Obama has always had a reputation as someone who works with the GOP

[Ardent15]

As President of the Harvard Law Review, he was known for carefully listening to conservative scholars' arguments and often pissing off liberals in the process.

As an Illinois State Senator, he worked with Republicans on a number of legislative items. Keep in mind that until 2002, the GOP dominated the Illinois legislature at that time.

As a US Senator, he relished bipartisan compromise. And in the first two years of his Senate term, he was in the opposition party. The last two years, when he was in the majority party, was spent building his presidential campaign, perhaps to the neglect of building coalitions within the Democratic Party.

Now that he's President, he has the bully pulpit, but he's not a bully. He's a very congenial fellow who loves intellectual debate and working on bipartisan programs.

So maybe, based on his past experiences, where he could successful work with the GOP, he felt that being President wouldn't be much different. Which might explain why he's trying so hard to work with the GOP.

Any thoughts?

[ChicagoSuz219]

1. I think he took Rodney King's words to heart...

"Can't we all just get along?" ;-)

[Demoiselle]

2. I'm sorry, Ardent. Compromise with the right wing turdocracy is foolish and fatal.

The only comments I can make on Obama's insistence on doing so are unprintable.

[optimator]

3. bipartisanship is anti-democratic

the voters chose to reject republicans, so if he is so opposed to partisanship then perhaps he should run as an independent next time.

[Uzybone]

4. He is only doing what he promised to do throughout his career

Naive as it seems and sometimes very frustrating, I am not surprised. He will continue to reach out until he has served his 2 terms.

[nosmokes]

6. he's not getting a second term

[bigtree]

5. I don't think this 'bipartisan' strategy is designed to appease republicans

. . . as much as it is designed to draw out their objections into the light of day and force them to reveal their alternatives, rather than the sometimes politically-effective politics of 'no' they've been successful with in the past.

[madrchsod]

7. what he did in the illinois at the state level worked

now he`s having a hard time understanding that he can not comprise with the thugs in washington. plus he`s listening to some really bad advice. i think he`s finally realizing the game will be over if he loses the house or senate.

[Bitwit1234]

8. We must remember this "McCain was his mentor"

when he first took office in the senate. What does that tell you.

[timeforpeace]

9. No one cares, either way. Repukes don't, Dems sure as hell don't.