American Review | Global Perspectives on US Affairs

The problem with governing

By Erin Riley in Sydney
11 March 2010

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The barrage of articles on Rahm Emanuel today has crystallized something in my mind that I've been considering for a while since beginning my internship in Washington DC - specifically, the difficulty of governing.

There's been a number of pieces this week about Emanuel, and whether he's good or bad for the Obama administration, whether he is an effective enforcer or a sell-out who has achieves nothing legislatively.  But what I learnt during my internship, more than anything, was the difference between advocacy and governing, and about the time for each, and when it's appropriate for someone who holds an elected office to do either. Emanuel's job is to get stuff done, not push for the most liberal option regardless of outcome. And the Democrats would do well to remember, at this point, that there is a time and place for both advocacy and pragmatic governing.

I think one of the big problems in the way the US Congress works is the conflation of the two. Certainly, in the Republicans' case, it makes political sense to be obstructionist. If the Democrats pass health care reform, in the long run it will be a good thing for the Dems, and it may even stop the 2010 election from being TOTAL bloodshed.  

But left wing Dems, who are voting against health care because it's not progressive enough, make no sense. There is a time for advocating a certain policy position. That is not now. Because the votes aren't there for a public option, and killing a good bill because it's not a great bill achieves nothing. And doing it to make a point achieves nothing.

And that's the thing. Government needs people in different roles in order to function. It needs advocates and lobbyists to push certain points of view. It needs people to brief and to inform and to pressure. But it also needs people to govern. It needs people to make a decision that is both in the interest of their constituents and politically feasible. Sure, what is politically feasible changes with the briefing and the informing and the pressure. But at a certain point, it becomes necessary to face reality.

So liberals need to give up on the Public Option. It's not going to happen right now. It might happen in the future, but it's not going to happen right now. And they need to remember that August, during the break, was when the educating and the convincing needed to happen. It's too late now. Effective government is about knowing when is the time to try to convince, and when is the time to examine the situation and act according to the reality of the electorate.

Governing can only be partially ideological. Pragmatism must have a place. The Democrats need every vote they can get on Health Care reform, and ideologues like Dennis Kucinich are showing a remarkable lack of responsibility by acting as though voting no is a way to change minds. The time for advocacy is over - it's now time to govern.

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