In the early hours of the day after the 2010 midterm elections, the sun still rose over New York Harbor, the Mississippi River still flowed south, San Francisco was still gleeful over the Giants, people still partied in South Beach...

...And the economy still sucked everywhere!

America woke up Wednesday morning in the same economic situation they woke up in on Tuesday, but the difference is the Republicans, with the help of the ravenous, if not incoherent, Tea Party with a few exceptions ran roughshod over the Congressional contest.

The Grand Old Party (GOP) won the House and made enough gains in the Senate to cause trouble. It wasn't the bloodbath that people had predicted. But voters weren't looking for that. However, maximum carnage does begin when the new Congress is sworn in.

Let's be clear, the Republican leadership, stewarded by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and incoming House Speaker John Boehner has only one goal in mind: eliminate all evidence that Barack Obama ever existed on this planet.

Period.

Those two have consistently made clear what disdain they have for the President and from day one have used political tactics to obstruct anything he tried to do no matter what it was. If the sun burned out and Obama reignited it, they'd blame him for wasting nuclear energy.

Throughout the campaign season, the Republicans never actually came up with solutions to America's economic ailments. The so-called "Pledge to America" was so roundly panned in the media and among Democrat and Republican pundits as both weak and vague that it became obvious that congressional Republicans weren't even serious about it and didn't really talk about it leading up to Election Day.

Although voters do want them to focus on the economy, make no mistake, the next two years of Obama's presidency will be filled with attempts to block his policies, derail his ideals and even usurp his authority. Many have already sworn that they will not compromise with the President at all. On anything.

So for them the finish line would be an Obama loss in 2012 and they can only do that if: 1) Obama gets nothing done for the next two years, 2) the economy gets worse instead of better, 3) the unemployment rate stays near 10%.

The first will be easy to do as all the Republicans have to do is commit themselves to gridlock in spite of the needs of their constituents. The second may be harder as economists predict some economic growth over the next two years. But the third will be something voters will blame on both Congress and the White House as they do now.




So what does Obama do?

Many political watchers would advise him to find ways to work within the Republican frame and find ways of compromise and bipartisanship. In other words: tap dance, boy and hope they give you a pork chop.

I say that's nonsense. If there's anything Obama should be clear on is that Congressional Republicans would like nothing more than to turn him into Strange Fruit and they will do that no matter how nice he plays. I believe he knows this.

He also knew at his inauguration and was smart enough to have predicted what would happen and knew the best thing to do was govern on policy. The result rescued the country from an unimaginable economic depression and pushed through health care legislation that, while imperfect, was something no president since the time of Teddy Roosevelt could even approach.

The best thing Obama could do, rather than try to play nice and turn the other cheek on people who would cut it, he should throw on his Timberlands and stomp through the rest of his agenda, leaving squeamish Democratic legislators behind, and picking up the support of the American people.

If Americans see more signs that say "now hiring" than they do "foreclosed" in their neighborhoods, it will be an indicator that things are looking up. But that will only come through economic policies that force banks to treat people like human beings, and foster investment in communities, hence pumping new blood into the free market and beginning the domino effect of more consumer spending.

The last thing McConnell and Boehner & Co. want is for that to happen. If the economy continues to blow, then the GOP will be able to put any incompetent in as their 2012 nominee and run him (or her, you know who I'm talking about) against Obama. That can't happen if things start to look up or at least have that perception.

I never did like Ronald Reagan. I thought he was among our worst presidents and I'll never forget the political abandonment felt in inner-city America that took place while he was in office. But one thing I will say for him is that at a certain point he made the country feel confident, albeit superficially. He did that while pressing through with his agenda, d**n how the opposition wanted him to play nice.

I'm not saying Barack Obama should fake the funk. No, by all means keep it real. But at the same time, he cut his teeth in the 'hood in Chicago. No need to remind you how hardcore the politics are there. But to win, to defeat thugs and gangstas, you have to think like a thug and a gangsta. Because that is what the President is up against now.