Prepare to Come About

Tacking! the helmsman on a racing yacht shouts to inform the crew that he has begun to change course. As the bow passes through the wind, the sails must be reset on the opposite side of the boat. It is one of the more complex and sensitive operations undertaken during a race. It must be done smoothly and quickly to avoid losing precious momentum. The nautical term for bringing a sailboat onto a new tack is to come about.

I haven't heard the warning cry from the White House, but I'm pretty sure the Obama ship is preparing to come about. Many pundits referred to Bill Clinton's 1994 course change as "tacking to the center." It appears as if the Obama team has finally sensed the true direction of the political wind and is responding in similar fashion. There is not now (nor I suggest, never was) a vast majority who wanted the radical left course change Obama proposed. The hope and change mantra that swept Obama into office was heard by many as the answer to their frustration with the Washington establishment.

The early "successes"of the Obama agenda, economic stimulus and health care, were rammed down the throats of former supporters and opponents alike. The tide of "throw the bums out" which floated unprecedented one-party control for the Democrats turned to such a dramatic ebb that nearly all support has drained from under their keel. To keep his ship from running hard aground, the captain has discovered he must alter course; it's time to come about.

The thing that is most cloying about Obama's recent statements is how narcissistic and self-serving they are. He claims that he was so concerned about principle that he failed to pay attention to the political consequences of his policies. He apparently was not counting on the violent backlash his arrogance elicited. Many Washington watchers declare him to be more of an ideologue than any President in recent memory. Perhaps he does have such narrow vision that he can only imagine a future his fulfilled plans would presage. Perhaps his ecstatic arrival in the White House caused him to forget he is President of all the people, not just those (few) who agree with his radical agenda for change.

Whatever the reason for Obama's decision to tack, I cannot say I am disappointed. I wrote some time ago that I was praying for a tsunami of voter backlash; all signs appear to point to just that this November. The question now becomes whether the President and his progressive fellows can maintain enough clout to do any damage in his last two years. And I do mean his last two years. It seems unlikely that he will have any chance at a second term. Unless he executes such a stunning tack to the center politically that he rivals the political savvy of Bill Clinton, I think his ship will sail unceremoniously out of port (Washington) in 2012.