Whither “Bipartisanship”?

February 13, 2009 Uncategorized 6

It seemed from the start that President Obama really wasn’t interested in the kind of raw partisan warfare that defined the Bush Era. After all, hasn’t Obama preached “the politics of unity”? But now, it seems like those happy dreams of “bipartisanship” have been dashed.

I mean, wasn’t this stimulus bill supposed to get at least 80 votes in the Senate? Wasn’t Republican Judd Gregg supposed to be our Commerce Secretary? Weren’t we all supposed to get along?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming President Obama for the collapse of “bipartisanship”. I just wonder if it was ever realistic for him to think the GOP would immediately cease fire and cooperate. After all, don’t they stand to gain more if Obama fails than if this nation were to succeed with Democratic policies?

Am I wrong? Am I being too cynical? Or am I onto something? Will the President need to focus more on keeping Democrats together than bringing in all the Republicans? What are you thinking this morning?

Let’s chat about what “the end of bipartisanship” really means.

6 Comments

  2. Perhaps the Democrats got an updated lesson on bi-partisanship from Bush 43. Remember the guy who ran for office in 2000 promising to be bi-partisan and then proceeded to let Karl Rove handle the details. And with Rove, there was no highway, only Cheney’s way.

  3. “After all, don’t they stand to gain more if Obama fails than if this nation were to succeed with Democratic policies?”

    Republicans have a lot to lose if the economy soars under Obama and Democrat policies.

    The reeps will be out of power for at least 30 years. This way it is all on the dems.

  4. Let’s be honest, Nancy has NOT helped the O man in any way, when it comes to crossing that bridge. Nor has she helped when it comes to actually getting the Spam-loaf Bill formed up so it had some real meat in it.
    Wait till the real contents come out. It’s full of chunks of pork and compost bucket leavings, held together with slime and pressed into a package, that frankly, if the constituent parts were served up, most would be considered inedible and waste. Before you jump all over me for pointing this out, go and look at some of the pieces they pressed into that 1000 page plus bill, that nobody yet knows the full recipe for.
    It’s a Spam-loaf Bill. ( I hope that mental image gags you as much as this wasteful bill gags me!)
    If you want everyone to sit down at the table and share a meal, then you have to cook one up that’s decent. Don’t blame the diners when the meal is bad and they leave the table.
    I will admit too, that there is plenty of blame to go around, I think the other side of the aisle got some of their junk in there too. (Did that shaker contain pepper or was it fly droppings?) I don’t think it made the recipe any better, especially for those of us who will have to pay for it.

  5. DClark & Carl-

    Thanks for giving me my morning laugh. Were House Republicans completely shut out? Forced into the basement? Told to shut up? While it’s sometimes fun to see you try to project Tom DeLay’s and Denny Hastert’s many faults onto Nancy Pelosi, I still have to call it out as false when it clearly is.

    And secondly, “pork” is in the eye of the beholder. What you call “pork” I clearly see as an affordable college education. What you consider “pork” I call a ride to work on the new high-speed rail line. What you say is “pork” I say is over 3.5 million jobs either saved or created.

    http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0273

    We tried “Bush-o-nomics” for eight long years, and we found it inadequate. Why can’t we try the same basic economic principles that kept this country working in the many decades before Bush?

  6. High speed rail project from DisneyLand to Vegas is meat? Are you serious? Andrew, are you really going to tell me that’s good for the nation? Hey, I like Vegas too but really…Do we NEED it? It’s in there go read the thing… There’s also a line item for millions that just says it goes to “science”, how vague can you get? I’m still trying to figure out some of the other “stuff” that’s in it…and it ain’t Good Housekeeping® approved.

    I know it’s raining out there, but that’s not what’s dripping down my back, no matter how much you tell me it’s rain.

    I may have been generous in calling it Spam loaf, at least Spam® is what it says it is. (sorry, Hormel® if you feel slighted)

    Glad you got a chuckle out it. I try to infuse some humor into the insanity called politics. But in all seriousness the blame goes both ways and I’m real tired of both sides blaming the other and not taking ownership of their own part in it.

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