Ed Stein: Valentine’s Day
Here we go again. Obama is reaching out to Republicans one more time, convening a health care summit in hopes of crafting a bipartisan bill with a party that wants nothing to do with bipartisanship. If anything, Republicans, emboldened by Scott Brown’s surprise victory in Massachusetts, see obstructionism as the way to success at the polls. They’re going along, of course, because they have to at least pretend to want to work across the aisle. Their modest proposals for health care reform, which, if enacted, might extend coverage to about 5 percent of the nation’s uninsured, and which do nothing to contain costs, are so at odds with the president’s more sweeping proposals there is little chance that this summit will be anything but political theater.
Obama still seems reluctant to call the GOP out. The party that loudly demanded up and down votes on the Senate floor for Bush’s nominees now holds all of Obama’s hostage for months on the flimsiest of grounds–the latest being Richard Shelby’s hold on 70 nominees if he didn’t get an earmark for his state. It now takes 60 votes to accomplish anything in the Senate, thanks to the GOP’s filibuster of everything and anything. In the bizarre math of the current political paralysis, 41 votes defeats 59. And the inability of Democrats to accomplish anything in this environment appears to imperil their majority in November. President Obama, Mr. Cool, still refuses to raise his voice. The only people who seem to be genuinely angry, for all the wrong reasons, are the Tea Party loonies. Meanwhile, the country suffers.
See more of Stein’s work at EdSteinink.com
Wow.
ed,
Whewww, One time i think you have lost the faith in hope and change and then you get the faith back. Now today it looks like you see how obama has told the true information and you have not believed a lie in obamas election promises. Those right winged nuts are the only reason there is no health care for the common man of the world . Look around and see all the men that belief in obama and we know that most of the worlds men want health care. Every one knows that the best way to a great usa is for obama to spend more than bush. As bush was just a little tyke when it came to spending money for the common man and obama is not a weak livered spender. Right wing nuts have been listening to cheny and have told false information. Not to worry- as obama is not a liar and will out smart the sly cheny.
art
Ed,
Where was this big reach around when Healthcare was first being debated? A little revisionist history on your part? or can you only see back to last month when Obama was forced to reach out? I can point to dozens of stories about Obama meeting with Dem leaders only.
It’s amusing that you whne like a little girl about them mean ol Republicans when there was no need for a single Republican vote to pass Healthcare legislation. Even now it is 59 Democrats in the Senate and they can’t swing one independant? This says far more about the serious flaws in the legislation than Republicans being the party of no.
Bush 2.0 was one our most hated presidents but he managed to pass pretty much everything he wanted.
1 final point, a strong Leader in the House and Senate can swing more votes than a President can. Peolsi and Reid have done more to hurt the Obama Presidency that some 1st term Senator ever will.
Actually the republicans were invited but didn’t want to show up. Read some of their interviews.
Where would I read those interviews?
This is a typical extremist response to extremists. Your perspective does nothing to enhance the debate or promote solutions… ony parrots the wishes of ideologue Dems.
For certain, Congressional Republicans are playing the same game that Congressional Democrats did during the Bush years: squash every attempt at progress and blame the party in power when nothing changes. This method, and your oversimplified view, are part of the cycle of pain that politicians continue to level upon the average American. The old adage, “If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem” carries particular weight here.
For what it’s worth, the Tea Party Movement was the first groundswell in decades that had a chance to do anything useful. Basing a platform for change on returning to the Constitutional values that so effectively limited the inherent evils of government for 150 years is not right-wing extremism. That’s actually the epitome of moderation. Unfortunately, the Extreme Left attacked it and labeled it as Extreme Right… and by gosh, that’s just what it became. Now the Tea Partiers are stuck in allegiance with the likes of Glenn Beck, and any sensible moderate alligned with that movement is either bailing water or jumping ship.
Ian,
Your “your” references refer to who?
To Ed Stein, the ideologue Dem.?
To Mani, who is pretty much spot on, except for buying into liberal press line about Bush. I would say that the liberal press and Dems so weakened Bush, that it let the door open to Obama to sneak in. But that is politics. Bush’s only fault was to be too moderate or too nice to his opposition.
To Me Ian, I would suggest you also not buy into the liberal press line about the Tea Party Movement. I don’t think the Tea Partiers are stuck anywhere they don’t want to be, and I don’t know where you get the idea that moderates are bailing. By definition, moderates would not have the backbone to take a stand or leave anything. I think you may be calling independents moderates, which is not correct. But independents are not bailing either, as far as I know.
Tea Party “loonies,” as Ed Stein says, are the ones with the momentum. They are crazy enough to have Obama figured out and exposed. Don’t underrate them.
I think Ian and Gene are together on this! Read between the lines and keep pushing and the REPUBLIC will be OK!
Heck, everyone is reading between the lines and catching on except Ed.
Loonies, as he calls them want to take this country back. Press or main media, likewise does not want to understand this. Our country is being turned into a welfare state, 3rd world utopia for s o c i a l i s t elites, right before our eyes . . . Unless people learn and speak out, our Republic is threatened. Countless lies and making things up and revisionist history from Obama go unchallenged. Under this incompetent and radical administration. Nothing is safe from their malfeasance. The facts are out there if people go to the new or alternative media. You at i n d e n v e r t i m e s are helping, thank you!
I think this government would be more successful if it didn’t depend on who has the most money to get where they want. I understand that Obama is probably the first president trying to get the two to work together but it sure as hell won’t work. Dems hate Reps and Reps hate Dems. No matter whether they actually agree on the subject or not, they will almost always go against just because of which party they’re with not because of what is right.
Hey Ray, There are many of us who have awoken to the real foundation of this Country and why it is so special. I am not a Republican, but an American and it is not necessarily about which party is right. I believe in the Constitution and will support those who will uphold it. I am in favor of changing the entire face of congress and putting New, non politicians into office. Get rid of the ‘Lifers’ so we can have a balanced budget, an even tax system and free opportunities for everyone to succeed !We are about to see a huge influx of participation of disgruntled citizens who are pissed off because we have gone so far off the reservation that our Republic isn’t recognizable any more. This is sick and absolutely absurd that we as a people could keep electing people that are ruining the greatest country ever established!
I want to get rid of almost every one in Congress, the entire administration and start putting the Supreme Court in their place!
Dear InDenverTimes,
Thanks for not giving me a “Speak Your Mind” box on the latest Joe Conason column, as I would have probably made a fool of myself counting the ways CONASON IS AN IDIOT. As much as I like your balanced approach, can’t you find another lefty that is not such an idiot???????????????
Thank You.