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I've given this brouhaha over Senator Shaheen much consideration. The angst expressed by some over the centrist senatorial caucus has some merit. Progressives have worked hard at overcoming many impediments to implementing policy initiatives that would move our country forward. Many of these obstacles have been self-inflicted by the Democratic Party - health care could have been handled better in the early 90s, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" created a wedge, Bill Clinton's personal choices - ugh -, not to mention that some perceived that we rolled over in 2000, and were far too agreeable to Bush, not only on Iraq, but NCLB and tax cuts (granted some of the tax cuts were rammed through with reconciliation.)
So, here we are with control of the legislative and executive branches of government and some progressives want action and want it fast. The "centrist" Senators appear as an obstacle, another self-inflicted Democratic faux pas. Completely understandable.
But I disagree with this perspective for two main reasons. First, and most importantly, the centrist Senators have taken no action counter to the President's proposals. In fact, they have cast a shadow over the true obstructionists in this process, starving them of media attention. This group has no stated agenda, at least to my knowledge, other than this quote in this WSJ article; "We really do need to change business as usual," Mr. Bayh said in an interview Monday. "People want results." That's it - and every interview Senator Shaheen does is one that Senator Gregg does not. Every interview where Shaheen reminds the public that we need to be smart about our public investments, is an interview that Gregg doesn't get to give saying that Obama is destroying our country. Pretty fair trade off in my view.
Second, if this group is positioning itself to obstruct, to what point? What is the motivation? Besides Bayh, there's not a single Senator in that group that might be described as having an agenda for personal ambition...and let's be honest, the criticism these folks are taking in Democratic circles reduces, rather than increases, their individual influence.
It is my belief that this group is designed to show the public that Obama and the Senate are operating in good faith and service to the American people. Bayh and his colleagues may not be working in concert with Obama, but they are a help not a hindrance. The "loyal opposition party" tipped their hand when not a single Republican House member voted for $400 billion in tax cuts.
So, I urge everyone to take a deep breath and let this play out. My humble prediction is that Obama gets most of what he wants through reconciliation, with the centrist group providing the Kabuki rather than the Republicans. I love the idea of Democrats controlling both sides of this debate...What say you?