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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / “Republicans find their voice”

“Republicans find their voice”

by DougJ|  January 27, 20091:41 pm| 78 Comments

This post is in: Media, Assholes

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While John is saying “let them vote no”, the Politico is gushing about the Repubicans’ new tactics:

Congressional Republicans, who only weeks ago were sheepish about their own electoral failures and cowed by Obama’s polish and popularity, are suddenly punching back — hard — on both sides of the Capitol.

[…]

Then this morning, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) went for the jugular, urging his members to oppose the economic centerpiece of Obama’s first term just hours before the president paid the Republicans the compliment of coming to the Capitol for a private meeting — even before he did the same for House Democrats.

Obama’s aides cast the visit as an outstretched hand — and it got slapped.

The bottom line: a coordinated effort to embarrass a president who looked largely unassailable just weeks ago.

This was all pretty predictable, of course. There was no way Republicans would do anything but attack and there was no way their attacks would be portrayed as anything but tough, gutsy, jugular-cutting maneuvers. I don’t know whether or not this makes any difference politically, because I don’t know if our politics are now post-bitch-slap. In my view, the last however many years have been dominated by what Josh Marshall calls “bitch slap” politics:

Let’s call it the Republicans’ Bitch-Slap theory of electoral politics.

It goes something like this.

On one level, of course, the aim behind these attacks is to cast suspicion upon Kerry’s military service record and label him a liar. But that’s only part of what’s going on.

Consider for a moment what the big game is here. This is a battle between two candidates to demonstrate toughness on national security. Toughness is a unitary quality, really — a personal, characterological quality rather than one rooted in policy or divisible in any real way. So both sides are trying to prove to undecided voters either that they’re tougher than the other guy or at least tough enough for the job.

Obviously, Barack Obama isn’t John Kerry and this isn’t a debate on national security, but I think the same rules may still apply.

Update: The more I think about this, the more it seems likely that one of two things will happen here:

1. The Republicans will actually try to filibuster this thing, which would be a political debacle of Schiavo-like proportions.

or

2. Snowe, Specter, et al. will not go along with the filibuster and it will pass 65-35 or so. The Red State Strike force will laud McConnell and call the filibuster-breakers “RINOs”.

I’m hoping for 1. but I think 2. may be more likely.

I also think the media will continue to play up the Republican attempted bitch slap, but it’s more than likely that Obama’s give ’em enough rope strategy will lead to the Republicans hanging themselves, one way or another.

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78Comments

  1. 1.

    Keith

    January 27, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    My theory (and hope) is that Obama is starting off attempting to be gracious and accomodating to the other side knowing full well that it is in their nature to do this. However, he would – according to said theory – use their bad faith as justification to stick it to them for the next 4-8 years.
    On another note, the cynicism of becoming so reflexively obstructionist mere months after showing "PARTY OF NO!" at every opportunity is astounding.

  2. 2.

    Joshua Norton

    January 27, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    Obama’s aides cast the visit as an outstretched hand — and it got slapped.

    Not to offend all two-year-old kids, but the Republicans are like two-year-old kids. Give them a piece of candy and they’ll just throw sheet-feets until they get more. Everything has to be done their way or no way at all. Their teeny little minds are made up and that is all there is to it.

    It’s obviously time for America to move on without them for a while. We can no longer humor their temper tantrums. They all need a “time out” and we need to clean up the horrendous messes they created.

  3. 3.

    Cain

    January 27, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    I’m going to wait for the Obama counterpunch(tm). We know he has one, and we know he’ll use it with extreme prejudice.

    They are playing a dangerous game, the president has some of the highest approval ratings for a starting president. It’s obvious for most non-partisans that he’s trying to get things going. I think most of us would see the Republicans as obstructionists since time is really of the essence. We’re trying to head off a disaster and these guys are playing partisan politics as usual. The world has changed and these fools don’t even know it. They are going to get hteir ass handed to them in 2010.

    They are trying to make him fail and then blame himf or not doing anything about the economy. Traitorous dogs. May a thousand fleas infest their sexual organs.

    cain

  4. 4.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    January 27, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    I’m certain Obama is smart enough to have watched the Republicans’ and media’s behavior ever since the Contract with America and predicted all of this. As you write, There was no way Republicans would do anything but attack and there was no way their attacks would be portrayed as anything but tough, gutsy, jugular-cutting maneuvers. It’s about as surprising as a daily sunrise.

    I’m very curious to see how Obama handles it. His election performance is cause for hope that he’ll do something clever and beneficial.

  5. 5.

    MikeJ

    January 27, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Ever see this episode of the West Wing? Bartlett acts conciliatory towards the GOP gets snubbed and rolls over them because of Josh’s good eye for the media.

    josh was based on Rahm.

  6. 6.

    JGabriel

    January 27, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    DougJ @ Top:

    There was no way Republicans would do anything but attack and there was no way their attacks would be portrayed as anything but tough, gutsy, jugular-cutting maneuvers.

    AKA, hissy-fits.

    DDay @ Hullabaloo (Digby’s Place):

    First we have the pre-compromised stimulus package, which is about to get more compromised thanks to a GOP hissy fit.

    .

  7. 7.

    Bernie

    January 27, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Fuck the Republicans. Obama should load up the stimulus with what he thinks is best and dare them to stop it. Repubs, for some reason, still think they are a relevant political party. It is time for Obama to show them they are not.

  8. 8.

    John Cole

    January 27, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    I just am trying not to get too caught up in all the day to day BS, and think everyone should remember how crazy the primary was, and Obama just stayed calm and cool and focused on the endgame. I think the same is in effect today, and the Republicans are fooling themselves if they think they are going to beat him on superficial optics. That kind of nonsense is what killed Hillary (remember, the Clinton campaign prided themselves on beating the Republicans at their own game).

    I really have started to look at Obama as the human version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, walking around flashing “Don’t Panic.”

  9. 9.

    R-Jud

    January 27, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    @MikeJ:
    Heh. I just linked to that episode in the other thread. Santos was based on Obama, wasn’t he? Weird.

  10. 10.

    Quaker in a Basement

    January 27, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    Then this morning, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) went for the jugular, urging his members to oppose the economic centerpiece of Obama’s first term just hours before the president paid the Republicans the compliment of coming to the Capitol for a private meeting — even before he did the same for House Democrats.

    Obama’s aides cast the visit as an outstretched hand — and it got slapped.

    The Politico’s coverage might accurately be called "gushing." But now let’s see how Republican foot-dragging plays with the public, shall we?

  11. 11.

    Darius

    January 27, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    Color me unsurprised that Drudge 2.0 would be spinning GOP obstructionism in the most favorable terms.

    That said, I’ve learned not to underestimate Obama. I suspect a lot of this "bipartisan" stuff is mostly for show, so Obama can later say, "well, I tried to work with Republicans, but…".

  12. 12.

    The Moar You Know

    January 27, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    Obama’s aides cast the visit as an outstretched hand — and it got slapped.

    Excellent. Sky-high unemployment and people’s home values are crashing through the floor, and the Republican response is to slap away hands, sit in the corner, and throw a tantrum.

    If this is how they’re going to conduct themselves – and it sure looks that way – I cannot wait for 2010.

  13. 13.

    lovethebomb

    January 27, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    That darn liberal media, always portraying republican poo-flinging as "tough and gutsy." When dems managed to find a backbone and mount a critique, they were "Bush-bashers" and engaging in a "hate-fest." They were the "blame America first crowd" and cheese eating surrender monkeys.

    When republicans throw a hissy with arguments long discounted as absurd and infantile, they are taken seriously and given equal play. How is it that when dems are the minority, they can hold a press conference on the capitol steps w/ 50 members and barely get passing coverage. But when repubs are the minority, everything Boner says is quoted with relish in the first paragraph of every article?

  14. 14.

    ...now I try to be amused

    January 27, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    This reminds me of Doctor Who, if you’ll pardon the geekery. The Doctor always gives the bad guys a chance to give up their wicked ways. If they refuse, then he destroys them. They always refuse, even though you’d think some of them might have a clue that the Doctor made the offer because he could destroy them but would rather not.

    I guess the GOP, like Doctor Who villains, are such habitual bluffers that they can’t see when their opponent is not bluffing.

  15. 15.

    Tony J

    January 27, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    This was all pretty predictable, of course. There was no way Republicans would do anything but attack and there was no way their attacks would be portrayed as anything but tough, gutsy, jugular-cutting maneuvers.

    Well, yeah. It’s a variation on the trick McCain tried twice IIRC on the campaign trail. Act like a dickhead to shore up support from Der Base, and expect the MSM to cover your back by running stories about how this is really a problem for Obama.

    It didn’t work for McCain – though the MSM tried really, really hard to make it work the first time he challenged them – but the Congressional GOP seem to think that the MSM are going to come through for them this time.

    And they’re probably right.

  16. 16.

    Cain

    January 27, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    I just am trying not to get too caught up in all the day to day BS, and think everyone should remember how crazy the primary was, and Obama just stayed calm and cool and focused on the endgame. I think the same is in

    Oh, I’m not worried. I’m going to enjoy the bitchslap that’s going to occur. I’ve learned a lot on what Obama is capable of. This is so transparent, I’m sure he’s thought of what to do if they screw him.

    cain

  17. 17.

    MobiusKlein

    January 27, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    It’s still the First Quarter of the first game, in a long season.
    There is a lot of long term strategy to play out, not just this one item.

  18. 18.

    Brien Jackson

    January 27, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    The rules may still apply in the press, who are just obsessed with the horserace all day every day, but I don’t think there’s going to be much of a public backing for the GOP. People want some sort of stimulus package, and the GOP’s going to give it to them. They’re going to waste time stoking the right-wing, obviously, and they’ll probably vote "no" so that they can bring it back up if things aren’t all better in 2 years, but there’s really nothing they can do about it. The minority has no rights in the House, and Democrats can use reconciliation in the Senate. This is just the dog and pony show for The Corner and Politico.

  19. 19.

    Deborah

    January 27, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    My theory (and hope) is that Obama is starting off attempting to be gracious and accomodating to the other side knowing full well that it is in their nature to do this. However, he would – according to said theory – use their bad faith as justification to stick it to them for the next 4-8 years.
    My thoughts exactly. It’d be nice to be bipartisan, but the Republicans seem to have left that at the door. Or specifically, the one rallying point they’ve found for just what the heck it means to be a Republican now is "fiscal conservative."

    Now, I am an independent and call myself a fiscal conservative, by which I mean that we want the government to do some things, but need to have a plan for how to pay for those things; the fact that the people who would benefit by a new government program have very touching personal stories should not enter into it. But looking at the present mess, a whole bunch of fiscal conservatives, not just me but many with respectable economics profiles, see that now is the time for the spender of last resort–government, spending a lot, and hopefully on things like improved infrastructure and science R&D that will have a lasting benefit.

    I think the Republicans are misunderestimating. They should be on board as trying to do something, even if, as Buffett pointed out, we don’t know for sure what will work. We don’t have new Republicans in Congress this term; every damn one of them was shouting "Wooooohooooo Baaaaaby!" whenever Bush wanted to cut taxes and raise spending and generally completely ignore the whole "we’re doing this on the backs of our children" argument during fairly good economic times, and for them all to have looked down and located their aversion to government spending beyond its means this month…..They’re just losing all credibility.

    I’m an independent. I vote mixed party tickets. And while the Dems may continue to not really win me, the Republicans are doing everything they can to assure I default-vote Democratic. (At least until a future point when the Rs actually stand for something and the Dems are but a sea of Blogojevitches, which could well be true in a decade or two.) They’re intercutting tossing people out of the yurt with standing fast on an issue where they have zero credibility (compare deficit spending under St Ron, Bush 1, and Bush 2 to the budgets under Clinton) and zero suggestions beyond "whenever stuff happens, like an eclipse, I think it’s nice to have a tax cut."

  20. 20.

    Shinobi

    January 27, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Sometimes I think the only way to get through all this day to day bullshit with the Republikids is to make this my desktop.

    But I do think it is important that we continue to question our leadership. I don’t want to find myself looking back on 2009-2016 and regretting that I didn’t speak up more about stuff I disagreed about.

    I think finding a good balance between trusting our leadership and questioning it as well is going to take a little while. In the mean time I think I might err on the side of trust if only to avoid bloodpressure meds.

  21. 21.

    Joshua Norton

    January 27, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    The Doctor always gives the bad guys a chance to give up their wicked ways. If they refuse, then he destroys them.

    Not to get all geeky either, but even though he supposedly wiped out the Daleks, the writers always manage to bring them back when they’ve run out of creative ideas for a new episode.

    Seems to be the same way with republican politicians. They just keep coming back and running to walls hollering "Exterminate".

  22. 22.

    Mike Jones

    January 27, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    I love the smell of bipartisanship in the morning.

  23. 23.

    Warren Terra

    January 27, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    One thing I haven’t seen recently in all this Stimulus Bill vote-counting: we’re acting as if Boehner has some influence in his caucus, as if Boegner is deciding whether to deliver their votes (in return for tax cuts or whatever) or instead to lead his caucus in grandstanding against the stimulus bill.

    But do we believe that’s really the case? I mean, think all the way back to the first bailout bill in October, and you may recall that the House leadership of both sides dickered and bargained and negotiated and came up with a deal: Pelosi would deliver a healthy majority of her folks, and Boehner would deliver a healthy minority (40%, iirc) of his folks. Come the vote, and Pelosi overperformed her target by a smidgen and Boehner was shown to have essentially no ability to deliver the votes he’d promised.

    Sure, Boehner is being loudly obstructionist: but I submit that he’s doing so not because it’s his strategy for the House Republican Caucus but because he knows he couldn’t bring them around if he tried, and so is making a virtue of their obstreperousness. I’ve seen no evidence that the house Republicans currently have a leader with whom Obama can negotiate.

    Since it’s fair to assume that Obama’s and Emanuel’s knowledge of the house beats mine all silly, I can think of two plausible options: (1) I’m just wrong, or (2) Obama is making a big show of reaching out not because he thinks it can work, but because it’s important to be seen to be reaching out. My guess is, the latter seems more plausible.

  24. 24.

    cleek

    January 27, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    They’re intercutting tossing people out of the yurt with standing fast on an issue where they have zero credibility (compare deficit spending under St Ron, Bush 1, and Bush 2 to the budgets under Clinton)

    the thing is, the general public has never really internalized the fact that the GOP’s devotion to fiscal responsibility only comes up when Democrats are spending; the myth of the GOP as tight-fisted and cautious persists.

    that’s one of the GOP’s greatest triumphs, IMO. by braying loudly every time Dems try to spend it, they’ve convinced the country that they are responsible with taxpayer money and that Dems are reckless spenders. when it’s their turn to man the till the GOP spends happily, but because that doesn’t fit the narrative it doesn’t register with the MSM or the general public.

  25. 25.

    Nicole

    January 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    Not to get all geeky either, but even though he supposedly wiped out the Daleks, the writers always manage to bring them back when they’ve run out of creative ideas for a new episode.

    Well, he had a chance to wipe them out at their beginning, but decided he couldn’t be a part of genocide. And then later on the Daleks blew up his home planet. Clearly a metaphor for the Democrats, who continually f*ck themselves with their own good intentions.

  26. 26.

    DJShay

    January 27, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    I just sent the "reporters" that worked on this story a piece of my mind. That Jonathan Martin especially gets on my nerves. Frat boy.

    I must take issue with the article today stating that the Republicans are the "stout party of opposition" for saying no to Obama and trying to embarrass him. Who is going to look like the jerk one day after the announcement that over 40,000 jobs were lost in one day? The guy trying to pass a stimulus plan, or the people trying to block it so they can "embarrass" the president. Keep giving props to the Republicans for their cowboy ways though. It’s so typical of the media for the last 10 years. You act like no piece of legislation is good unless it gets the Republican seal of approval. And just look at how well those Republican policies have worked. Thanks for the "crack" reporting.

  27. 27.

    Tony J

    January 27, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    Not to get all geeky either, but even though he supposedly wiped out the Daleks, the writers always manage to bring them back when they’ve run out of creative ideas for a new episode.

    Being aware of all non-geeky traditions, I feel free to point out that the writers rebooted the whole Doctor Who franchise on the concept that his race had written itself out of history in an attempt to get rid of the daleks, and the fact that this was a failure leaves the door open for future writers to bring back the Time Lords, if they want to.

    You’ve got to leave room for reboots.

  28. 28.

    Chris Johnson

    January 27, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    I’m pretty sure that Obama’s people have figured out that the press liking Republican dick-waving is a structural problem… it’s not about them liking Republican policies or even Republicans at all, it is 100% about ratings and ‘if it bleeds it leads’.

    This ain’t new, people. WE are here on a politics blog because mainstream media news has gone to what you might call a local maximum- not unlike what’s happened in mainstream music and mainstream radio.

    The idea is that, through an embrace of Randite corporate winner motives and a repudiation of any other value system, you get a race-to-the-bottom scenario in which everything starts to really suck, but OMG is it exciting! OMG the Republican said "we’ll slap him in the face with his own stink"! Quick, 20000 replays and hours of commentary and reaction to this brazen, ballsy statement! Drama is exciting!

    The idea is that we don’t care what anything means, but statistically we’ll stampede towards anything that seems exciting or ‘alpha’ (dominant) like a pack of submissive bitches.

    It used to be fairly true, statistically, but it failed to continue in the last general election, because it’s not really a policy.

    And good luck believing that your bravado and wetsuit will make you seem to have a bigger dick than a black man with two children and a Presidency!

    So the solution (oh ALL RIGHT- counterpunch!) is this: the only thing more exciting than a big alpha male bully who’s gonna beat you up and take your lunch money- is a twist ending where the bully is crying with a black eye and everybody goes ‘yay’ and lives happily ever after, or until the next episode.

    Republicans forget this AT THEIR PERIL. Kennedy’s charisma led to DECADES of liberalism, and he was even killed and it didn’t slow it down. You do not want to get yourself jockeyed into the position of the bad guy when there’s a hero image around- all he’s gotta do is play a little judo, do some not-super-difficult social work like a community organizer, and pull off some twist outcomes, and suddenly you’re no longer Clint Eastwood tough guy, you’re just some asshole who got heroically triumphed against. You’re HELPING them with every hissy fit.

    Um, I mean, carry on. Heckuva job, do more. Far be it from me to teach these guys how to not lose, after the damage they’ve done :P

  29. 29.

    stickler

    January 27, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    Cleek:

    I think the GOP’s reputation for fiscal conservatism is dead and gone for 90% of the US public. George W. Bush killed it. Who actually believes, after what they’ve done for the last eight years, that the GOP really gives a crap about fiscal discipline? Clinton bequeathed a $200 billion surplus. Bush and the Congressional GOP blew it all and much, much more.

    People who talk about the GOP as being fiscally prudent are lying, and they know it.

  30. 30.

    Gregory

    January 27, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    It’s simple — the Republicans get perceived as "fighters" by their core constituencies, GOP voters and the Beltway media.

    Democrats are perceived as wimps and losers for their constant roll-over act. Sadly, it’s hard to argue that perception isn’t accurate.

    But voters are sick of the Republicans’ bad faith. Obama should write off the GOP and deliver his priorities to the American people, thus cementing his own image as someone who will stand up for his beliefs.

  31. 31.

    TheFountainHead

    January 27, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    I really have started to look at Obama as the human version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, walking around flashing “Don’t Panic.”

    Well, that made my day.

  32. 32.

    Cain

    January 27, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    @cleek:

    that’s one of the GOP’s greatest triumphs, IMO. by braying loudly every time Dems try to spend it, they’ve convinced the country that they are responsible with taxpayer money and that Dems are reckless spenders. when it’s their turn to man the till the GOP spends happily, but because that doesn’t fit the narrative it doesn’t register with the MSM or the general public.

    Yes, but that’s not what’s happening now. We’re in this situation precisely because Republicans were spending like water, loosening rules and being douches that finally culminated into the current mess. Democrats didn’t get us where we are now, Republicans did. The last two elections clearly shows that the public believes that. I dont’ know what game the press is playing, but manipulating emotions on voters seems to be a way to generate viewership *shrug*

    cain

  33. 33.

    El Cruzado

    January 27, 2009 at 2:47 pm

    On the other hand, I dunno who’s paying attention to their hissy fits other than bloggers and the occasional cable TV gasbag.

    Everyone else? Not so much. They’ll just tune to them with the volume turned down and see a bunch of poo-flinging baboons (with apologies to all fine baboons everywhere).

  34. 34.

    JGabriel

    January 27, 2009 at 2:51 pm

    FYI, y’all:

    John Updike, he daid.

    People can and will debate the merits of his novels. I haven’t been a big fan of the two or three I’ve read, but in Updike’s case, that’s probably not enough to form a valid opinion.

    Updike was, however, a master of the short story, one of the best of the past 50 years, and I don’t think anyone would call that debatable.

    .

  35. 35.

    Shawn in ShowMe

    January 27, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    @Warren Terra

    The House Repubs are notoriously wingnutty. Thanks to gerrymandering of the districts, they can afford to be and still get re-elected. Besides, the Dems already have the votes they need in the House so the critical game is in the Senate.

    I think we’ve got Snowe. After Collins voted no on Geithner, I’m not sure how she’s going to vote. From what I’ve read Ensign will co-sign if the tax liability for buying back debt is reduced. Graham is striking a conciliatory pose so he’s a possible vote.

    But the other Senate GOPers who crossed the aisle to confirm Geithner have come out pretty strongly against the stimulus unless it’s changed beyond recognition.

  36. 36.

    Tim in SF

    January 27, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    He deserved to get his hand slapped. Next time he shouldn’t try to appease them.

  37. 37.

    Martin

    January 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    Well, this is pretty normal and expected. Let’s see if Obama has the stones to give the proper response:

    "Rep. Boehner gave instructions to his caucus to oppose this stimulus bill just hours before a meeting we had initiated to seek a bipartisan compromise. That indicates to me that the GOP leadership has no intention of supporting this bill in any form and therefore we will not waste our time listening to their concerns. The American people need a stimulus bill and Democrats will provide them with one. We hope in the future the GOP finds the courage to be honest brokers toward meeting the challenges facing voters."

  38. 38.

    TenguPhule

    January 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    I really have started to look at Obama as the human version of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, walking around flashing “Don’t Panic.”

    All he needs now is a towel.

  39. 39.

    NonyNony

    January 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    Meh. Either Obama’s an idiot or he planned for this. I don’t think he’s an idiot.

    I’m just waiting to see where he goes with it. I’m thinking he’s just giving them more rope to hang themselves with.

    Obama may (and I stress here may) be playing the ultimate game of chicken with the inside-the-beltway types. We know that the Village fetishizes "bipartisanship" beyond all belief. It’s been used as a cudgel against Democrats for over two decades. But it doesn’t have to be only useful against Democrats, and right now the Republicans are in a position to be beaten into a bloody pulp with the cudgel of bipartisanship themselves.

    If Obama keeps acting in good faith, and the Republicans keep acting like two-year-olds, they’re going to get knocked senseless this time. In fact, I’m really, really, really hoping that the Administration is trying to work the House Republicans up into such a frenzy that the Senate Republicans have to act like adults – much like they ended up doing when the whole TARP debate was going on (remember Boehner talking about Nancy Pelosi saying mean things so they had to vote against the bailout – yeah, they got good press that day).

    I don’t think most Dems see this coming. It continues to look like business as usual of the last 2 decades. But it’s not business as usual – the Democrats are actually in charge. And so the weird dynamic of them reaching out to Republicans and getting smacked in return has a whole different meaning than it did 4 years ago. I’m not sure if it will change, but I see how it might.

  40. 40.

    Gwendy

    January 27, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    Politico is one thing. Obama’s "I’m more bipartisan than thou" strategy also leads to headlines like this one from The Hill…Obama to GOP: Put Aside Politics and Pass Stimulus. At the end of the day, Obama will likely push through all of the chatter.

  41. 41.

    kay

    January 27, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    Obama’s in a negotiation, and he doesn’t get distracted.
    He’ll get 90% of what he wants. He doesn’t care about blocking what they want, which is political points.
    Obama actually wants refundable tax credits. He thinks they’re sound policy. That’s different than pretending to care about opposing a contraception subsidy.
    It’s like McCain in the campaign with all the bullshit about earmarks, or Hillary with the gas tax.

  42. 42.

    Gus

    January 27, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Not to get all geeky either

    Geek alert!

  43. 43.

    Gus

    January 27, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Not to get all geeky either

    Geek alert!

  44. 44.

    The Moar You Know

    January 27, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Updike was, however, a master of the short story, one of the best of the past 50 years, and I don’t think anyone would call that debatable.

    @JGabriel: I’ll debate it all day long. I’ve written grocery lists that were better than anything he ever committed to paper. I read something of his that had me in tears once; not because I was stirred to the depths of my soul, but simply because it was so unfair that a writer that could crap out anything that boring had made a dime from it.

  45. 45.

    Shinobi

    January 27, 2009 at 3:08 pm

    All he needs now is a towel.

    And all I need is a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Or two.

  46. 46.

    JGabriel

    January 27, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    NonyNony:

    (remember Boehner talking about Nancy Pelosi saying mean things so they had to vote against the bailout – yeah, they got good press that day)

    The best part of that was Barney Frank’s response:

    I make an offer. Give me those 12 peoples names and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them.

    .

  47. 47.

    Napoleon

    January 27, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Interesting TPM report on the Republicans and bipartisanship.

  48. 48.

    Zifnab

    January 27, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Obama’s "I’m more bipartisan than thou" strategy also leads to headlines like this one from The Hill…Obama to GOP: Put Aside Politics and Pass Stimulus. At the end of the day, Obama will likely push through all of the chatter.

    At the end of the day, no one is going to give a crap about headlines from January 2009. Either the stimulus works or it doesn’t. If the GOP somehow manages to kill the bill, they might be able to drag Obama down a peg, but they might also set off a shitstorm in the business world. They might also provoke Obama to pull out the "Unitary Executive Stick" and start doing shit without Congressional approval.

    That’s the one thing that worries me the most. Under Bush-Era policy, Obama might not even really need a stimulus bill to enact a stimulus package. He can just boldly announce that the executive branch has control of the Treasury and the IRS and he can do whatever he damn well pleases.

    I don’t know if Obama would do that. The Democrats have been happy to roll back bad programs, but they haven’t really gone out of their way to roll back bad philosophy. Now that the federal government has all this power granted to it by Bush’s spree in office… will they use it?

    Politically, they have ever reason to. The GOP wins if the stimulus fails. If the GOP toes the line and filibusters, what does Obama do? We can’t just dick around for six months while everyone in Congress gets whipped back in line.

  49. 49.

    eric

    January 27, 2009 at 3:16 pm

    @Tim in SF:

    http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/1/23/142355/912/354/688149

    watch and relax.

  50. 50.

    SpotWeld

    January 27, 2009 at 3:17 pm

    Zelizer over at cnn.com seems to have nailed it.

    They’re "Wagstaff Republicans"!

    From the piece linked above:

    During one of the most memorable scenes, Groucho introduces himself to faculty and students by singing about his philosophy of governance: "Your proposition may be good/But let’s have one thing understood/ Whatever it is, I’m against it!/And even when you’ve changed it or condensed it, I’m against it/ I’m opposed to it/On general principle. I’m opposed to it."

    That it occurs to me that some of the more rude bloggers can have a field day with a moniker like "Wagstaff"

  51. 51.

    Tsulagi

    January 27, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    the Republicans are fooling themselves if they think they are going to beat him on superficial optics.

    True, but it’s a given they’ll continue to fool themselves. Seems to be in their DNA these days.

    I fully expect Obama to use the power of the teevee. Rove was smart during Bush’s first term to keep him off it as much as possible and limit press conferences to as few as possible. Because the more you saw and heard him, the more you came to the inescapable conclusion he’s an idiot who makes someone speaking in tongues sound articulate.

    This president, though, knows how to talk. Also has the brain power to come up with planned courses of action to address problems and convey them well to a broad cross-section of the country. It’s what got him elected.

    I see, or at least hope, Obama uses that ability to keep public support strong and use it to insert a spine into Congressional Dems. Would then help obstructionist actions like this from Boehner be seen by the public for what they are, just petty politics to grow and feed sound bites to a dwindling base that still craves to be fat on stupid.

  52. 52.

    Brian J

    January 27, 2009 at 3:21 pm

    Steve Benen noted last week that Obama’s approval rating is at 60 percent in states like Texas and Tennessee. While it remains to be seen how long that will last, let’s assume that it remains high for the next year, in both red and blue states alike. Let’s also assume that we reach the bottom of the economy sooner rather than later–I saw one suggestion yesterday that it could come as soon as this summer–and that even if it doesn’t improve at breakneck speeds, it looks as if we are on the upswing. Obama will likely get credit for that, adding to his popularity.

    Where will the Republicans be in all of this? The majority of them, and almost certainly all of the ones consistently in front of the cameras, will have been caught opposing an enormously popular president and congress whose work is viewed as putting the country on the right track.

    Perhaps it won’t kill them directly. After a certain point, the only seats in the House left to get are in fairly red districts. The Senate looks to be better, even if it’s harder to get to 67 after three or four state races are focused on. Still, they have an enormous task of trying to climb out of the electoral ditch they’ve dug themselves into, and if they want to make their own job even harder, no matter how many hands are thrown across the aisle, why not just let them do it?

  53. 53.

    Tim in SF

    January 27, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    @eric:
    @Tim in SF:
    http://tinyurl.com/aulaxh
    watch and relax.

    Wow, neat video, Eric. Thanks!

  54. 54.

    Faux News

    January 27, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    However, he would – according to said theory – use their bad faith as justification to stick it to them for the next 4-8 years.

    Win. The hapless R’s won’t even know what hit them. Wish I could feel sorry for them, but I don’t. In fact I plan to gloat.

  55. 55.

    Stooleo

    January 27, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    Here’s gratitude for ya. Got to keep the people poor and stupid.

  56. 56.

    Paul

    January 27, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Here’s my take…. tell the GOP that the bill will go to vote including the GOP requested changes (the ones that have been accepted) with a block of dems (in safe districts) voting "no" so that GOP votes are required to make it pass. That way they have to be on record for voting for the bill.

    Explain to them that if it fails, the next rev of the bill will have all GOP sponsored components stripped out, and the dem block with vote "aye" for it. It will likely pass anyways because of senators in hard-hit states who are worried about their jobs.

    In other words, if they don’t get off their asses and vote for it now, they will get nothing, nada.

  57. 57.

    NickM

    January 27, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    It seems to me that politics, along with the economy, is fundamentally changing. The middle class has basically slipped away and most people can see it. The reason is pretty clearly not that people pay too many taxes. There are plenty of people that are starting to re-consider the value of a social safety net just about now, too. "Socialized medicine," for the first time in my life, is starting to sound more like a promise and less like a threat.

    Boehner and his buddies are trying to run on a circa-1986 platform, and I just don’t see it working for them this time. Worst of all for them, they don’t even seem to know it.

  58. 58.

    Josh Hueco

    January 27, 2009 at 3:52 pm

    @…now I try to be amused:

    LOL…"No second chances"

  59. 59.

    SpotWeld

    January 27, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    Wait… so Obama is Donna Noble?

  60. 60.

    Bob In Pacifica

    January 27, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Boehner’s district doesn’t need any stimulation, I guess. Let him go on record saying that the people in his district don’t want federal help.

  61. 61.

    chrome agnomen

    January 27, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    people are frightened right now. there’s a widespread sense of dread that we haven’t seen the worst yet. unfortunately for the right, this is not the kind of fear that they will be able to exploit, since it has a very real cause, not the manufactured type that they usually foment. i think they risk a very negative reaction by not only the left and middle, but substantial numbers of their own, especially the more or less middle/lower class whites in the south, who are both financially insecure and easily spooked.

  62. 62.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    January 27, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    1. The Republicans will actually try to filibuster this thing…
    or
    2. Snowe, Specter, et al. will not go along with the filibuster…

    If the word "filibuster" is mentioned at all, Reid will cave, roll over on his back, and piss all over himself. He’ll even add amendments to make the bill MORE Republicany, all while pouring hot ashes on his own head and wearing a hair shirt.

    We really need better Dem leadership.

  63. 63.

    Cyrus

    January 27, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    H2G2, the Doctor… heh, Obama’s always reminded me of yet another character from British speculative fiction: Carrot Ironfoundersson. It’s mainly his approach to people, how he so often seems so hopelessly and unjustifiably naïve and yet things just kind of work out, and Vimes is never sure whether he’s lucky or the attitude is just a very clever act.

  64. 64.

    Bob In Pacifica

    January 27, 2009 at 4:26 pm

    This is how you play it. From the news in Dayton, in Boehner’s district:

    A new study estimated that unemployment will hit 11 percent in the Dayton area next year, meaning one in nine people will be out of work… Despite the despairing news, most people that News Center 7 talked to said they still have some hope that things will improve in 2009 behind President Barack Obama. “I think things are going to get better and we’re going to bounce out of this,” said Robert Young, a teacher. “We think Obama is good blood,” said Debbie Weber. “He’s enthusiastic and we feel things are going to change for better."

    Have someone, maybe a popular local Dem, say, "Obama’s trying to get the economy going but your representative is trying to block it." Then let the chips fall.

  65. 65.

    zzyzx

    January 27, 2009 at 4:32 pm

    Obama said that there will be time to beat him up and a time for politics. He said I understand that and I will watch you on fox news and feel bad about myself.

    That man cracks me up. He doesn’t even pretend that he’s taking the game seriously.

    source

  66. 66.

    joe from Lowell

    January 27, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    I’m glad Barack Obama reached out. I’m glad he made a genuine effort to find common ground. This was an opportunity for a new start, for genuine respect and bipartisanship, and this country would gain a lot from the two parties forming a new relationship. So, he tried.

    And now we’ve seen the Republicans’ response.

    OK. Fine. You tried, Mr. President. They slapped away your olive branch.

    Time for the stick.

  67. 67.

    Zifnab

    January 27, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    I’m hoping for 1. but I think 2. may be more likely.

    I like seeing GOoPers take a bath as much as the next guy, but the stimulus package is the kind of thing that is better launched sooner than later if we want to do it at all.

    In that sense, I’d love to see Obama take GOoPers out behind the woodshed on abortion / sex ed or on some goofy flag burning amendment. But I’m not particularly interested in seeing a big painful fight over stimulus.

  68. 68.

    otto

    January 27, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    They’re trying to make him look bad? Oh no!!!! I can’t believe it.

    Really, I think they’re the ones who are going to end up looking like pigheaded ideologues who have no grasp on the fact that they aren’t in charge.

  69. 69.

    sus

    January 27, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    Palin formed a PAC. It appears she’s gearing up for a presidential run.

    "The boss just got off the phone with a spokesman for Campaign Solutions, the site’s registrar, who told her it’s for real and that the PAC papers were filed with the FEC yesterday."

  70. 70.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    January 27, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    @sus: Palin formed a PAC. It appears she’s gearing up for a presidential run.

    Top-ranking fundraiser is some guy named Korir.

  71. 71.

    sus

    January 27, 2009 at 6:37 pm

    @Xecky Gilchrist,
    I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Korir got office space just down the street from the whitehouse. Must be true, API has reported it so. Really.

  72. 72.

    Cain

    January 27, 2009 at 7:06 pm

    @sus:

    Palin formed a PAC. It appears she’s gearing up for a presidential run.

    Naw, she’s forming the PAC because she wants those clothes back from the RNC. She’s got to pay for it somehow… they’re holding it ransom.

    cain

  73. 73.

    FoxinSocks

    January 27, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    Meanwhile, in the real world, I just got back from visiting my mother. She was watching the Republicans on CNN and turned to me, "What a bunch of idiots."

  74. 74.

    Charity

    January 27, 2009 at 7:55 pm

    @TenguPhule: Obama is one hoopy frood who knows where his towel is.

  75. 75.

    Xecklothxayyquou Gilchrist

    January 27, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    @Charity: I’m hoping he will address the nation and describe the economy as "one whole joojooflop situation".

  76. 76.

    Persia

    January 28, 2009 at 10:37 am

    Obama’s clearly the kind of hoopy frood who always knows where his towel is.

  77. 77.

    DFH no.6

    January 28, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Yes he is. And on this May 25th (Towel Day) I’m gonna hang out my "Don’t Panic" flag with an accompanying Obama poster. Should get a few quizzical comments from the Repub neighbors here on the cul-de-sac in Snottsdale.

    I’m with John on this: hoping for his scenario 1 (filibuster) but expecting his scenario 2 (a few "RINOs" vote to get cloture).

    We’ll see real soon.

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