SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010


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EZ RE Sunday OPINION DANAMILBANK the Decider F


or the first time in my adult lifetime, I amreally proud of President Obama. I’m not particularly proud of the


tax-cut deal he and the Republicans negoti- ated. But I’mproud that he has finally stood firmagainst the likes of Peter DeFazio. DeFazio, a backbencher from Oregon and


one of the hard-core liberals in the House, authored Thursday’s Democratic caucus res- olution that attempts to prevent the tax compromise from coming to a vote. “We’re standing up to him,” DeFazio exulted. He claimed “nearly unanimous” opposition to the tax package — a curious assertion when only 54 of 255 House Democrats signed a letter opposing the deal. But rather than caving in to liberals’


complaints and allowingDemocrats onCapi- tolHill to take the lead—asObama did to his peril over the past two years—he has pushed back with the full force of his office. In private persuasion and in public talk, the White House has delivered to disgruntled liberals a message summed up by Vice President Biden in a private session with lawmakers onWednesday: Take it or leave it. This is a hopeful sign that Obama has


learned the lessons of the health-care debate, when he acceded too easily to the wishes of Hill Democrats, allowing them to slow the legislation and engage in a protracted debate on the public option. Months of delay gave Republicans time tomake their case against “socialism” and prevented action on more pressing issues, such as job creation. Demo- crats paid for that with 63 seats. Things began the same way this time. The


WhiteHouse leftmatters up to congressional Democrats, who postponed a vote on taxes until after the election. Butwhen lawmakers continued their foot-dragging, Obama cut themout of the negotiations. The rift isn’t about ideology; Obama


knows as well as DeFazio does that cutting the estate tax is a dumb way to stimulate the economy. It’s about strategy: The alternative to a deal, administration officials say, was to waste the next few months fighting over taxes — putting Democrats on the hook for voter anger and economic damage that would have come from an increase in rates on Jan. 1 — only to wind up with a deal that likely would be worse with Republicans controlling the House. Inevitably, Democrats on the Hill now


complain that Obama’s deal is “grossly unfair.” Inameasure of the intellectual depth of the rebellion, House Democrats could be heard during their caucusmeeting on Thurs- day chanting, “Just say no!” and, led by Rep. AnthonyWeiner (N.Y.), “No we can’t!” Ringleader DeFazio has played the role of


irritant before. During a House Democratic caucus meeting with Obama last year, he went to the microphone to give his laundry list of complaints about the White House. Replied Obama: “Don’t think we’re not keeping score, brother.” But if he kept score then, it was private.


Now Obama is publicly taking on the DeFazio crowd, with his talk of “sanctimo- nious” liberals and his warning that his opponents would be blamed for “smaller paychecks” and “fewer jobs.” For once, reporters could tell Obama was angry with- out asking White House press secretary RobertGibbs for evidence. (Didhe pound the table?) That display was coupled with some


hardball politics (Larry Summers’s warning that rejecting the package would return the economy to recession) and scores of news releases from the White House (7:28 p.m. Thursday: “Long BeachMayor BacksMiddle ClassTaxCut Framework”).WhiteHouse ally Al Sharpton, the activist New York minister, attacked “NoWe Can’t”Weiner for his “over the top” criticismof Obama. Obamawill almost certainly prevail.There


are enough votes in the Senate to pass the compromise, andHouseDemocratswill then surrender — or face long-term minority status as the ones who raised taxes on all Americans and sent the economy into a double dip. The symbolic protest will be the sad last act of Nancy Pelosi’s speakership. Liberals, if they can see beyond their


pique, should realize that the emergence of Obama’s forceful leadership could be good for them. This time, he stood against his Democratic colleagues, but there’s reason to hope that he’ll show his newly discovered spine to the Republicans the next time. One White House official told me that


Obamawill build a “shifting set of coalitions, issue by issue” over the next two years. If so, and if Obama will no longer allow those in the Capitol to run his presidency, he’ll have a strong couple of years. danamilbank@washpost.com


Look who became


A23


BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM; WASHINGTON POST PHOTO ILLUSTRATION Should Obama make up with the left?


TONY FRATTO Deputy assistant to the president and deputy press secretary from September 2006 to January 2009


This isn’t junior high school. Any overt effort by


President Obama to “make up” with the left will be seen for what it is: a transparent and cynical— even weak—contrivance. The president’s base supporters will eventually come around and realize they can’t possibly do better for their agenda.How would he make up, anyway? Apologize? Send flowers? Invite them to sit at his lunch table? Maybe everyone needs to grow up a little, but it


would help if the president would lead the way— as he promised to do. Those of us who, despite policy differences, were nonetheless hopeful Obama would act as the grown-up in the room have instead been subjected to an endless stream of angst-ridden whining—about the “24/7 echo chamber,” “politics inWashington,” the “mess he inherited,” “Republican obstructionism” and the ungrateful “professional left.”Not to mention name-calling—“enemies,” “hostage-takers,” “fat cats.” Does anyone remember that inaugural call to “set aside childish things”? The president could also do with a better sense


of timing.He could have sent a strong message had he chosen to pick his fight with Democrats early in his term, not after they’ve been bloodied in electoral defeat. Instead, from the earliest days, with the design of the stimulus package and later with health-care reform, Obama allowed congressional Democrats to set the tone of his presidency. They would respect him more now had he called the tune himself back then.


DOUGLAS E. SCHOEN Democratic pollster and author


President Obama has to do what President Bill


Clinton did with the left in 1996.He must make it very clear that while he is happy to listen to them and can probably do a better job communicating with them, for the Democratic Party to thrive and, indeed, to survive, it must fundamentally move to the center. The recent deal made betweenHouse Republicans and the WhiteHouse, for example, offers an extension of all of the Bush tax cuts, but it also addresses important Democratic goals such as extending unemployment insurance for 13 months and providing tuition tax credits. Obama’s first goal must be to expand the


economy and create jobs. Without jobs, we will not get out of the current economic crisis. If our economic situation does not improve, the president will not be reelected and congressional Democrats will undeniably suffer more losses in the 2012 election.


Obama must also do what Clinton did more


generally, which is to offer a vision of the kind of America he wants. This vision should be based on a social safety net and compassion, but also on fiscal discipline.He must acknowledge that, unless we balance the budget and reduce the deficit, the country will be weaker and the Democratic Party will be weaker still.


MATTHEWDOWD Political analyst for ABC News; columnist for National Journal; chief strategist for GeorgeW. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign


Looking at President Obama’s political


standing, he remains less popular but not yet vulnerable to a primary challenge.His numbers among his liberal and Democratic base remain very strong, with approval ratings in that group in the high 80s. Like former presidentGeorgeW. Bush, he is very well-liked by his base and immensely disliked by the opposite party. Obama’s approval numbers would have to drop 10 more points before he realistically became vulnerable to a challenge from his base. In the end, for his political standing and


prospects for reelection, Obama needs to ensure that independents, who have left him over the past year, are represented in his agenda and their concerns met. And the biggest concern right now for independents is the economy and theUnited States being a place of optimism and confidence. During the 2008 campaign, Obama demonstrated that he has the capacity to speak in these terms, though he has lost his way recently. If independents move back to Obama over the


next 18 months and the economy improves, it doesn’t matter what the Republicans say, whom they nominate or how upset liberals remain. Obama will win.My advice on dealing with his base today is for the president to address his administration to the hopes and beliefs of the mainstream of the country and give his base a forum for conversation and input along the way. In any relationship, one of the worst things you can do is be dismissive of someone who has stood by you through thick and thin. You don’t have to do everything your partner wants, but you sure need to listen and be empathetic.


MARTIN FROST Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 1995 to 1998; representative from Texas from 1979 to 2005


President Obama and the left in Congress can


and will work together next year after the current controversy over tax policy is resolved. Obama should concentrate on repairing relationships


6TOPICAONLINE:Mike Lux


with key liberal legislators and not get preoccupied with liberal talking heads in the media. It’s the members of theHouse and Senate who will influence the success or failure of his presidency in the next two years. Let’s not forget that Obama and congressional


liberals worked together to pass sweeping health- care reform and financial regulatory reform in the current Congress. They still have much in common—and certainly much more so than the newcrewthat will be running theHouse. Obama must reach out to personally involve key


liberal legislators in policy decision making.He can and should do this on a regular basis, even if the end result is still compromise with Republicans. If he doesn’t at least involve his base, he’s in for big trouble as he loses critical allies who could otherwise have helped him advance his agenda. There are lots of little symbolic things he can


also do, such as standing in line for photo sessions with congressional and key political guests at WhiteHouse receptions—something he is doing now but shunned for much of his first two years. Little things make a difference.


DONNA BRAZILE Manager of Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign; author and political commentator


Although he cannot just focus on Democratic priorities such as protecting the middle class and investing in education and green energy, President Obama must not abandon—nor should he attempt to take for granted—the base of supporters who propelled him to victory in 2008. These lawmakers and the voters who support them are just as crucial to his governing in 2011 as they have been to his winning support for so many controversial issues. For two years, Democrats had the town to themselves—time Congress and the president wisely spent tackling an array of difficult issues such as the economic stimulus, health-care reform, the foreclosure crisis and banking reform. But with Republicans having won back control


of theHouse, things have changed. The president must reach out and form meaningful relationships with the party whose members have berated him daily and belittled his accomplishments. Yet while the president must find ways to work


with the GOP, the administration also cannot be out there bashingHouse and Senate Democrats or others in the party. That will not do anyone, including Obama, any


good. This president should remember the adage of the Congressional Black Caucus:We have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests.


OMBUDSMANANDREWALEXANDER Weather news: Hot, hot, hot! M


ost weather forecasts offer an air-quality index. But a “Hair Quality” index to tell you if winds will tousle your tresses? Or a “Golf


Comfort” meter for those heading to the fairways? Or an alert when weather changes might trigger a stink-bug invasion? Today’s Post meteorological forecast isn’t your


father’s “weather report.” A generation ago, the newspaper’s weather page provided mostly bare-bones projections highlight- ing temperatures and precipitation. Although ex- panded, the current printed weather page format remains much the same. But online, there’s been an explosion of weather


offerings. On its recently relaunched weatherWeb site, The Post provides hourly, daily and weekly forecasts by Zip code.Ameter warnswhenweather conditions are optimal for catching the flu. Maps on a “Weather Wall” include one showing nation- wide ski locations, whether they’re open, the snow depth and even if the snow is freshly fallen. A sometimes-quirky blog provides weather commen- taries that are informative and fun, such as one listing snow jokes (“It was so cold, the politicians had their hands in their OWN pockets!”). You can follow the weather on Twitter and Facebook. Many readers have called or e-mailed asking


what’s behind the expanded weather report. The answer: opportunity, and a fierce battle for the local weather audience. For decades, TVstations have built brand loyalty


by promoting weather forecasters as personalities. Higher ratings translate to higher advertising rates.Now, The Post and area rivals are trying to do the same thing digitally. Enter the CapitalWeatherGang, a small group of


professional meteorologists and amateur weather enthusiastswhoprovidemost of the locally focused content for The Post’s weatherWeb site. The group, which had itsownsite, affiliated with The Post on a contract basis in early 2008. Its leader and chief meteorologist, 34-year-old Falls Church native Jason Samenow, has recently been hired full time as The Post’s weather editor. Two others in his group now work on contract with The Post, and Samenow has been given a freelance budget to pay other contributors. The Post will not publicly disclose online audi-


ence figures for its weather site. But RajuNarisetti, managing editor for digital content, said the past year’s growth has been “huge.” Like viewership for local TV stations, online


traffic spikes during extremeweatherwhenvisitors are most likely to develop loyalty to a site. During February’s back-to-back “Snowmageddon” storms, Narisetti said, the number of page views on The Post’s weather site soared 1,736 percent over the same month a year earlier. “Weather is absolutely central to our local audience in terms of multimediaengagement,” said Narisetti. News organizations are eager to exploit weather


online because they “realize that the top places people gotoontheWeb arenewsandweather,” said Brian Mullin, executive director of new media for AccuWeather, which provides local forecasts worldwide for media and other clients. Beyond Web sites, Mullin predicts continued enormous growth for weather content delivered on mobile devices, which generate revenue from user access fees and advertising. Mullin said mobile devices provide unique “stickiness” because users


rely on them to repeatedly check forecasts. The Post plans to expand its weather content for


mobile devices in the coming year, said David Marino-Nachison, a Post online editor who works with the CapitalWeather Gang. The digital competition for the loyalty of area


weather watchers is growing. All local TV stations promote their Web sites by featuring video fore- casts from their weather personalities online. “It’s one of the many battlegrounds in the media where we’re all looking to attract users,” said WJLA-TV station manager and news director Bill Lord. “We’ve pushed more resources to it” online, said


Erik Wemple, editor of TBD.com, whose parent companyownsWJLA-TV.TBD.comrecently hireda weather blogger. And WJLA meteorologists Doug Hill and Bob Ryan, popular area TV personalities, are being featured on TBD.com’s weather page. “In terms of Internet content, I think we’re the


leader right now. I can fairly safely say that,” said Samenow, asserting that other local newsWeb sites are “not offering the array of content we have.” The Post’s online weather pages will soon


expand to allow searches for meteorological conditions around the world. Marino-Nachison said many more meters are in the works to offer seasonal weather measurements. Samenow also is developing a following through online video chats. Rivals surely will respond as the fight for audience heats up. In weather parlance, it’s already hotter than it seems.


Andrew Alexander can be reached at 202-334-7582 or at ombudsman@washpost.com. For daily updates, read the omblog at voices.washingtonpost.com/ombudsman-blog.


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