The Punishment of Delay

As President Obama prepares for his State of the Union address tonight, he will presumably focus on the economic issues plaguing the nation. He will undoubtably mention the positive economic figures on unemployment and homeowner debt, and state that we're doing well. He'll also remind everyone that despite our progress, there's still more work to be done. Meanwhile, the Republican presidential hopefuls are campaigning in Florida, creating potentially eloquent speeches about how Obama is doing the completely wrong thing, and how if they're elected, they will work to undo many of his major achievements. They promise to cut taxes and spending, and get rid of the health care plan Democrats railroaded through Congress in 2010.

At this point, with conservatives in Congress railing against stimulus and tax increases and Democrats going all 'Occupy Wall Street' and railing for increased taxes on Americans in the highest income bracket, it is unlikely much will be done until the next Congressional election season. At this time, all the Tea Party senators and representatives come up for reelection. With approval ratings for Congress at an all time low, it seems that their reelection hopes are unlikely to come to pass.

Until then, we cannot have a stalemate. Extreme right-wing conservatives will oppose any liberal plan violently. It is at this time when we must rely on the public to tell what is right. It is beyond unlikely that a plan composed only of increased stimulus and tax raises on the wealthy will pass, but the same can be said of the conservative fantasy: a bill full of tax and spending cuts.

At this time, our best hope is to aim for a middle of the road compromise. The general member of the public would greatly prefer any sort of action at all to a political impasse. While it would hurt President Obama's liberal credentials to compromise, he would garner votes from some moderate Republicans if he successfully passed a bill involving a bit of everything - a small tax raise on the wealthy, a cut for other wage groups, increased spending in some areas and decreased spending in others.

Nothing can, or will, happen if the two sides stand off over every possible economic issue. There are enough conservatives in Congress who could come to the middle, and it seems likely that with some work, Obama could get the support of most every liberal.

Tonight, when Obama enters the room packed with the press and members of Congress, let us hope that he suggests compromise, and goes down in history as a president who successfully overcame a political stalemate and helped to bring a struggling economy out of a recession. For at the end of the day, it does seem that even a reasoned, wrong decision may be better than no decision. After all, members of Congress are elected to make decisions. It's time for them to start.