This quote from Grunwald's article referenced above perfectly illustrates what happened:
David Obey, then chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, met with his GOP counterpart, Jerry Lewis, to explain what Democrats had in mind for the stimulus and ask what Republicans wanted to include. Jerry’s response was, "I’m sorry, but leadership tells us we can’t play,” Obey told me. “Exact quote: ‘We can’t play.’ What they said right from the get-go was, It doesn’t matter what the hell you do, we ain’t going to help you. We’re going to stand on the sidelines and bitch.”
Read that again: "I'm sorry, but the leadership tells us we can't play. It doesn't matter what the hell you do, we ain't going to help you." The Republican leadership had decided that there would be zero bipartisanship, zero cooperation by Republicans in Congress. Anything the Obama administration wanted to make happen, the Republicans would oppose even if they had supported it in the past.
This explains not only the Republican flip-flops on cap and trade to address anthropogenic global warming, and the individual mandate to ensure access to quality health care for all Americans, both of which were once signature Republican positions; it also explains why they filibustered this bill that cut tax breaks for companies that shipped jobs overseas and at the same time gave tax breaks to companies that brought jobs back to America from overseas. It explains why they filibustered this bill (which filibuster the Dems eventually broke) that opened up billions in loans to small businesses through the SBA and gave billions more in tax breaks to small businesses. The Republicans filibustered Obama's infrastructure bill, his jobs package, and his bill to provide states emergency funding to hire teachers and first responders.
Again, it's like the Republican said: "...it doesn't matter what the hell you do, we ain't going to help you," and by their actions showed that this applied to nearly all legislation, whether good or bad, even if it had had near-lockstep support by Republicans in the past. Witness the epic obstructionism by the Republicans in the debt-ceiling debate last year that cost America our credit rating; remember when House Speaker John Boehner bragged that "I got 98% of what I wanted" in the negotiations with the White House? And yet many of the House Republicans still opposed any deal to raise the debt ceiling, no matter the consequences.
Article comments
1 - John Lake
The Republican hypocrisy is becoming more apparent daily. How can intelligent men let themselves be led in such mindless fashion? And the obstruction, which they seem to feel is invisible to the average voter, rose from of an election that was founded on bilateral promises to “reach across the aisle.”
2 - Igor
IMO, John, the republicans have become shameless in their pursuit of a "Rule or Ruin" policy. They are willing to risk the ruin of the USA to gain rule.
3 - John Lake
Shameless. Exactly.
4 - Big T.
The House has passed many bills, but the Senat (Run by Democrat Harry Reid) won't even bring it up for a vote or even discuss the issues.So it's both sides not cooperating, not just the Republicans.
5 - Igor
T: the only bills passed in the Republican house are totally partisan. There's no hope of them passing, they're just fakes to fool the easily deceived, as you appear to be.
6 - Glenn Contrarian
There was a bill recently stopped in the Senate - IIRC, it was for hiring more teachers and emergency responders nationwide, but the Republicans filibustered it because Harry Reid wouldn't let them put in a rider on the bill that would completely defund Obamacare.
Looks like "Big T" has no clue as to what the Republicans in Congress are doing.
7 - Peggy
I hope he win with much joy especially dealing racist people in this country .,
8 - Not the liberal actor
Glenn, I must again ask if you are "for real?"
First, you refer to Rush Limbaugh's "I hope he fails" statement, and the media firestrorm that remark created. Have you EVER listened to Rusah Limbaugh? If so, you would know that Limbaugh was referring to his POLICIES rather than (as the MSM portrayed it) a personal reference. Unfortunately, Obama did not fail, as the deficit increase, green energy cronism, Obamacare, unemployment, foodstamps, ...., attest.
Second, may I remind you that from January 2009, until November 2010, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, and Obama had a filibuster-proof Congress. Perhaps those "wasklly Wepublicans" are trying to stop Obama's policies.
9 - Glenn Contrarian
Warren -
Have you EVER listened to Rusah Limbaugh?
Yes I did, back in the day when I was a conservative very much like you. And if you'll read the rest of the article, you'll see how the GOP put party above country. But that's all just fact and history, and as such has no bearing on your opinion.
10 - Not the liberal actor
Re: comment # 9, Glenn, you say, "... the GOP put party above country." I disagree with that statement. The GOP is trying to stop Obama's POLICIES, thus putting country first. If, as you suggest, the GOP put party first, how did they do so well in November 10?
And I can't help but notice that you pick and choose what history to observe, while ignoring other history, such as the period from January 09 through November 10.
11 - Glenn Contrarian
Warren -
You still haven't read the article, much less checked the links therein where you will find that the Republicans filibustered bills that they themselves co-sponsored, just to keep Obama from accomplishing anything. Now are you going to tell me that the bills they co-sponsored were actually Obama's policies, that they weren't (in Republican eyes) good for America? No? Then WHY did they filibuster them?
Hm?
The answer lay in the quotes contained in the article, in the links where you can find where the Republicans themselves stated that they were not going to be bipartisan AT ALL. NOT AT ALL.
Reagan would be ashamed of today's GOP. He used to claim that he didn't leave the Democratic Party, but the Democratic Party left him. Now, so has the GOP.
12 - tdawg
the only thing I noticed that past legistlature w/ lightning speed was there pay raise
13 - Igor
That was sudden, wasn't it? Congresscritters are not happy to receive the no-payraise bite that they think their constituents should put up with.