by Mark Silva
The problem with the politics of failure is that winning is losing.
Radio's Rush Limbaugh gave voice to a dangerous political gambit in which the Republican Party's success depends on the Democratic Party's failure, when he first declared: "I hope Obama fails.''
Since then, the coalescence of Republican votes against the Democratic president's economic initiatives has hardened that line: In the failure of one's strategy lies the success of the other's, the way some in the party see it.
The only problem with that equation is that a lot of Americans stand a lot to lose in the bargain. Should Obama's strategies for economic revival fail, a lot of people are in for lot more hardship - which may partly explain why the president's job-approval ratings have held steady at close to two-thirds through nearly four tumultuous months: 66 percent in daily Gallup tracking so far in May.
"People are invested in Obama,'' said Andrew Kohut, president of the Washington-based Pew Research Center, whose polling placed Obama's job-approval at 63 percent in April. "They want him to succeed,'' Kohut explained. "The basic question is, how long people will think this guy has the answers. Right now, a lot of people think he has the answers.''
Which is what makes the latest suggestion of Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas so peculiar. Sessions, the Republican charged with running his party's midterm congressional campaigns next year, has suggested that Obama is purposefully driving up the rate of unemployment and dampening stock prices as a means of consolidating his power.
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee told John Harwood, writing for The New York Times, about Obama's calculated power grab.
The NRCC's chief spokesman, Ken Spain, later defended the allegation that Obama secretly welcomes a slump in employment and investments.
Sessions "was simply reiterating what many members of the Democratic Party have been saying over the last several weeks,'' Spain said. "He was addressing concerns over one-party dominance in Washington, and how it has further damaged our economy and undercut our free enterprise system.''
In February, Sessions also told the National Journal that Republicans, in the minority, might emulate the insurgency of a Taliban: "Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban. They went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes....
"I'm not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban."
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Maryland Democrat running his party's congressional elections, had a pointed reply to the theory that Sessions voiced.
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"The American people want leadership to address our economic challenges, yet the Republicans are responding with one ridiculous sound bite after another while refusing to offer a constructive alternative to their failed economic policies of the last eight years," said Van Hollen, suggesting that Sessions' remarks "have no place in our current economic debate and reflect a party more pre-occupied with offering bizarre conspiracy theories than offering credible solutions to get our economy back on track.
"Families coping with the loss of a job, their home, or their health care need solutions from Washington, not more of the same broken politics embodied by Chairman Sessions and the Republican Leadership in the House, and talk show host Rush Limbaugh."
Yet, as Harwood notes, at a time when unemployment still is rising - it reached 8.9 percent in May, the highest level since 1983 - any lag between recovery from the recession and unemployment subsiding "carries... potential consequences'' for the president. "The lag could erode his popularity and, thus, his clout,'' Harwood wrote. "It also could exacerbate a historic tendency of voters to punish a president's party in midterm elections, which would limit Mr. Obama's freedom to maneuver.''
"As long as the American people have a sense that the economy is turning around, the people will have patience for sticking with the president and Congress," Van Hollen suggested.
This is where Sessions came in, suggesting in an interview with the columnist that the administration intends to "diminish employment and diminish stock prices" as part of a "divide and conquer" strategy to consolidate power. The president's agenda, he suggested, is "intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it."
His hope, Hawrwood noted, is that voters regain some appreciation for an era of Republican leadership when "many dreams were achieved," the size of the economy doubled, millions of jobs were created and the stock market flourished.
But the congressman's reasoning turns the politics of failure inside out, taking it far beyond any calculus that Limbaugh ever made, suggesting that the president's economic strategy is a self-inflicted formula for the failure of his own party.
So far, two-thirds of the people surveyed aren't buying the argument that the president hopes to lose.
Comments
More partisan politics. Why can't they all do what is right for the country first? Wasn't that their slogan, "Country First"? Maybe they are doing what they think is right for the country. The question is WHICH country?
Posted by: lochnessmonster | May 12, 2009 6:55 AM
It would be nice if the republican party believed in democracy.
Main Entry: de·moc·ra·cy
Pronunciation: \di-ˈmä-krə-sē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural de·moc·ra·cies
Date: 1576
1 a: government by the people ; especially : rule of the majority.
Notice rule by majority....not at all what the right believes in. Funny how they want to have democracy in other countries yet don't believe in it for us.
Posted by: bill r. | May 12, 2009 7:30 AM
More partisan politics from the "Wanda Sykes" Democrats in Washington and in the Tribune Tower. Aided by the typical Swamp/Democrat article: 2 words from a Republican, followed by 200 words from Democrats.
Why can't Democrats just do what's right for the country?
Posted by: Dissent is Patriotic | May 12, 2009 7:50 AM
The only problem with that equation is that a lot of Americans stand a lot to lose in the bargain.
This isn't about the American people...it is about them being in power.
Posted by: bill r. | May 12, 2009 7:56 AM
Conservatives are speaking out about this massive deficit and the continued undisciplined liberal agenda driven spending spree that our government has been on for years. It has become a propaganda mantra for the MSM and the lefties to attack this fiscally responsible view of government (as less spending means less government controlling our lives) as anti-Obama, therefore one hopes he fails, thus America fails, So we are have become the bad guys, the obstructionists, the offer no solution to our problems folks. Then the media, which is heavily invested in this liberal agenda and Obama, lessen the shortcomings and failures of Obama's leadership and policies by blaming Bush, never on the Democrat Congress which actually controls the money or the WH leadership. This destruction of our economic future will soon come home to Obama's doorstep. We just flat out can not afford all of these utopian ideals plus many of them are just plain wrong. There are a lot of fine conservative principles being put forth, but the MSM, and thus the liberals just do not want to consider them, so you just resort to name calling and blame. Soon or later Americans will lay the responsibility squarely on those in power. It will be interesting what excuses they create then, since the true Republicans are voicing and voting a proper and democratic opposition.
Posted by: bubba Porter | May 12, 2009 8:07 AM
Polls cannot disguise the fact that Obama's policies ARE failing. He has not even one success. The Banks are in worse
trouble despite the billions given them; home values continue to drop; his now-government-owned Detroit auto industry is a mess and may never recover; his health insurance plan can bankrupt the country; violence is up in Iraq; he has no plan for the Gitmo terrorists; his Afghan strategy is crumbling and he's committing even more troops; and unemployment has grown more than 2.3 million since his election. So why the polls? Maybe a constantly genuflecting media might have something to do with them.
Posted by: Derrick | May 12, 2009 9:54 AM
I think that Kohut hit it on the head. People are investd in Obama, for better or for worse. I think when you're invested in someone, you tend to look past their faults, rationalize their mistakes, and get extremely defensive when anyone suggests you may have made the wrong decision. It all adds up to an unreasonable amount of deference, and a lack of healthy criticism. Not a good combo when talking about someone who is already as powerful as the POTUS.
Posted by: Herbie H. | May 12, 2009 10:00 AM
Ya gotta love the right.....their keen insight claim the policies ARE failing. Well, when you wish for failure, I guess that's all you see. Then you have bubba still upset about Bush and his failure of conservatism still being talked about. Although he was the first to say 9/11 happened because of Clinton. Then he says dems were in control. By 2005 the damage was already done. The housing bubble burst at the end of 2005 start of 2006 before they came into power. Sooner or later? My guess much later.
Posted by: bill r. | May 12, 2009 10:21 AM
LOL, the Republicans have absolutely nothing left to lose by sounding like insane people, as if they couldn't tell know the difference between reality and a bartlett pear. They are so far down in the sewer that their behavior, at this point, really won't drive them any lower. As for the person who complained that there is "an unreasonable amount of deference" to president Obama, I submit that he has not gotten a thimbleful of the deference given George W. Bush while he was lying and conniving his way into what is now the failed state of Iraq. And in any event, what is the choice? Look to John Boehner and Rush Limbaugh and Pete Sessions for guidance? ROFLMAO!!!!!
Posted by: Lou Dyer Jones | May 12, 2009 12:06 PM
There are two Republicans who have posted here, and their logic is so twisted:
1. "Conservatives are speaking out about this massive deficit and the continued undisciplined liberal agenda driven spending spree that our government has been on for years. It has become a propaganda mantra for the MSM and the lefties to attack this fiscally responsible view of government..."
The problem with this post is, Republican George W. Bush was handed a SURPLUS from Democrat Bill Clinton, and the conservative Republican handed back a DEFICIT eight years later!
psst!
The GOP no longer holds a reputation for having solutions to economic problems.
2. "Polls cannot disguise the fact that Obama's policies ARE failing. He has not even one success."
LOL!
President Obama has been in office for just a little over 100 days!!!
How about if you give him a 1000+ days, like the last election gives him?
In addition, I believe that the rest of the voters are more than willing to give him two terms -- a full eight years to clean up the horrible eight years of incompetent decisions by the Bush-Cheney administration.
Posted by: Jan | May 12, 2009 1:35 PM
What are "true Republicans" Bubba Porter? Those that Rush approves?
Posted by: Flo | May 12, 2009 2:14 PM
Yes, we should all just lobotomize ourselves and get with the "O"genda.
I remember back a few months ago when dissent was patriotic...
Posted by: foutsc | May 12, 2009 3:29 PM
to "foutsc"
I like dissent as much as the other guy, but the republicans are not even interesting to listen to anymore. They have lost the script completely. Unless your only source of information is Fox News you know that no one has failed or succeded yet. Bush left an unholy mess and it will take a long time to clean up. We CAN agree on that can't we??
Posted by: John K | May 12, 2009 4:26 PM
These " Republicans " are the whiningest losers, I have ever had the pleasure of observing. I really hope they don't go away, completely. We need some amusement, especially " Barney Fife" Cheney !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, America | May 12, 2009 5:20 PM
Bubba is an independent voter!! Conservatives will rise again!!
Posted by: bubba Porter | May 13, 2009 6:01 AM