Yes, the GOP is obstinate. We get it. But assigning the White House some blame is no false equivalence. By Ron Fournier May 27, 2014 To voters angry at Washington, President Obama has an explanation for the deepening of gridlock, incompetence, and zero-sum gain thinking during his five-plus years in office: It's not his fault. Not that finger-pointing solves anything, but Obama wants you to know that it was Republicans and the media who put his presidency on ice. At a fundraiser in Chicago on Thursday night, Obama said: "You'll hear if you watch the nightly news or you read the newspapers that, well, there's gridlock, Congress is broken, approval ratings for Congress are terrible. And there's a tendency to say, a plague on both your houses. But the truth of the matter is that the problem in Congress is very specific. We have a group of folks in the Republican Party who have taken over who are so ideologically rigid, who are so committed to an economic theory that says if folks at the top do very well then everybody else is somehow going to do well; who deny the science of climate change; who don't think making investments in early-childhood education makes sense; who have repeatedly blocked raising a minimum wage so if you work full-time in this country you're not living in poverty; who scoff at the notion that we might have a problem with women not getting paid for doing the same work that men are doing. "They, so far, at least, have refused to budge on bipartisan legislation to fix our immigration system, despite the fact that every economist who's looked at it says it's going to improve our economy, cut our deficits, help spawn entrepreneurship, and alleviate great pain from millions of families all across the country. "So the problem is not that the Democrats are overly ideologicalbecause the truth of the matter is, is that the Democrats in Congress have consistently been willing to compromise and reach out to the other side. There are no radical proposals coming out from the left. When we talk about climate change, we talk about how do we incentivize through the market greater investment in clean energy. When we talk about immigration reform there's no wild-eyed romanticism. We say we're going to be tough on the borders, but let's also make sure that the system works to allow families to stay together (excerpt) Read more: http://www.nationaljournal.com/poli...sty-of-obama-and-other-false-purists-20140527 While the above may be true. IMHO, one must question the moves and motions of Harry Reid majority Senate that have negated and out-rightly refused any proposals, or comprises passed by Congress.
What, exactly is the "intellectual dishonesty" you are accusing Obama of? Pointing out how the obstructionists in the House have blocked his every proposal since Republicans got the majority in Jan 2011? That's not "intellectual dishonesty". That's called truth.
Well gollllleee gee, when 15 TOP REPUBLICANS sit in a private room of a fancy DC restaurant on the inauguration night of a President's first 7 hours in office and commit themselves to HIS FAILURE and commit to give him "nothing" and they do just that, the "just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you" rule might just apply!!
JUNE 20, 2012 10:26AM - SALON Republicans Commit Economic Sabotage while Press Sleeps Media incompetence has forced me into the role of reluctant citizen journalist. After reading the Prologue to Robert Draper’s new book Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives, I am OUTRAGED. Mr. Draper not only tells us precisely what the politicians discussed at this secret meeting, he gives names as well as dates and locations. He might as well be howling into the wind, however, for all the media attention this explosive story is receiving. The evening of January 20, 2009 (President Barack Obama’s inauguration day), after attending the swearing in, a group of 15 Republican leaders attended a by-invitation-only dinner meeting in a private dining room of the Caucus Club Restaurant in Washington, DC. The exclusive guest list included the following : Rep. Eric Cantor (R,VA-7), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R,CA), Rep. Paul Ryan (R,WI), Rep. Pete Sessions (R,TX), Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R,TX), (Ex) Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R,MI), Rep. Dan Lundgren (R,CA) , Sen. Jim DeMint (RSC), Sen. Jon Kyl(R,AZ), Sen.Tom Coburn (R,OK), (Ex) Sen. John Ensign (R,NV), Sen. Bob Corker (R,TN), Fred Barnes (Exec. Editor for the Weekly Standard and Fox News political commentator), Newt Gingrich (former Speaker of the House [R-GA], Fox News political analyst, and 2012 Republican candidate for president), as well as Frank Luntz (conservative communications strategist). A few of the guest’s spouses also attended. Interestingly, Rep. John Boehner did not attend since Mr. Luntz planned it and he and Mr. Boehner didn’t get along. The dinner meeting’s purpose was to devise a strategy to defeat President Obama and ensure that he wasn’t re-elected. Participants in the 4-hour long dinner agreed to secrecy and decided that they WOULD STOP AT NOTHING in order to regain the White House. At a time when the economy was already deep in recession combined with a banking and housing crisis and we were losing approximately 750,000 jobs a month, Republican leaders came up with the following strategy to regain the White House: •challenge Obama and the democrats on every single bill; •show UNITED and UNYIELDING opposition to the President’s ECONOMIC policies; •attack Timothy Geithner; •begin attacking Democrats on the airwaves; •win control of the House of Representatives in 2010; •attack Obama relentlessly in 2011, blaming him for the poor economy; •gain control of the Senate in 2012; •regain the White House in 2012
"The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, 10/29/2010
The GOP is obstinate? They damn well better be! Their constituents voted them into office to resist the evil of the Hussein Obama junta at every juncture.
"McConnell: If President Obama does a Clintonian backflip, if he’s willing to meet us halfway on some of the biggest issues, it’s not inappropriate for us to do business with him. NJ: What are the big issues? McConnell: It is possible the president’s advisers will tell him he has to do something to get right with the public on his levels of spending and [on] lowering the national debt. If he were to heed that advice, he would, I imagine, find more support among our conference than he would among some in the Senate in his own party. I don’t want the president to fail; I want him to change. So, we’ll see. The next move is going to be up to him." http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...9fd5cd8-0696-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html When a current President spews that much partisan BS as in the op's post then i hope he does fail. What a monumental liar Obama is.
You forget how Harry Reid has played the roadblock since Republicans took office. Remember how he used the nuclear option? Of course not, Democrats are all the same, they can't make many proposals because voters took away their scepter of power. I do believe you're upset about it too. Obama is either blissfully ignorant and truly and believes what he says OR, he knows how to play on the raw emotion of the others. By the way, I would like to see you prove how this is "truth." Looking forward to it. Instead of worshiping Obama, you might do well to investigate what he says. Think for yourself.
YEP!!!! The number of AMERICANS they hurt INTENTIONALLY is staggering!! I gotta presume that ALL THEIRs must have been able to weather the shutdowns, the gridlock, the OBSTRUCTION, the mortgage meltdowns, the legislative CRUELTY they inflicted on the rest of us! It can't be that don't give a (*)(*)(*)(*) about their own, right??
'Intentionally'? How so lefty? Tip O'Neil shut the govt down 7 times when Reagan was POTUS. Stop whining. Gridlock is a good thing with this POS in the WH. Mortgage meltdowns were as much the buyers fault as the lenders. Don't sign off on what you cannot afford.
And? Learn what happens during a govt 'shutdown'................... http://blog.heritage.org/2013/09/30/qa-what-happens-during-a-government-shutdown/ Q&A: What Happens During a Government Shutdown? Hans von SpakovskySeptember 30, 2013 at 2:27 pmComments Off Some of the claims being made about what happens to the federal government when there is a funding lapse are almost hysterical Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) even claimed that a shutdown would be as dangerous as the break-up of the Union before the Civil War. Here are answers to some basic questions about a shutdown. Q: Is such a funding lapse unusual? A: No, such a lapse in funding would be neither unusual nor catastrophic. There have been 17 funding gaps just since 1977 ranging in duration from one to 21 days. Under applicable federal law, operations and services would continue for those essential for the safety of human life or the protection of property, as well as those programs funded through multiyear or permanent appropriations. Q: What actually happens during a government shutdown? A: The truth from the experience of prior shutdowns, applicable federal laws, Justice Department legal opinions, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives, is that crucial government services and benefits would continue without interruption. In fact, as the Justice Department said in a legal opinion in 1995, the federal government will not be truly shut down because Congress has itself provided that some activities of Government should continue. Any claims that not passing a continuing resolution (CR) will result in a shutting down of the government is an entirely inaccurate description, according to the Justice Department. Q: Would retirees and veterans get their benefit checks? A: Yes, mandatory government payments such as Social Security and veterans benefits would continue to be paid. During a prior government shutdown in 1995, 80 percent of Social Security Administration employees kept working because they were considered essential to making benefit payments. Q: Would national security be hurt by a shutdown? A: No, national security, including the conduct of foreign relations by the President, is considered an essential function that would continue. Q: Would food and drug safety be imperiled by a shutdown? A: No, the federal government would continue to conduct testing and inspection of food, drugs, and hazardous materials, because these are considered essential for the safety of Americans. Q: Would we still be able to travel? A: Yes, the government has said during prior shutdowns that the air traffic control system and other transportation safety operations are essential to the safety of the country and would continue to operate. So air traffic controllers would keep directing air traffic at airports around the country, and you would continue to be searched by agents of the TSA when you board a flight. Q. What would a shutdown mean for implementation of Obamacare? A. Some parts of Obamacare are funded with multiyear appropriations and would not be affected by a lapse in current funding. Other parts are not. While the Administration may have some funding available to continue to implement those parts of Obamacare, it would not be able to legally implement all of the many different parts of the law. There is no doubt, however, that the President is likely to assert that all of the different parts of the law are essential and should continue to operate even without funding. Q: What happens to federal law enforcement activities? A: During a shutdown, all federal law enforcement and border control functions continue to operate. So the FBI would continue to make arrests and conduct criminal investigations. The U.S. Border Patrol would continue to patrol the American borders. The federal Bureau of Prisons stays open, and convicted criminals are not released. Q: Would there be any problems with the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Departments supervision of our financial system during a shutdown? A: No, all activities essential to preserving the money and banking system of the U.S., including borrowing and tax collection, would continue. So the IRS would keep on collecting the tax revenues that help pay for the operation of the federal government. Q: What if there is a natural disaster like a hurricane during a government shutdown? A: Emergency and disaster assistance are considered essential to protecting life and property, so federal disaster assistance continues during a government shutdown. Q: Would many federal employees be furloughed? A: Federal employees who are not considered essential would be furloughed; based on prior funding lapses, this is a relatively small number of employees in comparison to the entire federal workforce. When President Bill Clinton vetoed a continuing resolution in November 1995 in a dispute with the House of Representatives over a balanced budget and welfare reform, only about 800,000 out of a total of almost 4.5 million federal employees were furloughed. In a second funding gap from December 1995 to January 1996, only about 300,000 employees were furloughed. So the vast majority of federal workers will keep right on working.
