A little more hope

President Obama was elected largely for his optimistic message of change. But much of that theme has disappeared during his first month in office.

These are challenging times, and the last thing people need is false hope. Yet they do need hope. Obama has dwelt too much on the problems without conveying optimism about the country pulling through.

In recent days, leading Democrats have suggested that he might want to bring back some of his campaign rhetoric.

Former President Clinton urged Obama last week to be more upbeat on the economy, telling ABC’s “Good Morning America”: “I just want the American people to know that he’s confident that we are gonna get out of this and he feels good about the long run ... I just would like him to end by saying that he is hopeful and completely convinced we’re gonna come through this.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was more subtle during a Monday interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program.

“We tend to talk about the negative. ... Things are beginning to turn and I think the American people are going to feel that very soon,” Reid said.

Reid’s comments were a lot more buoyant than remarks made recently by Obama, who has said the economy will get worse before it gets better.

To help pass the controversial stimulus bill, it’s understandable that Obama needed tough talk on what would happen if the legislation failed. Similarly, President Bush in 2001 expressed concern about the economy if his tax cuts faltered in Congress. At the time, critics accused him of talking down the economy.

Obama has certainly conveyed his awareness of the magnitude of the problem. But now he needs to show that he can see light at the end of the tunnel. That does not mean saying things are brighter than they are, merely that there is a way forward. This must be one of the ringing messages delivered in his address to Congress on Tuesday night.

Fulfilling his campaign promise, Obama’s new budget will call for taxes to be raised on households earning more than $250,000 a year. Republicans are strongly criticizing that decision, saying this is the worst time to raise taxes. They are also balking at Democrats’ plan to pass a global warming bill, a top priority for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif).

On Monday, Reid told Bloomberg News that “there’s no better time to [pass a cap-and-trade bill] than right now.”

There will always be battles on those types of issues, and they could rage on for months, if not years.

But on Tuesday night, Obama must bring the nation together by laying out the fiscal challenges ahead while allowing a worried people to discern some hope in the gloom.