The popular commentary on Barack's appointments thus far is that they presage a Clinton III term. As good as that would feel after Bush II and III terms, Barack is about to take the Country in the opposite direction of Clinton's first two years.
All of us remember Barack's criticism of Bill Clinton as failing to change the trajectory of politics in the same way as Reagan. That failure is tied to Clinton's failed first two years when his decisions led to the loss of the Democratic majority in the House in 1994, the rise of Newt Gingrich and, finally, the gift that keeps giving -- Tom Delay.
Thus, Barack is planning to redo Clinton's first two years where Clinton had a majority of the House and Senate. The pundits have it all wrong: we are on the verge of the anti-Clinton presidency.........
Economic Policy
For objective observers, Clinton and the Democratic Congress were right when they balanced the budget by raising taxes. However, the voters are subjective observers, viewing politics through their own lenses. Because Clinton passed the balanced budget without Republican help, the act was viewed then at least as more Democratic tax increases. Clinton also jettisoned the promised middle tax cut to enact the new taxes.
Barack is determined to pass his economic relief plan with Republican support. He will do that by letting the Bush tax cuts for upper earners lapse in 2011 rather than immediately repeal the tax cuts. Thus the bill will contain the middle class tax cuts and stimulus spending, with the Republicans getting some of the goodies if they play ball.
Although the calamitous economic situation presents real challenges to the incoming Administration, it also allows cover for the Republicans to support the Democratic bill much as the Republicans supported the bailout (although that did not work out well for all of them).
Healthcare
The Clinton healthcare plan similarly reinforced the view that the Democrats were big government spenders. This failure is entirely due to Hillary's focus on the healthcare plan as an intellectual exercise rather than a political exercise. Taxes and spending was the mantra that drove the Republican surge in 1994.
Where is Barack putting Hillary during the coming healthcare debate? In charge of the State Department, out of the Country and out of the way. (Where she will probably win the Nobel Peace Prize for settling the Israel-Palestine conflict.) Who is in charge of healthcare? Tom Daschle, a former majority leader from a conservative rural state. Tom understands compromise and has a lot of credibility with Democrats for taking a bullet when South Dakota failed to reelect him. Daschle's plan will be known as the "common sense" universal health insurance plan" as far from the boogie man of socialized medicine as possible while still insuring that everyone has health insurance. He will be aided in that high unemployment ensures
Culture Issues
Bill Clinton could not wait to reverse 12 years of Republican decisions on cultural issues. Many of those reversals caused waves. However, the focus became homosexuals in the military and his eventual "don't ask, don't tell" compromise. This reinforced the voters' view that America was not ready for the Democrat's cultural values. Voters also saw the decision as more proof that the Democrats were beholden to special interests.
The focus on economic issues gives Barack more freedom to defer these types of decisions. He will seek to avoid confrontations that distract from the big issues of his presidency. He will also seek to lay the groundwork before announcing these decisions so as to help defuse the controversy.
For example, the union card check legislation, while not technically a cultural issue, is view by voters as largely special interest legislation. The abandonment of the secret value will strike most Americans as unfair. Republicans seeing an opportunity to cast the Democrats as beholden to the unions will unite in their opposition.
Barack will likely defuse the issue by arguing that Bush has unfairly tilted the secret ballot process to employers. The card check legislation is needed until Barack has a chance to reinforce te rights of workers to organize. Thus putting a four year sunset provision on the legislation would be consistent with American notions of fair play.
Summary
The Anti-Clinton presidency is shaping up. If Barack is able to reverse the first two years of the Clinton presidency, we will see increases in Congressional Democrats rather than the reemergence of Newt. No longer will voters tend to see Democrats only through the lens of "special interest, tax and spend." When that corner is turned, Democrats will have the credibility to implement more truly progressive legislation.