President George W. Bush, safely ensconced in office, is preparing to lay out his second term agenda, one most likely to be radically conservative. Bush has said he will reach out to Democrats in Congress and around the country, but it remains to be seen whether his interaction will consist of demands for support and accusations of unpatriotic behavior or good faith attempts at consensus governance. There are issues and policies where a President, who won his term by only three percent of the populace, can strike a middle ground:
Gay Marriage: The President should end his support of the Federal Marriage Amendment and allow the issue to be dealt with on the state level. This state-as-a-laboratory-of-democracy federalism is a conservative ideal and supported by Vice President Dick Cheney. The state-by-state approach will allow for some to show more restraint than the 11 that passed amendments against gay marriage last week.
The Deficit: Whatever happened to the fiscally conservative wing of the Republican Party? Let’s see the President take a principled stand against wild spending in Congress by employing his first veto. It’s also clear more money will be required for the escalating war in Iraq and any attempt to reform health care or social security. While Bush will never roll back his tax cuts entirely, he’s gained the political capital to raise taxes moderately to fund these initiatives to increase revenue.
Health Care: Health savings accounts are not the answer. The greatest policy proposal of Senator John Kerry’s campaign was his health-care plan, which created gradual improvements in the system and allowed choice for all participants. There are still 40 million people without health insurance in this country, and the President would do well to remember that his Christian ideals extend to caring for the poor.
Voting: Problems still remain with our electoral system. At the very least, the President could take action to investigate and rectify the problems with electronic voting and provisional ballots. Accountability is needed for both after voting machines reported false totals and provisional ballots held up counts across the nation. If Bush really wants to take a principled stand, he would support a bi-partisan commission to study problems with redistricting around the country.
The President has a choice to make with his next four years. He can choose to be a uniter, and join with Democrats to govern well, or he can be a divider, and force the Democrats into a deadlock in the Senate over his radical policies. Sadly, we expect the latter.
