Play it like LBJ.

Editor,

Mr. Obama needs to learn from LBJ how to play political hardball with individual House Republicans to, for lack of a better word, blackmail them into supporting bills he deems absolutely necessary.

No one is going to change the minds of right-wing extremists who believe that reducing taxes will stimulate economic activity and thus increase revenue. It is a delusional theory, and you can't reason with delusional individuals.

But you can identify vulnerable Representatives and tell them in no uncertain terms exactly how you will end their careers in their own districts if they do not play ball with you.

Mr. Obama is a sincere and honorable man. He believes in consensus. He believes he can reason with people who disagree with him.

But supply-side economics, trickle-down economics, is a religion, and you can't talk people out of their religion no matter how much sense your arguments make to yourself; your arguments mean nothing to them.

If I had the ear of the president for one precious minute, I would urge him to play this fiscal cliff debacle like LBJ would play it. Forget about agreement. Force the Republicans you need to vote for your policies by hook or by crook.

And remember: The vast majority of the American public do agree with you.

Re: "An Invigorated Second Term" (11/8/2012)