Should the administration forget about building bipartisan support & just plow through reforms?
Wasn't that Reagan's success? Reform things first and then attempt to unify the nation?
Wasn't that Reagan's success? Reform things first and then attempt to unify the nation?
hotnwell
Favorite Answer
Of course they should. The Republicans dumped all their moderates. There's very few rational people among their elected officials left. Forget bipartisanship and move on.
Or, better yet, use the old Republican routine: Talk about how bipartisan you are while being as partisan as you can.
Anyone who thinks Obama has not tried to reach out to Republicans is truly uninformed. It was only last week we saw the effort put into working with Olympia Snowe and getting her buy in on the health care reform. But it benefits Republican congressmen to spit on the outstretched hand, then go home and tell everyone Obama has shut them out of the process. Because of the low-information voters, many Republicans, like the ones on this site.
Gone Rogue
They can`t plow through because their own people are against it. Have you not figured that out yet.
The democrats have the voting power to just pass anything they want without the Republicans even showing up. When Reed and Poloisi complain about republicans blocking progress it is a lie, they can`t. It is Democrats preventing it from moving ahead and standing with republicans.
I know the the state run media has not told you this yet but it is true.
Anonymous
The first stimulus package was managed in a very plow through fashion but Obama seemed to gain leniency for this because of "economic needs". Plowing things through seems like a very short term solution and appears to be the fastest way to crash the president's political capital and ability to do anything. Its a long four years and rumors of the 2010 mid terms trending a little more republican makes it seem like attempts at bipartisanship is best.
Anonymous
Yes. Except Reagan never tried to unify the nation, he was a very divisive president. So was FDR. However, polls show that most of the public knows that the Republicans are the spoilers here, so Obama's olive branches did some political good.
Noah H
Barack has to stay on message and explain in plain English what needs to to done. He has to get on top of the right wing radio dummies and FOX. I'm hoping that calm and consistent explainations will eventually bring at least some of our fellow citizens back to their senses and get them to stop buying into the BS put out by the reactionaries on the far right. Meanwhile he has to do what needs to be done and let the nay sayers babble away as the spirit moves.