Via Politico:
"If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."
--Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) July 2009
Via Joe Klein at Time:
"So this is not the time to let them off the ropes. This is the week to highlight every problem, every terrible provision, in the Democratic bills: from taxes and spending to government control and rationing to federal funding for abortion and government-required death-with-dignity counseling sessions for the elderly. Throw the kitchen sink at the legislation now on the table, drive a stake through its heart (I apologize for the mixed metaphors), and kill it.
Then opponents can say, of course we do want to pass sensible health reform. But to do so, we need to start over."
-- William Kristol at Weekly Standard July 20, 2009
TW: I hit health care hard and will continue to do so. But understand the Republicans could care less about actually helping Americans without care (50 million) or actually slowing the growth of health care costs (they oppose just about any initiative to do so, will get into this more later).
This is about electoral calculations. Bill Clinton had his knees nearly cut out from under him in 1994, helping set the table for the infamous 1994 Republican Gingrich led sweep of Congress in November. The Republicans would like to go back to the future. Meanwhile NOTHING would be done to address health care reform.
Kristol says we need to start over. That is cynical crap. Delay means never and these folks know it. These are the same folks (literally) that led us into Iraq and set the table for the Great Contraction (i.e. oppose any meaningful regulatory reform, cut taxes for wealthy as fast as possible etc.). Why are they even at the table?
2 comments:
No different than what the Democrats do when a Republican President is in office.. Washington is broken and the 2 party system is broken beyond repair.. There is a need for a 3rd party to end these childish games that to your point hurt all of us.. The problem is when will Americans wake up and demand "REAL" change..
I think or I should say HOPE there will be a "REAL" change candidate in my lifetime. Obama is a good start but not strong enough to attack the hand that feeds him.. That is why there needs to be a 3rd party candidate to come in and fix this mess. I have no clue who it will be but then who knew who Obama was 5 years ago??
I disagree with your premise that there is not a difference.
Bush/Republicans had three big initiatives:
1) cut taxes for the wealthy
2) go to war with Iraq
3) further their culture wars
4) privitize Social Security or at least push it in that direction
The Democrats failed to prevent 1 and 2 and in fact largely supported them. Republicans made much progress in 3 despite Democratic opposition. Democrats with substantial Republican support stopped 4.
With health care reform (and other issues) I aver that the Republicans owe the American people a valid alternative or something beyond blind opposition.
As for 3rd parties, u assume some magical super-majority of "centrists" presumably would glom to a 3rd party to the extent "centrist" policy could be enacted despite the realities that force the 2 big parties towards mediocre to bad governance. This is gaga land stuff.
Americans get shitty governance because they refuse to sacrifice, elect mediocrities and generally vote for things that benefit themselves especially if they do not have to pay for them.
I defy someone to come up with a better person to put in the POTUS slot than Obama yet he struggles to herd the cats because Americans dont want the cats to be herded.
Post a Comment