Change, Not Hope (Obama Practical Politics 101)

Sixteen years ago, a young Democratic president took office with the mantra of Hope in his eyes. The new president moved quickly to carry out some of his campaign promises to his constituency and they got him into a world of hurt. Bill Clinton pushed for Gays in the Military and universal heath care coverage and was soundly defeated in 1993. Worse yet, his policy proposal gave new life to a devastated Republican Party who would put together the “Contract with America” in the 1994 mid-term election.

As I have written several times, don’t expect President Obama to follow Clinton’s example except for one item: knowing all that matters is “The Economy, Stupid!”

Today’s article from The Hill solidifies my prior statement on the pragamatic nature of Obama. He is not going to waste political capital on policy issues that are likely to fail in his first two years in office. Obama has seen what may happen to his congressional majorities if he overreaches; “Hope” did not work out so well for Bill Clinton… instead, Obama will pick and choose his opportunities to “Change” the country.