“Showing some South Side” is a phrase used by America’s second-most prominent African-American elected chief executive, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Unlike President Obama, Patrick actually grew up on Chicago’s South Side, the largest contiguous black community in the country. In Patrick’s telling, “showing some South Side” basically means showing your opponents that if they try to harm you, they’ll suffer some pain too. It’s not a belligerent posture. It’s not about looking for a fight. It’s about commanding respect.
Picking up right where he left off in his January inaugural address (and in the presidential campaign before that), Barack Obama made clear last night—if it wasn’t clear already—that he’ll continue to extract a price from congressional Republicans for their obstructionism. In terms of policy, this was most clear in the short, blunt section on climate change:
“I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”
Republicans can continue to deny the evidence of science and of their eyes on the effects of climate change, and President Obama will then use his executive powers to make what changes he can…and to drive Republicans further to the fringes of American politics. Or, Republicans can regain their senses, push for the kind of market-based solutions that they used to support, and Obama will invite them to the victory party.
In terms of politics and public theater, it was most clear at the end of the speech when much of the Republican congressional delegation refused to stand and salute 102 year-old Desiline Victor who waited six hours in line to vote last November; and when Obama concluded with a stirring litany of shame—a roll call of individuals and communities killed and wounded by gun violence in recent years. Republicans may choose to do the NRA’s bidding—and there are sound political reasons for many of them to do so—but they’ll do so at the expense of once again being exposed as beholden to the most extreme elements of their coalition.
Crossposted at: http://masscommons.wordpress.com/