It’s been a rough takeoff for President Barack Obama, but his fifth week in office offers him a chance to shake off his jitters and demonstrate the cool composure for which he is famous.
After passing his stimulus plan the Washington way (porky and partisan), preaching doom from the bully pulpit and struggling almost daily to keep his team on message and out of trouble, this week offers the president a chance to get his groove back.
He’ll discuss rescuing Social Security and other essentially broke entitlement programs with a bipartisan group at the White House on Monday, address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, and roll out a budget that will likely include his first tax increases and military spending cuts.
Obama, a cautious gambler by nature, finds himself in yet another high-stakes moment.
This is the week that may decide whether the president fulfills John McCain’s campaign-trail assessment that Obama was running for “Jimmy Carter’s second term” or whether he really might forge a new coalition that governs from the center.
His team has looked amateurish, and his ideas have been poorly received. But Americans are still pulling for their young president to get over his rookie mistakes and start leading with clarity and vigor. That goodwill is Obama’s greatest advantage, but it’s a diminishing asset. Cool competence and optimism are what Americans are looking for, and they know when they’re not getting it.
But the stakes are just as high, and maybe higher, for the Republicans.
When Obama finishes his remarks — sure to be long on fiscal responsibility and the need for shared sacrifice — the camera will turn to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, arguably the most promising young star on the Republican team.
It’s a big job for the 37-year-old, first-term governor because Obama has a history of getting out of tight spots with big speeches. Expect the president to bring his A game as he makes his case for an agenda beyond simply borrowing and spending America back to prosperity.
Republicans learned a lesson in 2008 about the value of seasoned political talent.
Sarah Palin was called up to the big leagues too soon and without proper coaching. She captured the public imagination but wasn’t ready for the media microscope or to contend with the dysfunctional elements inside the McCain campaign and her party. As a result, she’s back in Juneau rebuilding her base in Alaska instead of pushing back against the Obama agenda and cultivating backers for a 2012 White House run.
Party elders are giving Jindal, who missed the 2008 GOP convention to be on hurricane duty, his biggest stage yet. A flop would limit his aspirations and rob Republicans of a much-needed talent.
So what will Jindal’s audience be looking for?
Presenting a near-united front against Obama’s stimulus and bailout blasts came easier than most Republicans expected. It felt better too. Republicans had forgotten how much fun obstructionism could be.
It’s usually used as a dirty word, but obstructing Democratic efforts to increase the cost and power of government has given life to most of the Republican gains in the past 60 years. In embracing obstructionism, Republicans are just returning to their roots.
But a party can’t get back in power through obstructionism alone.
A positive attitude and competent administration are what make the difference between a loyal but shrinking opposition and the start of a comeback.
A conservative politician must make people believe, as Ronald Reagan did, that the reason he opposes government goodies is not because he’s a Grinch, but because he has faith in the citizens and not the bureaucracy. A conservative should never be mean.
Republicans enjoyed a big advantage in seeking the presidency in the past six decades because politicians, like Dwight Eisenhower, were clear about their priorities and how to achieve them. Democrats’ priorities could be excused if they’re made in the name of the little man, but a Republican must look as if he knows what he’s doing if he’s asking voters to choose the hard way.
Blending Ike and the Gipper into one five-minute speech is a tall order for any politician, especially a young one.
How Jindal performs will help decide whether he’s back in Baton Rouge two years from now debating bridge contracts or on the road leading a revived Republican Party against an incumbent president.
Political Editor Chris Stirewalt can be contacted at [email protected]. His column appears Monday and Thursday.
