Lay Off, Republicans

Unlike some of my Republican counterparts, I do not want President Obama to fail. If Obama’s policies help pull us out of the economic free fall we were in and voters choose to reward him with more Democrats in Congress two years from now, or another four more years of the Presidency in 2012, I say “Hurrah.”

We don’t know how close we came to absolute economic chaos and panic. And I mean people roving the streets with guns and people hiding with canned food in their cellars. Every man and woman for themselves.

I have a feeling we were a lot closer than most care to think. But in typical American style, we close our eyes, plug our ears, and filter out what we don’t want to acknowledge. And we revert to form and complain about how our political leaders bailed out AIG or the auto industry.

So, yes, Obama and the Democratic Industrial Complex is likely overcorrecting and taking advantage of the crisis to spend and tax us into a Wally World of fiscal madness for which we will be paying for decades. And over time, I believe Republicans will get their house in order and start providing leadership and answers to balance the scales.

But, in the meantime, I just can’t abide the GOP hysteria about Obama. Yes, I know I’m a Republican squish. But in order to regain the majority, the GOP will need us squishes. And I think we have to acknowledge reality. And the reality is for the first 100 days, President Obama has been a pretty cool cucumber through some of the most difficult challenges an incoming president has ever faced.

So, as Republicans, I say we should cut the spin and give Obama some credit for doing a pretty good job and pulling us through a real crisis in his first 100 days. If we are honest, we’ll get more credit down the road when legitimate criticism will undoubtedly be warranted.

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As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, causes, and individuals, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today’s rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.

Xtra Insight: Read other takes on the first 100 days from The Daily Beast's all-star team of analysts.