White House photo
About an hour after the Democratic convention had wrapped up for the evening, Mitt Romney's campaign issued a statement responding to the day's most notable speech.
"Bill Clinton worked with Republicans, balanced the budget, and after four years he could say you were better off," Romney campaign spokesman Ryan Williams said. "Barack Obama hasn't worked across the aisle -- he's barely worked with other Democrats -- and has the worst economic record of any president in modern history."
In a series of strange tweets, Newt Gingrich pushed a similar line this morning, saying Clinton "worked with the GOP, Obama didn't."
That would be the same Clinton who congressional Republicans impeached and tried to drive from office.
But putting that aside for a moment, there is a fair amount of interest right now in the larger question: President Obama desperately wanted to work with both parties to advance the nation's common interests, and that hasn't come to fruition. The Washington Post ran a 5,000-word piece the other day, making the not-so-bold case that both sides share responsibility.
There's ample evidence to the contrary. Indeed, I'm not sure if Republicans noticed, but Clinton himself spoke at some length last night about GOP obstructionism.
"[W]e all know that he also tried to work with congressional Republicans on health care, debt reduction and new jobs. And that didn't work out so well. But it could have been because, as the Senate Republican leader said in a remarkable moment of candor two full years before the election, their number one priority was not to put America back to work; it was to put the president out of work. Well, wait a minute. Senator, I hate to break it to you, but we're going to keep President Obama on the job."
Look, there's no great mystery here. President Obama appointed Republicans to key posts in his administration, and incorporated Republican ideas into his policy agenda. He demonstrated a willingness to work with GOP officials on just about every issue under the sun.
On the other hand, there were congressional Republicans who huddled, literally on Obama's first day, and agreed to adopt "unyielding opposition" to every White House measure. The Senate GOP leadership decided before the president was even inaugurated that they would not compromise on anything. Shortly after the inauguration, one House Republican leader said his caucus was prepared to emulate the "insurgency" tactics of "the Taliban."
I realize the political establishment has rules, and those rules dictate that both sides must always be blamed for partisan strife, but there are some pesky facts that point in a very different direction.
Indeed, have we forgotten the thesis from Thomas Mann and Norm Ornstein?
We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.
The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.
When one party moves this far from the mainstream, it makes it nearly impossible for the political system to deal constructively with the country's challenges.
"Both sides do it" or "There is plenty of blame to go around" are the traditional refuges for an American news media intent on proving its lack of bias, while political scientists prefer generality and neutrality when discussing partisan polarization. Many self-styled bipartisan groups, in their search for common ground, propose solutions that move both sides to the center, a strategy that is simply untenable when one side is so far out of reach.
"Obama hasn't worked across the aisle"? Reality shows, for better or for ill, he's reached his hand out to his foes, perhaps even more than he should have. In each instance, it's been slapped away.
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They continue to LIE. It's what they do, it's all they know how to do. They're Republicans.
Hopefully, Obama learned last night that you don't let that stuff just fly around out t here, you whack it and you whack it hard. His failure to "get it" has been my biggest disappointment in the man.
Lying is just a tactic in their overall strategy of insurgency; gaining power by disrupting the stability of the social/political order. In other words, like the Taliban they emulate, they're more than willing to "destroy the village in order to save it." They don't care about the country or its needs. To them, anything that will bring about their domination (voter suppression, attacking groups that fund democrats, buying elections in the post-Citizens United world, relentless obstructionism) justifies the means, America be damned.
Isn't it ironic that the most virulent group in their ranks is the (allegedly) Christian Taliban, who will ruin lives without compunction in order to force their theology on everyone? They're rabid Muslim haters, but are so much like the Muslim Taliban that they deserve each other.
Sometimes that can be as tricky as the "Whack A Mole" game. It can become such a distraction it's hard to get much else accomplished because every time you knock one down 2 others pop up!
Let's not forget that the Affordable Healthcare Act was a republican idea, as was many other policy decisions made by the Obama team. If that is not reaching out to the other side, I don't know what is
"If that is not reaching out to the other side..." I think that's part of the problem, what is the "side" and what's the "other side?" Poor/Middle class vs. Rich? Why are on sides? Shouldn't we all be working on the same side to make this country better? To make our citizens healthier and better life qualities?
LDS, I agree that there should be one side. The key thing that Clinton said that was most meaning full for me was that the purpose of the government is to "form a more perfect union." He should have went on to say the additional responsibility of government is to "establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity." This is outlined in the US Constitution. Back when I was in grade school in Boston, knowing what the US Constitution outlined and what those things meant was important. Then came the education reform and the dumbing down of Americans, and most Americans don't even study the principles that make this country the great nation it once was. If folks knew these basic truths that the Founding Fathers of this country declared, recorded, proclaimed, and implemented, we would not see the blatant attack on the rights conferred to all Americans. For example, a new amendment that bars women from getting an abortion under any circumstance. They would actually amend the constitution with something that undermines the percepts outlined and would make the constitution contradict itself.
The less Americans know the more this self appointed nobles diminish the fabric of this great country. Now I understand why the Titles of Nobility amendment disappeared in 1819 (http://www.freedom-school.com/truth/10/missing13th.htm). What has happened to American is that partisan politics has made Democracy unremarkable. So unfortunate and now the greed that ensued has consumed democracy and they envisioned it.
"Shouldn't we all be working on the same side to make this country better?"
That's the million dollar question that Bill Clinton spoke to last night! The GOTP is more concerned with removing this President from office, than "working to make this country better" - it has been the reason behind the obstructions, the debt ceiling hostage taking which lowered our credit rating, and it's behind the lies that the GOTP keep telling!
The false equivalences that continue to be parroted by the corporate owned lame-stream media "blaming both sides" reinforces that the media is no longer objective! Bill said it best, it is H-A-T-E, pure, ugly, unadulterated, blinding, and short sighted HATE, and it is NOT putting Americans back to work!!
Hey Boehner WHERE ARE THE JOBS? Hey Robme, where are YOUR TAXES?
Hey LDS, the guys YOU vote for are the one who made the situation what it is. You want to go ask the person who screwed up with their votes why they did so, go look in the mirror, you moron.
LDS you are so wrong, the affordable health care act was Mitt Romney's idea from when he was governor. When President Obama push for this Bill the republicans along with Mitt Romney ran like hell from and they are still trying to to repeal it. Why because they want the republican party stamp on it. Now going back a little farther universal health care was and idea the Clinton's tried to make a reality. The problem was the were the new kids on the block and the establishment in Washington snub their noses in disapproval. Lesson learned. Just think of how successful that program would have been if it succeeded with a bi partisan vote. It would have been paid for by a small amount taken out of your check similar to a FICA tax which you already have paid into.
That's some conspiracy @!$%# right there.. Republicans love universal healthcare so much.. they want their name on it. LOL
LDS, from the link in the story under the words "would not compromise" it shows the line in the sand was on the Republican side:
This class warfare thing is coming from the Republican side. I bold "public" because the do not serve the public, but private business and selves. They decided not to compromise and pretend it's Obama. Remember the early days when the Obamas hosted social parties? The very essence of bipartisanship, trying to cooperate and bury the hatchet, but Rs wanted it in Obama's back. Not to mention the fact that this country elected him for these reasons to compromise. This is the thing, not only did they slap away his hand, they bit it along with all of US voters (and these good policies below affect people positively that didn't vote for him).
It's totally disgusting to know this is true and people think it's nothing. Well, this country is hurting and Teapublicants say let it burn. That makes me sick. People are hurting (not the rich, though) and they only work to spoil any chance. I can see nothing but filth in that. Filth! There is no heart, any claim of morality is muddied with this filth.
It is partially our fault for letting it go on so long. The accomplishments of Obama despite all this are amazing.
http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html
The only reason that the GOP "worked with" Clinton is that, after Newt and Co. brought the country to the brink of financial calamity with political gamesmanship over the budget, Clinton schooled them. With the polls showing the GOP on the wrong side of the issue, the GOP blinked.
And to remedy that, the GOP blinded itself.
What I don't understand is that with the overwhelming evidence about this and other truths Clinton spoke about, the overall Republican followers continue to believe the lies perpetrated by the GOP... Are they so blind with hatred that they will believe anything the GOP presents to them? It's sick.
yes they will.
Yes.
Read Robert Altemeyer's "The Authoritarians" - fascinating and frightening 30 year psychogical study of right-wing leaders and, more importantly, right-wing followers. Especially read the war games part.
The repubs follow the philosophy of Hitler & the Nazi party: Keep repeating~
'THE LIE'...make the lie really,really BIG..so the people can hardly believe it! Perpetuate the lie day after day 24/7!! Repeat,repeat & repeat again until it's ingrained into their psyche..the people WILL start to believe... "THE BIG LIE"! Just like Hitler did.. & to the detriment of the Jewish population in Europe & the ruin of Germany...WORDS spoken as 'LIES'...do mean something...words can kill you!
Not Dave, it's always a good idea to provide a link to things that you are recommending. It saves time for other people and it encourages them to actually follow your recommendation.
Sorry, Monk, you are absolutely correct - Robert Altemeyer's "The Authoritarians".
In my defense, I would point out that as there are very few right-wingers here, most folks would probably be able to google "Robert Altemeyer" "The Authoritarians", as I am sure you have already done.
And now we have two links. ;)
Actually, a second free online resource should be linked to: Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition. That one is not as accessible as The Authoritarians, though, which was written for a non-specialist audience at the urging of John Dean. What I've just linked to is written by and for professionals.
I realize the political establishment has rules, and those rules dictate that both sides must always be blamed for partisan strife, but there are some pesky facts that point in a very different direction.
Don't tell us. Tell the AP and the rest of the main stream media.
Also, the Clinton tax increases, which led to balancing the budget, passed without a single Republican vote. So much for the good old lovey dovey '90s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnibus_Budget_Reconciliation_Act_of_1993#Legislative_history
Man, these guys are idiots, or think we are.
And that is one reason we were able to balance the budget , yet the gop were against it , and still are , the spectacular msm avoid that point constantly
Richard Hofstadter on the pseudo-conservative (i.e. what is today's movement conservative) - written 50 years ago:
"It can most accurately be called pseudo-conservative -- I borrow the term from the study of The Authoritarian Personality published five years ago by Theodore W. Adorno and his associates -- because its exponents, although they believe themselves to be conservatives and usually employ the rhetoric of conservatism, show signs of a serious and restless dissatisfaction with American life, traditions and institutions"
“Their political reactions express rather a profound and largely unconscious hatred of our society and its ways -- a hatred which one would hesitate to impute to them if one did not have suggestive clinical evidence ... The pseudo-conservative, Adorno writes, shows 'conventionality and authoritarian submissiveness' in his conscious thinking and 'violence, anarchic impulses, and chaotic destructiveness in the unconscious sphere…… The pseudo conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition.'"
If they want to keep themselves (the Rs) from being relevant, let them (assuming the Prez wins another one) continue to obfuscate and stonewall for the next 4 years. I truly believe that the American populace will turn those suckers out on their ears, and with a boot in the butt as well!
Eric Cantor grew up in the land of "massive resistance." He knows the drill. So does Mitch McConnell. As a public school teacher from the southern climes, so do I.
There's a reason Ornstein and Mann, who used to be the guys Sunday shows dialed to fill unexpected holes before they broke down and booked whichever member of the McLiebergraham Village shadow presidency is on call that weekend, have been blacklisted since they wrote that book. I'll bet Sally Quinn even disinvited them from her cocktail parties.
Yes, the Republican Party has painted itself in a corner once again. They believe that if they act like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and close their eyes and keep repeating "There's no place like The White House" that their dream will come true. The unfortunate reality is should their dream come true it would be a nightmare for not only just America, but for the world as well.
As former President Bill Clinton pointed out last night, the leadership of the Republican Party stated that their goal was to make President Obama a one term President. I see a lack of cooperation going back to the day President Obama took office.
Congressmen & Senators were elected to do a job. Their job is to legislate policies that will help make America a better and stronger country, as well as to protect and serve ALL the American people. At a time when America was in a big financial crisis/recession, unemployment was high, and we were at war, it was completly irresponsible and morally wrong for GOP ELECTED leaders to decide that they would rather see the USA go down like a sinking ship rather than work with the ELECTED Democratic president to solve the country's problems. Their obstructionist tacticts were criminal in my mind. At most jobs if you sat around and did nothing, hoping to make your boss look bad in an effort to get him fired, you would be the one fired! I hope every single Senator and Congressman that was an obstructionist will get fired in their next election. The American people deserve to have their elected officials earn their taxpayer funded paycheck! Comprimise between the left and the right is good for our country.
I also think they are criminals for signing Grover's pledge and spitting on their oath of office. Any one of them that has taken that oath and stuck to the pledge should be brought up on charges.
This is a tale of two conventions. The first was one of bile and hate and given
to venom and with every speaker let out their spite. The other convention is one of heart and soul and of giving and being your sister and brother’s keeper. One wanted you to wallow
like a pig in the mud of shame, while the other lifted hearts and minds. One pandered to God and wanted all to give in to one's fears while the other spoke of what it is like being a good Christian. The first told lies while the other told facts. The frist spoke in the voice of brass while the second spoke in the voice of arithmetic.
Republicans in the Congress are treasonous. They should be tar and feathered and run out of town for their obstruction. It is disgusting.
Your clueless the world around. Clinton was, tip of the sword of this whole debacle toward the conditions of our economy. The Republicans treated him like a tide dog. Forced balance budget. Welfare reformed twice.
I think your 392 hemi is missing a few sparkplugs, but that's not surprising, since Republicans are too stupid to fix such simple items.
But thanks again for the demonstration of stupidity, ignorance and mendacity that is today's modern wingnut. Now go back to peeing on fire hydrants back in the alternative universe of WackoWorld, where you belong, while I scrape you off my shoe.
You think so, how about the Community Reinvestment Act. Go sit in the corner. This is going over your head.
WackoWorld is when you need the bouncing fat man to tell you how to act and what to say because you are so stupid you are unable to think on your own without help from Fox news.
Barack IS the Coolest Cat in the room...............as much as the man has been goaded, ridiculed, taunted etc, he has risen above the BS...............he HAS positively worked with both sides, and has VISION for the future............., maybe the GOP will try to work with him in the 2nd term, or Double Down on the obstructionist path, which will lead to another Dem winning in 2016. The mindset is truly baffling, as Americans deserve their elected leaders to function positively in THEIR favor, not the 1%.
Clinton was a compromiser, but not blind. He was smart enough to see when the GOP was stubbornly out to stimy him. On average, Obama has tried much, much harder to reach across the aisle while facing a much, much more partisan GOP hell-bent on gridlock. I'd say it was Clinton's willingness to counter-punch and play hardball if compromise wasn't possible that made him ultimately so successful, and Obama's stubborn belief compromise is possible (in the face of this media who will portray it as "both sides" responsible for gridlock) is the one major thing that has always stood in Obama's way to becoming not just a good, but a great President.
I really wish the "both sides do it" folks could come up with even one example of Republicans showing a willingness to compromise, just one example of a tax they were willing to raise or a restraint they were willing to put on their corporate overlords. I can think of plenty of examples of Obama compromises: the stimulus was loaded with tax breaks and the ACA is based on Republican ideas. I can't think of one instance of compromise from Boehner or McConnel.
It doesn't matter to them if the Republicans did attempt to compromise, because the Republicans said they wanted to compromise. And it doesn't matter that the President attempted to compromise, because he didn't successfully find it.
See how that works?
They both sides do it crowd are as full of horse@!$%# as the Teapublicans, it is infinitely more difficult to tell which (if any) might admit some penchant for dishonesty in a confidential or pivotal situation.
I'm getting very tired.
Our system was meant to be a system of checks and balances, of compromise for the better good. What the Republican leadership instead promotes is an elitist self serving approach. Increasing wealth for the few does not create jobs, as we know from experience. They cloak their greed for wealth by making the impoverished, the sick, children, women and the middle class, scapegoats for their insatiable greed. Government is not a corporation that should be run by a corporate raider, whose only goal is to increase his wealth and status. A true leader, like President Obama, does reach out to be inclusive. When he is met with fixated resistance, it is incumbent upon us the voters to remove those barriers.
President Obama did not reach out- who was he suppose to reach out to:
1) Boehner has no backbone. 2) McConnell put party before Country when he said in 2010 that his goal was to make Obama a one-term President. 3) What about the 1/20/09 dinner at the Caucus Room, in attendance Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), Sen. Jim DeMint (SC-R), Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ-R), Sen. Tom Coburn (OK-R), Sen. John Ensign (NV-R) and Sen. Bob Corker (TN-R). Non-lawmakers present Newt Gingrich – future GOP Candidate where they came up with the "Just Say No Plan" to anything that President Obama put forward. 4) Article yesterday huntingtonpost.com: "Boehner was negotiating with Obama. Ryan had gone to Cantor and to Boehner saying hedoesn't support the policy, he doesn't think it could be sold to the conference, and, three, he thought it would guarantee the [president's] reelection," said a GOP aide who spoke anonymously in order to discuss private deliberations 5) GOP filibustered American Jobs Act 6) Filibustered or vetoed anything that would have made the President succeed.
So where was the Republican willingness to work with President Obama?
Re: Romney saying President Obama has not worked across the aisle, but he will is the most ridiculous notion I've ever heard. Sure he'll "reach out" but just like the right is doing now, there'll be no compromise. If whoever they are reaching out to, doesn't get on board exactly the way they want, then nothing will happen together... Political campaigns like Romneys are just full of promises with nothing to back any of it up.
But Romney so wished for Obama to succeed!
Only on that Bizarro World that he inhabits.
Having watched both conventions I earnestly believe the "Blind with Hatred" comment is the only explanation for the support of the Republican candidates and their platform. It is unfortunately the only logical explanation. America put your hatred behind you and move forward so we can finish the job. All the Republicans were offering was a return to the cold war and sending your children back to the battlefront. They want to close down the EPA, the Dept. of Education, healthcare for women, controls on Wall St. and banking and on and on.
I would give ANYTHING to see the President just Cold cock one of these guys! Not, civil, but How satisfying it would be....
Never happen, the.depates will tell all. Profession Business man and investor vs Community Activist. No CONTEST, Obama is out of his league..
392 hemi - you are losing more sparkplugs the longer you keep at it. Perhaps you're shorting them out, mistaking the 392 hemi for the fire plug you were aiming at?
Your reaching, falling short AGAIN. You sound like Biden.
Bigbear: Have you ever seen Obama throw out a baseball at a Major League baseball event? If he punches like he throws a baseball, he'd probably get his @ss handed to him by Bachmann or Palin in a boxing match let alone being able to stand and fight Romney or Ryan. He'd get torched. Can you say, woooosie. The President's daughters take the old man to school in basketball too. What a sap. He's even out of his league in the backyard playing hoops at the White House!
392 Hemi you are absolutely correct. Dumbama is going to look pretty sad during the debates.
I have to go "stick my head where I normally keep it too",............playing Madden13!!!!!!!!!
Hemi, you are one of those stupid followers that can't think for himself. The last few Presidents we had that came from business were epic failures. Now you want to put another one in the Presidency. AMERICA IS NOT A BUSINESS!!! We are a society of people that are all in this together. You cannot run America like a corporation trying to squeeze the most profit out of it. That is what has been happening for the last 30 years and it needs to stop. Where is the trickle that we were promised 30 years ago?
WE CANNOT DOUBLE DOWN ON THE TRICKLE DOWN!!!!!!!!
IrishPat - you would know about that since you helped put the Republican Cowards in Washington. Gee Romney was a real man right - marched in favor of the Vietnam War, but when his turn came he ran to France and peddled religion, you know like a fuller-brush man. Ryan votes for two wars, was young enough when he voted for the Afghanistan War that he could have enlisted, but no he with his macho muscles, decided to stay in the safety of his office. Based on your statements it is obvious you do not know what real man is, and as an Irish American I find that very sad.
Repeat that often, please!
I have said for years that America is not a business. We are not to ensure profit as the primary cause. Business helps with jobs and revenue, so yes, we have historically assisted businesses.
It is a partnership, but there is no reason we have to ignore our country's public interests in order to promote business and profit.
It's that simple. This is not a business and we have to consider foreign policy as well as domestic. We have to consider workers equally as employers. If people are not giving anything back, they need to pay taxes. If they can hardly pay the basic necessities, then we are not proud of poverty.
That is a crying shame, taking more from the workers and poor for tax cuts for wealthy is totally sick. Especially while complaining about the debt,
They've admitted their only goal is to make Obama a one term president and they've admitted the only compromise they will agree to is if Obama gives them everything they want and nothing less. So, would someone please explain what the word compromise means to these tealiban cheaters and liars?
That the other side rejects science should surprise anyone?
Compromise will never pay if journalists reward gridlock by blaming the victim for his opponents' obstruction.