With the first president to rise directly from Congress since John F. Kennedy and huge majorities in the House and Senate, Democrats in Washington began the year pledging to push through Barack Obama’s ambitious agenda.
Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress vowed not only to overhaul the nation’s health care system, but to fight global warming through new emissions rules, rewrite the laws that govern financial markets and even tackle illegal immigration.
But Democrats in Congress closed the year having accomplished few of the major agenda items they and Obama promised to achieve.
A final health care bill may not be completed until February at the earliest, missing a year-end deadline set by Obama. Climate change legislation is looking even less likely as lawmakers facing the 2010 elections cringe at the idea of passing an emissions-curbing system that could raise energy rates. Financial regulatory reform is still incomplete, with the House and Senate disagreeing over how to change oversight, and no one is even talking seriously about an immigration reform bill.
“One of the problems with the Obama administration is he is ultimately being held accountable for the failure of Congress to pass meaningful legislation in a variety of areas,” said Democratic political strategist Doug Schoen.
Republicans say the Obama administration set Democrats up for failure by giving them an agenda that the public dislikes. Opinion polls show that voters see health care reform and global warming rules as low priorities, even as Democrats try to push such legislation through Congress.
“I think the president bit off more than the country was willing to chew,” said Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. “Looking back, I think maybe it would have been better if he’d focused on creating jobs and reducing the debt, and when he got that done, then move on to other things.”
Democratic lawmakers say Congress has passed many important bills, including the $787 billion stimulus bill aimed at saving and creating jobs, a credit card reform bill to protect consumers and a bill allowing workers to challenge unfair pay practices, for example.
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee is juggling several bills topping Obama’s agenda, said the president had to give Congress an ambitious to-do lists because his time to be effective may be limited.
“Presidents get about 18 to 22 months to do large things, important things, and after that it gets very hard,” Dodd said. “I think the president is actually right to try to do a lot early because the longer you wait, the harder it is to do anything.”
But having seen four House Democrats in competitive districts announce their retirements, one House member switch parties and Republicans overcome a once-wide gap in voter preference for control of Congress, Democrats are heading into 2010 looking not only to complete the unfinished work on the Obama agenda, but also guard against major losses in midterm elections.
