The Next 100 Days Part 1: Bring on the Beef

by William S. Becker

During the last presidential race, Republicans issued a bumper sticker that read “All Sizzle, No Steak” next to a picture of Barack Obama. It was the bumper sticker that didn’t stick and today, Republicans are eating those words. During his first 100 days in office, Obama has served up far more steak than Republicans are willing to digest.

A check of the Obama-Biden campaign platform shows the President has made progress on an impressive number of his pre-election promises on energy and climate, not the least of them an economic stimulus bill that provides the biggest green energy investment in the U.S. history.

Given the Bush Administration’s eight-year climate fast, we’ll need even more meat in the second 100 days and in many 100 days to come. In fact, stabilizing the climate and maintaining that stability is a standing commitment that every future president must make.

So, what’s on the president’s menu for the next 100 days? The honeymoon period – rudely cut short by the “Party of No” on Capitol Hill – traditionally lasts from Inauguration to Congress’s August recess. These are the months when a new president usually has best cooperation from the legislative branch, before the next congressional election begins fogging up the political climate in Washington.  Continued...

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