In California, the G.O.P. has essentially shrunk down to a rump party with no interest in actually governing — but that rump remains big enough to prevent anyone else from dealing with the state’s fiscal crisis. If this happens to America as a whole, as it all too easily could, the country could become effectively ungovernable in the midst of an ongoing economic disaster.This is the one weapon the GOP has -- shutting down the country and rendering it impotent as an economic power. Right about the time that China's and India's economies -- to say nothing of the European Union -- are on an upward trajectory. If this would happen on Obama's watch, the Dems could be put out to pasture for a very long time, particularly if they are unable to accomplish anything without them. They may have passed healthcare reform in the House, but in the Senate they have a major battle ahead of them. Obama's coattails may not look attractive enough for Dems who seek reelection in 2010 or 2012. Without support from Blue Dogs, the bill looks to be seriously weakened.
At some point, Obama needs to start thinking: "Why did I want to become president? Was it power, for me or for my party? Or was it because people in this country needed help that wasn't being provided by either party?" If the former, we can expect more compromise and less benefit for Americans on healthcare. In other words, get something passed that we can all agree on. If the latter, however, look for Obama to take greater risks, to have the true "audacity [to] hope" that he can enroll enough Americans in his vision of healthcare and fiscal conservatism to take on the Washington establishment and overcome its inertia. He would have a lot of followers among Democrats, almost none among Republicans, and, I think, a surprising amount of support from independents, whose main beef is that nothing ever gets done at the federal level. Someone showing some real cajones would really be change we could all believe in.
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