Congress presents hurdles for activist president's agenda

The Democratic takeover of the House, and perhaps the Senate, throws a formidable monkey wrench into President Bush's grand designs for domestic policy during the final lap of his presidency.

Bush's plans for revamping the tax code and entitlement programs, already ambitious, now face an even more difficult path. But all signs from the White House point to Bush remaining an activist president. And some Democratic strategists believe there will be opportunities for him to move legislation -- even significant legislation -- with Democrats in charge.

Veteran Democratic lobbyist Chuck Brain, who served as President Clinton's legislative affairs chief, predicted Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will give Republicans an opening. He said she intends to "restore debate in the House of Representatives" and would "take things to the floor that are not guaranteed of victory."

Pelosi would be inclined to work with Bush, he argued, both because she has "a certain measure of respect for the institution" of the presidency and because she needs him. "People are yearning for some sort of functionality in Washington," he said. If laws are enacted and signed, Brain said, "She and the Democrats can get the credit."

Former Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Texas, noted that a number of Democrats entering Congress would be moderate-to-conservative Blue Dogs, and the enlarged faction would hold the balance of power.

"The Blue Dogs are going to be basically in charge of the legislative process," said Stenholm, himself a former Blue Dog. "They will work within the Democratic Caucus and with members of the opposite party."

He cited the ability of Republicans and Clinton to pass welfare reform in the mid-1990s, arguing that bipartisan progress will be possible next year on issues such as health care, Social Security and immigration.

Republicans will likely take some convincing. One top GOP lobbyist close to the White House noted that the freshman Blue Dogs would be "almost like pledges" beholden to the more liberal Democratic leadership. And he argued that Bush would find it difficult to move toward the middle during a period of Republican soul searching that is likely to include lamentations about the party forsaking its conservative roots.

But Bush will try to work with Congress. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said Monday that while the White House was not working on specific contingency plans for dealing with a Speaker Pelosi, Bush will continue to push hard on Capitol Hill, refusing to "play small ball" with Congress. He will seek progress in a variety of areas, including "building economic strength" and winning the war on terror.

"You have No Child Left Behind, you have an interest in creating better educational opportunities, [and] you've got energy, which is a shared interest," Snow said. But Bush, another source close to moderate Democrats noted, will have to try something he shown little taste for: listening to Democratic ideas.