Look what I found in my Washington Post this morning.
Barack Obama has an op-ed in today's Post, reminding people about the elections and the failed GOP strategy that caused the economic crisis. He starts by describing the crisis, which is apparently necessary because many in Congress and most of the pundits in DC don't really grasp the severity of the situation. This is one of those times when the public is way, way, way ahead of Washington in understanding the problem. That's because they're living it and the elites in DC aren't.
Obama then slashes through the Republican arguments (while never mentioning that they are, in fact, Republican arguments):
In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.In his conclusion, the President also explains the intolerance the American people have for the DC games. He's calling on members of Congress to do what's best for the country, not their narrow political interests. You'd like to think that could happen, but not with Mitch McConnell running the GOP show:
I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We've seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.
Every day, our economy gets sicker -- and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.
These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide.When Karl Rove pens an op-ed, the cable news talking heads blather about it all day. Let's see if they can grasp the import of what Obama wrote. It might be too intelligent and well-reasoned for them.
So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.
