Last Week’s Elections and What it Means for Legislation is Audacity

Audacity has always been a favorite term and mindset of Team Obama. And there was no better display of audacity this week when White House Press Secretary stood before the gathered national media and proclaimed that 110,000 voters was a better indication of President Obama’s policy and political capital than 4.3 million voters.

As several media outlets have reported, last week Gibbs said that Republican gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey do not signify anything for President Obama, but the dynamics and the Democratic candidate's success in an Upstate New York special election has consequences for the Republicans.

That is audacity Team Obama style.

If the White House wants to convey to a shaken and weakened Democratic majority on Capitol Hill that they have the bandwidth and power to move voters next fall they are clearly overconfident or don’t really care. How can the White House possibly dismiss the voters of New Jersey and Virginia - two trendsetting and economic powerhouse states – and formulate their political calculations on special election filled with more sideshows and spectacles than the Iowa State Fair? Why is the White House not seeing that their leader made five visits across heavily Democrat New Jersey in the closing days of the race which did little to get out the vote? What is the White House thinking now that part of their political coalition of African-Americans and young Americans has clearly proved to be a part time democratic force that sees their work being done as a result of winning last year’s election? It must be audacity.

As I see it, the White House is basing their political calculations on the fact that their term in office is unique and unprecedented. As such, it will demand sacrifice from the most vulnerable members of their party for the greater good. Without doubt, the White House is telling freshman Members of Congress like Rep. Tom Perriello and Rep. Glenn White, without our massive war chest and GOTV efforts last year you wouldn’t even be voting on Capitol Hill – so get inline. The White House surely knows they will lose seats next fall, but will they lose 40 seats; they must not think so. Meaning they can maintain majority control on Capitol Hill that will be diluted but not vanquished while being able to move aggressive legislation before November 2010.

With this mindset coming from the White House, upcoming legislation will be shaped by moving now -you can already see this in play from Saturday's night healthcare vote. Team Obama can realize their dream of changing the country's economic, cultural, banking, energy and healthcare foundations regardless of the outcome next fall. The loss of a few members who don’t really represent Democratic districts or the simple fact that a majority of voters clearly doesn’t support their agenda is of no concern.

Speaking with a former union organizer in Los Angeles the day after the election, he lamented how disappointed, frankly shocked, he was by the lack of turnout by Obama’s coalition. He went onto say, how can his team expect to move their political agenda, their core legislative goals and cherished dream of healthcare reform if those who elected Barack Obama last fall aren’t constantly engaged in the process and not voting. He closed by saying, it is clear that presently a majority of voters are not fully embracing what Obama is attempting to do, but last year’s election is what matters and their great political cause is more important than a tough race for a few Members of Congress or Senators in an upcoming election.

With such thinking coming from liberal activists in the field as well as what I believe to be the internal thinking of the White House, I fully expect condition normal and full speed ahead with Team Obama’s aggressive and multifaceted legislative agenda. As the White House has learned, winning one election means little in America. Other concerned citizens and targeted industries should heed this warning as well.

When your mindset is based on audacity, it is clear you are willing to make sacrifices so long as it moves long held and treasured legislative priorities closer to reality. I suggest to the numerous constituencies that Team Obama hopes to change, regulate and control, last week’s state elections mean little and last week’s federal election means everything to the White House. As they see it, all that matters is the fact that 110,000 voters sent them one more vote in Congress for them to use to pass their agenda.