NYT: Could Lame Duck Be a Big Win for Obama Agenda?

[stopbush]

Is President Obama on the verge of one of his most productive months in office? Far from being the legislative wasteland that some had predicted, this year’s congressional lame-duck session has developed into an intense, make-or-break series of cliffhanger events for the president and his soon-to-expire Democratic majority on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Obama is now on the knife’s edge; the hours and days ahead could go either way for him. But the president is concluding 2010 by directly confronting issues that have come to define the sweep of his presidency – the economy, foreign engagement and questions of social justice.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the president won passage of the $858 billion tax deal he reached with Republicans and he appears close to achieving approval of the landmark nuclear treaty he negotiated with the Russians. Both political parties have grudgingly agreed to do whatever is necessary to keep the federal government operating by approving an extension of the current budget authority into early next year.

And in something of a surprise, it appears there may be enough Republican support to provide Mr. Obama with a victory on a key promise: to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars gay people from serving openly in the armed forces.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/could-lame-duck-be-a-big-win-for-obama-agenda/?hp

[dennis4868]

1. The DU haters....

will not like this

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. If DADT repeal passes, then *something* productive will have happened

The tax compromise cannot really be called 'productive'; it was an agreement to put off any big fight about taxes for a couple of years, which may turn out to be a very bad strategy in the longer run. The START treaty ought to sail through the Senate in a sane world; eventually ending the Republican obstructionism won't be 'productive', just a small step back to sanity.

[Eric J in MN]

3. The lame-duck session looks good for Obama's re-election.

Income taxes won't be higher next year than when he took office.

DADT repeal may help get-out-the-vote of gays.

DREAM Act may help get-out-the-vote of immigrants.

Nothing for Labor, though, unfortunately.

[lamp_shade]

4. K&R

[gratuitous]

5. Yeah, that could happen

Harry Reid met his self-imposed Dec. 17 deadline. The Senate will adjourn, there might be a continuing resolution dropped in the out box just before the Senate turns off the lights for the year, but repeal DADT? Ratify START? The Times really shouldn't let folks do even ephemeral blog posts when they're that high.