The Republicans Have Nothing to Party About

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/20158

The Republicans Have Nothing to Party About
by Walter Brasch | February 6, 2009


Every House Republican and 11 Democrats voted against President Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus package. It still passed by a vote of 244 to 188.

There are enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill, but the obstructionist Republican minority, still nursing the wounds inflicted by the public in the November election, can block it by endless political maneuvering and a filibuster.

The Republicans wail that the President's stimulus package is laden with spending proposals that don't directly attack the recession. However, instead of debating the merits of the package, instead of proposing amendments to add to or subtract from the $819 billion, the Republicans ganged up, voted as a bloc, and placed party loyalty above the needs of the nation.

These are the same "fiscally responsible" Republicans who weren't reluctant to give away billions of taxpayer money to Halliburton, KBR, and other corporations favored by the Bush-Cheney Administration. These are the same Republicans who did little to control runaway spending that brought the nation from a surplus when Bill Clinton left office to the largest deficit in the history of the nation. These are also the same Republicans, unfortunately assisted by a large chunk of complicit Democrats, who most assuredly weren't reluctant to create a $750 billion bailout package that benefited banks, insurance companies, and the Wall Street millionaires of greed, and was lacking adequate oversight or accountability.

snip//

What these politicians don't acknowledge is that their constituents, the American people, wanted Barack Obama to become president and lead the nation out of its myriad problems. One week after the inauguration, scientific polls showed President Obama with about a 70 percent popularity rating, the highest of any president in his first week. Only 12 percent were negative--the lowest of any president, and that includes George Washington.

In his inaugural address, Barack Obama told the nation "the time has come to set aside childish things." A core of Republicans don't understand this--they have dug in their heels and like Peter Pan are belting out the verse that they don't want to grow up.

If the Republican minority continues to whine, complain, and try to block the nation's recovery, they will cement their future as defenders of corporate greed and petty politics at the expense of the needs of the people.

[BigBearJohn]

1. The pugs are doing everything in their power to drag Obama thru the dirt.

They want to destroy his presidency so bad they can taste it.

It is amazing to watch how despicable they get. I never cease to
be amazed at the depth of their depravity.

[Enthusiast]

5. With the help of the media

they are doing a fine job of it. Destroy his presidency I mean.

[Joe the Liberal]

2. Republicans are pathetic.............

their party's survival is solely based on blocking everything the Democrats do.....pathetic, truly pathetic.

[Seldona]

3. Even repub governors begged them not to do this.

I agree with the op. If they keep standing in the way of the progress that the people voted for, they will be toast come 2010 imo. It remains to be seen if they allow the American public to suffer while they quibble, after having shoveled money out the door as fast as they could to Wall Street with no strings attached.

[depakid]

4. Wishful thinking

The author seems to have little or no grasp of recent history.

Republicans won't be blamed for the failures- cowardly Democrats will- and, as it happens this time that's where the blame belongs.

Pandering to Republicans- "compromising" and watering down legislation so that it's ultimately ineffective falls squarely on the Democratic leadership and Obama- who thus far have failed to use their nearly unprecidented political capital to stand up to the far right.

Instead, they meekly get run over in the media- fail to get their message out and explain clearly to the people what's at stake- and who's right, who's wong and why.

Failure to define the opponent cost the Obama campaign dearly over the summer of 2008- and it looks as though they've not learned much from the experience.