Obama Finally Gets His Victory For Bipartisanship

[Joanne98]

You can blame a bad candidate, bad organization, bad timing of a vacation--choose your rationalization. But the reality is that voters in Massachusetts were reacting to the same foul mist coming off Boston Harbor that New Jersey Voters smelled coming off the Hudson and Virginia voters, the Chesapeake.

What they all understood was that the source lay on the shores of the Potomac.

It is a truly remarkable feat, in just one year's time, to turn the fear and anger voters felt in 2006 and 2008 at a Republican Party that had destroyed the economy, redistributed massive amounts of wealth from the middle class to the richest of the rich and the biggest of big businesses, and waged a trillion-dollar war in the wrong country, into populist rage at whatever Democrat voters can cast their ballot against.

All of this was completely predictable. And it was predicted. I wrote about it for the first time here on the sixth day of Obama's presidency, and many of us have written about it in the intervening year.

Continued>>>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/obama-finally-gets-his-vi_b_429232.html

[Joanne98]

1. Barney Frank is caving already

I have two reactions to the election in Massachusetts. One, I am disappointed. Two, I feel strongly that the Democratic majority in Congress must respect the process and make no effort to bypass the electoral results.

If Martha Coakley had won, I believe we could have worked out a reasonable compromise between the House and Senate healthcare bills. But since Scott Brown has won and the Republicans now have 41 votes in the Senate, that approach is no longer appropriate.

I am hopeful that some Republican senators will be willing to discuss a revised version of healthcare reform because I do not think that the country would be well-served by the healthcare status quo. But our respect for democratic procedures must rule out any effort to pass a healthcare bill as if the Massachusetts election had not happened.

Going forward, I hope there will be a serious effort to change the Senate rule which means that 59 votes are not enough to pass major legislation, but those are the rules by which the healthcare bill was considered, and it would be wrong to change them in the middle of this process.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/19/barney-frank-concedes-hea_n_429128.html

[depakid]

2. I guessed it was Dr, Westen writing before I even clicked on the link

and he's not alone- a lot of us have observed and commented on the dynamic, too.

Even making predictions about what would happen if it continued.

And continue it did.

It's as if some folks never learned a thing from the past 20 some odd years.

[saigon68]

4. For the past 6 months some of us here predicted this

Thank little Boot-Licker rahm for Rehabilitating the CHIMPANZEE





"BRING EM ON", shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[AnArmyVeteran]

11. GREAT picture of the ex-chump chimp in chief GW Bush!!!

Great picture! It should be displayed over every picture of the inept & doltish Bush all across our country. BTW, I served my country during Vietnam and I didn't get a safe place to hide as Bush did. In basic training everyone was given a test. It was taken in four stages. After the first test was taken 1/4 of the recruits were taken from the building and they were sent to advanced infantry training and then sent to Vietnam. Bush scored in the bottom fourth of the pilot's aptitude test but was still allowed to fly. Had he been drafted and been tested in basic training, he would certainly have been sent to Vietnam. I always wonder who died in Vietnam so scum like Bush, Cheney, Limbaugh and their ilk could live and later deeply harm our country.

[saigon68]

15. Had to supervise some of those Einsteins

Cheney, the Chimp and Clinton were big time Draft Dodgers

[Joanne98]

5. I know. They run the same play for two decades. Move to the right and lose.

Watch them do it again. Barney Frank's statement already. "We have to work with Republicans" I could just kill.

[depakid]

6. Some of the "leaders" rarely skip a beat- or miss a chance to empower the opposition

while taking their own core constituencies for granted- or worse, treating them with condescension.

[Joanne98]

7. I know it's infuriating.

[DrDan]

3. great article

nothing that has not been argued here for months. But well written and on-target.

[freddie mertz]

8. K & R. Westen once again cuts to the bone.

Sadly, I fear the Dems in Washington will not be listening.

Tin ears.

[wuvuj]

9. Take some advice from he who knows?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[nightrain]

10. knr. Great Westin article. And see Cenk link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTF2Xb6uvAw


For some reason, it won't post in Political Videos.

[pscot]

12. Great article

Thanks for posting.

[burning rain]

13. k & r for the truth, however depressing. nt

.

[Vidar]

14. K&R.