Obama Is The President, Not King, Not Dictator, Not Emperor, PRESIDENT

[Yavin4]

He cannot and does not have the power nor the ability to enact into law whatever he wants to enact. In order for him to get anything done, he needs the consent of the legislature. You remember, the co-equal branch of our government.

Yes, the Democrats have the majorities in the House and the Senate, and in the House, it will be easier for Obama to get what he wants. However, the story is very different in the Senate. Yes, in the Senate, the Dems have a majority, but they are not a majority of progressives. There are quite a few conservative Dems in the Senate, and they will easily join the Republicans on filibusters, see Ben Nelson, Democrat from Nebraska.

Hell, there were some people angry at Obama for allowing Lieberman to keep his chairmanships. Without Lieberman, the proposed filibuster may have happened.

The idea that Obama can get whatever he wants whenever he wants it from Congress without compromise is absolutely ignorant.

[Astrad]

1. B*sh did. n/t

[liberal N proud]

6. And where did that get America?

[Yavin4]

9. Republicans Are Nazi-Like

They follow their leader without question.

[Still Sensible]

13. Yes, because the GOP is a much smaller tent

and they were able to get them to march in lockstep--especially after 9/11. For fear of electoral retaliation, enough democrats went with them often enough for them to ram through a lot of their most right wing agenda. Since about 1980, the GOP has steadily moved farther right. When they fully integrated the fundies (using abortion as the wedge issue), the move rightward made a big step. When 9/11 occurred, the fear campaign of Bushco accelerated the move to be even more RW... and they used the MIC and the final deregulation initiatives to get to the farthest right they have probably ever been. The GOP of 2008 looks nothing like the GOP of even 1980.

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. I agree with you gist, but your assertion that the branches of government are 'co-equal' is not

supported by anything in the Constitution.

[kestrel91316]

7. So do you mean to say that the checks and balances between

the three branches of government are a figment of our imaginations? Because I'm pretty sure they are in the Constitution........

[TTUBatfan2008]

3. Kind of amusing that Bush got whatever he wanted...

All that fear mongering on national security tends to work wonders on making Democrats fall in line with the Republican POTUS' nutjob agenda.

[jberryhill]

11. Yeah, that privatized social security is a bitch

...but the manned mission to Mars is making up for it.

Ummmmm... wait a minute....

[Thrill]

4. You mean this isn't China?

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. so what's your point?

People are MAD at congress. If they threaten filibuster, LET THEM. Let the public see who is impeding a solution to the crisis. Hell, don't LET them filibuster - MAKE THEM filibuster. Pre-emptively rolling over for the conservatives gains us nothing.

[loyalkydem]

8. THEN GET THE HELL OVER IT

Republicans have had their way for 8 years. Bush has had his way for 8 years. The page is turning and I'm pleased with what I'm saying

[Better Believe It]

10. And now it appears that three Republicans are running the Senate

[Jennicut]

14. At least Collins and the other two pushed for increased infrastructure

spending. I guess we could threaten a filibuster but the problem is Harry Reid. Obama has to go over him or around him. I have a feeling that getting Snowe, Collins, and Specter on our side will be good for future legislation.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. It would be kind of funny to go back and look at posts pushing

filibusters and all wouldn't it?... Nahh... it wouldn't. It would show us that we're just as bad as them and we can't have that.

[depakid]

15. The reality is that he's got unprecidented political capital

and could have gotten most anything he wanted in this bill.

Bush had much less for years- and got much more for it.

So much for that rationalization.