Though we have heard of foolishly rushing to war, we have never seen cleverness in war associated with long delays…Delay tends to favor misfortune over good fortune. As long as affected parties have at least adequately prepared for the moment at hand, delay risks an escalation of misfortune. –Sun Tzu, The Art of War
In contrast to the way Obama builds consensus through 11-Dimensional Chess, conservatives in Congress have adopted a strategy of pure delay. By saying no, the GOP hopes to sabotage his agenda and regain some control of Congress, if not the White House. Blue Dog Democrats have been willing to play partner.
But the extended battle over health care reform has strained that relationship. Obama is pressing for action, public support for reform is increasing, and polls show voters are getting tired of delay tactics. Max Baucus and Ben Nelson find themselves at odds with their constituents, unable to explain themselves.
I have written before about Obama’s strategic decision to place health care reform ahead of environmental and social issues. What we’re seeing here is a preview of 2010 as those issues come up to the floor of Congress: the Republicans will say no and send out the teabaggers. The Blue Dogs will try to slow down their own Democratic majority.
The progressive core in Congress and organized activists can work to speed up the pace of reform, and if we are to get a climate bill they will have to. But there is one legislative fight that progressives certainly can win: financial industry reform.
There is certainly no better issue to galvanize public support. The economy is no longer in free-fall, but taxpayers have put some $700 billion into the financial system and have yet to see banks start lending again. Wall Street is a powerful lobby, but there hasn’t been an opportunity this good in decades to reverse the deregulatory trend.
Indeed, Wall Street is incredibly unpopular, and the feeling is bipartisan. No astroturf agency in its right mind would try to get teabaggers marching in favor of banks; the anger over bailouts dampens attempts at anti-reform demagoguery.
We are now one year past the Lehman Brothers meltdown with no appreciable changes; that’s entirely the result of these delays, and every day that conservatives fight that reform is another blow to their credibility.
So when the health care bill finally passes, it will be time for a progressive majority to press for a faster pace — and there’s no better issue than Obama’s proposed financial consumer protection overhaul.
