(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
And by “they,” I mean the Republicans.
The Republicans who are vowing to oppose the stimulus bill.
The Democrats don’t need to learn to avoid bipartisanship.
The Republicans need to learn how to embrace it, and they should learn that lesson quickly.
I know that it’s first instinct to get hopping mad at Obama and Democrats for trying to compromise with the Republicans, since they continue to show the same reluctance they always have. Well, not reluctance; more like hysterical aversion.
The past two years have given us Democrats in the majority who have constantly capitulated, have bent over backwards and have been dicked around with and screwed over and over. Seeing that happen time and again has made us bitter and pessimistic, and hungry for action.
So when Obama got elected, it’s natural for us to want a hard-nosed motherfucker in the White House to run roughshod over the obstructionist douchebags, to basically tell them “Get behind me or screw off.”
But that’s not what we got. We got Barack Obama, who has ALWAYS said he would work for bipartisanship, who has ALWAYS said he would listen to every side and work with everyone.
All this fury might be cathartic, but I think many can’t see the forest because all these damn trees are in the way.
Do we really want the Republicans to have fodder for some inane “culture war” argument they will INVARIABLY have? So why bother going down that road? Take out the family planning funds, remove the reason for their objection, and put it in somewhere else.
Obama making this effort serves several purposes. First, he keeps his promise that he made to AMERICA. He didn’t promise the netroots, he promised AMERICA. He is showing that he is willing to listen and work with everyone so everyone gets something they want. This is going to satisfy some of the less informed voters who thought he was a wild-eyed leftist kook.
Second, he’s setting up the Republicans to overtly and obviously look like obstructionist douchebags. They screamed about the family planning portion, so he took it out. If they keep screaming, they look like petulant babies and don’t give a shit about Americans. The truth will set us free.
Thirdly, Obama can say, “Look, I was willing to work with the Republicans in this matter, but they showed me and showed America that they are more concerned with partisan politics than fixing our country’s problems. Next time, if they want a seat at my table, they need to show us all that they are willing to compromise. The times of Bush’s dictatorship are over, but so are the times of being bullied by a vocal segment of hyperpartisan politicians.”
So all this sound and fury and shaking is premature. Obama is not the sort to be bullied. Democrats in the majority from 2006-2008 had to deal with that idiot Bush in the White House vetoing whatever they tried to do.
It’s different now.
WE own the government.
We will see how different that makes things, but more importantly, the REPUBLICANS will see how different it is, too.
Being angry and writing letters and giving opinions are all necessary, but the thing that gets me is some people howling, “Why don’t the Democrats understand political strategy??”
Well, all due respect, but it’s clear to me that YOU are the ones who don’t understand political strategy.
I wish Obama would tell the GOP to fuck off, but that’s not his way and that’s not the way to build on two Democratic-won elections.
Obama has shown remarkable political savvy in both the primary and the general election.
And I think it’s pretty silly to somehow think that such savvy has suddenly vacated him simply because he’s not as badass as we want him to be.
The Republicans will learn who they’re dealing with soon enough. Hopefully, some of you who are angry and howling will learn, as well.
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This was originally posted on DailyKos, but figured I’d come back to some of the other sites I contributed to, as well.
So, Obama capitulating to the Republicans now as President on his stimulus plan is different than when he promised he would not vote for telecom immunity in the FISA bill but capitulated and voted for it how?
Sure, maybe this wasn’t the fight to pick, and, like all the other Democrats over the years, simply wants to keep his powder dry.
As for the GOP learning?
This is the same GOP who make up shit and lie in order to have their latest faux hissy fit?
This is the same GOP who wanted tax cuts added to the stimulus bill, then threw a hissy fit anyway?
This is the same GOP who threatened the nuclear option on Democratic filibusters only, once they lost power, to claim how important the filibuster is to democracy and threatened to do it EVERY SINGLE VOTE?
Right. They will learn.
President Obama did two things right during his campaign; he wasn’t a Republican and he talked in intelligent, complete sentences. How he GOVERNS is still to be determined. Sure, he PROMISED he would work with Republicans and he has now fulfilled that promise.
Any more caving by him and his administration to the Hissy Fit Party and he will lose all of the goodwill of his own base, and clearly, he will have no love from the other side.