"I don't expect Democratic leaders to compromise on their principles, and they don't expect me to compromise on mine. But the American people do expect us to compromise on legislation that will benefit the country," he said.
The president says he is willing to raise
the minimum wage to $7.25 as long as that doesn't hurt businesses. He said the way to protect businesses is to combine the increase "with targeted tax and regulatory relief to help these small businesses stay competitive and to help keep our economy growing."
The president also called for progress on other issues,
renewing the No Child Left Behind education act, boosting energy alternatives to oil and completing an overhaul of the immigration system that includes a guest-worker program.
And the president is also calling for manpower increases in the Army and the Marine Corps. That seems to indicate a certain strategic sense. The president understood that while Republicans controlled the Congress, the Democrats could always put up a huge stink about increasing the size of the armed forces. But now that Democrats are in control of Congress, he can put them in a box if they oppose his efforts to “make us safe.”
What we don’t yet know is how much backbone the president will have in developing the deals with the Democrats. Will he stick to his guns on the minimum wage or cave to Sen. Kennedy, who demands a clean bill?
You’d think he would have learned from the No Child Left Behind Act in which Democrats utterly refused any reform of the monopoly government school system. If you can’t get at least a teeny-weeny bit of reform what’s the point of any legislation to throw more money at the problem?
And then there is the 800 lb elephant in the back of the room, Social Security. If there is to be a deal on Social Security, will it include a provision for individual accounts?
I’d say no accounts, no deal. But what do I know?
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