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Jon Chait points out that Bill Kristol has let the cat out of the bag GOP strategy-wise:
[Conservatives and Republicans] should do their best not to permit Obama to rush his agenda through this year. They can't allow Obama to make of 2009 what Franklin Roosevelt made of 1933 or Johnson of 1965. Slow down the policy train. Insist on a real and lengthy debate. Conservatives can't win politically right now. But they can raise doubts, they can point out other issues that we can't ignore (especially in national security and foreign policy), they can pick other fights -- and they can try in any way possible to break Obama's momentum.Which is actually not altogether surprising since this has been the strategy of the conservative movement since William F. Buckley wrote his famous essay for National Review back when moderate Republicans still roamed the earth. Chait also notes that this was Kristol's strategy in 1994, when he wrote his own famous memo -- not so erudite as WFB's, but we all walk in someone's shadow -- calling on Republicans to "kill" Bill Clinton's health care reform without any attempt to compromise or find a constructive middle ground. I am surprised, though, that Kristol just up and admits that his calls for debate are merely delaying tactics. It's a very consistent approach, at least. But it's not, at this point, a popular approach, and not one that will work in this political climate. Obama isn't Bill Clinton; he wasn't elected by a bare plurality, he isn't scandal-plagued, and he has much stronger congressional majorities. It's also a much worse crisis than when Clinton was elected, and as has been drilled into everyone's head, there's a corresponding increase in opportunity. Playing Dr. No may well be satisfying to the GOP, but the concept doesn't line up with the mood of the country, especially when there is such a long-term narrative of obstruction that has always held Republicans back electorally when not paired with some kind of new optimism or framing of the conservative approach. I'm guessing the GOP is going to have to rethink this strategy in a year or so, along the lines of Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who is clearly conservative but also constructive -- the two don't necessarily need to contradict, right? But maybe that's wishful thinking.
-- Tim Fernholz
