Preznit Kumbaya says: "More bipartisanship."
Dude, Speaker Permatan John Boehner can't even spell the word. Mitch McConnell certainly can't.
And, bipartisanship in the last few months? Yeah, it got us the New START treaty, and an on-paper start to the end of of DADT. It also got us the first non-electrifying touch of Social Security's third rail, a deficit increase through extending tax cuts for the rich, and other illiberal financial positions.
My new year's resolutions for President Hopey Dopey?
Balls, two. A user instruction manual to go with.
And, the scarecrow's brain to develop some principles over which to use them.
Showing posts with label bipartisanship mythology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bipartisanship mythology. Show all posts
January 01, 2011
December 27, 2010
Douthat gets out teh bipartisan stupid
Ross Douthat is back to his junior David Brooks worst, spinning imaginary story lines that just aren't true. The newest entry? His lauding the bipartisanship of the lame-duck Congress.
First is the backstory that the midterm elections killed a "liberal fantasy." What's liberal about Obamacare, a sellout to private insurers? Answer: Zero. Other than Obamacare, what major item on his agenda could you call liberal? Cap-and-trade rather than straight-up carbon taxes were going to be a sellout to certain lines of big business. Obama's worse than Bush on civil liberties.
So, this "liberal fantasy" was actually a wet dream of the semi-nutbar Douthat and the full-nutbar GOP.
Now, the "bipartisanship"? A good majority of the GOP voted against cloture on the New START treaty. A still-strong majority voted against the treaty itself. The DREAM Act was NOT, contra Ross, killed by bipartisanship, unless a curmudgeon, GOP-in-drag Democrat like Ben Nelson counts as "bipartisan."
The "bipartisan" tax deal? Only "bipartisan" because Democrats have no balls. If that's part of how we define "bipartisan," well, stand by for plenty more.
First is the backstory that the midterm elections killed a "liberal fantasy." What's liberal about Obamacare, a sellout to private insurers? Answer: Zero. Other than Obamacare, what major item on his agenda could you call liberal? Cap-and-trade rather than straight-up carbon taxes were going to be a sellout to certain lines of big business. Obama's worse than Bush on civil liberties.
So, this "liberal fantasy" was actually a wet dream of the semi-nutbar Douthat and the full-nutbar GOP.
Now, the "bipartisanship"? A good majority of the GOP voted against cloture on the New START treaty. A still-strong majority voted against the treaty itself. The DREAM Act was NOT, contra Ross, killed by bipartisanship, unless a curmudgeon, GOP-in-drag Democrat like Ben Nelson counts as "bipartisan."
The "bipartisan" tax deal? Only "bipartisan" because Democrats have no balls. If that's part of how we define "bipartisan," well, stand by for plenty more.
February 02, 2010
Why bipartisanship won't work
With a highly illustrative sidebar into parliamentary government, James Fallows details how the permanently dominant GOP minority, party self-identification and more, have crushed the idea.
GOP pollster Frank Luntz then gives a concrete illustration.
GOP pollster Frank Luntz then gives a concrete illustration.
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