Obama and SNL

Not long ago, the Saturday Night Live folks took a shot at Obama for not finishing a list of policy initiatives, as though he had to get his whole agenda done in one year. It is true that the Democrats have put some issues on hold until the health reform bill is passed but, to point out the obvious, that is only a temporary delay – the health care bill is coming soon. Once the bill is passed, action will move forward on all the other stuff.

Let’s look at SNL’s list of incomplete projects. They involve issues that will require some support in Congress – climate change, gays in the military, immigration (plus financial regulations, which I think they missed) – and a bunch that really don’t require Congress – limiting executive powers, torture, Guantanamo, Iraq withdrawal, gaining the upper hand in Afghanistan.

So here is what will happen.

When health reform passes, Obama’s numbers will skyrocket.

Obama will move forward on the issues that do not require legislation, such as torture and Iraq , and his numbers will go up some more.

Then he will move forward on the issues requiring legislation. Democratic legislators are already working on the issues noted above such as climate change, with vague promises of Republican support. Either the Republicans will renege on their promises and screech “FILIBUSTER” on all three, and America will react to this obstruction and Obama’s numbers will go up….

Or they will NOT obstruct, the bills will pass, and Obama’s numbers will also go up.

And so will the numbers for the Congressional Democrats.

Just in time for the midterms.