Republicans Are The Rival Team

The past couple days have been filled with disappointments, celebrations and good news. Good news first: Hallelujah! the stimulus bill was passed last night. In watching the process of this bill coming to fruition, it became very clear that, although it is possible to build a Team of Rivals, we must keep a very careful eye on the Rival Team.

Yesterday afternoon, the House passed the bill with, again, nary a Republican supporter. In the Senate, Ted Kennedy was too ill to travel back from Florida, so Sherrod Brown of Ohio had to return late from his mother's funeral to cast the 60th Aye vote. Three Republicans - Susan Collins and Olympia Snow of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - crossed over and provided the necessary bipartisan support to move the bill onto Obama's desk for signing.

In the past few days, we've also had a chance to celebrate the 200th birthday of two champions from the past: Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. "On the Origin of Species," Darwin's scientific masterpiece, gave the world the paradigm of 'natural selection,' - or 'evolution' - which has since caused an incredible clamor in many corners of society. Indeed, Gallup recently found that only 39% of Americans believe in evolution.

Nonetheless, Darwin's thought and work not only gave us a model for understanding where we came from, but they also provided modern scientists the conceptual framework to create new vaccines and other medicines that prevent so many of us from suffering.

We celebrated Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday not because of an invention or discovery but because of who he was. As our 16th president, he is remembered for being the Great Emancipator, as well as for refusing to accept the destruction of our country. He saved the union and, yet, after the Civil War refused to punish those fought for the South.

Lincoln was also a unifier by bringing together a Team of Rivals, a cabinet of diverse opponents, who ultimately served him well. Through much turmoil, Lincoln gave of himself in the service of his country and, in many ways, we enjoy our existence to his presidency and who he was an individual.

President Obama has, indeed, modeled his presidency after Lincoln, bringing in a wide range of individuals to serve in his cabinet. He has also reached out, attempting to build a bipartisan collection of Congressional supporters.

Unfortunately, Obama's extended hand - offered to build mutual effort - has been bloodied by Republicans in the process. The surprise of Republican Judd Gregg removing his name from the nomination for Secretary of Commerce and with the unbending GOP front have put Obama's bipartisan efforts into question.

Obama has to think less in terms of Lincoln's notion of a Team of Rivals and more in terms of Rival Teams. What the President urgently needs now, once his cabinet is completed, is a foundation of loyalty that will support him in the difficult days ahead. He needs a body of individuals that will keep an eye on him, challenge him when necessary and yet protect him from destructive forces around him.

Like the Secret Service watches for his physical safety, Obama's White House team must watch his political back. America is now heading into dangerous times in so many ways: economically, militarily, socially, and politically. Although the Republicans talk about wanting to work in a bipartisan fashion, all they have done up to now is chop the President off at the knees. As Rush Limbaugh has suggested, Republicans ultimately want to see Obama and his presidency fail.

So, Obama had better watch himself and lose his naivete. The Republicans are desperate, they're losing their influence all over the country and are on the verge of extinction. Although the vast majority of them do not believe in Darwin's principles of evolution, they know in their gut that they are a part of the evolutionary process as a political party. And it don't look pretty for them because they are quickly moving towards the disappearance of their gene pool. Therefore, they are behaving like a cornered animal and are willing to die in the process of fighting not just for their outdated principles, but for their simple survival.

President Obama must pull back his proffered hand for a period, slow down, and not attempt to bring the Republicans over for awhile. Yes, this smacks of partisanship. But, he found out what happens when he reaches out to a cornered dog.

I am glad that Obama survived the bite he received during the stimulus process. Yet, he needs to learn from that and wait for Republicans to reach out to him. He needs to realize that the Republicans are NOT ON HIS TEAM and will attack him, slap him, hit and kick him without cause.

In the spirit of of confronting the Republicans, I consider myself to be a member of Obama's Team of Rivals. I, and other Democrats, have worked too hard and too long not to meet our goals. I believe we mustn't lower ourselves to their level for we are one nation, and the Republicans are not our enemies. But, make no mistake, they do mean us harm!

With that in mind, here is a list of principles for the Obama Team of Rivals:

1. We will respect our opponents, but we'll not be lured by them.
2. We will stand firm in our principles.
3. We will consider compromise only after they reach out to us.
4. We will respond directly and forcefully to any challenge presented us.
   
5. We will stay focused on the needs of the American people.
6. We will always move forward, intent on bringing about change.
7. We will learn from our mistakes but not reverse course.
   
8. We will rejoice in our victories yet remain cautious when faced with new adversity.
   
9. We will challenge one another, yet remain loyal to one another.
10. We will watch each other's back.

Remember, there are many Judd Greggs out there. As we've seen in Congress and across the country, there are very, very few Republican opponents capable of working for the change needed in our society. We must always be on our guard because, although Republicans may feign joining hands, they will ultimately bite ours. They may wish to be a member of the Team of Rivals, but they are not able to because, as has become apparent over the past, they are actually the Rival Team.