If Bill Clinton earned a strong re-election win in 1996 by standing against the perceived excesses of a Republican Congress (who favored radical ideas like budget balancing, welfare reform, and term limits) then John McCain ought to take a lesson. Whoever is elected president is likely to be working with a Democratic Congress led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. That Democratic Congress is the lowest rated in history, and has earned its rating by being the least productive Congress in at least 20 years. Under the leadership of Reid and Pelosi, the Congress has fought for timetables to end the war in Iraq, has adopted a budget plan which calls for a huge tax increase, has neglected the growing entitlement problem, ignored high gas prices, and alienated some of our closest allies. And that’s not to mention minor issues like threatening to nationalize the U.S. oil industry. If he is elected president, will Barack Obama bring the Pelosi/Reid Congress to heel, or will he give in to their agenda — as Bill Clinton did when he fought for tax increases, nationalized health care, and gays in the military after his election in 1992? With an approval rating of just 9 percent, the U.S. Congress is a much easier target than Barack Obama. McCain needs to highlight the agenda of the Democratic leadership, and challenge Barack Obama to spell out his views.
