BHO has got to get tougher. It’s time to Cowboy-up and kick some bootie; there’s no time to even take names. He’s just been too nice.The TGIF party for the Republicans a couple weeks ago was a good try, in the spirit of bipartisanship and all. Much good it did him, but it was smart to try. He went the extra mile.
And it was good to hear him get a little froggie with the GOP yesterday. They don’t need to be reminded that he won the election, but the American people probably do. I don’t really understand it, but Democrats, regardless of who they are or how big they won, seem to be always on the defensive. The Republican brand may only represent the way 40% or fewer of Americans affiliate themselves, but they always act like winners – as if they know they are the smartest and their ideas are the best. Democratic politicians are always explaining subtleties and apologizing.
And it was good to hear him get a little froggie with the GOP yesterday. They don’t need to be reminded that he won the election, but the American people probably do. I don’t really understand it, but Democrats, regardless of who they are or how big they won, seem to be always on the defensive. The Republican brand may only represent the way 40% or fewer of Americans affiliate themselves, but they always act like winners – as if they know they are the smartest and their ideas are the best. Democratic politicians are always explaining subtleties and apologizing.
So now we have a pretty bad stimulus bill that is bad because the old-school Congressional Dems loaded it up with local pork that won’t stimulate anything except reelection contributions from the home front. Then in a wimpy and unsuccessful attempt to appease the GOP, they layered in some more of the kind of tax-cuts Obama ran against. I don’t know if they are a good idea or a bad one, but everyone knows he doesn’t want them and that they are being forced on him, making him look weaker still.
Now the always-defensive Dems really have something to feel defensive about, but being members of Congress they are sociopathicly unable to actually fix it. Giving the appearance of a repair job in the joint committee is the best they are going to be able to do.
It is the Democratic Congressional leadership the President needs to invite -- not to cocktails in Williamsburg -- but to the nearest woodshed for a good, old-fashioned, south-side-of-Chicago, ass whoopin’.
He needs to do it so they’ll fix the bill, and to make everyone remember who won the election and who is in charge. It’s up to him, and only he can do it. Because no one in this country, regardless of political point-of-view, will be lead by Bambi. We prefer to be lead by the Duke or Dirty Harry.
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Well said Dennis. I'm not sure if this is a bad bill or not. I'm certainly not going to take the Republicans word for it. These feckless bastards don't know how to do anything but campaign and throw grenades from the back bench. Being in the minority is the one place they feel comfortable.
The house democrats definately need to be woodsheded. I think BHO didn't want to be accused of what Hillary did with the health care issue in 1993. She tried to ram it through with no congressional input (D or R) and got rejected. It's time for Obama to take these people by the scruff of the neck and tell them to pass this or face political suicide. That's language they can understand.
And don't talk to me about pork. Very little of this huge expenditure are for things related to social policy. Even Republicans are complaning about stuff that's already been removed. They just don't want Obama to get a victory. It's comtemptible politicking by people that don't know how to do anything else. More tax cuts. Why don't they just bring back David Stockman.
Gentlemen, you both comprehend this bill is like the malaria parasite. Just when you think you have understanding on how to get a handle on it, you find the problem is even more complex. We as ordinary, blind citizens have no idea what this elephant really looks like. People whom I respect seem to have strong opinions but they don't appear to agree among themselves. But just the fact that a moderate block had broken free to try to settle the issue leads me to believe that both sides of the aisle could not control their self interest to forge a bill which is essential to this country's destiny. David Brooks is on the same page as Dennis. Time for POTUS to use his feet for kicking.
David Brooks was on the PBS News Hour tonight and said Tom Daschle was the man who could craft legislation. His loss to BHO's agenda will be felt. Are the rest of us like these politicians who can't keep their noses clean?
I don't know if the bill is good or bad. I do know we elected Obama to lead, and now is the time to do that. We can't re-wage the election over every issue facing the country or Congress. Obama won. Now he must lead; I just hope he is tough enough.
What I have seen so far of Obama's "bipartisanship":
"Hey, Republicans - here's the stimulus plan - you down? Too bad, I won."
I don't know why so many people are in such a rush to get this half-flushed turd of a 'stimulus package' passed. They scream at the top of their lungs that we lost 600,000 jobs last month and the bleeding continues... as if a bill passed today will tie a turnicate around the bloody stump.
Can any of you really say you'd sleep better tonight just knowing congress "did something"?
My message to Capital Hill - Take your time. Plan it methodically. You Democrats might be the ones in power, but that doesn't mean you're the ones in the right. Maximize the number of jobs that can be created. Minimize the number of useless pork pet projects. Another week of hard work, producing something that you and your constituents can actually be proud of, is worth it. Hell, take two weeks. A month. Chances are the jobs lost between now and then are inevitably doomed, your haste will have absolutely zero impact on them, nor the jobs on the chopping block for the next month, or two, or three... or six.
If it's at all worth doing, it's worth doing right. This is the future of our country you're monkeying with.
As an aside, I am not liking Obama sounding like he's a damn preacher at church. Just rubs me the wrong way...
Nik, by now the impasse has eased. We can assume these legislators know what is pork, what is politics and what is called for. Timing is everything. You can have another cup of coffee and re-read the issue. But if you miss the last stage out of town, no amount of effort or money can recall the tipping point and the chaos which would result. We have a huge population and a delicate food/fuel distribution. Once that infrastructure is compromised, there aren't enough tears to float it back.
I agree,the Senate needs to WORK.Get it done!!.So far if Obama's political backbone was made of Viagra he couldn't provoke an erection.I'm waiting on the change that is coming to Washington. When is it going to start.
AY left this comment on another tread, but i thought it should appear here as well:
"That was the cry during the campaign how Obama had to get tough with Hilary, then McCain and now with Congress. Each time he had to be knocked down -- and finally he did get up and throw the hard punch.
But Obama"s formative years lacked a father figure, the all-important male role model to show him how to get tough with the bullies.
As a result, even when Barack does go on the offensive, he lacks that necessary fire in the belly that you see from Joe Biden types, the street kids who fought to survive.
He needs that knockout punch, NOW!"
There has been a question of whether he is afraid to go beyond being assertive to an aggressive black man.
The election is over, and some things are worth becoming angry over.
Obama has a prime time press conference tomorrow and I think will address the nation in the next couple of days. Neeless to say it'll be a pretty important event. It'll have my intention.
The notion that Obama hasn't been "bipartisan" enough to suit republicans only works if republicans were willing to be bipartisan themselves. The fact that John Boehner said he won't vote for a bill before he's even read it indicates an unwillingness to meet someone even three feet from where he's currently standing much less half way. The House bill certainly had a few things in it that should have been stripped out and much of it was.
However, the continued bleeting from the republicans about parts of the bill that were already removed or about it's anti-christian tilt (see Jim Dimint R-SC) shows me they're only interested in scoring points and not solving problems. Not news I'll grant you, but still...
BHO played nice with them, tried to include the loyal opposition and they bit him in the ass. The senate (or was it the house) added $150billion the republicans wanted to the bill yet the repubs voted against it. "they' cannot be reasoned with. Obama needs to do what he feels is right and jam it through. He's right, we voted for him, his hands shouldn't be tied.
this headline on Daily Beast says it all:
Ignore the Republicans
Fenway - I couldn't agree more. Republicans will vote against anything proposed by democrats so pair off a couple and screw the rest. Those two republican haircuts (John Ensign and Mike Pence) that appeared on NBC seemed to be stuck in 2002 with their tax cut proposals. Don't these people ever learn?
You two are probably right, but let's not forget that what the GOP was given was not a bipartisan, reasonable, plan. What they got was a classic, old-fashioned, pork-laden, highly-partisan, liberal Democratic mess of a bill, that even BHO seemed not to like much, and which our children's children will be paying for.
The Democrats are still riding this "we won" high, and they thought they could throw this plan together and watch it sail effortlessly to Obama's desk. The Republicans are the only ones grounded enough to take a clear-eyed look around, take note of which way the wind was blowing, and stand up for what the country needs. Yes, they may be bitter, but that bitterness is what kept that horrible plan from moving forward.
Lay off the Republicans already - they are actually doing us all a favor.
I'll certainly admit that letting the Democratic leadership write this vote was like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. And they certainly made it easy for the repubicans in the house to do what they do best -- posture.
In retrospect, I think Obama was smart not to have the legislation written in the white house. This way he doesn't have to negotiate with the various parties until he has to. And then he negotiates from a position of strength.
Laying off the republicans is a preposterous notion. For the last 8 years, every time something blew up in the Bush administration, they'd dig up Bill Clinton's rotting political carcass and blame him or say he did it too. You bring up George Bush as the genesis of these problems and the republicans all of a sudden don't want to dwell on the past. Sort of like an NBA player that gets caught with a gun in his suitcase at the airport.
They are neither grounded nor clear-eyed except when it comes to feathering their own political nests.
Folks, it is all political posturing and nothing more. People are making an educated guess that some form of Federal spending will help pull us out of the tailspin. The experts, such as they are, can't decide the best way to approach this. Boehner is just telling the truth when he says he won't vote for it, even before it is presented. There is no political upside for the GOP to support any stimulus plan. If it works there will not be a scintilla of credit given to Republicans for it working. If it doesn't, then they are back in the game in 2010 saying we told you so. It can pass without them. What benefit would a republican gain in supporting a stimulus plan?
I would agree that the Republicans are clear-eyed in their approach, in much the same way that Bernie Madoff brough a clear-eyed approach to his life's work, or Charles Whitman to his.
With no credible ideas or leadership for eight years,(they threw away the brass ring) thats why I'm tied to the whipping post in a donkey see donkey doo town.I suspect no one will hear the crying from the wilderness until 2016. Then we will have a good old fashioned donkey roast with everyone getting a piece of ass.
The stimulus bill is being written by the Democratic Congress. Most on this blog seem to think that means it will be a good for the country. The bill will be good for the Democratic constituents/special interests. It could be good or bad for the country-who knows at this point? Do you think Obama was really interested in the Republican ideas? He was looking for cover in case all this blows up in his face. If he thought the stimulus package was a home run he would not give a damn if the Republicans went along. Why share his success with them? I viewed his gesture to the other side as a sign that he was not comfortable with his party's plan, not bipartisanship. Who can blame him-are you comfortable with Pelosi and Reid leading this country?
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