Washington — President-elect Obama says he intends to implement many initiatives to strengthen the American economy, change the way the United States fights terrorism and curb global climate change. But he will need to work with Congress to make his proposals a reality.

When Obama takes the oath of office January 20, 2009, the United States will be entering a relatively rare period of “unified government,” in which the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate all are controlled by the same party, in this case the Democrats.

James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, said presidents typically have a much easier time getting their proposals passed during periods of unified government. But Obama still will face many challenges, Thurber told journalists at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center in Washington on December 16.

“Of course, party is very important. But there are always a few people that will not vote with those in the Democratic Party and a few people that will not vote with the Republican Party,” Thurber said.

When it comes to political viewpoints, “most Americans are in the middle,” Thurber said. But in Congress, “nobody is in the middle anymore.” Although that statement might be an exaggeration, moderate Republicans have suffered major losses in recent years and moderate Democrats are a minority within their own party.

This means that Obama will have to reach out to politicians on the far right and far left of the political spectrum to secure passage of his administration’s legislative initiatives.

OBAMA AND THE 111th CONGRESS

When the 111th Congress convenes January 6, 2009, the Senate will have about 57 Democrats and 41 Republicans. A race in Minnesota remains undecided, and the Illinois seat vacated by Obama remains unfilled. The House of Representatives will have about 257 Democrats and 178 Republicans, although recounts continue in a few races.

There will be changes in the coming weeks as some members of Congress resign their seats to fill executive posts in the Obama administration. (See “Louisiana Republican to Be First Vietnamese American in Congress.”)

Obama’s margin of victory over John McCain was not nearly as narrow as those in other recent presidential elections. Many Americans are wondering if that comfortable margin constitutes a public mandate that will prompt broad support for the incoming president from other politicians.

“There certainly is a mandate for certain explicit policies that [Obama] has indicated,” Thurber said. “One is redeployment [of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan].”

Thurber said one group that might be particularly influential in the next Congress is the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of Democrats that tends to be conservative or moderate on fiscal matters but liberal on social issues. These Democrats tend to vote as a block. There will be about 55 Blue Dogs in the next House of Representatives, Thurber said.

“They are key to getting the votes on a variety of issues … for Obama,” Thurber said.

The White House also will want good relations with the chairmen of Senate and House committees that review each piece of proposed legislation before it can be debated and voted on. Committees frequently hold hearings and interview experts before recommending whether a bill should be brought to a vote before the House or Senate.

Those expected to hold powerful committee chairmanships include Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who is expected to head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a panel formerly chaired by Vice President-elect Joe Biden.

In the House, Henry Waxman of California is the likely head of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, succeeding John Dingell, a representative from Michigan. This change is “major,” Thurber said, because Dingell’s home state economy relies heavily on automobile industries, and Dingell has shared the industry’s opposition to more stringent air pollution control legislation.

“Obama wants to push alternative energy but also a cap-and-trade bill to reduce [carbon dioxide] and other pollutants by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050,” Thurber said. “John Dingell stood in the way of that.”

“After the economy and the two wars [Iraq and Afghanistan], the question of cap and trade … and energy is going to be a central piece to this administration,” Thurber said.

Thurber said many of Obama’s proposals and how Congress approaches legislation to implement them will be driven by external events. “There will be some changes in policy. But events drive that to a certain extent.” Already, economic concerns are driving policy proposals, Thurber said.

Thurber said Obama is “setting the right tone” to work with Congress. Thurber said that, as a senator, Obama understands how the institution works and has staffed his administration with those who have spent a long time working in the legislative branch.

“That’s really setting a tone of reaching out, working with [Congress.]”