Great GOP PR
I have to hand it to the Republican leadership, and their constituents on the radio. They are great at making their cases.
As our colleague here, Will, can attest to, in U.S. history we were beaten over the head with the idea that Henry Clay was "The Great Compromiser," or something to that effect. But Clay, in the end, was just a Congressman.
Apparently, when you're president, and a Democrat, compromise is a death sentence. Take Obama's "compromises" to the stimulus bill. He dropped some money from family planning, and one other item that I can't think of off the top of my head, but in the end House Republicans gave him no support. This, from some of the Republicans who passed "No Child Left Behind."
But here's the catch, and why I give kudos to Republicans for playing the game great, even when thinking of government as a game makes one fee queasy. Republicans will be able to take this and say "See how bad those ideas were...Obama had to take them out." Even when the only reason he took them out was in effort to get those same Republicans on board.
I will also say this though in grievance; if we can get angry at our Congressmen for anything (among other items), we can get angry at them for wasting our time. On the one hand it was a great way to get something they didn't want out of a bill they didn't want that was going to pass anyway. But remember, we're paying for them (well, not my generation) to be there, so if all of our congressmen could do us a favor and make the government fail more expediently and efficiently, I would greatly appreciate it.
As our colleague here, Will, can attest to, in U.S. history we were beaten over the head with the idea that Henry Clay was "The Great Compromiser," or something to that effect. But Clay, in the end, was just a Congressman.
Apparently, when you're president, and a Democrat, compromise is a death sentence. Take Obama's "compromises" to the stimulus bill. He dropped some money from family planning, and one other item that I can't think of off the top of my head, but in the end House Republicans gave him no support. This, from some of the Republicans who passed "No Child Left Behind."
But here's the catch, and why I give kudos to Republicans for playing the game great, even when thinking of government as a game makes one fee queasy. Republicans will be able to take this and say "See how bad those ideas were...Obama had to take them out." Even when the only reason he took them out was in effort to get those same Republicans on board.
I will also say this though in grievance; if we can get angry at our Congressmen for anything (among other items), we can get angry at them for wasting our time. On the one hand it was a great way to get something they didn't want out of a bill they didn't want that was going to pass anyway. But remember, we're paying for them (well, not my generation) to be there, so if all of our congressmen could do us a favor and make the government fail more expediently and efficiently, I would greatly appreciate it.
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