Obama's Midterm Missteps

Far from the cool, collected politician voters remember from 2008, Obama spent his first two years stumbling into confrontations with the GOP.

If President Obama had minded the thoughts of the great Chinese general Sun-Tzu from more than 2400 years ago, his next several months would not be so painful to him and probably to the citizens of the United States of America: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer"

If President Obama had recognized that we have elections in this country every two years, he might have treated the Republicans with a bit more courtesy and brought them under his tent. There had to have been a single important and controversial issue where their input could have been useful and their voices heard.

If the President had recognized that we have elections in this country every two years, he might have decided not to demonize the next Speaker of the House of Representatives in what could only be described as cheap, silly, last minute politics. And he could have met with Mitch McConnell, the Republican's Minority Leader, a bit sooner than twenty months after he was elected President.

So, now the President is faced with a Republican dominated House of Representatives and a United States Senate that can filibuster virtually anything. While he isn't Sun-Tzu, Berry Gordon may have written the Republican theme song for 2011:

You broke my heart 'cause I couldn't dance, ...You didn't even want me around...And now I'm back to let you know I can really shake 'e...Do you love me? ...Do you love me? ...Now do you love me? ...(Do you love me now that I can dance?)

The President struggled to get his agenda passed with solid majorities in the Senate and the House. Now with the Republicans in control of the House and with forty-seven votes in the Senate, we will find out if his lack of experience dealing with an adversary no longer unarmed will be a difficult test. We will find out if he can successfully negotiate with the Republicans. The result is uncertain.

Where from here, Mr. President? First, understand that you have driven miles up a road in a direction which Republicans believe was the wrong direction. They will not see asking them which fork in the road to take next as negotiating. Negotiating will be how far back down the road to travel before starting again.

Second, give us a secure border. Don't negotiate, just do what it takes to secure the border. Without such action, in 2012, you risk being blamed for what will assuredly be increased violence on our side of the border if something is not done quickly, decisively and competently.

Finally, put a sock in it. Negotiating with yourself is a waste of time. Only the rare President gets a couple of years to ignore the other political party and he does so at his own political risk. The time for expecting the "from my voice to legislative completion" has passed.