President Obama - I'm tired of it."

[Playinghardball]

Found on the ObamaDiary

[Igel]

1. This "crisis" is like most political "crises" in DC.

It's spotted months and months in advance. Everybody knows that there's a problem. Everybody jaw-jaws about how horrible it must be, and positions themselves to be able to say, "Not my fault."

Then the crisis that nobody did much to avert hits, and the most important thing is making sure that the position you staked out months before when the crisis wasn't a crisis but a far-off problem is stable and secure.

It helps if you say that you're winning because the other party is busy saying that they're winning, and only losers worry about whether or not they're winning. You don't compromise with hostage takers, letting the crisis hit because there's something you want and don't want to negotiate over it. It's even better if what you are saying you want is completely bipartisan even though decided on a pretty much straight party-line vote (whatever that particular bit of verbal sophistry might mean, it must mean somebody because I've heard people left, right, and center use it ... always about themselves, of course).

On the one hand we have people saying that they only want to talk, when it's clear that they want to effect change and use a government shutdown as leverage. On the other we have people saying that they've treated the hostage-takers or extremists with utmost respect and civility, and it's wrong to insist on something as a precondition to negotiations ... unless it's something super-duper important.

What's surprising isn't the utter banality and predictability of what's happened but the fact that anybody is bothering to pay attention before the withdrawal pains cause extreme anguish.

[texanwitch]

2. This comes from the President trying to work with the republicans.

You can't be nice with them.

He didn't stand up to them over the years.

I respect our President but what does it take to understand who you are dealing with.

Now we are playing chicken, for no reason.

I guess we can pick up the piece when everything is broken.

[TomCADem]

4. The Meme That Everyone Is At Fault Means No One Is Accountable

I think this is the problem that the broad pox on everyone's house argument that:

"Everybody knows that there's a problem. Everybody jaw-jaws about how horrible it must be, and positions themselves to be able to say, "Not my fault."

The Washington Post has repeatedly published editorials that echo your view and urging both sides to negotiate and compromise. However, my take is that this serves to give Republicans cover, since they are never held accountable for their actions, since Democrats end up getting equal blame. At a certain point, there has to be a point where one side is clearly held to be engaging in improper conduct and they should be held accountable.

Here, you have Republicans using the debt limit and government shut down as leverage. Is this okay? Because, what it means that if they don't get they what they want, are they willing to pull the trigger? Put another way, when you go to your job and ask your boss for a raise, you could say give me a raise or I release malware into our IT infrastructure. Now, you could say:

"On the one hand we have people saying that they only want to talk, when it's clear that they want to effect change and use a government shutdown as leverage. On the other we have people saying that they've treated the hostage-takers or extremists with utmost respect and civility, and it's wrong to insist on something as a precondition to negotiations ... unless it's something super-duper important."

But, I think most folks would say that asking for a raise under threat of releasing computer viruses into your employer's computer system is objectively too extreme and wrong. This is the situation we have with Republicans in the House. They are subverting Democratic rule by actually threatening harm to the country unless they get their way, and this is what needs to be brought to an end.

[Historic NY]

3. We're tired of it too Mr.President.

[TinkerTot55]

5. And might we add:

AMEN to that sentiment x approx. 220 million Americans

[awoke_in_2003]

6. And so are we. K&R

[Chakab]

7. He should have put his foot down and said "No" to these people years ago.

Instead, he tried to attach his brand to the notion that he was going to compromise with the Republicans on every issue.

[CrispyQ]

8. Agreed. He carries some of the blame.

I admire him for trying to reach out to them, but after they shut him down twice, then he should have started playing hardball, right then.

[boston bean]

9. Allowing them the Aug recess

time to go back home to all those town halls, cost us the House, and a Senate seat a little bit later. They needed to vote on it prior to the recess.

I don't care what anyone says about the election in MA that Brown won. He won because of an off year election, where we had many people here, even in MA with Romneycare, who wanted to stop Obamacare. Brown promised to be the vote to stop it. He didn't succeed, but it sure as hell gave him a great campaign issue. Coakley was up in the polls as she was opposing Obamacare because of the restrictions on womens health. Once she switched, she began losing.