Taking Charge

Now that the Republicans seem to be taking over the economic debate, voting against the stimulus en masse in the House and gearing up to filibuster against it in the Senate, Obama raises his game. He called for salary caps of half a million dollars for executives whose companies take part in the taxpayer bailout. But more importantly, he called out Republican office holders.

Now, in the past few days I've heard criticisms of this plan that echo the very same failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis –- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can ignore fundamental challenges like energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject that theory, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. So I urge members of Congress to act without delay. No plan is perfect, and we should work to make it stronger. But let's not make the perfect the enemy of the essential. Let's show people all over our country who are looking for leadership in this difficult time that we are equal to the task.

Yes, we did vote for change, didn't we? Can somebody somewhere please repudiate the 40-percenter Republicans and take charge of Congress? Anybody?