Can The GOP Still Credibly Claim That The President Has Not Tried To Be Bipartisan After The Speech?

[TomCADem]

I know that many of us have been driven to distraction by the President's efforts to placate Republicans. Many on the progressive side ripped him apart for wasting his time, and openly questioned whether President Obama was being naive in trying to make a deal with Republicans. Conversely, Fox News, the GOP, and other conservative media repeatedly claimed that President Obama was not being bi-partisan, and that he should start from scratch in an effort to be bi-partisan.

The biggest impression I got from the speech, aside from the policy specifics, was that President Obama has clearly attempted to be bi-partisan, and that it is the Republicans, not President Obama, who is behaving in a partisan fashion, particularly after the Lousiana congressman immediately referred to the public option as a government takeover immediately after President Obama explained that it was merely a healthcare option. Indeed, the juxtaposition worked to President Obama's advantage, since he President Obama specifically creditted Republicans for certain proposals while the Republican response then insisted that President Obama had ignored Republican proposals.

So, I don't see how Republicans can credibly make the argument that President Obama has not been open to Republican input following President Obama's speech, and the boneheaded GOP response that immediately repeated false assertions of a government take over and lack of bipartisanship.

My take is that this also does set the stage for ramming the public option through reconcilliation if the Republicans continue to stonewall. If the Republicans continue to vote no on everything, and continue to move the goal posts, then it gives Democrats the political cover to use reconciliation with minimal political blowback. My take is that President Obama knows that the Republicans have overly committed to their base that they would vote no on any health care reform bill, thus President Obama knows that Republicans are now unable to deliver any votes in support of the bill even if it means that Democrats can use reconciliation to ram through a public option.

IF the Republicans had not overly committed to opposing President Obama, then the Republicans could have postured that they agreed to everything, but the public option, which would have made the White House look partisan. However, by saying no to everything, I think that the road to reconciliation has been set up nicely such that President Obama can very credibly and truthfully say, "Hey, I tried to work with the Republicans, and no one was prepared to vote for any healthcare bill aside from Collins and Snowe, so we had to pass healthcare reform with a public option alone."

[Cha]

1. Little whining bullies claim any lie they want but they

can't claim they're being anything but assholes.

I believe Van Jones got that right in the bullseye.

[Clio the Leo]

2. Exactly........

.... he NEEDED to do this in case of reconciliation because the GOP will portray the left as a bunch of power hungry bullies. He needed to set it up so that their claims were look absurd.

It's beautiful to watch.

PS: Thanks for helping us out Rep. Wilson! (ya fool!)

[Nay]

3. No, but credibility has never been their SOP. Batshit crazy is their SOP.

[Skidmore]

4. Sure they can. I just heard the early version of today's talking point regarding that

on Morning Joe, which is why I watch it--to see what monkey poo is going to be thrown out of the cage today. Joe "heard" that no Rs had been "invited" to the WH since April. The President said his door is open. Apparently they haven't availed themselves of the open invitation the President has always extended to them. Hit back on this BS...this semantics game. They haven't brought proposals to him with any sincerity. We've heard of calls being made to committee member on that side of the aisle but the Rs have not been able to do anything but scream and throw rocks.

[old mark]

5. Publicans are completely free from the constraints

of reality and truth.

Remember last year when their motto was "Country First"?

Pretty laughable now, eh?

Expect the GOP to be completely sleazey and dishonest and you won't be far wrong, ever.....


mark