Can Obama recover from a shellacking?

In a last-ditch effort to draw voters to the polls before the midterm elections, President Obama stood before Democrats at a rally in Southern California and said, “If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, ‘We’re going to punish our enemies, and we’re going to reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us’ — if they don’t see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it’s going to be harder. And that’s why I think it’s so important that people focus on voting on Nov. 2.”

As polls across the nation closed last Tuesday, it became clear: Politicians were being punished, including, ultimately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who lost her title. It was a joyful day for Republicans, as they rode the wave and picked up 61 seats in the House, the largest swing by either party since 1948 and one of the greatest political routs the nation has ever seen.

Republicans also managed to narrow the Democratic majority in the Senate by winning significant races in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Arkansas. They also dominated gubernatorial races, particularly in the Midwest, and shifted the balance of power in almost 20 state houses, including possibly the New York State Senate.

At a news conference the day after the election, Obama conceded to a “shellacking” and attempted to accept full responsibility for his party’s historic loses. The president recognized that Americans are frustrated with the pace of the nation’s economic recovery. However, he didn’t question any of the major policy decisions he’s made since taking office. In fact, at times he tried to shift the blame to the previous administration, despite the fact that it’s been two years since President Bush was in office.

When Obama was first elected, I wasn’t scared. He’s a smart man, and I assumed he would be a moderate president. Boy, was I wrong. Now his liberal agenda has forced a strong shift of the electorate to the political right. This shift generated victories for Tea Party candidates such as Sen.-elect Rand Paul in Kentucky and Gov.-elect Nikki Haley in South Carolina.

As the future speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner, pointed out, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a president in the White House who referred to Americans who disagree with him as ‘our enemies.’ Think about that. He actually used that word.” Clearly, Mr. President, referring to the American people as the punishable enemy is unacceptable.

Can the Obama presidency be saved? Thus far, the first two years of the tax-and-spend Obama agenda have been worse than any I’ve ever seen. It’s eerily reminiscent of President Clinton’s first term, which I witnessed firsthand.

Clinton campaigned to fight for the forgotten middle class. Once elected, he became a big-government, tax-and-spend liberal who jammed a stimulus bill through Congress, dabbled with universal health care and implemented Great Society-type programs that did nothing but harm the middle class. Two years into Clinton’s first term, most Americans were fed up, and in 1994, there was a Republican tidal wave.

So far, the only difference between the two administrations is that Clinton abandoned health care reform while Obama implemented it. And on Election Day, the American people thanked Obama for his gift.

Clinton got the message and was able to answer the Republican victories of 1994 by compromising on taxes, welfare and the budget. These cooperative negotiations led to surpluses and much prosperity, and a second term for Clinton.

The new Republican Congress will face many challenges, the largest being governing with a Democratic Senate and White House. Obama must follow Clinton’s lead if he wants a second term. In order to be successful, he must learn to govern from the middle and practice fiscal responsibility.

On Election Day, the American people made it clear that they wanted limited government. They don’t want gridlock and a do-nothing Congress. It’s time for Obama and Boehner to work together for the good of this country and produce real results — reduce the deficit, create jobs and offer real economic relief. Come January, they can take the first step by extending the Bush tax cuts.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.