The GOP Just Won’t Quit
Is it me or has anyone else noticed that our party is up to its old tricks again as a new administration works at trying to fix a mess that has been eight years in the making, sort of like the boil that finally needs lancing.
House Minority Leader John Boehner is seen whining about spending money for contraceptives but no one seems to bat an eyelash at the millions that are being spent each month on the war in Iraq.
If I were a Republican in Congress, I’d suck it up, roll up my sleeves and work with the new team to try and accomplish something that was beneficial for the American people and not the narrow limited interests of those people looking to re-election in two years. The tiresome refrain of my party needs to stop and we need to banish from our psyche the position of being “the opposition.” The party looks and sounds like marginalized spoiled brats.
Opposition has its place and time — now, however, is not the time.
I totally agree, Golf. I am all for taking a stand, but the way that they are picking apart minuscule amounts of the dollars spent (I know that $200 million is a lot of money, but not in a $825 billion package), it makes us look like we are nothing more than spoilers and spoiled kids that want some candy. Compromise works both ways. They gave us some tax cuts, and we can give them some spending.
I just read on Yahoo that President Obama has asked Pelosi to remove the funds for contraceptives, as a signal to Republicans that he really want a spirit of bi-partisanship. The question is, will we co-operate in that spirit, or continue to play obstructionist?
WHAT happened to the promises of working together on the package? That was less than a week ago, and it seems to have gone by the wayside.
Am I misunderstanding, or are we pushing for more tax cuts for the upper income levels that Bush was so fond of? Isn’t that part of what got us into this mess in the first place? It’s time for my party to go back to ideals instead of ideology.
On one hand, I actually sympathize with the Republicans. It’s true– if they do reach some sort of middle ground with Obama and the Democrats in congress, it’s letting them win (politically). The Republicans feel that the only way they can get back in power is to continue to attack the Democrats.
But there’s another way that they don’t have the courage to go with– coming up with solutions on their own, in addition to waiting for the Democrats to trip up. If Boehner was offering anything other than tax cuts (which is so pathetically the only Republican answer to anything anymore), then maybe the Republican could make a case for being the smarter party.
Yeah, I had heard that Obama wanted to pull that out of the bill, and I was inspired by that. He is keeping his promise to the Republicans that helped get him elected, to work with Republicans on compromises like this. We would be foolish not to accept the olive branch.
If you want more proof that the stimulus fight is about political considerations only… Boehner instructed GOP housemembers to vote against the bill– ahead of President Obama’s meeting with them earlier today.
They couldn’t at least LISTEN to what the guy had to say. Maybe he would be willing to push for less contraceptive $$$.
Obama as Suzi mentioned called Pelossi and told her she shouldn’t have put that contraceptive stuff in the bill and that he wanted it out. So now that it’s out, what’s the objection?
I think Obama should wait for the vote on the House floor and then pull a Reagan and talk to the American people and tell them that their members are voting and playing politics with their future and the economic health of the country. That’ll get the phone on the hill lit up like a Christmas tree.
I just saw this and couldn’t edit my comment but this says it much better than I could:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/opinion/27herbert.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
The Republicans have stated that they want 40% of the package to be in tax cuts. I think it’s at about 1/3 now, so it’s getting close. I wonder how this will all play out? Will Obama extend another olive branch, or will our party “just say no” regardless of what concessions are made?
Good op-ed piece Golf. That pretty much sums up where we stand. If we don’t make internal and external changes soon, we will no longer be a viable party.
Meh, I’m not too crazy about Bob Herbert’s opinion piece, but I do agree that tax cuts aren’t the answer to every problem this country has.
Especially not during time of war.
The fact that Obama is offering any tax cut at all should be enough to satisfy the GOP. He didn’t have to.
The only thing I didn’t like about this column was:
“This is a party that, given a choice between Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, would choose Ronald Reagan in a heartbeat.”
I think we should choose aspects of both Lincoln and Reagan.
I agree, Brandon. Both men had good ideas, and bad ideas. I think we need a mixture of the two.