President Obama in Campaign Mode

The President released his promised plan to cut the decicit over the next ten years. It includes cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, a trillion dollars in military cuts, savings from ending our wars in the Middle East and includes the ending of the Bush era tax cuts and additional potential taxes on millionares.

The Republicans response was quick and they all had the same talking points. No mention of the cuts to Medicare or Medicaid, the military cuts were not an initial issue, but ending tax breaks for hedge fund managers, oil companies, corporate jet expenses and of course the Bush tax cuts well...these were fighting words.

I realize that John Boehner is in a hard position. The Tea Party is the elephant in the room for the Republicans and they do not want to get stomped. Still it is disheartening to know that short a national emergency there will be nothing done on the issues at hand over the next year. The jobs bill Obama proposed even though it included mostly items that were proposed by Republians in the past will have no chance of passage and the right will not even consider revenue increases.

One could argue that the Republicans are not doing their jobs by signing pledges about tax increases before they ever know the circumstances they might face. The truth is however is that their constituents are on board with no revenue increases.

Therein lies the rub, we are now in a place where Democrats in red state and Republicans in a blue state do not feel like consituents. This did not used to be the case. Politics has changed. America has changed.

One does wonder how many more chances we will get to unite before it is too late. One wonders what might have happened if after 9/11 Bush had asked for a shared sacrifice.

The end result of todays politics. Obama has put forth a plan he knows will not work just to score points politically and set himself up with a campaign platform. Before we wring our hands however lets recall that the Republicans have made clear that they will not work with him on anything unless he capitulates. Something he has done all too often.

By showing some backbone Obama increases his chances for future success, without it he is the man with the weakest in hand of the major players in Washington.