The political deck of cards can shuffle pretty quickly in America, and no one knows that better right now than President-elect Barack Obama.
He better enjoy his deli-bought corned beef sandwiches while he can. Despite the Republican leadership’s vow to cooperate in these troubled times, methinks nothing would make the GOP rank-and-file happier than for the Democrats and their standard-bearer to have to eat some crow.
As Obama approaches his January date with destiny, his predecessor — as in the game “Hearts” — prepares to pass three bad cards to the “left” and into Obama’s hand: a worsening economic crisis, two costly and controversial wars, and a flock of angry taxpayers/voters, who have grown very weary of bailing out the companies of corporate fat cats who fly to congressional hearings on private jets with golden parachutes strapped to their backs.
The latest product of card play involves the “Big Three” automakers whose leaders say need $25 billion in taxpayer money or the companies go belly-up.
<
p>Despite quickly pursuing a $15-billion bill for American automakers just a month or so ago, the Democrats now know they enjoy come January the power of the presidency and both Houses of Congress based on bitter voters injecting their venom into the ballot box during November’s election.
They clearly recognize what November 2010 might look like for them if they do not tread carefully.
And so, they do not seem inclined to help the Big Three this time around.
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Senate Minority Leader, expressed surprise at his Democratic counterpart’s decision to pull the bill Democrats proposed to loan the automakers $25 billion.
Nice try, Mitch.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reed, D-Nev., clearly brought the bill to the Senate as window dressing. He tested the waters, got a cold reaction and pulled it to buy time while his party’s untested leader ponders his cards.
Obama understands the potential economic implications of letting the automakers crash. And he knows the political implications of allowing a crash, too.
His party, as was the case with Republicans and the Bush administration’s Paulson Plan Part 1, does not relish doling out more money to broken corporations.
Congress already is fuming about how the $700 billion windfall for financial institutions is getting spent and some are wondering where that money is going. And the near trillion-dollar cash infusion did not calm markets or kick-start a stalled economy.
And a whole lot of those autoworkers carry a United Auto Workers card in states that Obama knew he needed to carry and did: Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, to name just a few. He and his party owe unions.
As the announcers say during the TV-transmitted Texas Hold ‘Em poker games, Obama is “on the clock” on the automaker bailout thinking about calling, folding or raising the national debt.
Voters might ponder this question about the young senator from Illinois: Will the man change the office, or will the office change the man?
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