The Washington Dems seemed committed to doing as little as they could possibly get away with – and yes, that includes health care. Given that it was the central policy plank to Obama’s campaign, even President Who-me-close-Guantanamo? couldn’t walk away completely. So instead, he threw up his hands on real structural reform, instead passing a far-reaching regulatory regime (the bulk of which wouldn’t take effect for years) with a mandate that citizens purchase product from the insurance companies, in order to keep them onboard – in other words, he did the least he could possibly get away with and call “reform” (and it remains unclear whether the amended system is either sustainable or constitutional).

And when it wasn’t the President trying to make as few waves as possible, it was Congress, which joined the President in secondary policy fixes they could try and brag on, but punting on the marquee items that drove the 2008 elections, such as the Bush tax cuts.

Well, that didn’t work – and now, with nothing to lose, the lame duck Congress has kicked in, and the President is behind them. When running for re-election as the non-Republicans rather than the Democrats turned out to be a miserable failure, they apparently decided it wouldn’t hurt to take their last opportunity to contrast themselves against the impending chaos that will be sworn in next month.

And yes, although the tax bill was a clusterfuck in many ways, it was at least something. More praiseworthy, though, is the series of unqualified successes that have followed – successes which Congress and the President have varying degrees of credit to take (although the President, in the simplistic media narratives, will get full credit for all of them), but which they both deserve at least some credit for.

• Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal: To my mind, the House and the Senate own this victory. Sure, a Republican wouldn’t have signed it into law, and Obama deserves thanks for doing so. This doesn’t change the fact that the President has had many opportunities to make a difference on this wrongheaded policy but has either squandered those opportunities, or actively worked against them. This was a ball he punted entirely to the Legislature, and in the 11th hour, the Legislature decided that do-nothing made for a poor legacy, and opted to make history instead. For my money, this victory is 90% the Democratic caucuses’, with 10% reserved for the Prez (and that feels gracious to Mr. Obama, frankly).
• The START treaty: Flip that number around, and you’ve got close to the credit-award for this important nuclear arms reduction regime. This was an Obama administration crown jewel, and it was only through the firm engagement by the President and his staff that it’s ratification became a top priority for the dying spurt of energy of this Senate. Still, reminding obstinate Republicans of their patriotic responsibilities took work from Senate Democrats as well, so we’ll allot the credit for this crucial victory as 80-20 in favor of President Obama.
• 9/11 Responders Bill: It’s pretty freaking twisted that this long-stalled bill to provide health care and assistance to ground zero emergency responders with related ongoing issues was held captive by the GOP. The House did it’s job, and the Senate held firm until it passed – but the truth is, that probably wouldn’t have happened without the peculiar spectacle of (some, not all) Fox News talking heads chastising the Republican caucus for derailing it. As such, credit for this one goes to the congressional Dems and Fox anchor Shep Smith, 75% to 25%. And no, you’ll never see that happen again.

Didn’t that feel good? Now hold on tight. The insanity begins in a couple weeks…