Ezra Klein thinks Congressional Republican willingness to compromise with Obama on the payroll tax extension is largely due to his rising approval rating, which in turn is largely due to recent improvements in the economy. Obama has gone from "seeking compromise to welcoming confrontation."
For 2302, this fits subject matter we will hit very soon as we begin to discuss the factors which influence presidential power. From Klein's post:
Over the last few days . . . something remarkable happened: The
negotiations over the payroll tax cut, the unemployment-insurance
benefits, and the Medicare doc fix moved from deadlock to deal.
And it didn't happen at the last minute, or because the markets were
about to tumble into the abyss. It happened because Republicans coolly
assessed the politics and decided they were better off compromising with
the Democrats than taking this one to the edge.
Would this
deal have happened if the president's numbers were weaker, if the
economy was in worse shape, and if the Republican primary was producing
a more able set of champions? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Rather, it
looks as if the president's strengthened position and his clear
appetite for further conflict led Republicans to conclude that
compromise might serve them better in this case.
