I Guess I'm the Only One Who Thinks This Will All Blow Up In the Republicans' Faces

[Solomon]

Let them do what they will. From my perspective, they have a shovel in their hands and they are digging their own graves.

But then again. I'm just as stupid as Obama is. Everyone else is so much smarter and knows better.

I have come to the conclusion that it is absolutely absurd for people to think that they know better than Obama how to navigate upstream through treacherous waters. He's only been doing that all of his life. All his life.

It is amusing to me to watch republicans take credit for refusing to help fix a disaster. Not only are they owning it, but they are bragging about it glee.

So sorry their misguided glee is upsetting so many DUers. When Bush was in office, everyone here castigated the media. Now that Obama is in, when I click on DU, all I see are media memes. The media tells people what Americans think about something (as if they know) and people here use it as proof of their doubts.

I think Obama's strategy is very very long-term, even while he struggles to get something done right now. A lot of people would rather have revenge than to be placed on a good sound footing for the future.

[Blue Meany]

1. I'm thinking along the same lines...

Democrats in the Senate are scrambling to revise the stimulus bill to get 60 votes to overide a fillibuster. I say make them fillibuster! Let the country see them play politics in the face of catastrophe.

[nichomachus]

2. That's what Clinton did

He let the GOP shut down the government -- and they took a hit for it.

[roguevalley]

14. since they have nothing to offer, they will bury themselves.

[nichomachus]

17. Never underestimate the ability

of the American public to vote against their own best interests. How do you think we got in this mess to begin with?

[SharonAnn]

68. I think they're preparing to hang themselves. If not this time, then next time.

[rvablue]

15. Indeed. That was pretty much the end of Newt and his "Contract on America." n/t

[damonm]

3. You're not the only dummy here, then.

I agree - LET the Rethugs filibuster. Let America see that their version of "Country First" is actually "to Hell with everyone but Republicans!"

You're kicked and recommended!

[emulatorloo]

4. I'm thinking so too -

It is becoming pretty clear that they have one interest and one interest only

- regaining power for themselves and the Republican party by trying to embarass Obama with loud-mouth "objections"

They have no interest in the fate of the country, just themselves and the GOP.

They are going to be on the wrong side of history.

[Richardo]

5. K&R

Thanks :patriot:

[dave29]

6. revenge is the operative theme

people are mad as hell, it's blurring the vision

[skeewee08]

7. I'm with you

[uponit7771]

8. It's not Obama I'm concerned about it's our leader less congress, Reid a punk and Pelosi has no real

...influence on house dems. Why would she let that bill go to the floor knowing there was TOO MANY things the GOP was going to pick at and then couch the bill as "stimulus"

[KittyWampus]

10. hello? That's how you negotiate. Start with more and end up with less.

[underpants]

9. The media couldn't put in away in the primaries or the general election

the public clearly either ignored the MSM or wholly rejected them

I doubt this time the results will be any different

I agree with you.

[ShortnFiery]

11. Nope, count me in. I'm with you on this one: Obama's playing Chess in a Game Show World Mentality.

:thumbsup:

[Coexist]

12. what a great post.

all of it.

[wryter2000]

13. I think it'll blow up in their faces

If they're hoping for a repeat of 1993-4, they're mistaken. People are desperate now. They want something done.

[HOLOS]

16. K&R nt

[Solomon]

18. My God! I can't believe it. There are others who think

we are on the correct path. It's so hard to tell from all the "No He Can't" posts lately. Thanks. I am heartened by the replies here.

The pessimism was driving me nuts.

There will indeed come a time when Obama will come out swinging, but he has to set it up first. I guess I'm more patient than others. I want the set-up to be really really good. I don't want him to shoot his load before the right time.

Right now what I see, is the republicans and the media shooting all their ammunition. Obama will still be standing when the dust clears.

He will be able to say "shame on you" but none will be able to say it to him.

[rufus dog]

30. I have no problem with Obama holding off.

I do have HUGE issues with Reid, Pelosi, and others in the Admin holding off. Gibbs was asked a simple question today regarding getting 60 votes for the stimulus bill. His job is to sell and to lower expectations and he should have immediately responded that 50 votes are required.

[AlinPA]

49. Why just a simple majority? I don't understand why Gibbs would not think

that 60 are needed.

[Peacetrain]

43. Exactly how I see it also..

[ShadowLiberal]

19. With how biased the media reporting against the bill has been, it might not be

The media has been very antiStimulus lately, especially with putting a lot more republicans on to attack it then they are democrats to defend it.

If the GOP filibusters it the media will probably just spin it as "Obama gets another embarrassing political blow with the failure of the stimulus bill".

[SIMPLYB1980]

20. You are not alone. nt.

[4lbs]

21. Anyone who has read President Obama's two books has a good idea what he's doing.

I'm not worried.

[geek tragedy]

26. I read them, and what he's doing is getting rolled by

the Republicans because he believes in this postpartisan unity garbage.

His greatest strength as a politician, and his greatest weakness as President.

[4lbs]

27. So, when he actually succeeds, will you admit you were wrong in thinking this?

n/t

[Baltoman991]

32. Getting rolled?

Sorry, but inspite of your constant slamming of President Obama, I to agree with the OP in that he's allowing the Republicans enough rope to hang themselves.

A chump gets rolled, Obama is no ones chump. The American people have become an alert people for the most part. It started in 2006 and Obama is smart enough to know that. He's put his trust in us to continue to see things for what they are and not what the media tries to portray them as.

Nope, Obama isn't going to fail. Whoever you supported in the primaries will have to try again in 8 years. Obama isn't going anywhere in 2012 but back to the White House.

[Ikonoklast]

57. And you are relentlessly negative on everything he does.

You are as transparent and clueless as the Republics that are getting rolled up by President Obama.

[tavalon]

22. No, you aren't alone in thinking that

But I sure wish everyone repug or not, would get the seriousness of this and stop acting like it's a game of one upsmanship.

[ColesCountyDem]

23. You're not alone.

Every single Democrat I know is pissed off about those obstructionist bastards, as are a surprisingly large number of Republicans I know.

[Ikonoklast]

24. Another dummy here.

I can't wait for the Republic's own sound bites get used against them in the next election cycles.

The smarmy, smug assholes.

[geek tragedy]

25. The 'keeping his powder dry' theory. Where have I heard that one

before.

Sorry, your guy Obama values getting along with Republicans over improving the economy.

He'll win the popularity contest, and they'll win the public debate and the issues.

[Solomon]

29. LOL

You know, I just gotta laugh. I won't say anything else. I been laughing at Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levine. I love their shows now. Because they hang themselves with their own words. Gleefully gloating that they are "rolling over" Obama.

[MadMaddie]

28. Solomon I agree with you!!

I do believe he has a long term strategy.

The Republicans have been in such a childish mindset that they ran any and most moderate intellectuals out of their own party. They are the party of Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. Both who talk a lot of shit but know not what they talk about.

It's been 14 days and we have seen some tangible change, not from the Repugs but from the different organizations with new Leadership.

Patience.....my friends that is what we must have.

[Solomon]

31. Indeed.

Well said. :thumbsup:

[demo dutch]

33. I agree however any delay they cause could plunge the country into depression. In the 30's govtm

dragged its feet and it took WWII to really climb out of the GREAT depression

[Solomon]

34. Yeah but look at it this way. If that happens, who gets the blame.

By attempting to include them Obama comes out clean. It was the other side that obstructed. But imagine the scenario in which, from the very first moment, he started trying to roll them as some people here wnat him to do. They would be able to obstruct much longer under that scenario than the present one. They could then blame it on partisan politics, etc. Obama gets the blame in that scenario.

So what looks like going the long way around, actually takes the less amount of time. They only have so much time to stall when Obama is being gracious to them, but if Obama took the route many here wanted him to take they would be able to stall forever.

[demo dutch]

52. They'll find a way to blame the Dems since they ran Congress since 2006

[mzmolly]

35. Nope

:evilgrin:

[Juche]

36. Obama is good at letting people destroy themselves

Rather than a frontal attack, he seems to goad and direct his opponents into acts that destroy their own reputation. In the primaries he did it with Hillary & Bill (there was talk that Bill Clinton's relationship with the black community would be tarnished forever because of the primaries) and he did it with McCain in the general. Even though McCain won in 2004 by about 50 points, polls showed him likely to lose in 2010 against the governor by about 10 points. That is a 60 point drop in your partisan support. Huge

I think he is up to the same thing right now. Let the GOP slap the hand that offers to listen to them, and let them offer failed, plutocratic solutions to complex economic problems. They are destroying their reputations with everyone under 30 as we speak.

So yeah, long term Obama probably knows what he is doing. But short term it can be very frustrating. It was very frustrating in the political campaign when he did the same thing.

[backscatter712]

37. Giving 'em enough rope to hang themselves.

Obama knows what he's doing. He occasionally stumbles, but he's gotten back up, got himself and his team back on task, and he's back to beating the Senate Rethugs over the head with the two-by-four of public opinion and demands for action.

Watch in the next few days as the filibuster efforts collapse.

[Solomon]

38. Yep. They can't afford to filibuster. I hope Limbaugh and

Hannity keep whipping up their idiots to expect a filibuster. I'm going to enjoy watching their heads explode as they start putting the republicans who voted for it on their shit list. LOL After whipping up so much frenzy, they will have to explain why they voted for it.

[ejpoeta]

39. I hope so. but it sucks when you have the narrative about

how the stimulus bill is filled with pork. what is your definition of pork!!! makes me SOOO mad. tax cuts. that's all the republicans want. we've had eight years of tax cuts. boy oh boy has that been successful!! so lets keep doing it. the thing which has helped get us into this situation we should just keep doing to get us out of it. of course. makes PERFECT sense. ARRRGGHHHH!!! i think it's great obama wanting to include the republicans and all, but it seems like their whole goal here is to make the dems look foolish right now. screw the republicans!!! do what needs to be done and if the republicans want to stand in the way, they can be to blame if it fails and things get worse. if obama and the dems keep trying to appease the republicans and get some watered down bill, and it passes... and it doesn't do a lot. the dems will be blamed because their plan, which isn't really their plan, didn't work.

[Solomon]

40. I look at it another way. The dems threw all the goodies they

could in there so that they could throw some things out. The republicans were never going to agree with the figures the dems came up with so why not load it up so that you can at least get the essentials. The republicans will try and save face by pretending that they "fixed" the bill. I don't give a damn about that as long as we get a bill passed. Sure, there's going to be a lot of weeping and wailing from the left about what they cut out, but if the dems had given them the bottom line, they would have cut that too.

[ejpoeta]

42. i understand what you are saying, and it makes sense.

but it sure seems like the republicans are acting impossible. they get something taken out and they still piss and moan about it. it seems like they aren't going to like ANY thing because it's the dem's idea.

[bunkerbuster1]

41. This is how I would bet, as well.

I'm not saying I KNOW it's going to work out poorly, politically, for the GOP. But I think they're playing a very weak hand, and all their bluster can't hide how weak they are.

[AlinPA]

44. Whether good or bad results - Obama will be credited (or blamed). Republicans have

no reason to enable any credit for Obama for a stimulus package. The election is next year and without a stimulus, Obama will be blamed. Simple for them. They control the media.

[Solomon]

45. Well, Let's see what happens.

Obama has a way of letting circumstances force his enemy's hand. He's a shrewd poker player.

[AlinPA]

48. The CSPAN interviews with Snowe and Collins show them at least talking

with Obama. I'm thinking Limbaugh will issue an order to republicans to vote down anything when they try cloture.

[Demi_Babe]

46. great post

[Solomon]

51. That is kind of you. Just think on it. Every trap thus far that has

been set for Obama winds up backfiring on his enemy. If you think, you will remember them. Like when McCain said Obama hadn't been to Iraq. Barack turned the tables by going over there and causing a worldwide sensation. Let's face it. Now that we can look back at it, it was sensational.

And what did they do? Say stupid things like, "the Europeans like him so that's unamerican". And here's a good stupidity. They were complaining that he said he was a citizen of the world. LOL

Now when the American people were dumbed down by being talked down too, it accepted this kind of bullshit. But now as Obama has stated, the "ground has shifted underneath them". The American people are waking up and can see through a lot of the crap now. When that starts to happen, it's too our advantage that they continue to spout their nonsense because it gets finally exposed as nonsense.

[tilsammans]

47. No, you're not the only one . . .

The more reading I've done on Obama, the more I see how effective his strategy has been.

:kick:

[Hatchling]

50. Make the fillibuster!

I had just emailed my senators with that thought and then I saw your thread.

[demo dutch]

53. but here's an interesting link... 3 out of 4 like Stim Bill but many want changes to Democrats' bill

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/stimulus/2009/02/03/poll-stimulus-is-popular-but-many-want-changes-to-democrats-bill.html

[Jennicut]

54. so 75% of Americans support the stimulus bill in some form

Yes, many want some changes but that is part of governing. Take some stupid stuff out, leave in the core good things that will help stimulate the economy. I guess the MSM and Rethugs DO NOT control the agenda.

[demo dutch]

55. They want a Stim but but majority of Americans think current proposal should change dramatically or

or be blocked.

[Numba6]

56. well, the GOP is betting the bank you're wrong

But are they betting on red or on black?

[Beetwasher]

59. They Already Put All Their Chips On Bush

They're out of chips.

[Phx_Dem]

58. I'm totally with you. The economy will begin to turn later this year

and they'll be looking like idiots. And then we'll use their ridiculous comments about the stimulus plan in campaign ads to get rid of the few that are left. If they aren't going to work with Pres Obama, then I'm glad they voted in unision against him. Better for us in the long run.

[pruple]

60. they already have a new meme

Some repubs are now saying that the economy was going to get better on it's own. When the improvement comes they will say it would have happened anyway and the stimulus wasn't needed.

[Phx_Dem]

65. That message was totally expected. What else can they

say when the economy starts to recover? By saying this, they're just reinforcing Obama's message that Republicans wanted to sit back and do nothing while the economy was swirling the drain. Good luck with that argument.

Economists will be able to tell if the stimulus packaged helped by tracking certain markets that received stimulus funds, like construction jobs, retail spending, job loss, etc.

Republicans think everyone is as stupid as they are, or as stupid as they want us to be.

[opihimoimoi]

61. Whine and denigrate....thats what they eat...

[CitizenPatriot]

62. You are not alone, Oh WIse One

thanks for the post...

This thread has gone very well...I was expecting something else to happen. Kudos to you:-)

Another Stupid Person who has been smirking like the chimp for days as the Pukes make fools of themselves....tripping on their own bull.

No, the pukes are never going to be reasonable and they would have made fun of whatever we had in the bill. The real point is that we are the majority and we shouldn't give a crap what they think about it. It's frustrating listening to the media, no doubt...drives me insane. but the media was doing the same hit job during the election, and the public saw through it.

Comedy has always saved us. Soon, they will be lampooned on every comedy show as whiny babies who hate americans...and the curtain will fall on them.

[BootinUp]

63. I am in Obama's corner for the long haul.

thanks for your thoughtful post. :)

[quickesst]

64. I'd say you're in the majority....easily

It just seems the other way around. A hundred people speaking in a normal tone aren't nearly as loud as ten screaming at the top of their lungs. You're probably right, too much msm. I have my own theory though. Some progressive democrats just aren't happy if they can't feel offended by something(flavor of the week), and making sure everyone knows about it.("Look at me!:bounce: ) Maybe I'm just getting the wrong impression.:shrug: Thanks.
quickesst

[Fire Walk With Me]

66. Republicans have been doing pretty much whatever they want, since Reagan

more and more blatantly, until a couple of months ago, they were stealing our tax dollars, giving them to their friends, and laughing in our faces as they did so.

They do not parse that things have changed, and likely will remain changed, and that they had better get on board or end up wondering what happened.

[Better Believe It]

67. Why do you think the Republicans had better get on board?

They seem to be paralyzing the Senate Democrats with their threats of filibusters and the Democrats seem to have accepted the false Republican claim that Democrats need 60 votes in the Senate in order to approve legislation and appointments.

How come the Republicans only needed 51 votes to approve legislation and appointments when George W. Bush was President and now the Democrats need 60 votes with Barack Obama as President?

I'm still waiting for a clear explanation to this question.