Occasionally I may make some of you angry because Im going to reach out to Republicans and Im going to keep on doing it, President Obama said at a Democratic fundraiser last night. Even if some of you think Im a sap Im going to keep on doing it because thats what I think the country needs. Given the current state of the Regressive Party I dont think this is what the country needs, at least not in the way Obama has been reaching out -- putting compromises on the table before negotiations have even begun (cutting future Social Security benefits); setting lines in the sand and then caving (insisting the Bush tax cuts would not be extended to incomes over $250K and then extending them up to $400K); giving them easy escapes from the consequences of their policies (avoiding the fiscal cliff); allowing them to use the filibuster to thwart a large majority of voters (background checks before gun purchases); trying to reassure them by moving to the right (increasing deportations); and legitimizing their views (setting up Simpson-Bowles deficit commission and saying government budgets are like family budgets). The way to reach out to Republicans is to be mercilessly tough on them -- using the powers of the presidency to punish and reward them (and their constituents), holding them publicly accountable, leading the charge against the filibuster, and not giving an inch. When Obama reaches out to them as he has, congressional Republicans see only weakness, and theyve used that weakness against him time and again.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:05:20 +0000
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