A few weeks ago, Barack Obama signed into law his signature issue — health reform. After a year of stops and starts, imposed deadlines and rancorous debate, President Obama and his allies will prevail.
He will, in fact, have a victory. And where I come from, a victory is a victory.
Many of my Republican and conservative brethren view this partisan piece of legislation as the stake in the heart of the Left and some are already measuring for new drapes in the office of the speaker of the House.
In fact, in some quarters of the Republican Party “irrational exuberance” has taken hold. Barack Obama and his presidency is being compared that of Jimmy Carter.
That, in my view, is a mistake.
Conservatives and Republicans who underestimate President Obama do so at their own electoral peril. Unlike Carter, Obama is a true believer who understands that transforming policy translates into votes — and a citizenry who is more reliant on the federal government. Also unlike Carter, Obama is a streetwise, tough politician who will not give an inch when it to comes to his vision of a “New America” — one which is modeled after European socialism.
The Obama administration is trying to position the president as a modern-day LBJ — getting things done for the middle class and the poor. The administration, and its allies in the mainstream media, will echo Obama’s belief that he is a transformative figure and that health care legislation is akin to the historic civil rights crusade of the 1960’s.
And make no mistake about it — Obama’s next agenda item is immigration reform, which — unless it is defeated — will broaden the Left’s constituency, strengthen unions, and undermine the rule of law.
By the way, Obama and his team will not stop there. Those who oppose Obama’s policies openly will continue to be targets. First, the liberal establishment went after Rush Limbaugh; more recently they’ve trained their sights on former Vice President Dick Cheney.
The newest devil for progressives and the Left is Glen Beck, and by extension the Fox News network.
One only has to watch MSNBC and its commentators’ rants against Beck, or read The Washington Post’s recent recent hit pieces on Beck — one by the discredited former New York Times editor Howell Raines, the other by Howard Kurtz, who hosts the CNN show “Reliable Sources,” to understand the how far progressives will go to torpedo Beck and Fox.
Obama and his allies view governing and campaigning in the same context — “winning” means all-out war and by any means necessary. In contrast, Republicans view campaigns from a management perspective, separating electing candidates from the nuts and bolts of governing.
To compete and to win in 2010, Republicans and conservatives must outline and define what Obama has in store for this nation. And that is the remaking of the nation as we have known it from its inception. We cannot count on a bad economy to propel us to a majority, or outrage over the health care bill.
Yes, both remain very important parts of the debate.
But we have an obligation in our messaging and advertising to illustrate in stark terms what “Obama’s transformation” means to America, its families, traditions, and culture. In short, we must campaign against the left as if we are at war.
One thing we know for certain is that Obama and his cohorts are committed to their ideology and they will do what it takes to stay in power. To win, we must understand our opponents and maneuver according to circumstance.
Marc Rotterman worked on the national campaign of Reagan for President in 1980, served on the presidential transition team in 1980, worked in the Reagan Administration from 1981-1984, is a senior fellow at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, NC and a former member of the board of the American Conservative Union.