Monday, Dec. 28, 2009
Letting the Co-Equal Branch Do the Heavy Lifting
All year, pundits have decried the White House's apparently hands-off approach as Capitol Hill grappled with the nation's big-ticket items, including the economic stimulus and most notably health care. But the President and his top advisers, many of whom have worked on the Hill as members or top staffers, understand that public deference (combined with intense private negotiations) best fits the egos and rhythms of legislators hungry to put their own stamp on every measure. Obama has gotten much of what he has wanted out of Congress, including comparable Senate and House health care bills.