We Can’t Wait – For November, 2012, To Get Here [Reader Post]

President Barack H. Obama enters his fourth year in office having calculated that he no longer needs Congress. Obama and his advisers are beginning 2012 with a renewed sense of confidence, buoyed by a series of polls that show the president’s approval rating climbing as Congress becomes increasingly unpopular (see below). Much of the year (2012) will focus on winning a second term. Once the debate about a full-year extension of a cut in the Social Security payroll tax rate is over, the White House says, Obama’s political fate will no longer be tied to Washington.

Obama is expected to once again push lawmakers to pass elements of his jobs bill that were blocked by Republicans last fall. His focus on re-election means that his term will end without progress on two of his 2008 campaign promises, an immigration overhaul, and closing the military prison for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Issuing Presidential directives, part of his “We Can’t Wait” strategy, probably won’t make a big dent in the nation’s 8.6% unemployment rate, nor lead to significant improvements in the economy. By focusing on executive actions rather than legislation, Obama risks appearing to be putting election-year strategy ahead of economic action at a time when millions of Americans are still out of work.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that Obama is ready to take “small, medium and large” actions without the consent of Congress, which is part of his “We Can’t Wait” strategy of addressing problems without Congress. This would be done through executive orders. Carney said, “We hope to work with Congress to continue to take action on that to continue to grow the economy and create jobs. Separate from that, and this was the case last year and will be the case this year, we can’t wait for Congress to act. And when Congress refuses to act, and Republicans choose the path of obstruction rather than cooperation, than the president is not going to sit here, this gridlock in Washington is not as excuse for inaction.”

Obama used the power of his office to issue new orders tackling everything from student loans and house refinancing to support for research and development. Obama has signalled a new strategy to advance his agenda without Congress.

Let’s cite one example of Obama’s inaction, as well as his view of Congress. Regarding sanctions on Iran, On December 15, 2011, the US Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, which included stiffer sanctions against Iran. Obama could have signed the bill into law before leaving for Hawaii, but expressed reservations and demanded changes to the Iran sanctions amendment. Several changes were added to the bill to give his administration greater flexibility. The sanctions would not come into effect until six months after the bill is signed, and would allow the president to waive the penalties for national security reasons, showing how irrelevant Congress has become, at least in the eyes of Barack Hussein Obama. The Iran sanctions amendment that were demanded by President Obama gives him the authority to refuse to enforce the sanctions all together, thereby once again usurping the power of Congress and putting it into the hands of the President.

Issues that could disrupt Obama’s re-election campaign plans include further economic turmoil in Europe, instability in North Korea following its leadership transition, and threats from Iran. Further, Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment will also come under greater scrutiny in the new year, when a critical part of his health care overhaul is debated before the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, good news for Obama as he figures that he no longer needs Congress. Rasmussen’s latest poll has Congress performance approval dropping and dropping, and has now hit an all time low of 5%. Only 1% of those polled say Congress is doing an ‘excellent’ job. Four percent rate Congressional performance as ‘good.’ An overwhelming 68% rating Congressional performance as poor. The most damning number, though, may be the 86% of respondents who say that members of Congress are more interested in their careers than in helping others.