Obama's Power Outage

The President's second-term troubles are a reflection of his refusal to compromise

By Rich Lowry Monday, June 03, 2013

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    If the President is going to get things done, he has to be willing to make truly painful compromises, and especially give up on yet more tax increases. Reagan and Bill Clinton got big tax and budget deals with their congressional tormentors in their second terms, but they had something for everyone. Reagan's 1986 tax reform closed loopholes opposed by Democrats. Clinton's 1997 deficit-reduction deal with Newt Gingrich actually cut taxes. The President has finally deigned to socialize with some Republicans, but a few dinners are no substitute for governing.

    Though he constantly congratulates himself for being the only man in Washington above politics, politics is what he's best at. He looks and sounds terrific on the campaign trail, where he inspires, excoriates and entertains. If the skills necessary to running in the Iowa caucus were the same ones needed to run a sprawling federal apparatus, he'd be one of the country's most adept Chief Executives. Even at the height of his power, in 2009 and '10, he was largely a bystander to the work in Congress on his own agenda.

    Now Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid can't help him. Obama is an Olympian figure hovering above a government that could use some adult supervision. His scandals will continue to get extensive attention, and they deserve it on the merits. But let's be honest: With the President's agenda flopping, what else is there to talk about in Washington? n

    Lowry is the editor of National Review

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