January 21st, 2013: What Would You Do…

…not say, do? And not Obama or Romney, but You!

Your inaugural address yesterday has been widely praised for its healing words and for your call to Congress to lay aside ideology, to come together pragmatically, to get to work on our nation’s needs and opportunities -- straight talk that thrilled the huge crowd on the mall and South Lawn and  television audiences around the world.

Now, this morning in the Oval office with your chief of staff, the thin winter light shining coldly in, it begins to sink in: now you have to act. What are the first things you will do to turn those words into action?

You face a House still in Republican control, with John Boehner having barely survived a coup led by Eric Cantor and his Tea Party allies and only then through support of Democrats. Cantor is again House Majority Leader; Nancy Pelosi had little trouble retaining her Minority Leader position. In the Senate, Harry Reid is still Majority Leader, the Democrats retaining its slim majority status with help from independents who caucus with them. Mitch McConnell turned back a revolt among some Senators to retain his Minority Leader post. And everywhere, lots of post-mortems, second guessing, finger pointing going on.

So, what will you now do to get Congress in gear? Grand words from the inaugural address and those platitudes and vague promises from the campaign are all fine and good … but now it’s time to act.

If you are a Republican President, what will you do?
If you are a Democrat President, what will you do?

PS, Fletch talking:
I raised this question at the Olympic Club a couple of weeks ago and have been reflecting on it since. It seems to me an insurmountable opportunity – one of the conundrums that make the Presidency America’s worst job (as the Onion wrote four years ago "US Gives Black Man  Worst Job in America.”) I can’t imagine a sane person wanting to tackle it.

Please post an answer in the comments space below (instead of sending me an e-mail which others cannot share) and tell us where you would start and what your first actions would be to get Congress moving.