Chris Cillizza is concerned about the possibility that it may no longer be possible for the politicians in Washington to work out some grand compromise on anything of consequence to the country. I agree that it is a problem and I acknowledge that Cillizza puts most of the blame for it on the Republicans. But, what I’d like to see is a recognition that a Grand Bargain with lunatics might not be a good idea in the first place, as well as some acceptance of the idea that the only way out of this impasse is for the Democrats to get the power they need to govern.
It’s okay to exhort the Republicans to compromise, but it is unseemly and childish to do the same to the Democrats. The Democrats cannot make the Republicans behave. All they can do is offer them something tolerable and crush them if they won’t take it. Part of crushing them is dividing them and then running over them piecemeal. In the short term, with the GOP still in control of the House, this means forcing Boehner to allow votes like the Fiscal Cliff bill that pass with a majority of Democrats and a minority of Republicans. There is no other way that we can pass anything remotely sane and responsible on virtually any topic.
The sooner the Village press understands this, the better.
The sooner the Village press understands this, the better.
From your lips to the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s ears.
Boehner coup bigger than first realized.
I wonder if anyone has been reassigned office space down in the boiler room as a result?
My hunch is Obama knew this long ago, but also knew he had to be seen trying to compromise. Then he gets credit for that, and the wingers rightly get the blame. He negotiates small bites and still ends up up with a plateful.
All he has to endure is the strafing from the left: “He gave up chained CPI! I KNEW he would! Now we’ve lost that FOREVER! And look at all the other stuff he left on the table — the WORST negotiator ever!”
Nah
Anyone else tired of the Media being a fourth branch of Government?
In California, the good people of the state have finally tired of the Republican’s obstructionist and destructive ways and basically booted them from power. I really think it’s only a matter of time before the nation does the same thing. Until then strategy should be to limit the damage and be prepared to push an aggressive agenda during the cycle that they’re re-booting themselves.
Cilliza is an outlier. I see no sign the msm is willing to confront the reality.
On another Topic, Rand Paul’s 19 year old son has been Arrested at Charlotte Airport for being drunk and disruptive.
http://www.wcnc.com/news/editors-pick/Teen-claims-Ron-Paul-is-his-grandfather-during-CLT-Airport-arr
est-185813772.html
Waiting for the useless corporate media to begin objectively explaining the reality of today’s Repubs (let alone the “conservative” movement) is Waiting for Godot. Better get a comfy seat.
Today’s “journalists” are not independent professionals, even if they personally were willing to grant that the nation’s problems to a very large degree begin and end with the corrupt, bought-off and irrational Repub party. The only other explanation for their continually worthless coverage is that they are all below average intelligence, low-info stooges, which doesn’t seem likely.
To get their paychecks, today’s journalists must kowtow to their editors, who answer to corporate CEOs that own and run all national news sources. If the front line reporters aren’t literally ordered to present (misleading) “balance” (i.e. “both parties are ALWAYS equally at fault!”), then they engage in self censorship and blather the obligatory “balance” lies on their own, knowing that’s what the bossman wants and (impliedly) demands.
There will never be a corporate media consensus that the Repub party is the principal problem, no matter how bad the dysfunction mounts or how massive the crisis looms. Never. It can’t be addressed or hinted at, even when it is a 2×4 hitting the reporter in the face.
No better evidence for that than the continued ignoring of ultimate inside the beltway wise men Mann and Orenstein on this topic. I’ve seen them on MSNBC a few times, but that is it.