GLOBE EDITORIAL
Obama regains footing, but more forceful advocacy needed
January 28, 2010
PRESIDENT OBAMA last night looked bold and forceful. He spoke in high-minded terms about the state of the union. He reached out to conservatives by touting his commitment to tax cuts, small businesses, and nuclear power. He endorsed universally popular ideas like curbing the influence of lobbyists. There was a lot to like, and little to oppose.
But behind all the grandeur of the occasion, it was a defensive speech. Its goal was to help Obama regain his political footing, and in that it may have succeeded. But his new initiatives - such as a package of benefits to encourage small businesses to hire more people - were relatively modest in the face of widespread unemployment and seemed designed to defang his Republican critics.
The jolt of fear that Scott Brown’s victory over Martha Coakley sent through the Democratic world obviously shook the White House as well. Obama sought to remind voters that he is the true vessel of change by stressing his anti-Washington bona fides. He still wants to promote bipartisanship, to behave magnanimously toward his rivals, to keep his administration as clean and open as possible. All are laudable goals.
But the contentious debates of the past year aren’t going away on their own. It isn’t enough for him to guide the process from afar, with a monarchical detachment, as he did on health care.
Thus, his announcement last night that he will continue to fight for a health care bill was welcome, as was his detailed explanation of the benefits of the current approach. His request that “as temperatures cool, everyone. . . take another look at the plan we’ve proposed’’ was shrewdly understated. He deserves praise for imploring Congress to “get it done,’’ and for urging his fellow Democrats not to “run for the hills.’’
His criticism of Republican obstructionism was also effective. But in the end, passing health insurance reform will require more forceful advocacy than he showed last night.
No doubt, Obama believes that his unruffled approach will yet bear fruit. But he must also realize that results are what matters. A fair and high-minded process, and a commitment to bipartisanship, aren’t ends in themselves. They’re the means to achieve important pieces of legislation.
Last night, Obama was true to his style of leadership. But whether it will bear enough fruit remains unclear.
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