Very odd how he has just now noticed this:
David Brooks:
Obama the Dealmaker: During his first term, President Obama faced a wicked problem: How do you govern in a highly polarized, evenly divided country[?]… Obama never really solved that one, and he was forced to pass his agenda on partisan lines (during the first two years) or not pass it at all (the final two). Now re-elected with Republicans still in control of the House, Obama faces the problem again…. Some on the left are suggesting that he adopt a strategy of confrontation and conquest…. [T]ake the country over the so-called fiscal cliff. Blame it on the Republicans who are unwilling to even raise taxes on the rich. Wait until they fold, and then you will have your way…. [T]his strategy is… irresponsible…. Second, it’s terrible politics. Obama could probably triumph in a short-term confrontation…. But he’d sow such bitterness that it would be the last thing he’d pass for the rest of his term…
But then he says that this time is different! It's a new Republican Party!:
This is not the Republican Party of 2010. Today’s Republicans no longer have an incentive to deny Obama victories. He’s never running again. Most of today’s Republicans understand that they need to decontaminate their brand. They’re more open to compromise, more likely to be won over with deal-making than brow-beating….
The economic crisis interrupted him last time, but President Obama still has a chance to build a great middle-class economy. It’ll take a dealmaker, not a warrior.
Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?
