At first glance, Barrack Obama appears to be "making government work better" with his call for a change in his Presidential powers.  You could call it "answering the electorate's call for government efficiency".

Mr. Obama will call on Congress to give him a so-called consolidation authority allowing him to propose mergers that promise to save money and help consumers and businesses. The agreement would entitle him to a yes-or-no vote from Congress within 90 days.

It would be up to lawmakers, therefore, to first grant Obama this fast-track authority and then decide whether to approve any of his specific ideas.

But to any educated political observer, Obama's move is merely a way to shrewdly commandeer the political agenda(s) of the Republican Party as his own.

In an election year, part of the president’s motivation would be about improving a giant bureaucracy. But to voters sick of dysfunction, he presumably also wants to show some action on making Washington work better. Politically, his plan would allow him to do so by putting the onus on Congress, and in particular his Republican critics in the House and Senate, to show why they would be against the pursuit of a leaner government

 

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