Doing the right thing the wrong way

After reading a transcript of President Obama's remarks on immigration from last night, I agree with what he is doing from a policy perspective.  Showing compassion to families is the right thing to do, but that doesn't mean the President's action is wise or will produce the kind of results he wants.

Even if you do the right thing doing it at the wrong time and in the wrong way is still poor leadership. This President does not want to govern. All he knows how to do is campaign. That's why for all his promise of being a unifying figure he has only added to the sense of division in the country. Campaigns necessarily divide us. They are the art of getting to 50% plus 1. Wise governance is what unites us and I don't believe that he is capable of that even if he wanted to do it.

Many have criticized Obama for not waiting and giving the newly elected Congress a chance to act and work with him. It would have presumably given his unilateral action greater justification than acting between Congresses after a bad election for his party. Here's why I think he didn't...the influence of the Tea Party in the GOP caucus will be less in the new Congress. Sure you'll still have some bomb throwers, but GOP candidate recruitment was much different this cycle than in the past two. The new Republicans as a group would be much more likely to work with him than the old. These new members would especially help Boehner in the House and most folks believe that Boehner would have been willing to deal on this issue in 2013 if he wasn't afraid he'd lose his leadership position. If Obama didn't act now, he may have risked forfeiting the electoral advantage that Democrats perceive they have on this issue. That was a risk the campaigner in chief was not willing to take.