Ever since Barack Obama took the office of president in January 2009, the response from the Republican Party has been to “just say no.” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) actually put it rather blatantly last year saying that his “Job #1” is to make President Obama a one-term president. 
Whatever Obama has asked—whatever the Democrats have proposed—the Republicans have had to be against it, not on principle (necessarily), but on politics. Even when that has meant reversing long-held positions on important policy issues, if Obama and the Democrats want it, the Republicans find a way to say “no.” I am certain that if Obama walked into Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) office tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. and said "good morning," Cantor would insist that it's night.
Which brings me to the debt ceiling debate and Obama’s $4 trillion proposal—a proposal, by the way that would have given the Republicans trillions in spending cuts—along with some increases in revenue. The Republicans, refusing to even entertain the idea of increased revenue from by eliminating loopholes and tax reform, naturally had to “say no.” It’s a non-starter, because God forbid, the economy might turn a corner on Obama’s watch. And then 2012? Well, there's always the coming Apocalypse.
So the Republicans look like a bunch of curmudgeons who will take their ball and go home unless they get everything they’ve put on the table, walk away, figuring out a way they can take the debt-ceiling crisis—one they’ve created by obstructing it in the first place—and turn it somehow against President Obama. The economy, they cry, is in a shambles. The government needs to much spend less, they moan. Obama has ruined the economy (like it was in such good shape when he took office). It's a huge crisis; we're on the brink of ruin! But apparently not so much that it can’t wait a year or two. After all, it's not as important as Job #1.
Article comments
1 - Amy
I imagine Lincoln is turning over in his grave with respect to these so-called Republicans.
2 - barbara barnett
Amy--The party of LIncoln, they're fond of saying. Right...
3 - Walt
Amazing that someone could believe that the politics and stubborness are one-sided, with the President fighting the good, honest fight. You're drinking some really strong kool-aid if you think the politics aren't being played equally on both sides. Watch, I can be blind just like you: "Whatever the Republicans have asked - whatever the Republicans have proposed - the Democrats and Obama have had to be against it, not on principle (necessarily), but on politics." Take a few minutes and educate yourself: What the Debt Ceiling Really Means.
4 - barbara barnett
Walt there is no equivalency here. Obama has compromised and compromised to get "bipartisanship" (like 1 Republican vote) on issue after issue. Can the same be said of the other side?
5 - Walt
Asking for immediate tax increases and action on the debt ceiling in exchange for PROPOSED (re: not binding or actual) cuts over a TEN year period is not a compromise. Just because Obama says he's compromising, you can't merely accept it like a good follower. You have to do your own research. Again, spend some time reading the articles at the CATO site, a group that is critical of ANY politian (R and D) who has irresponsible economic positions.
6 - barbara barnett
Walt, not basing my response to your earlier comment on this current issue, but certainly over the course of his presidency. Obama here has drawn a line in the sand.
7 - handyguy
Walt, your #5 is an utterly distorted and inaccurate description of the two sides' positions.
The mix of spending cuts and tax loophole closings [not rate hikes] would have both been 'actual,' not merely 'proposed.' The last package discussed before Cantor walked out on the Biden talks was 83% spending cuts, 17% revenue increases. Both were over a ten year period.
That's nearly 5 to 1! But of course not enough for the Cato Institute [a Koch Brothers product] or for Eric Cantor, or for you.
Get your own facts straight before accusing others of swallowing Kool-Aid.
The president may well have outmaneuvered the GOP, and bully for him. Their harshly aggressive, blindly reckless tactics ought to lose them not just 2012, but many elections to come.
8 - Clavos
Waahh, waaahh, waahh...
9 - handyguy
A deeply meaningful comment. Thank you for sharing.
10 - Dr Dreadful
Cut Clav some slack, Handy. After all, he has been spending way too much time on his boat lately. I'm sure "Waahh, waaahh, waahh" is dolphin for some particularly deep economic insight. :-)
11 - Arch Conservative
What is wrong with saying no to bad ideas?
12 - Grace
Sorry you feel that way, Barb.
13 - barbara barnett
Grace, I am too. But this is what it's come down to. It almost had to after more than 2 years of "Just say no" to everything, no matter how compromising. It's this "my way or the highway" mentality that is so toxic. And it's not the Democrats. Who are the filibuster kings? Not the Democrats.
Now, they've backed themselves into a corner with the "base" who don't believe anything will happen if we default--it's all a big lie, dont'cha know?
14 - Tommy Mack
When this unnecessary crisis passes, congressional members who took the side of default should be impeached for breaching their oath of office to support and defend Article 14 section 4 of the US Constitution.
Tommy
15 - John Lake
Point number one, mine not yours, is that the Republicans ARE a bunch of “take my ball and go home” curmudgeons.
Point number two, still mine, is that you are absolutely right, and more so.
The Republicans continue to move in lock step with nothing but disdain for ANYTHING the president has done. They tremble in fear that they will have to come up with something or do something, or worst of all, concede something, and they know they have no hope. Their latest champion, Rep Ryan, WI, proclaims pride that he signed on for only a short term. He isn’t running for ANYTHING! That’s good! He won’t have to give even the appearance that he wants the people to vote for him. Have you tried to unwind his double-talk? Lawd.
The President has to deal with oil producing nations in turmoil, developing nations with nukes, Israel vs. Palestine, corruption in Afghanistan, and banks who still want BIG BUCKS, floods, fires, draughts, and tsunamis; in short he has to keep the world spinning while protecting the American economy, as the Republicans try to decide if they still want to Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
Have a great day.
16 - Baritone
Republicans have painted themselves into a corner with their idiotic pledges. The tea baggers - most of whom apparently understand nothing about governance - are running rampant in the apparent belief that there intransigence is blessed by god or some other asshole notion.
Barbara is absolutely correct regarding the unsufferable antagonism that has emanated from the Reps from the moment Obama took the oath. There are, as she aptly noted, any number of bills and other proposals which came from Reps but were abandoned immediately if Obama even intimated an agreement with them. No president in memory, at least since the post Civil War era, has been forced to deal with a Congress so totally dedicated to his demise that it was unwilling to compromise on anything. It is dangerous to be in a place wherein one believes doggedly that everything they propose is totally and absolutely right, and that everything the opposition proposes is totally and absolutely wrong.
When it comes down to it, this, again as Barbara notes, has far less to do with ideology than it does partisan politics.
B
17 - RJ Miller
If there is any truth to this article at all, then it looks like the differences between the two parties are few indeed.
Too bad the author refuses to apply the same standard to her own party as well.
18 - Maurice
Everyone in the private sector has had to take a pay cut and reduce expenses. The government should do the same.
19 - not important
sometimes that is not important and we ignore will become very important and meaningful.