Obama Team Woos GOP to Ease Way for Agenda

[question everything]

DECEMBER 13, 2008

Obama Team Woos GOP to Ease Way for Agenda
By JONATHAN WEISMAN and LAURA MECKLER
WSJ

Two weeks after his selection as President-elect Barack Obama's White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel met with Senate Republican leaders, gave out his cellphone number and personal email address -- and promised to return any communication within 24 hours. Testing the pledge, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl called him within days to talk about a few potential Cabinet nominees. Within 10 minutes, the two were talking. "They are getting off to a good start in terms of reaching out," said Sen. Kyl, an Arizona Republican.

That conversation -- and dozens more since Mr. Obama's election -- are part of an extensive effort Mr. Obama has launched to woo Republicans. He hopes the effort will both ease the way for an aggressive, decidedly liberal policy blitz after he takes office, and establish terrain for a good working relationship in areas where the parties can find common ground. First up will be a half-trillion-dollar stimulus plan he hopes will win Republican votes.

(snip)

As part of the Obama outreach strategy, some of his closest campaign advisers have had to settle for lesser posts in the new administration as more experienced picks, reassuring to Republicans and independents, grabbed the spotlight. The president-elect has proved willing to rebuff liberal campaigns on behalf of certain Cabinet candidates, with most of his picks to date coming squarely from the ideological center. The idea, Obama aides say, is to establish a political climate that gets beyond the trench warfare that mired White House efforts for well over a decade. Conservatives such as Mr. Kyl can't be expected to vote for much of Mr. Obama's legislative agenda, but in an atmosphere of goodwill, they may be less obstructionist and more willing to find areas of compromise.

(snip)

And National Economic Council director Lawrence Summers began a round of calls this week to prominent conservative economists, trying to drum up support for the massive economic-stimulus plan Mr. Obama hopes to sign into law as soon as he takes office Jan. 20. As one adviser put it, transition efforts are "trying to expand the political space" for Mr. Obama to pursue his agenda. That will mean creating coalitions of liberal and conservative Democrats, moderate Republicans and some conservatives whose interests coincide with the White House's. With at least 58 Senate seats and a large majority in the House, Democrats have the numbers to move legislation on their own, Mr. Emanuel said. But at least at first, that isn't Mr. Obama's intent.

Monday, Mr. Obama called Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the conservative ranking Republican on the House intelligence committee, to express his hope that the pair could work together on intelligence matters. A day later, the Michigan Republican called Mr. Emanuel to follow up, and he, too, got a call back within 10 minutes. Mr. Hoekstra knows Mr. Emanuel from the locker room at the House gym, where the pair often shaved side by side. The pair had a half-hour conversation last month, and the lawmaker told Mr. Emanuel is was the longest talk he has had with a senior White House official in eight years. Mr. Hoekstra said his initial conversation touched on the importance of working together on touchy issues including Social Security and Medicare, popular programs that are difficult to change without bipartisan support.

(snip)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122913331172503595.html (subscription)

[FrenchieCat]

1. Obama with the help of the bully pulpit will shame the GOP

into not standing in front of his agenda.

He will be seen and reported as clearly having reached out,
and when they attempt to obstruct him,
they'll be called out.

checkmate.

[3waygeek]

2. That only works if the GOP has any sense of shame..

most of them don't.

[cali]

3. it works if they don't want to be seen as obstructionist to a president

who's going into office with very high ratings. They know the base has no where else to go, but the independents and less doctrinaire repukes do.

[gravity]

5. It works because they can be voted out of office

Even if they have no shame, they are going to protect their own asses for the next election cycle.

[question everything]

4. Even if they will not feel a sense of shame

at least he will be able to save the majority for the 2010 elections, when the party in power traditionally loses seats.

I trust Obama fully with everything that he has done so far.

[BeFree]

6. Or, should we say...

...standing behind his agenda. ??

The pubbies are up against the people at this point, and they'd better be damn careful. A lot of first time voters are sick and tired of anybody who obstructs progress. And for 8 long years we've all suffered the pubbies getting in the way of progress.