The leader of the Western world is ‘cognitively deficient’
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How the Republicans' scorched-earth anti-Obama strategy has backfired | Michael Cohen
I had a better article but it quoted the movie Patton and there was profanity. It discussed the absolute refusal of the Republicans, aided on by the Tea party, to agree with anything the Dems and Obama while they tried to deal with the economic mess that Obama inherited.
That might seem like a confusing explanation, but it's emblematic of the extent to which the GOP has been Obama's worst enemy over the past four years while, at the same time, may ensure that he is re-elected president.
To unpack this admittedly convoluted argument, let's begin with focusing on the dominant political dynamic of the past four years. It's not about President Obama's legislative agenda or his post-partisan dreams, but rather the unceasing and unprecedented obstructionism of the Republican party. From day one of his presidency (actually, even before Obama took office), Republicans made the conscious decision to not just simply oppose Obama's entire policy agenda, but to actively and flagrantly thwart it. They promiscuously used the filibuster to block even the holding of votes on Democratic proposals in the Senate and punished party members who contemplated the idea of working together with Obama or – even worse – compromising with him....
The Republicans' obstructionist "successes" have taken a heavy toll and can be seen most dramatically in US economic performance since 2009. When fiscal policy has been expansive – as in the case of the stimulus being passed only a few weeks after Obama took office – the result has been job creation and economic growth (albeit of the more tepid variety). When Congress has adopted GOP-favored policies of austerity – spending cuts and reliance on tax cuts to stimulate the economy – the results have been far worse. By consistently opposing and blocking any effort by Obama and the Democrats to grow the economy through additional stimulus measures, like the president's job bill, and even seeking to intimidate the Federal Reserve into focusing its attention on inflation rather than unemployment, they have actively undermined policies with the potential to spark an economic turnaround.
To unpack this admittedly convoluted argument, let's begin with focusing on the dominant political dynamic of the past four years. It's not about President Obama's legislative agenda or his post-partisan dreams, but rather the unceasing and unprecedented obstructionism of the Republican party. From day one of his presidency (actually, even before Obama took office), Republicans made the conscious decision to not just simply oppose Obama's entire policy agenda, but to actively and flagrantly thwart it. They promiscuously used the filibuster to block even the holding of votes on Democratic proposals in the Senate and punished party members who contemplated the idea of working together with Obama or – even worse – compromising with him....
The Republicans' obstructionist "successes" have taken a heavy toll and can be seen most dramatically in US economic performance since 2009. When fiscal policy has been expansive – as in the case of the stimulus being passed only a few weeks after Obama took office – the result has been job creation and economic growth (albeit of the more tepid variety). When Congress has adopted GOP-favored policies of austerity – spending cuts and reliance on tax cuts to stimulate the economy – the results have been far worse. By consistently opposing and blocking any effort by Obama and the Democrats to grow the economy through additional stimulus measures, like the president's job bill, and even seeking to intimidate the Federal Reserve into focusing its attention on inflation rather than unemployment, they have actively undermined policies with the potential to spark an economic turnaround.
I had a better article but it quoted the movie Patton and there was profanity. It discussed the absolute refusal of the Republicans, aided on by the Tea party, to agree with anything the Dems and Obama while they tried to deal with the economic mess that Obama inherited.
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Albion
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Still way behind what Trump was subjected to.
And, by the way, none of what you just itemized, even if it were true, supports the claim that was made by DaisyDay against the Tea Parties only a couple of posts ago ("They resisted his appointments, his agendas, etc. and even shut down the government twice for no good reason.")
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DaisyDay
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No, it is not the same thing. Democrats negotiated with previous Republican presidents and often worked well across the aisle. You are making a false equivalence.
The Tea Party Caucus of the Republicans. Have you forgotten already who they were? No wonder you are able to deny what they most certainly did do.
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Albion
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Everybody worked the aisle until recent decades. That's history now.
But if we are to lay the blame on any particular party's decision, remember that the Democrats almost vote as a bloc, right down to the last man, even on controversial matters like the nomination of a Supreme Court justice or the impeachment of the President. There has not been that degree of unity among the Republicans, and the record shows it.
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That is a biased view. The Republicans obstructionism is on record during the Obama years, including blocking a potential Supreme Court judge. Remember Merrick Garland?
Democrats crossed the aisle during the Bush years, and legislation passed that was bipartisan like the McCain-Feingold Act and No Child Left Behind and the votes for actions in Iraq and Afganistan. There was more.
Republicans started the current ugliness in politics back when Newt Gingrich and Frank Luntz got together to use the 'right words".
Newt Gingrich - Wikipedia
A number of scholars have credited Gingrich with playing a key role in undermining democratic norms in the United States, and hastening political polarization and partisan prejudice.[7][8][9][58][59][60][61][62][10][63][64][11] According to Harvard University political scientists Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, Gingrich's speakership had a profound and lasting impact on American politics and health of American democracy. They argue that Gingrich instilled a "combative" approach in the Republican Party, where hateful language and hyper-partisanship became commonplace, and where democratic norms were abandoned. Gingrich frequently questioned the patriotism of Democrats, called them corrupt, compared them to fascists, and accused them of wanting to destroy the United States. Gingrich furthermore oversaw several major government shutdowns.[65][66][67][59]
University of Maryland political scientist Lilliana Mason uses Gingrich's instructions to Republicans to use words such as “betray, bizarre, decay, destroy, devour, greed, lie, pathetic, radical, selfish, shame, sick, steal, and traitors” about Democrats as an example of a breach in social norms and exacerbation of partisan prejudice.[7] .....
According to University of Texas political scientist Sean M. Theriault, Gingrich had a profound influence on other Republican lawmakers, in particular those who served with him in the House, as they adopted his obstructionist tactics.[9] A 2011 study by Theriault and Duke University political scientist David W. Rohde in the Journal of Politics found that "almost the entire growth in Senate party polarization since the early 1970s can be accounted for by Republican senators who previously served in the House after 1978" when Gingrich was first elected to the House.[68]
University of Maryland political scientist Lilliana Mason uses Gingrich's instructions to Republicans to use words such as “betray, bizarre, decay, destroy, devour, greed, lie, pathetic, radical, selfish, shame, sick, steal, and traitors” about Democrats as an example of a breach in social norms and exacerbation of partisan prejudice.[7] .....
According to University of Texas political scientist Sean M. Theriault, Gingrich had a profound influence on other Republican lawmakers, in particular those who served with him in the House, as they adopted his obstructionist tactics.[9] A 2011 study by Theriault and Duke University political scientist David W. Rohde in the Journal of Politics found that "almost the entire growth in Senate party polarization since the early 1970s can be accounted for by Republican senators who previously served in the House after 1978" when Gingrich was first elected to the House.[68]
Trump brought much of the criticism he received on himself. His own words and actions brought the criticism.
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And yours isn’t? I appreciate frankly biased views. Why should anyone try to please all sides?
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Albion
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No, the record shows it. While there has tended to be an increase in party unity or block voting in Congress--on both sides--it's not been as solid on the Republican side. That's why the repeal of Obamacare barely failed, for example.
There are always four or five Republicans in doubt as any critical issue moves towards a final vote, whereas the same is not the case with the Democrats. Sen. Manchin has been the subject of speculation on various bills, but he usually talks a good line about being a moderate before falling into line...or else he jumps ship after it's clear that his vote wouldn't be decisive anyway (as with the Kavanaugh confirmation vote).
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Kentonio
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The Republican party has grown ever more extreme even for its own members. When you're pushing legislation that even hard conservatives can't in conscience support, then you're going to get rifts.
But your attempt to blame the Democrats for what Gingrich did and those that followed him have exacerbated is entirely transparent. Maybe it'll work on youngsters, but no-one who was following politics at that time and since is going to be taken in for a second by this kind of projection. Perhaps you're willing to trust politicians over your own eyes and ears, but not everyone is.
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Albion
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But the Democratic Party has arguably moved even further and faster towards the opposite extreme, isn't that so? Truman or even JFK Democrats and even the famous "Blue Dog" Democrats are a thing of the past, and candidates who seek election as Democrats these days running as JFK Democrats rarely stand a chance in a primary election.
Look at AOC, "the Squad," Maxine Waters and Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and more. They are big shots in today's political universe and they easily defeat any more moderate challengers. More specifically, several members of "The Squad" were challenged by more moderate Democrats last year after the incumbents had done some very controversial things in office. The result? The challengers were positively destroyed in the voting.
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The record shows cross over by Dems during the Bush term, and little if any crossover by Republicans during the Obama years.
The Republicans slowed down judicial appointments greatly during the Obama years and did it without precedent.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...856c12-d42c-11e5-b195-2e29a4e13425_story.html
It may be convenient for Republicans to blame their latest bout of obstructionism on some unwritten election-year rule, but it’s also pretty bogus. Republicans were just as dedicated to Confirmationus Interruptus in 2015.
Last year, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed just 11 federal judges, the fewest in any year since 1960. Only one appeals court judge was confirmed, the lowest number since 1953.
As a result, there are 76 vacancies (including Scalia’s) for Article III judgeships, nearly twice as many as there were when Republicans regained Senate control in January 2015....
Another way to measure just how aggressively Republicans have obstructed the judicial confirmation process is to look at the number of “judicial emergencies,” a term used when judges can’t keep up with growing caseloads. That figure has nearly tripled over the past year, from 12 in January 2015 to 31 today.
Now, it’s not like Democrats always rubber-stamped Republican presidents’ judicial nominees (see: Robert Bork). But this level of jurisprudential sabotage is nearly unprecedented.......
Senate obstructionism isn’t reserved for judicial branch openings alone. A January analysis from Politico found that more than a quarter of the administration’s most senior executive branch jobs — more than 100 overall — were missing permanent occupants. It also reported that the Senate in 2015 confirmed the fewest civilian nominations for the first session of a Congress in nearly three decades.
The obstructionism of the Republicans during the Obama years is well documented. Last year, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed just 11 federal judges, the fewest in any year since 1960. Only one appeals court judge was confirmed, the lowest number since 1953.
As a result, there are 76 vacancies (including Scalia’s) for Article III judgeships, nearly twice as many as there were when Republicans regained Senate control in January 2015....
Another way to measure just how aggressively Republicans have obstructed the judicial confirmation process is to look at the number of “judicial emergencies,” a term used when judges can’t keep up with growing caseloads. That figure has nearly tripled over the past year, from 12 in January 2015 to 31 today.
Now, it’s not like Democrats always rubber-stamped Republican presidents’ judicial nominees (see: Robert Bork). But this level of jurisprudential sabotage is nearly unprecedented.......
Senate obstructionism isn’t reserved for judicial branch openings alone. A January analysis from Politico found that more than a quarter of the administration’s most senior executive branch jobs — more than 100 overall — were missing permanent occupants. It also reported that the Senate in 2015 confirmed the fewest civilian nominations for the first session of a Congress in nearly three decades.
The most recent example of Republican obstructionism and voting in a solid block was the American Rescue Plan.
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TLK Valentine
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I'm not sure the repeal of Obamacare is a good example -- throwing tens of millions of Americans off their insurance without a replacement is less a "plan" and more a political suicide pact.
The fact that the repeal barely failed is a testament to Republican unity, if anything.
Could be that the Democrats just generally have better ideas, too... just throwing that possibility out there.
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