' out so well for Democrats.
Obama is fightin' the last war & can't seem to deal with The Tea Party Rebellion.
The Tea Party Rebellion Escalates Past November.
Rise Up In Rebellion!
Alan Brooks| 10.30.10 @ 5:31PM
Predictable as the sun in Santa Ana, the GOP will run another second-rater in 2012.
TennesseeVolunteer| 10.30.10 @ 7:49AM
Chris, your point is well taken. We Patriots in fly over country know that the leftists in power will never back up their "moderate to conservative" words with true action. When they talk about going to the middle, it is only to obfuscate and mislead.
We know them for who they are. We only believe in people by their ACTIONS.
Siegfried X| 10.30.10 @ 3:26PM
"... if you pass your spending obligation and the president refuses to sign it, you did not shut down the government ..."
History and the voters have always disagreed with that. Like when the voters took President Bush's side when he vetoed a war spending bill which the Democratic congress sent to force withdrawal from Iraq.
"... their real fear is that they cannot effectively message their position..."
There is _NO_ chance of Republicans winning that messaging fight with the Democratic-controlled media reporting it. Just like the MSM has lied through their teeth to help Democrats these past three weeks, they'd do it with the government shutdown.
It is truly sad if we go down the same mistaken path that destroyed the Gingrich congress in 1995. After a single congress the spirit of conservatives was broken and the Republican party quickly slid into a decade of big government RINO-ism, because of the government shutdown.
If Republicans really can win the messaging war, then they should win it BEFORE and instead of the government shutdown, not DURING it. In other words we should convince the voters to force Obama to sign our budget, not hope that he will blink first in a government shutdown.
Yosemeti Sam| 10.30.10 @ 4:04PM
" The Coming Triangulation...."
Yeah, right, BHO doing the Triangulation bit.
While the GOP will be doing the BHO agenda Strangulation bit.
aware| 10.30.10 @ 6:14PM
"Triangulation"......oh yeah, that wonderful addition to the Black Arts of manipulation practiced by the criminal class politicians to thwart the will of the citizens and generally oppose all that is good in the universe(which is essentially the only thing they could EVER do) .
And hatched in the dark hole in head of that great REPUBLICAN neo con "strategist" Dick Morris. Now he's "on our side". Slimy.
axbucxdu| 10.31.10 @ 10:41PM
There will be triangulation alright, and Obammy won't be the only one triangulating: See Trent Lott's and Karl Rove's comments in Frank Rich's latest NY Times op ed piece "The Grand Old Plot Against the Tea Party". The TPers, the American people really, have been had.