February 18, 2011--James K. Polk
I've been reading about James K. Polk, perhaps the least known of our most successful presidents.
No matter what you think of his goals and achievements (critics call into question some of his nationalistic aspirations), there is no dispute that in his one term, from 1845 to 1849--he declared when running that he would not seek a second term--he achieved all of his very ambitious goals.
He fulfilled America's Manifest Destiny by extended the reach of the United States to the Pacific Ocean through the completion of the annexation of Texas; the acquisition of the Oregon Territory after negotiations with England; and at the end of a two-year war with Mexico, seized almost all of our current Southwest, including California. By the time he left office the U.S. was fully a third larger in territory than when he was elected.
And then he was able to deliver on his promises to establish a federally-controlled national bank and to have Congress agree to reduce a package of protectionist tariffs that were stunting the economic growth of the country.
Not a bad four years work
All of his priorities were fiercely controversial and hotly contested, especially in the Senate which was full of powerful rivals, a number of whom aspired to the presidency.
To achieve his goals, he had to take on the opposition. How he went about this might provide some useful lessons for today as our president and Congress circle each other warily while grappling over issues of great import--trillion-dollar deficits, entitlement reform, war and piece, military spending, and of course a myriad of social programs, including what to do about health care.
Polk took on the opposition primarily by talking directly with them. Daily. Nightly. He had an open door policy at the White House. Members of Congress could literally stop by unannounced. And many did. Mainly in the evening at the end of the work day. During those times they spoke on and off the record. They brought concerns to Polk and he ran ideas by them, seeking support for his policies. And for the most part, though they often agreed to vigorously disagree, at other times they found common ground and got a lot accomplished.
It would of course be a radical idea for President Obama to throw open the doors of the hyper-scheduled White House, but times are such that it might be worth a try. He could set aside two hours every Tuesday and Thursday evening for members of Congress to stop by without fanfare.
What might happen, for example, if Paul Ryan, Republican chair of the House Budget Committee were a regular visitor? They both are of the same generation, they are budget wonks, and they might find they could iron out some tricky issues between them that might help reduce the structural deficit. Ryan has put out more ideas on the subject than Obama. Some are, well, a little over the top; but by pressing them conversationally in private with the president over a beer or two, and hearing Obama's views, who know, maybe they might get some things done that would be good for the country.
Especially future generations. It could be worth a try. It did work for our 11th president.
No matter what you think of his goals and achievements (critics call into question some of his nationalistic aspirations), there is no dispute that in his one term, from 1845 to 1849--he declared when running that he would not seek a second term--he achieved all of his very ambitious goals.
He fulfilled America's Manifest Destiny by extended the reach of the United States to the Pacific Ocean through the completion of the annexation of Texas; the acquisition of the Oregon Territory after negotiations with England; and at the end of a two-year war with Mexico, seized almost all of our current Southwest, including California. By the time he left office the U.S. was fully a third larger in territory than when he was elected.
And then he was able to deliver on his promises to establish a federally-controlled national bank and to have Congress agree to reduce a package of protectionist tariffs that were stunting the economic growth of the country.
Not a bad four years work
All of his priorities were fiercely controversial and hotly contested, especially in the Senate which was full of powerful rivals, a number of whom aspired to the presidency.
To achieve his goals, he had to take on the opposition. How he went about this might provide some useful lessons for today as our president and Congress circle each other warily while grappling over issues of great import--trillion-dollar deficits, entitlement reform, war and piece, military spending, and of course a myriad of social programs, including what to do about health care.
Polk took on the opposition primarily by talking directly with them. Daily. Nightly. He had an open door policy at the White House. Members of Congress could literally stop by unannounced. And many did. Mainly in the evening at the end of the work day. During those times they spoke on and off the record. They brought concerns to Polk and he ran ideas by them, seeking support for his policies. And for the most part, though they often agreed to vigorously disagree, at other times they found common ground and got a lot accomplished.
It would of course be a radical idea for President Obama to throw open the doors of the hyper-scheduled White House, but times are such that it might be worth a try. He could set aside two hours every Tuesday and Thursday evening for members of Congress to stop by without fanfare.
What might happen, for example, if Paul Ryan, Republican chair of the House Budget Committee were a regular visitor? They both are of the same generation, they are budget wonks, and they might find they could iron out some tricky issues between them that might help reduce the structural deficit. Ryan has put out more ideas on the subject than Obama. Some are, well, a little over the top; but by pressing them conversationally in private with the president over a beer or two, and hearing Obama's views, who know, maybe they might get some things done that would be good for the country.
Especially future generations. It could be worth a try. It did work for our 11th president.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:26 AM
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