How Health Care Reformed the President Into A President to Be Reckoned With from MOJO 23APR10

Nothing breeds success like success. If there's one thing Barack Obama has learned since he took office, this is it.

Let's recap his first year. After a good start with the passage of an $800 billion stimulus bill shortly after his inauguration, things began to go steadily downhill. Republicans blocked his appointments. Healthcare reform stalled. Months of dithering over Afghanistan made him look weak and indecisive. Copenhagen was a disaster. Scott Brown's election in January eliminated the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. People started talking openly about Congress returning to Republican control in November and Obama being a one-term president.

But what a difference a couple of months makes. Thanks to a still struggling economy Obama's poll numbers remain listless, but virtually everything else has turned around. Why? Because he decided to stick to his guns and stake his presidency on healthcare reform. He refused to be cowed after Brown's victory seemed to have him on the ropes. And he won.

And now look. Financial reform, which looked as good as dead just a month ago, has gotten a second wind. The ban on gays in the military looks destined for the ash heap of history. Immigration and climate change bills are back on the agenda. China, which almost openly snubbed Obama during his visit in November, looks set to cooperate on currency issues. The troop drawdown in Iraq is on schedule, and patient diplomacy has made international sanctions against Iran a likely bet.

It's hardly all sunshine in the White House. There's still that struggling economy, after all, and the Tea Party crowd remains a thorn in Obama's side. But compared to just a couple of months ago, he's got the opposition traumatized, his own supporters newly enthusiastic, and his legislative agenda back on track. And all because one year after he took office he made the decision to stick up for a progressive agenda and bet his presidency on it. When he signed the resulting healthcare bill, he suddenly became a president to be reckoned with.

It was a tough lesson to learn. But one that was well worth it.