From the time of his inauguration, the reality of an American recession (and a 1930’s precedent for governmental expansion) put Barack Obama’s Democratic presidency under siege by fiscal conservatives.

But his administration refused to tango.

On rare occasions he could be stern — even scolding — but for the most part, his sweeping poeticism barely ever reflected his roots in Chi-town politics. In the grittiest of political situations, he carefully elevated himself above the fray and, in the manner of a true diplomat, used his cordiality to build an image, a political brand.

Several months later, amidst a botched push for healthcare reform, Blue Dog backtalk, townhall chaos, and American uncertainty have come close to politically bankrupting the President and his Administration. Rumors of “death panels” and government “coverage of illegals” have run amuck, largely at the behest of Republicans desperate to portray Obama as a deathmongerer, socialist and destroyer of American values.

Over the span of a few months, he has been likened to several totalitarian leaders, accused of political illegitimacy, and slimed by every gun-toting fringe element imaginable. He has had his name dragged through the mud — his staight-laced, squeaky-clean image defiled by the most terrifyingly recognizable mustache of the 20th century.

His response?

Benign rhetoric.Quiet reason.

Amazing.

The President of the United States is being devoured alive by national pandemonium and is still absolutely, positively imperturbable.

Which should concern the White House enough to ask the following:

What would Bubba do?

It isn’t debatable. Bubba wouldn’t have put up with any of this nonsense. Beet red and fists clenched, Bubba would’ve (figuratively) sucker-punched Chuck Grassley in the abdomen and excommunicated him from the House if he ever used the words “death” and “panel” in the same sentence again. He would’ve gotten down-in-the-mud dirty — would’ve basked in it, for Christ’s sake — and directly addressed any McCarthyist punk who dared accuse him of socialism, totalitarianism and any other “ism” with un-American connotations.

And make no mistake, if anyone ever accused Bubba of being a secret Muslim or citizen of Kenya, you could bet your lucky stars that one press conference would do the trick, and after that conference, there would be absolutely no question as to who was right and who was wrong. Nada.

Unpalatable, yes. But if Obama hopes for any chance of success in healthcare reform — or a 2012 re-election — he might have to take a leaf or two from the old Clinton playbook.

Maybe a few Democrats are biting their fingernails at the prospect of a leaner, meaner Obama, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that around 90% are tired of all this horsing around. And they’re ready for their President to get serious with the opposition — to get explicit about the public option, and quit entertaining any far-fetched notion that Republicans will offer bipartisan support in reform.

Look, this is politics, not touch football. At the end of the day, it’s an arena filled with earsplitting shrieks and cheap arguments, where no well-intentioned Washingtonian is left unscarred. 50% of the time there is absolutely no time for pulled punches, just animalism — and it’s dangerous to expect Obama to be exceptional. That would be martyrdom.

Sure, we should be able to expect cleaner, more sincere brands of leadership in our Capitol. But regardless of any proclamation of “change”, we should also expect a President who isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and get a little Machiavellian when the country calls for it.

As of now, it’s pretty much set in stone. Even if Obama loses the public option, Republicans still won’t vote for the bill. And get this : Key Democrats won’t either. So what’s the alternative? And what happens when middle-ground rhetoric meets reality?

We need to stop looking at both parties as reasonable, freethinking entities and see them for what they really are: political machines striving to elect their candidates.  It would be completely unrealistic to expect fiscally conservative GOPers to rally behind a healthcare reform bill that involves “big-government spending”, either inclusive or exclusive of a public option. Likewise,  it’s just as unrealistic to ask a Democratic majority in Congress to compromise one of their most important ambitions in reform.

Before he loses any more political clout, Obama needs to join the “public option” caravan or risk being perceived as a partyless, presidential pushover. And to do that — well, he needs to get tough.

Now, Obama is no Bill Clinton. As far as I’m concerned, there will never be another Bubba (the glory days are over!). But that doesn’t mean that Obama can’t take the gloves off.

He’s learned from the best — battled tooth and nail with a blonder, more hard-bitten Clinton in the 2008 primaries, at a time when history had yet to be made, and a party nomination was on the line. It was the first — and last time — America saw what Barack Obama looked like when he was pissed, his lips pursed and his eyes like coin-slots. It  was the also the first time that Obama wasn’t afraid to speak in absolutes about his domestic and foreign agenda — something we have yet to see him do in relation to the public option.

As of now, Obama is struggling to keep his head above water, but he isn’t deep-sixed just yet. He’s got a majority in Congress (although you’d never know it as an outside observer) and a pretty good rap among the American people, in spite of FOX’s wild tea party-related assertions.

On top of that, he’s got a smart game plan going on — one that emphasizes the moral imperative of healthcare reform and targets religious conservative strongholds. But it isn’t over, and Democrats still need to get their war paint ready. After all, in this brutal, stripped down world of politics, dispelling rumors is nice, but denunciations are even better.

Jim DeMint may not know much, but he was right about one thing: in the crudest terms, healthcare reform is a Waterloo waiting to happen — Obama’s point of no return (or re-election).

Faced with lying stalwarts at the other end of the political spectrum, the stakes are too high, and the consequences too great for Obama to closet his inner street smarts.

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