Obama will ride to the rescue - for the Republicans

[COLGATE4]

Cenk Ugyur in today's Huffington Post makes an excellent case for what he believes Obama's motivations driving his actions are re the present negotiations:

"...

There is only one person who can rescue the Republican Party now -- Barack Obama. And he will. I have been saying for over two years now that President Obama is dying to do the Grand Bargain. He will do it at any cost. In fact, he actively wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. He can't wait for that pat on the back from the establishment when they finally call him post-partisan, above party politics, and a statesman for screwing over his own voters. This is by far his greatest wish.

I couldn't believe that people couldn't believe that President Obama offered to cut Social Security again in this round of negotiations. What are you still surprised at? The man has offered to cut these so-called entitlements every time. When are you going to get it through your head -- he wants to cut them!

Ok, I'm raining on everyone's parade here because this is the moment when the partisans are supposed to be reveling in Republican failure. The Republican Party is split and in tatters. Yes, but to what end? In order for that to be relevant, the Democrats would now have to offer a very different deal where the terms are changed in our favor. If they do and they get a deal where taxes are actually raised on people making above $250,000 and Social Security and Medicare are protected, then I will be dead wrong. I will be wrong now and I will have been wrong for all of these years. You can rub my face in it. And since the Democratic partisans are now feeling triumphant, get that crow ready for me to eat.

But it's not going to happen. I'm telling you this even in the Republican Party's darkest hour, the president will still give them most of what they want. My guess is that liberals will be stunned at the concessions President Obama makes even when he had the Republicans in a corner and totally defeated. Here's what you have to understand -- it's because he doesn't want to "win." Winning is different for him than it is for me and you. To us, winning is passing progressive priorities. To him, it's passing a deal where he seems like he is above party politics. In order to do that, he must cut entitlements (and corporate taxes, too, by the way)."

[Itchinjim]

1. Cenk who?

[spanone]

2. blah blah blah blah

[closeupready]

3. K&R

[jollyreaper2112]

4. for the people who troll concerned people by calling them trolls...

Are you concern troll trolls? Concern troll^2?

[geek tragedy]

5. "Punditry is fundamentally useless"--Nate Silver nt

[forestpath]

6. K&R Cenk nails it as usual.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Someone had to say it.

It's ugly. But someone had to say it.

[Demo_Chris]

11. I agree. nt

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. Eloquent

because it's true.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

9. Cenk is an opportunist prick that loves opportunities to lunge at the Pres.

And the way he talks like he always has a mouth full of spit is annoying beyond words.

[n2doc]

10. We can go on and on about this stuff

but it is unclear to me that the republicans will accept ANYTHING from Obama. Even if he turned around and fully embraced whatever plan they had, they would turn around and oppose it. It is 2011 all over again. Until the t-baggers are removed from office I just don't see any agreements, no matter how favorable they might be to the Republicans.

[Demo_Chris]

12. My great fear is that we will follow the path of the GOP into self delusion

When the standard becomes party unity over principle, the end is always the same: an ever declining base existing within the party bubble. A base which rejects, without consideration, any opinion which challenges the official party mantra. You can see this within the GOP. People often make the mistake of assuming that the GOP is rock solid on certain positions. They might list things like tax cuts for the wealthy, or more guns.

However, this is not exactly correct. The core GOP base is only solid one one thing: they believe, without question, whatever (the now out of control) propoganda engine feeds them that day. If Rush, Hannity, and Fox news all came out in favor of tax hikes tomorrow, by nightfall that would magically become the new "conservative" position. We have seen this demonstrated time and again.

And we do it as well. It's human nature. But it is something that we must guard against. We must reject party or personality over principle -- while at the same time remaining open to fairly examining new information and opinion. Many people's rejection of Cenk is not based upon any liberal or progressive principle, but rather that he challenges their belief in the party.

For these people, the party (or in this case the President) is what matters. Whatever Obama does must be correct. If he is offering something diametrically opposed to everything they claim to believe, it's seen as an example of Obama's (never demonstrated) master negotiation skills, or he was forced to do so, or... just shut up and stop criticizing him. Ultimately, if need be, they will simply embrace whatever their leader offers and label it the new progressive norm. They will claim the mantle of realist, while criticizing as purists and idealists anyone who challenges this reversal of ideological position.

A review of the Obamacare fiasco demonstrates the process. Let's review:

Obama pledges not to pass ANY healthcare reform that doesn't include single payer. He vowes, in the clearest possible language, never to pass any mandate. Progressives and Democrats cheer. Finally a Democrat who represents them! Despite these earlier statements Obama then PROPOSES healthcare reform that does not include single payer, while including the Newt Gingritch / Heritage Foundation proposed mandate. Progressives freak out and Democrat loyalists launch into a defense: It's just 9D chess, they say. It's just a negotiating ploy! Trust him! You can't criticize our leader! And so it goes, with the defense transitioning from a discussion of ideas into an attack on the character of those opposed. You must be a GOP plant, they say, and stop being such a purist... insurance mandates are a great thing, a liberal thing!

Now we are headed down this road again. Obama is PROPOSING slashing Social Security. And his defenders are waiting with the same tired excuses. It's chess, it's just a negotiating ploy, trust him, you are just too simple to understand, stop criticizing our leader, you must be a GOP plant! Stop being an idealist! How long will it be before we hear that destroying social security and entitlements is what Democrats have always believed?

I give it a week.

Cenk gets it. His system of beliefs changes based upon facts and information, not what the party does today, and he is not afraid to say what he believes. We need more like him.

[creeksneakers2]

13. Obama never pledged

not to pass any health care reform that didn't include single payer.

[WiffenPoof]

14. Excellent Analysis

I particularly like the part that states: Winning for Obama doesn't mean the same thing as winning does for the rest of us.

This analysis helps to explain a lot concerning President Obama. I think he is hard-wired to approach negotiations with the intent that "everyone wins." There's a little of that "I want everyone to like me" in his methods. But above all, he wants to be seen as a person who is above the fray...above the notion of winners and losers. I can just see his aim with regard to his legacy. He would love history to see him as "a President for all the people." thus, separating himself from all other Presidents.

At least that is my take. The only problem is that when you try to go down the middle of the road in an effort to "please" everyone, you can easily get run over. I mean, do you want to be seen as a person that mildly disappointed everybody, or do you want to wildly please just one side if the electorate (his base)? For me, I wouldn't give a damn about who I please or disappoint...I would want my policies based on Demicratic principles to speak for me. If I'm true to these principles, I could care less who is happy or disappointed.

Paige

[dionysus]

15. lol, cenk. nt

[NashvilleLefty]

16. 2 words - Bull. Shit.

[Teamster Jeff]

17. K&R

"He can't wait for that pat on the back from the establishment when they finally call him post-partisan, above party politics, and a statesman for screwing over his own voters. This is by far his greatest wish."

Yep