Maddowblog - "The discomfort with an unapologetic president" - Corporate Media Pushing RW Meme

[TomCADem]

The corporate media and political pundits have been out in force attacking the President for (gasp) pushing the themes that lead to his re-election. How dare the President praise Social Security and Medicare! How overtly partisan!

It didn't take long for congressional Republicans to start complaining about President Obama's second inaugural. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, "I didn't hear any conciliatory remarks," as if it's incumbent on a re-elected president to pacify those who tried to defeat him. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) all made similar comments.

And wouldn't you know it, a variety of pundits from the D.C. establishment soon followed in the same vein. National Journal's Ron Fournier said Obama had been "fiercely partisan" and paid no mind to the "delicate art of compromise." Michael Gerson, perhaps listening to a different speech altogether, heard a president argue "even the most commonplace policy disagreements indicate the bad faith of his opponents."

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Indeed, this seems to be a strain of thought that's dominated much of the political discourse in recent weeks. How dare Obama nominate a Republican Defense Secretary he knows Republicans don't like! How dare the president present an ambitious agenda to prevent gun violence over the objections of his critics! How dare Obama use his inaugural address to present an unapologetic vision of progressive governance in the 21st century!

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As for the notion that Obama should have been most "post-partisan" and made his address more Republican-friendly, I sincerely hope we're not going to let the last four years slip down the memory hole too quickly. As we discussed yesterday, Republicans spent Obama's first term on a scorched-earth campaign, hoping to destroy his presidency and nearly everything he proposed. GOP leaders met privately exactly four years ago yesterday to plot their comeback by obstructing the president wherever possible, and refusing to compromise with Obama on literally anything, even when he embraced Republican ideas -- and then they executed that plot without hesitation or shame.

That the president has learned lessons from those experiences isn't a shame; it's a relief.

[MichiganVote]

1. Too late. The corks out of the bottle rw media. Newtown and Rmoney's 47% did it.

[bemildred]

2. They are on the way out too, it seems clear at this point that they cannot adapt to competition. nt

[NewJeffCT]

3. we need to keep reminding people of this

I think a lot of people don't realize how destructive Republicans intentionally tried to be these past four years.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. "Elections have consequences"

I'm sure that the Repubs are disappointed that they didn't get the Mitt Romney "autopen" that Grover Norquist wanted in the WH but, oh well............

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

5. You said it...

Tough shit, GOP. If it weren't for gerrymandering and voter suppression, you'd be powerless to stop anything. Just wait till 2014.