The President has finally given up on trying to work with the Republicans.

[kentuck]

Perhaps he should have done it a long time ago? Like, when healthcare law was being debated.

He slapped back at the Republicans with the appointment of Susan Rice as his National Security Adviser, after she was shot down by John McCain and the Republicans for the Secretary of State position. He has also announced that he wants Samantha Power as his UN Ambassador

It appears the President has given up hope of getting anything done by working with the Republicans. He will have two years left in his second term after next years election. The best he can hope for is a Democratic House and Democratic Senate. Between now and then, that is his goal. He has been forced into an unnatural position - he has to be political.

The Republicans asked for it. They are about to get it.

[auburngrad82]

1. It's about time

I'd run their asses into the ground until November 2014. Then maybe we can get something done.

[Scuba]

2. If he wants a Democratically-controlled Congress then he needs to ...

... get out in front on some issues that will pull large (read: very large) numbers of voters into the booths in November, 2014.

The Republican faithful will vote; they always do well in mid-terms. Behaving like a moderate Republican will not overcome that.

There are a whole lot of folks who don't normally vote, but would, if the President offered them something. Something like ...

... a serious increase in minimum wage

... strengthening Social Security

... expanding Medicare

... legalizing pot

... protecting homeowners from predatory banks

... protecting voting rights


If the President wants to continue to have a worse-than-do-nothing Congress, he can continue on the path he's been on the last five years.

[kentuck]

8. Agree.

He needs to find some way to fire up the base and get Democrats to the polls.

[Nay]

16. And he needs to make sure that Dem organizations have local Dems FUNDED and ready

to run against pubs in every election across the country.

[KoKo]

58. So far...not seeing much of this. But, then I'm in a state being beseiged

by Alec and Koch Brothers which has received little help from Dem Party aside from the Dem Convention which was held here after that NC turned Red for 2012 and we lost control of our State House and Senate to Repugs for the first time in over 100 years.

This is a Southern state which turned Blue for Obama in 2008. It went downhill after that.

But, "the people" are taking things into their own hands to try to undo the damage. We don't expect help that has been absent to be forthcoming. Howard Dean and his 50 State Strategy was what allowed Obama to win in NC. All that work went down the drain once Obama won. He and Dem Party preferred to focus on Swing States. There wasn't enough Party follow through after he was elected.

We shall see.

[Nay]

65. What's horrible is that the Dem candidate opposite that little prick Cantor was polling

FORTY PERCENT against Cantor in this last election, and he didn't get one bit of help from anyone. 40%!! That's a lot! He used about $200,000 of his own money and Cantor had $10 MILLION to work with, and Powell took a huge chunk of votes! What could he have done if he had been properly funded by one of those damned national Demo organizations? We could have had Cantor out! It chaps my ass every time I think about it, and I am fully in the camp that says the national Dems don't give a fuckin' damn about winning the House or the Senate. They just want to be poseurs and go to black tie dinners. They don't give a shit about us.

[graham4anything]

29. Why would anyone NOT want to vote? Protest votes for 3rd parties are silly as is staying home

I myself am hoping for an 80-20, and will gladly welcome republican voters to not vote for their extremist candidates.

Nothing wrong with the mainstream, after all, 80% of the country is.

[Lochloosa]

40. This^

[RKP5637]

54. Well said! He needs to be seen as a fighter for the people,

not an endless compromiser. I see way too much of the Stockholm syndrome at work ... the people need to see they have a strong leader looking out for THEM. If he stood strong for what you said IMO he would get tremendous support. Even the moderate republicans here think he sides too much with RW republicans and really big money.

[liberalmike27]

55. Wow

"Perhaps he should have done it a long time ago? "

Really? Only "perhaps?" Interestingly, had he not worked with them, their rhetoric would have been no different, as they've been saying "The Democrats are not working with us at all, we're being excluded, and that's why we're filibustering everything."

What these remaining years before 2014 election should be about is changing the filibuster rules, nominating judges and department heads, and passing them en-masse to get our judiciary back on track with some more liberal judges. All judges need to be opposed to corporate citizenship.

Second, as you said, let the campaign begin, make it national, and coordinated. Let's call it a "Living wage," since that implies closer to what we need. Simply get on the correct side of polling on the issues, on raising taxes on the rich, on bringing jobs back, and making corporations pay their share, either directly by repatriation of monies, or on incoming product, in the form of tariffs.

But most of that stuff--it's lost to history, has been propagandized to death as a negative thing. There is still a bit too much of the worshiping of the rich, and putting them up on a pedestal, rather than chasing them with tar and feathers.

[xxqqqzme]

60. and common sense

background checks and clip limits.

[CakeGrrl]

62. Please. Democrats have to be cajoled, while Repub "faithful" will just turn out?

Something's wrong with that picture.

No one should have to be coddled and cuddled to go vote. Those who stay home until someone gives them the warm fuzzies and can't grasp the implications of not exercising a right that people have DIED to earn enable the victory for the other party.

[Scuba]

63. Sounds great, but not realistic. I posted here recently about how being a Republican is a religion.

The way the R's turn out to vote is evidence of that.

Fact is, the Democratic faithful will turn out, but not in the same numbers as the R's. But both parties are ignoring the half of potential voters who stay home. Republicans have nothing to offer those people. Dems do, but too often fail to back the policies that would get those folks off their butts and to the polls.

On edit: http://www.forwardprogressives.com/its-time-to-tell-the-truth-republicans-arent-christians/

I call it “Republicanity” and I consider it a cult. It’s a perversion of Christianity mixed with a political set of man-made beliefs. These people view their devotion to the GOP on the same level they do their belief in God. To them, the Republican Party is the party of “real Christians.” They don’t need facts or reality to support their political beliefs, they have “faith.”

[1StrongBlackMan]

88. I seem to remember ...

President Obama proposing plans on each of these matters.

Now, maybe the body Constitutionally charged with actually doing something about each of these things will act. Maybe, those demanding that President Obama act on these matters will actually demand that the proper parties responsible acting on these matter … If only for their own self-preservation?

Naw … Must … Demand … Leadership …

[Firebrand Gary]

3. Over coffee with my other half this morning, we were discussing the same thing.

It does seem to appear that the President gas finally had enough. The GOP is never going to work with him and I think he finally knows it. There is definitely steel in his spine, he is really showing it in these last couple of days.

[AsahinaKimi]

4. Please Mr. President ...

Kick some Republican booty!

[bemildred]

5. I certainly hope so. nt

[sibelian]

6. He should never have had anything to do with them in the first place. It was a STUPID idea.

I undertand the ideology behind the desire to establish bridges but you can't make bargains with people who can't be trusted and how could ANYONE with a shred of political know-how think of them as trustworthy after the Bush years?

I was utterly befuddled by his approach.

[tridim]

9. It's not surprising that he expected at least some GOP support.

What wasn't expected was 100% GOP obstruction from day one. That is brand new in American politics.

The GOP is going to lose in 2014 because of it.

[sibelian]

11. Hmmm. Well it wasn't unexpected by me.

After the Bushistas ripped up Kyoto and built Guantanamo it was clear that they had no interest in cooperation with anyone. They realised they didn't have to if they didn't want to and that there was no point in adopting a "Perpetual Thwarting Machine" half-heartedly.

I hope it does come back to bite them. I suspect it will...

[Skittles]

76. THANK YOU

[NV Whino]

13. I wasn't unexpected by me either

And for gods sake, two weeks in to his first term even a blind person could see he was going to get no cooperation fm the GOP. He's a slow learner, and he's wasted five years. Pelosi and Reid didn't help the situation either. Idiots, every one of them.

[tridim]

15. Sure, everything is clear as crystal in hindsight.

Don't forget that Obama is the President of the United States, not the President of the Democrats.

[NV Whino]

18. It wasn't hindsight on my part

I knew how he was going to act. One only had to look at his limited time as a Senator.

And I'm not sure what you are trying to say with your second sentence. As president, he certainly isn't serving the majority of the people who elected him. His attempt at bipartisan cooperation serves no one.

[gtar100]

30. Worth repeating - His attempt at bipartisan cooperation serves no one.

The old saying, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way" says it all. The republicans did none of those things. They just sat their fat asses down and pouted like a bunch of spoiled babies. We all would have been far better off if they at least pretended to care like they did through the 40's, 50's, and 60's (as in they only pretended to care about worker rights and middle class values through that time; when they got full power, they showed their true colors). Now we know without a doubt that we are better off without them at all.

[tridim]

34. His attempt at bipartisan cooperation is at the root of our Democracy.

Are you really suggesting that the President should have shunned half of the country on his first day? If so, that is just about the worst idea I've ever heard.

[Scuba]

48. Not shunned, but acknowledged that the R's were not interested in governing ...

... and moved forward without them.

[tridim]

70. That's exactly what he did before the Repubs took over in 2010.

See the ACA and the end of the great Bush recession.

[sibelian]

42. 'SCuse me! "hindsight" doesn't enter into it.

It was entirely obvious that the Pubes were no longer a political party in the normal sense LONG before Obama crossed the finish line. You may wish to return to DU's archives and see for yourself if the sentiment I have expressed was not WIDELY put about AT THE TIME, sir. Or ma'am. (Apologies for whichever is wrong).

[on point]

19. 1000x+ ^^. It was obvious day !

[tridim]

36. It was obvious in 2008?

I'd like to see one DU posting from 2008 that predicted 100% GOP political obstruction for the next 6 years.

[sibelian]

43. Oh fer Pete's sake

stop exchanging one goal post for another! Nobody needed to predict 100% obstructionism to be clear that bargaining with untrustworthy people is a bad idea!

Anyway, go and look for yourself. I have no idea what leads you to such disingenuity, the position expressed on this thread was VERY well understood in the time you describe, and YES, on this very site.

[1StrongBlackMan]

89. But then again …

You are Constitutionally or morally charged with the responsibility of actually attempting to govern this nation …

[randome]

24. NOT working with the GOP would furnish the same results as TRYING to work with them.

So long as they control the House, they can and will obstruct everything.

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[tridim]

37. We know that now. We didn't know that in 2008.

This is BRAND NEW. It has never happened in all of American history.

[Crunchy Frog]

64. I did

I did. Knew it in 2004 and 2000 too. It's been a pretty solid consensus on DU going way back. If you don't believe it, you really should go back and check the archives.

[tridim]

69. Cool. Show me your post from 2008.

Then show me your posts from 2000 and 2004 that say the Repubs will be 100% obstructionist when the first black president is elected in 8 years in the future.

In 2008, not even the GOP even knew how far they'd go.

[Crunchy Frog]

91. I was somewhat preoccupied in 2008

with a high risk twin pregnancy, so I don't think I was doing alot of posting, though my memory on the matter is a bit fuzzy.

2004 I was very involved in the primary wars, my main concern being the nomination of someone I felt could beat a wartime Republican president, and then be able and willing to stand up to Republican obstructionism once in office. A major theme of the 2004 primary season was the tendency of many Dems to be weak and capitulate easily in the face of Republican forcefulness.

2000, this group didn't even exist, and I was not yet posting on the internets.

I don't recall specific posts of mine that I made years ago. Maybe your mind works that way, but mine does not. And I couldn't even say for sure that I posted anything that would specifically meet your criteria. If you're curious about what I was posting then, or what the general consensus of DU was at the time, then do your own damn homework and check out the archives for yourself.

The tendency of Republicans to become more and more extreme and more and more obstructionist is a very long term trend that was already evident to me during the Clinton presidency (and no, I don't have any posts from that time to back up my claims). Since it has been a steady, long term trend, it was utterly predictable that it would end up here. I don't tie it to the President's skin color. I feel that it would have been exactly the same for Hillary or for any other elected Democrat.

Believe me or not. I really don't give a flying fuck. I have no intention of chasing after posts that I made 5 or 9 years ago in order to assuage the skepticism of a total stranger on the internets. If you're interested enough, you can chase after them yourself.

[Crunchy Frog]

68. He should have made a show of

giving it the old college try. Briefly. And in such a way as to definitively demonstrate to the American people the absolute intransigence of the Republican party.

Then he should have proceeded to push through as he could manage, over and despite Republican resistance.

[tridim]

72. That's exactly what he did and what he continues to do.

Do you even know what you're upset about?

[RC]

7. I'll believe it when I see it.

So far he seems to be a slow learner. What has it been so far now, five years?

[zeemike]

22. And just appointed a Republican for the FBI

But then that is how good cop bad cop works....the good cop gets to win a few...the ones that don't mean anything to them like NSA...
Keeps us all on his side so that the game can continue.

[LuvNewcastle]

84. That's what it's all about.

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. Obama has stood up for Rice more strongly than he has for any other legislation, nominee

or principle. He still refuses to sign an executive order to end legal discrimination against minorities with millions of members, his wife gets very upset when she has to hear others are not pleased, but they do nothing for the millions of people treated unjustly other than wag fingers and say 'don't question me or I will leave, you have one choice'.
They just gutted LGBT protections from the immigration bill, DiFi said it was to make the GOP happy.
So sure politicians always take care of their Cronies, Power has to be rewarded for calling Hillary a monster who will stop at nothing, after all, that showed how diplomatic she is so clearly we must have a monster shouter at the UN, clearly.
After he takes care of his friends, he will go right back to 'reaching out' to the GOP and attacking Democrats who want him to take a stand for us.

[leftynyc]

12. Do let us know

when shouting down the first lady at a fundraiser gets anything of substance accomplished. It wasn't only rude to the first lady, it was rude to all the others who paid money to see her speak. No elected official has done more for the LGBT community but it's not enough for you so fuck everyone and everything else. I'm tired of the professional perpetual whiners.

[JDPriestly]

39. People shout at politicians and their families.

What is new. I think that lots of Democrats demonstrated and shouted when Bush was president. That's a part of democracy.

[leftynyc]

41. At a campaign event, yes

At a private fundraiser - that's different. She made a big deal about having paid $500 to attend. Well, so did everyone else there who wanted to hear Mrs. Obama speak - not some disgruntled voter. I'm not saying she should have been arrested (as was a mother who had lost her son in Iraq was when confronting Laura Bush) - just that I have zero sympathy for her. I have my issues also - I don't shit all over everyone else to get them heard.

[randome]

26. Also let us know how any immigration legislation will get passed with an obstructionist House.

Do you really think Obama WANTED to pull out protections for LGBT groups?

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[forestpath]

52. +1000

[Johonny]

14. IDK he was among the first to toss the IRS people under the bus

[kentuck]

20. Politics.

It was a sorry hand to be dealt. It is very difficult to defend the IRS, not the most liked institution by either Party. So, I think it was political to criticize the IRS but that does not mean they have to defend the Republicans that defend the present tax exemption set up.

[Scuba]

50. Disagree. The correct response to the IRS "scandal" was ...

... "Of course they're investigating to determine if these groups - on both sides - are entitled to the tax breaks they've claimed. That's the IRS's job. My disappointment is that they've approved tax-exempt status for groups that are clearly not exclusively engaged in social welfare, as the law requires."

[Johonny]

73. I don't disagree

Everyone hates the IRS so it cost him nothing to toss them away. The problem is that you have Van Jones, ACORN, Rev. Wright etc... the Obama MO seems to be if Republicans can stir up a little fake controversy Obama will toss you under the bus. We the dust clears and you come out basically honest it doesn't matter. That's not exactly the kind of reaction that stirs me to think we are about to see sudden undying passion and loyalty.

[Octafish]

17. He had majorities in both chambers of Congress from 2009-2010.

Yet, for some reason, the political capital of the Honeymoon went to build bi-partisanship instead of enacting progressive policies.

[pnwmom]

21. He never had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.

Joe Lieberman wasn't a Democrat during the short period of time Obama had the most Senate votes. And then Ted Kennedy died and was replaced by Scott Brown and the tide changed.

[mopinko]

23. the dino's got the boot after 2 years because

they showed their true colors. they tried to play him, but they were the ones who lost.

[graham4anything]

31. He was elected to unite the people, and the 80-20 will soon be here.

people forget the republican voters are NOT the extremists in their party

just 15% are extremists.
Same with the democratic party
5% are extremists

put it together and soon will be 80-20 votes in both offices, like it was in the past for other presidents

once the voting booths render the extremists obsolete and irrelevant

[concreteblue]

25. Maybe the fact that Mr. Obama

is slightly Right of Reagan influenced his seemingly hard-headed desire to work with the R's? He probably thought they would welcome him with flowers and Chocolate.

[NewJeffCT]

27. He shouldn't have even tried to work with them on the stimulus

or, at least have made it all stimulus and tried to negotiate tax cuts as a compromise.

[rdking647]

28. Obama to the GOP: Bite me

between that and nominating 3 judges to the court that the GOP will try and block its obamas way of telling the GOP to suck it.

hopefully reid will grow a spind and prevent the GOP form filibustering the judicial appointments

[life long demo]

32. I hope you are right, but.....

I was hoping Pres. Obama would come out swinging after his re-election, but he didn't. Our President keeps trying to "work with" the idiots but they will have nothing to do with him.

I sure hope you're right this time.

[SamKnause]

33. President Obama

It is sad that President Obama was such a slow learner when it came to bipartisanship. If only one side is trying, you have to readjust your tactics. It should not have taken him 5 years to figure that out.

Look at all the disappointing and unscrupulous people Obama appointed and surrounded himself with.

He had such promise.

I cried watching him during the 2008 inauguration.

He had the momentum of the world behind him.

He looked forward, not backwards.

Eric Holder couldn't prosecute anyone on Wall Street for collapsing the global economy.

They couldn't stop millions of people from being thrown out of their homes.

President Obama gave no support to Wisconsin or Michigan unions, or their protest.

He did not fight for the public option.

He invited Monsanto into the White House fold.

The list goes on and on.

I will never be fooled by another politician.

[moondust]

35. Let 'er rip, Bronco!

[oldandhappy]

38. I support the prez

and I sometimes wonder why it has taken him so long to reach reality. I know he wanted to try to work with and not against. And I was convinced long ago that the repubs were not interested in the 'with' thing. Go Mr. President. I am 'with' you!

[lumberjack_jeff]

44. It's a pity he didn't read up on the game before halftime.

I know all this "hitting" and "tackling" is distasteful, but you were hired to quarterback this sport, played in this way by these rules.

[Myrina]

74. I think he believes he was contracted to be the punter, instead of the QB.

n/t

[Paladin]

45. Way the hell overdue.

Let's see if Obama follows through on this.

[L0oniX]

47. DUH!

[randome]

49. Representative John Dingell said it well on the Colbert show.

'Compromise' is not a dirty word. They were all hired to solve the nation's problems and find the middle ground.

I wish the GOP would start behaving that way. But Obama still won't get much accomplished until they do. There is only so much he can do without GOP support.

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[blkmusclmachine]

51. 11-Dimensional Chess has been an 11-Dimensional FAILURE.

Nobody can say BHO isn't a quick study.

[tridim]

71. He failed because Republicans are anti-democratic assholes? Damn you Obama!

[BrotherIvan]

53. This time he'll change!

[madokie]

56. Good

Now kick the living shit out of'm Mr. President

[siligut]

57. Once Obama knew the actual scope of the GOP plan, he devised a counter-plan

Probably the most difficult, complex problem he has ever faced. He has methodically moved forward and now it seems people are just noticing. The GOP must be noticing as well, it will be interesting to see what new tricks they might have.

[patrice]

83. And part of that counter plan would have to have been to let the sheep and the goats

separate themselves as much as possible (especially in light of everything he & other policy-makers ***DON'T KNOW*** about what went down behind the scenes of the WORLD Derivative Crash). So the problem is to let the issues develop as fully as possible all of the positions, without telegraphing too much about where you personally are headed, so various elements can re-position themselves however they're going to do that and, then, BRING! your posse and do whatever you're going to do. The questions are about how big that posse is and who has signed on (and I don't mean Congress). Yes, I wish it were different, but it isn't!

This is why I have been trying to promote support in face of some really concerning stuff. What's actually going to come out of this, as distinct from all of the hypothesizing, depends upon his support. Yes, there ARE things that he, the executive, is doing himself, but it's a definite mistake to think that we and some unknown others have no part in what's going to happen.

[MotherPetrie]

59. It only took him 4-1/2 years

[bahrbearian]

61. The Ball is in Reids court now, Nuke em.

[backscatter712]

66. He should openly call the Republicans what they are: traitors.

They hate him more than they love America, so they sabotage the country at every turn.

I'd have them hanged, drawn and quartered.

[zipplewrath]

67. Prove it

Where's evidence, especially since about a month ago he admitted that he was still committed to reaching across the aisle, even though people thought he was a sap for trying.

[kentuck]

77. Good question, but...

With the appointments of Susan Rice, Samantha Power, and the nomination of 3 Appeals Court judges that pissed off the Repubs to the max, it appears he has reached the end of his rope? We are all hoping but only time will tell.

[zipplewrath]

82. No Drama Obama

I'll admit that the Rice appointment is one big FU to the Senate GOP. But other than that, these other nominations are just more excuses for the GOP to obstruct. He can try to make it a focus, but that will obstruct everything else on his agenda from Immigration Reform to Gitmo.

I wouldn't expect too much confrontation out of "no drama Obama".

[Initech]

75. At the very least he needs to tell Darrell Issa to shut the fuck up.

[Rex]

78. You can only hit your head against the wall so many times

before the wall breaks and you see the people behind the wall for the first time and realize they got nothing. Or something like that is my guess.

[MrSlayer]

79. We had the House and the Senate and did nothing but kowtow to those assholes.

How much better things would be if we just ignored the Republicans and ran roughshod over them with a real progressive agenda. Too bad this party is nearly as bought off as the Republicans are and it's too bad the gerrymandering will prevent the House from being retaken. This whole Presidency will be looked back on as "what could have been".

[bowens43]

80. too little too late

[Larry66]

85. way too late

I totally agree. Obama should have never tried to work with those republican assholes. They only believe in bipartisanship when they are in the minority. Now, thanks to their obstruction and the democrats lack of balls and backbone we may experience a double dip recession and another piece of shit republican president and more republican control of congress.

[Life Long Dem]

81. I think Obama has given up working with them awhile ago

But still shows he is trying to work with them to show that they are ONLY playing politics.

[malaise]

86. About time

Rec

[indepat]

87. I'll believe it when Repukes are no longer being appointed to the Obama administration

[olddots]

90. We (this is DU ) voted for an organizer

He needs to be a fighter but that's what the repukes are , they fight against democracy.

Could anyone organize a system that has been broken by personal greed ?