It is not time to reach across the aisle to bring Americans together, it is time to fight.

[Bjorn Against]

Everyone would love it if America could suddenly become united behind common goals which we all share. It would be so wonderful if we all shared the same basic values of peace, liberty, and equality. It would be great to live in a world where there were no Republicans or Democrats, but rather a group of people working together to organize our society in a way that benefits everyone.

The problem is of course that America is far from being united right now, and no matter who gets into office it is not going to become united. We have just spent the last seven years under an administration who has rallied tens of millions of Americans around an illegal massacre in Iraq, we have been ruled by an administration that convinced people that torture is a good thing, we have gone through several decades of watching giant corporations take over public programs, and we have watched as they have destroyed our environment in the name of profits.

These people are not going to give up the power they accumulated easily, they are not about to reach across the aisle and make up with us so we can all begin working for a better America. No, they are not going to come together with us and we can not reach across the aisle to work with a group of people who are destroying America.

Yet here we are in the midst of a Presidential campaign in which the overriding theme seems to be about the candidates abilities to reach across the aisle. In Obama's campaign that theme is front and center in the campaign, and while Hillary's campaign it is not as explicit in the rhetoric her career shows several examples of her working with Republicans. She has worked with them on issues like the Iraq War, the Patriot Act, the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, and a host of other issues that the lobbyists who give campaign contributions like to talk about. While Hillary has done plenty of reaching across the aisle her campaign has not made bipartisanship a huge issue, likely because everyone knows she has endured years of attacks from Republicans and few people would believe that she can work with Republicans despite the fact that she has worked with them.

Obama on the other hand has made his ability to reach across party lines one of the centerpieces of his campaign. There are a couple major problems with this. First of all by focusing on his ability to work across the aisle he alienates many potential supporters who have dedicated their lives to fighting against the violence, greed, and destruction that comes from the other side of the aisle. The second major problem is that if he wants to run on a platform that says he can work across party lines he depends on the other side to work with him.

This will be a major dilemma for him if he gets the nomination, because the moment the nomination is his the Republican attacks will pick up dramatically. The Republicans will make it very clear from the very beginning that they hate the guy just like they hate any other Democratic candidate. How can Obama possibly maintain an image of being able to reach across the aisle when the other side of the aisle is constantly throwing shit at him when he tries to reach out to them?

If you have payed attention to the Karl Rove play book over the past few years you will know that one of his primary strategies is to attack the Democratic candidates on their strong points. In the last election he went after John Kerry's status as a veteran, something that is very difficult to attack Kerry on and yet the Swift Boat attacks were quite effective in building distrust of Kerry. Obama has made things very easy for Rove and his friends, because his strong point has been built around his ability to bring people together, but if the Republicans refuse to get together with him he has a major problem. The Republicans don't need to take a risk like they did with Kerry by going after his veteran status, all they have to do is refuse to accept his attempts to reach across the aisle and they will be able to portray Obama as divisive. All of a sudden the very theme of his campaign will look laughable.

This will especially be a problem with McCain as the nominee, because if you all remember McCain has worked with and been praised by prominent Democrats on many occasions. There were even rumors of him possibly being Kerry's running mate in 2004, and sadly enough there were many Democrats who thought it would be a good idea.

I can tell you right now what the Republican strategy is going to be in the coming campaign. They are going to portray the Democratic candidate as being divisive, and they are going to portray McCain as a uniter and they are going to use all of the video they have of Democrats praising McCain to “prove” it.

But we don't have to allow this strategy to work. We need to abandon the notion that we can reach across the aisle successfully and we need face a simple reality, a reality that we are in a battle for the future of this country. We need to stand up and say we are going to fight the Republicans on the occupation of Iraq. We need to say that unlike McCain who voted for the Military Commissions Act when we say we are not going to tolerate torture we mean it. We need to stand up and say we are sick of the Republican supported insurance industry run system that fails to provide health care to everyone. We are going to restore the Constitution no matter what the Republicans say, and we are going to make this country a place people can respect.

I may have some problems with both Clinton and Obama, but I would surely prefer either one of them to McCain. But no matter who gets the nomination they need to understand that if they try to reach across the aisle, I am not about to reach across the aisle with them unless I am reaching across so that I can slap a Republican upside the head. I don't want bipartisanship, I want to fight the people who are destroying this nation. Bipartisanship may sound nice, but when you look at the Republican agenda it becomes clear that we want nothing to do with that agenda, unless they are willing to make a complete and honest 180º turn on the issues then we can not work with them.

We are not ready to bring America together yet, there are too many battles that need to be fought and we can not ally with the people who are preventing us from winning those battles. The very future of America is at stake, and I am not about to sacrifice my country just to show that I can play nice with Republicans.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Obama made that shit up to differentiate himself from Hillary.

Then ran with it. I doubt he believes any of it himself, if he does, he's a fool.

[Bjorn Against]

6. I really hope he realizes it won't work in the general election

Once the Republicans make it clear they won't work with him he is going to have to come up with a new campaign strategy quick, because he is not going to be able to credibly claim to be able to reach across the aisle anymore. Telling people you are able to work across party lines is not effective in campaigns in which the other side is continuously trashing you.

[AX10]

2. Obama had to have something to make himself...

apart from HRC. He has centered his entire campaign on this B.S notion of "unity" with his opponents. The moment he abandons it, he is gone.

[Bjorn Against]

3. The problem is if he doesn't abandon it the Republicans will attack him on it...

And as soon as there is serious division on the topic of "unity" then he is going to have a hard time claiming he is a uniter anymore and the primary theme of his campaign will fall apart. He would be best off quietly abandoning the talk of uniting with Republicans now, because if he doesn't do it now the Republicans will force him to do it in the general election.

[Xipe Totec]

4. A well thought out position

or at least one that expresses my own concerns and apprehensions.

That is why Obama is my second preference after Hillary; I think she can fight dirty and kick them in the nuts. Obama still believes they can be reasoned with.

I am not ready to meet the Republicans half way between the center and the extreme right.

If I reach across the aisles, it's going to be the way Ann Coulter suggested; with a bat.

[PsN2Wind]

5. I'm afraid the fighter we needed

dropped out of the race and left us with a hoper and a negotiator.