Republicans: good at theatre, dreadful at governing ...

[BlueMTexpat]

From Michael Tomasky in The Guardian (UK, of course) on-line ...

<snip>
... Having taken control of the House of Representatives as of tomorrow, Republicans now have to govern. They have to do things like make a budget. And not just a fake budget, like in a campaign. A real budget, that adds up, more or less. They have to negotiate with a Senate still in Democratic hands over the final shape of appropriations to the various federal agencies. All that sounds suspiciously like hard work. And Washington Republicans, for all their thumpety-thump rhetoric about hard work and personal initiative and so on, are largely lazy and unserious people. They won't do the work, and in two years, it will show.

<snip>
... When I say lazy I don't mean that they fail to arise from bed. They manage that. I mean intellectually lazy. And yes, unserious. Let's look at the last three Republican presidents, going back to 1980. In that time Republicans have been screaming about the budget deficit. So what did they actually do to fix it? Ronald Reagan opened up a gaping hole, which was somewhat repaired from its worst point by the time he left office but was still far larger than that of Jimmy Carter, his predecessor. On the whole, Reagan lost America $81bn. Think that's a lot? George HW Bush cost the country $135bn. Think that's a lot? His son cost us – get ready – $632bn. Bill Clinton, meanwhile, made us $526bn.

<snip>

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/04/republicans-good-theatre-dreadful-governing

...
Hang tight, all! We do live in interesting times.

[Old and In the Way]

1. The Republican Legislative Playbook is pretty simple, actually.

When a Republican is President and they are the majority - rubberstamp everything.
When a Democrat is President and they are a minority, obstruct everything.
When a Democrat is President and they are a majority - impeach!

And, always blame Democrats for the problems they themselves have created.

[BlueMTexpat]

3. That certainly is the Playbook - even a moron can follow it.

GOP = Goofy Old Party

btw, I LOVE your name!

[gratuitous]

2. It's a good things these facts are off limits for discussion stateside

Thank you, librul media!

[emulatorloo]

4. Good Op-Ed. And it is the TRUTH

This crowd is clueless.

[pacalo]

5. It seems like after Watergate, the Republicans have spent more time focusing on

"getting even" with the Democrats, even though Nixon's plumbers got caught red-handed, &, well, the investigation led to one crime after another. Democrats were to blame for holding Nixon accountable.

Enter one thug puppet president after another because, clearly, the focus of their party is now punitive revenge against successful Democratic programs.

All they know how to do in post-Watergate times is to campaign, smear, divide, fabricate, prevaricate, & to do everything they can to hurt Democrats. They never took the time to learn how to lead. They only know how to break things.