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Originally Posted by DanaC
I don't see how this has exposed Obama as anything but an embattled president being held to ransom by unreasonable opposition.
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The mark of a great President is acknowledging the concerns of both parties, and helping to bring the people and parties, together. Compromises are the keystone needed to make a great government, work.
Not stick it to the people he's supposed to be serving! Going to extra expense to close the open air memorials in Washington (WWII, Lincoln, MLKing, and Vietnam), and the memorial cemeteries in France (most notably around Normandy Beaches).
That cemented Obama as an ass-wipe forever. Obama had ALL the cards here:
1) Dominant party in the Senate, and a strong minority even in the House. The Democrats are all united, as well, whereas the Republicans are split moderates and very conservative.
2) ACA/Obamacare was already law. There is no way the funding can not go through, regardless of what the Conservatives in the House or Senate, do. It's too late for that.
All Obama had to do was have a conference with the Conservatives, and make some slight compromises. Not to cut Obamacare, of course, that was never possible, just find something to give up as a symbol of the give and take politicians make to each other, all the time. I'm not saying it was his duty to do it, but it would have been a great sign of working together, to keep the gov't running, and our two parties being civil to one another. The substance could be quite small. It's all about saving face, showing a bit of respect for the opposition party, and everyone goes home a winner.
Instead, Obama saw a chance to win win win, playing political gamesmanship. I'm not saying that the Republicans didn't start the game, but clearly it was an error, and it SCREAMED for a victor to be magnanimous in his triumph. But Obama would rather barricade off the WWII Memorial, so the 80 year old "Honor Flight" vets from the Midwest, can't get in to see it before they die. These are all WWII vets, for Christ's sake! And that memorial belongs to the PEOPLE, the gov't just has custodial care.
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Ordinary, mainstream conservatives must be so sick of this stuff. How can they fly the flag of fiscal competency with this sort of shit coming from their ranks?
The damage the Tea Party Republicans have done to America's standing in the world is profound. No matter what else, America's status as an economic powerhouse has never been more under threat. Having heard the same people rail against Obama for making America 'look weak' to her enemies by, for example, talking to Iran, it is surreal to me that they would voluntarily make their country look like it's a borderline failed state.
The time for arguments and compromises was during the debates leading up to the passing of the budget and the passing of the Affordable Care Act. democrats compromised heavily. They all but compromised away most of the useful features of that act and pretty much gave the republicans the budget they asked for.
For the Republicans to then balk at paying the bills or enacting that compromise was absurd.
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The damage wasn't from the Tea Party Republicans! The damage was from the Conservatives starting a stupid political maneuver, that was not thought out. Worse still, they weren't even united on what they were going to do; what they were going to support, and what they were NOT going to support.
The focus was on Obamacare - which is already law, and they can't get enough votes to repeal it. So what's the sense in fighting against it?
Not much! Not that I can see.
That's why Obama had them where he couldn't lose. Just no way. That's where a really good president would have gone into conference with the Conservatives, and worked out a quick compromise to keep the gov't running normally. Instead, he has the NIH drug trials refuse to register new (terminal) cancer victims, into it's trials.They can't register (put a name and data into the computer), to save lives?? The doctors are there working, the nurses are there working, the trials are still on-going and new ones being started, but they can't REGISTER a new patient now?
That's SOO scummy. I feel dirty just entering this into a reply.
But this was the dumbest political maneuver I've seen in a long time, for sure.