By Joseph Orovic: Subscribe to Joseph's RSS feed
January 13, 2012 6:51 AM EST
A new word has become more common in the Obama administration's lexicon: veto.
After three years spent cultivating the image of a middle ground-seeking compromiser-in-chief, the White House appears to have made a 180-degree turn. Three veto threats have been floated against major pieces of legislation, after years of only pushing back against Congress on minutiae such as funding for fighter jets. Toss into the mix the controversial recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and one thing becomes clear: President Barack Obama suddenly refuses take any guff from Congressional Republicans.
Politicos point to the recent recess appointments of three officials to the Labor Relations Board and Cordray's forced ascendancy as the first signals of a newly-emboldened President. But his inner tough guy took over well before any appointments.
Presidential historians depict the shift as the opening leg of a campaign, historically common with previous reelection bids. With 2012 on the horizon, Obama has chosen to show a rigid spine. But can a newfound love of veto threats be enough to secure some legislative victories and galvanize a weary Democratic base?
An Opening 2012 Salvo
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While Republicans have yet to offer a presidential candidate, the Obama campaign has set its sights on Congress as an early target for 2012. The re-election effort aims to build upon the image of a reformer stymied by adamant Republicans.
"The administration is signaling the change in Washington, the change you can believe in, is not happening and Congress is at fault for that," said Prof. Meena Bose, Director of Hofstra University's Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency.
Obama hopes to draw out Congressional Republican adamancy against his policies and prolong a fight over how to tackle a ballooning deficit through a number of measures that will be rolled out this year.
"Compromise would be perceived as backing down in an election year," Bose said.
The willingness to campaign against Congress has drawn comparisons to Harry Truman's 1948 run against a "do nothing Congress." But Bose and others have likened Obama's strategy to Bill Clinton's 1996 reelection bid, after facing off against then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and enduring two government shutdowns. Still, there are some differences.
The potential showdown with Congressional Republicans has the potential to fire up a base that has grown disillusioned.
Three Years Of Comprise
Supporters have lobbed one criticism at President Barack Obama during of his first term: spineless. The seemingly audacious Senator who promised to change the culture of a Capitol gone haywire was, at every major turn, willing to meet his opponents halfway. His legislative victories, especially after the Tea Party's run at the polls in 2010, has been a study in concession.
The healthcare overhaul he pushed for eventually bore its opponents' ultimate ideals, nixing plans for a "public option" early in the debate. It was still passed off as the President's creation, with the eponymous "Obamacare" nickname.
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