Eugene Robinson: GOP Tunnel Vision

[babylonsister]

GOP Tunnel Vision

Posted on Sep 13, 2011
By Eugene Robinson



snip//

So the initial reaction from Republicans sounded almost conciliatory. “We believe creating long-term, sustainable jobs must be the top priority for elected leaders of both parties, and it is our desire to work with you to find common ground,” Speaker John Boehner and his House leadership team wrote in a letter to Obama. “While we have a different vision ... we believe your ideas merit consideration by the Congress.”

Sounds great. But from all evidence, not a word is true.

The Republican Party clearly has three priorities that outrank job creation: defeating President Obama, cutting taxes and reducing the size of government. The party’s “desire ... to find common ground” is nonexistent, as shown by its refusal, during the debt-ceiling fight, to accept a deal offering three dollars in spending cuts for every dollar of new revenue. GOP presidential candidates, who will be setting the party’s political tone, have pledged to reject even a 10-to-1 deal.

snip//

The GOP’s next move is entirely predictable: chop the American Jobs Act into little pieces, revise the parts they like to make them more consistent with ultraconservative values, pass those elements and reject the rest as not being “common ground.” We’ve seen this movie before.

A senior White House official told me last week that this time is different. The official said Obama will continue to push for the whole enchilada—the tax cuts, the infrastructure bank, the targeted assistance for veterans and teachers, all of it. Such resolve, if Obama follows through, is music to the Democratic base and good news for the economy.

more...

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/gop_tunnel_vision_20110913/

[treestar]

1. In all fairness

I know right wingers who would call Boner a liberal for making that statement. It would be a major cave to them if Congress passes anything at all. The think it should be determined by the free market and that government should keep their hands off completely. Boner's statement sounds as if he assigns government a role.

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. K&R

:dem: