Democrats Need to Link Children's Health Insurance and No Child Left Behind

E.J. Dionne has a column about the debate over the State Children's Health Insurance Program that was posted on the Washington Post's website on Wednesday, September 26, 2007. In the column he mentions, in passing, that the No Child Left Behind Act is coming up for renewal at the end of September and that Bush needs Democratic votes to get it passed. Here is a question: Why don't Democrats tell Bush that if he doesn't sign the insurance bill, he isn't going to get a vote on the No Child Left Behind Act?

Time and time again we see Bush being able to hold up Democratic legislation because the Republicans won't allow matters to come to a vote in the Senate. The Democratic response to this tactic is to figuratively throw up their hands and say that there is nothing they can do about it. Well, that's not exactly true. There is legislation that Republicans want passed and that Bush wants passed. No Child Left Behind is an obvious example.

If Reid and Pelosi called a press conference and announced that Bush isn't going to get an extension of No Child Left Behind unless he signs the Health Insurance bill, the media coverage would be extensive. The Democrats would be seen as playing offense, not defense.

Politics is compromise. Democrats don't point that out enough and so Bush gets to have it both ways: he gets to block Democratic legislation and then gets Democratic support for his pet project. Well, life doesn't work that way. If you want something from me, then you have to be willing to give me something in return. It is way past time for Democrats to remind Bush of that fact.