Get a move on, already!

Okay, Democrats, time to kick it up a notch.

Yet another poll came out this week showing Republicans gaining ground as the President's first year wraps up and the midterm political season begins. Will Democrats get the wallop experienced by their predecessors in 1994, the midterm election after Bill Clinton's election? Are we going to put Republicans back in Congress after deciding the last four years that their agenda was wrong for the country? Are Americans really that fickle? (The answer is: yes. Yes they are.)

Listen, Democrats, we elected you because we wanted change. We voted for your platform so you could make your vision of success a reality. While I certainly appreciate and prefer bipartisanship, the fact is that I prefer progress to watered-down compromise.

President Obama's diplomacy is certainly an asset. Democrat or otherwise, I don't think someone who ignores others in the pursuit of their agenda is successful or effective. However, he was also elected based on the promise of change, of pushing his agenda forward, and of redirecting this country. In seeking consensus on every idea he has, he may get more done in the end (yet to be seen) but will he successfully bring about the change he promised?

I elected President Obama because I believe he will do what's best for this country (and I agree with his vision of what's best). Sometimes, doing what is best means doing what isn't popular - a lesson he may learn with his decision on Afghanistan. Doing what is best means that you won't get support from everyone all of the time. But it should be done nevertheless, and that will mean leaving some people behind.

I think too much emphasis is place on "bipartisanship" and not enough is put on "democracy." Bipartisanship has been used when one Republican joins most Democrats to pass a bill, as with the health care bill passed by the House recently, but even pundits agree that that simply isn't bipartisanship. Bipartisanship would mean finding common ground between two ideologically-distant parties, which is unlikely to happen with the agenda Obama has set forth. Republicans are against government intervention, some staunchly so, and that places them inherently against a public option for health care and economic stimulus packages. Throw in their penchant for the energy industry and you can kiss a Kerry-Boxer or Waxman bill on climate change and cap-and-trade for carbon out the window. Bipartisanship, then, perhaps isn't the goal.

Democracy is about having your voice heard, having every voice heard equally. In a representative democracy like ours, that means we rely on our elected officials to speak loudly on our behalf (or trust them to choose the right thing to say on our behalf). It doesn't mean that voice will be the right one, or the one that wins, but it should be given due consideration. Obama's strength is in listening and considering all options; that I think is where he is bipartisan and a true diplomat. The problem is when he hears voices that he disagrees with, he tries to garner their support anyway.

Obama's election was by no means a mandate: nearly half the country voted for the other guy. And yes, many Republicans have legitimate and smart ideas to contribute. Consider those ideas. Embrace those ideas. Include those ideas in your plans. But because of fundamental differences you will not get bipartisanship on some things. Between pushing forward a democratic agenda that creates progress for our country but is opposed by Republicans and pushing forward a bipartisan compromise that barely satisfies anyone and doesn't create real change but is supported by both parties (and likely mocked by both parties), I choose the former. (Well, you know, as long as a Democrat is in charge.)

President Obama, you are supposed to be our President Bartlett: thoughtful, intelligent, diplomatic, democratic, compassionate, but strong and determined. Remind the people that bipartisanship is the goal, but democracy is what is important. Do what's right for the country, what you believe is best. We elected you because we believe you have what it takes to set things right. I like to think you are a better man than me, more capable of making the tough choices, of thinking through informed decision-making. I trust you to do what's best for me and my fellow Americans. Be brave, be bold. In the end, we will still support you, and those who don't will one day thank you.

So let's go, Democrats. Push your agenda forward. This is a democracy, not a group therapy session. Push your agenda forward, show the American people what you can do, that you can deliver on your promises, that you can provide the best leadership. Because demonstrating leadership and getting results is how you win an election.

And dear Lord, I want you all to win again next year.