It is no secret that President Obama plans to move the country to the left, demanding “collective action” in his inaugural address to curb global warming, to buttress the middle class, to defend Medicare and Social Security, and to extend gay rights.
The question is whether, behind the scenes, Republican leaders have recognized an opportunity to counter Obama’s liberalism with ever-so-slight jogs toward the center – if not ideologically, at least pragmatically to a position the GOP all but abandoned in recent months: political sanity.
I ask because of two important developments:
- The GOP-controlled House passed a bill Wednesday that effectively extends the debt ceiling limit until May 19. It was a major capitulation to Obama, who publicly declared he would not negotiate with the nation’s credit held hostage. Rep. Paul Ryan, the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2012, cited the “realities of divided government” when he urged his rank-and-file to effectively eat crow.
- Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, another likely 2016 GOP presidential candidate, is quietly and (so far) effectively lobbying conservative lawmakers and commentators to consider immigration reforms. In the not-to-distant past, Rubio’s proposals would have been fatally labeled as stalking horses for amnesty.
If these developments don’t represent a tentative step to the center, they are at least deep bows to reality. Polls showed that the public was braced to blame Republicans for any economic fallout over a debt ceiling fight. Election results from November underscored the GOP’s existential image problem in the fast-growing Hispanic community.
There could be something else going on here: If Obama over-estimates the amount of political capital he collected upon re-election (a common mistake for second-term presidents), he might overreach with his liberal agenda, alienate moderate and independent voters, and leave a vacuum for Republicans in the middle.
Yes, Republicans in the middle. It could happen.
In making the rounds on Capitol Hill, I’ve been struck by the recognition among GOP lawmakers that their party must adapt or perish. Some paint a broader picture, pointing out that both the Democratic and Republican parties need to be better attuned to the public will.
“The American people are not fearful of solutions to the big problems facing our country,” said Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa. “They are fearful that American leaders don’t have the capacity to act.”
Failure to respond to issues like the national debt, Dent said, could force voters to seek alternatives, even an independent presidential bid. Citing the organic creation of the tea party revolt, Dent ominously added, “The next movement to come along might not align itself with one of the two existing parties.”
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Title Post: Is the GOP Moving to the Center? Or Just Getting Sane?
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