"This is a brilliant tactical move on the president’s part. And Republicans know it."

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/opinion/blow-the-presidents-pivot.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

The President’s Pivot
By CHARLES M. BLOW
Published: October 18, 2013


“Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.”

That quote, from Sun Tzu’s ancient Chinese treatise “The Art of War,” perfectly captures President Obama’s strategic victory over Tea Party members of Congress on the government shutdown and the debt ceiling debate. It also explains his immediate pivot to another topic that Tea Partyers hate and over which their obstinacy is likely to get the party hammered again: comprehensive immigration reform.

This is a brilliant tactical move on the president’s part. And Republicans know it.

As the G.O.P. was nearing its moment of collapse on the shutdown and debt ceiling, Representative Raúl Labrador, Republican of Idaho, said, “I think it’d be crazy for the House Republican leadership to enter into negotiations with him on immigration.” He continued: “And I’m a proponent of immigration reform. So I think what he’s done over the last two and a half weeks — he’s trying to destroy the Republican Party. And I think that anything we do right now with this president on immigration will be with that same goal in mind: which is to try to destroy the Republican Party and not to get good policies.”

snip//

The far right is angry at the government and the man at the top of it. According to a Pew Research report released Friday: “Anger at the federal government is most pronounced among Tea Party Republicans. Fully 55 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who agree with the Tea Party say they are angry with the federal government — about double the percentage among non-Tea Party Republicans (27 percent) and Democrats and Democratic leaners (25 percent).”

They have been blinded by that anger. The president knows that. And he knows that blind soldiers don’t often win battles. In choosing to pivot to immigration reform, he has created a win-win scenario for himself and the Democrats. Clever, clever.

•

[Scuba]

1. I'm all for crushing the Republicans, but if this is the moment to achieve a great gain ....

... then strengthening Social Security and raising taxes on the wealthiest should be at the top of the list.

[russspeakeasy]

2. + 1

[el_bryanto]

12. I agree as far as policy goes - but think the argument is more about politics

Comprehensive Immigration Reform is politically the most damaging to Republicans. THey can't talk about it without sounding kind of racist.

Bryant

[bluestate10]

25. I disagree. Immigration reform could be a boon for republicans if that party would embrace making

policy on immigration reform instead of throwing out all types of boogie men. Immigration reform should have many features like an affordable penalty for people who are her illegally but who will be put on a short path to citizenship while paying the penalty AND taxes, temporary renewable visas for guest farm workers that will help keep the cost of food down while allowing the gust workers to go home where they live their lives and come back to work during seasons, legal status for striving young students and adults so that they can throw off the fear of deportation while they pursue their dreams and make the nation stronger. Republicans can have positive influence in all areas of policy making on the issues that I listed if that party would throw off the influence of the racist sideline screamers that has the republican party paralyzed in a state of inaction and regression.

[el_bryanto]

28. But they won't. That's the point.

Republicans could have strong positions on every issue if they changed their positions; and possibly many in the middle/left of the party would like to do that. But the Tea Party Hardliners have made it clear that they won't - that they are doubling down on attacking Latinos of all stripes.

Bryant

[BlueMTexpat]

94. Egg-zacktly!!

Except for significant Latino exceptions like Cruz and others of the radical RW Cuban-American faction.

[Rectangle]

58. It is in their political DNA to hate the "others". They can't help it!

[SDjack]

68. I like Pres. Obama's pivot to Immigration Reform. Give the GOP another crisis before

Last edited Sun Oct 20, 2013, 11:08 AM - Edit history (1)

they can bind wounds from the last one. The ethical way to fight GOP is: when you have knocked them down to the ground, kick them viciously in the groin. That will cause them a lot of pain, and they blame each other. Then move on to the next issue.

[MrModerate]

89. I remember a story my brother-in-law told me . . .

When he was working ministering to recidivists snarled in the criminal justice system. One fellow was facing the judge for having shot a violent rival, twice, seriously injuring him. The judge asked the accused -- who pled no contest -- why he had shot the other man the second time, after he was already down.

"Well, your honor," he replied, "I didn't want him to get up again."

So regardless of the source, there is some wisdom here.

[kardonb]

83. g.d.

never , EVER ,underestimate the chess playing mind of our President . You WILL lose , every time !

[lastlib]

71. "a boon for republicans if that party would embrace making....

...policy on immigration reform instead of throwing out all types of boogie men."

Really, can you ever see the Republicans doing that?? (especially if 'the black man in the White House' is embracing it?) Can a leopard ever really change its spots?

[Tigress DEM]

93. OK, but which Republicans do YOU think will show up to this dog and pony show?

We might get some decent votes from those who finally turned and walked with us back to sanity street, and if THEY show up, we'll get some work done. WIN - WIN.

IF THE Republican Party wants to take it's party BACK from the TEABAGGERS, they can just throw THEM under the bus for the shutdown, start working their butts off for reasonable compromise and make up for lost time so they leave behind the appearance of being complete and total as*es to their constituents.

But more likely, the TEABAGGERS will come out screaming some more and at a certain point psychotic behavior is recognizable even to the average observer. 2 days after that the FAUX viewers will get it.

[grahamhgreen]

85. No, they want cheap labor, sorry. Tactic is just another sell out.

[el_bryanto]

87. OK. Who is they in this context? nt

[grahamhgreen]

90. The corporatists and the Republicans.

[Doctor_J]

91. ding

The reason the president won't fight for ss expansion is because his corporate sponsors don't want it. Meanwhile they desperately want cheap labor, so that is his current pet project.

[magical thyme]

19. with the 2014 elections coming up, this is the moment to take back the house

after which, we will be positioned to restore taxes on the wealthy and strengthen Social Security.

President Obama started with a majority, but wasn't positioned to use it. This time he will be. It is up to us to make sure that our representatives understand our priorities...but first we must regain a majority.

[loudsue]

33. Obama has no intention to tax the wealthy, regardless of his previous campaign rhetoric

He sure wouldn't mind cutting social security benefits as people get older (chained CPI) as he proposed earlier. You are mistaking Obama for a liberal....he isn't one.

[magical thyme]

43. No I am not. That is *exactly* why I said we need to push our representatives

I am fully aware that Obama wants to cut SS with chained CPI. I wrote about that just yesterday after his press announcement in the morning.

Making false claims about other people with zero evidence to support them -- which you have just done about me -- is a really good way to drive people away. I have zero tolerance for people who put words in my posts that aren't there. Welcome to ignore.

[loudsue]

46. You are more than touchy

you're a little bit hostile.

You said:
President Obama started with a majority, but wasn't positioned to use it. This time he will be." You implied he would sign legislation to raise taxes on the wealthy IF the congress passed it.

I contend that HE WOULD NOT agree to it. And the democratic party has been infiltrated by the Clintonesque DLCers, and they are not going to vote to raise their own taxes, nor those of their corporate buddies/peers. The Democratic party is filled with people who are way to the right of Dick Nixon. In other words, the Dem party is full of republicans.

AND, BTW, the national party WILL NOT fund liberal candidates.

[Scuba]

59. Glad to see another who's figured this out. Thanks.

[karadax]

100. If the party has been infiltrated by

"Clintonesque DLCers" that won't vote to raise their own taxes who does that leave ? This stuff sounds eerily similar to tea party talk in its infancy. People angry with their representatives, Congressmen not true to the brand, not truly representing us, etc.

[Ikonoklast]

44. If a Democratic Congress offers Mr. Obama a bill to raise taxes on the wealthy, he would sign it

in a heartbeat. Same with taking the cap off of S.S. earnings, making it solvent forever.

If you think otherwise, state your reasoning, please.

[Cha]

51. Thank you, Iconoklast! Can't wait.

[Cosmocat]

99. RIGHT

BO WILL bend to the right on these two issues to "get something done."

He will.

But, he would most assuredly put a pen to single payer, to a proper readjustment of the tax code, to making the common sense adjustments to SS IF he has a congress that will put the bills on his desk.

He is one person, congress is 435.

[cheapdate]

75. The president won the first tax increase on the wealthy in more than 20 years.

You might prefer to ignore that, or you might choose to scoff at it or dismiss it. But to anyone paying attention, this was a big deal because it starts to break the back of the Grover Norquist stranglehold over this country's fiscal policy. That's an incredible accomplishment from a brilliant president. Not only is it a hugely consequential accomplishment for handing the Norquist Republicans their first defeat in 20 years but the increased revenue is on the order of $100 billion which can be used to strengthen the country and the agenda of the Democratic Party.

Obviously, no one owns the term "liberal" and you're free to define it however you want and to make the claim Barack Obama isn't liberal. But the term does have a traditional meaning. Over and over again the administration has taken strong action in support of traditional liberal concerns; from voting rights, to GBLT rights, to protecting the rights of religious minorities.

His record is not perfect. He's not as liberal or progressive as me. His ethics and mine are far apart in many areas.

Anyway, carry on. You were saying the president has no intention to tax the wealthy, prefers to cut benefits for older Americans, and he's not a liberal.

[kelliekat44]

77. I think you are wrong on this point. nt

[StoneCarver]

79. Saddly you are correct.

I enjoyed BO the candidate. BO the President is a moderate Republican. We can thank Bill Clinton for moving the party to the right of Nixon. Shame on us.

[CTyankee]

64. Very good point!

Win the House with immigration reform and then move on to getting more revenue in a more just tax policy.
The tea baggers can't help hating. They just can't. It isn't in their DNA. They will end up losers again...

Great strategy, Mr. President!

[geek tragedy]

20. Those would never happen, and they'd feel safer rejecting them. nt

[Scuba]

41. Repubs would feel safer rejecting SS than rejecting immigration? You don't know their base.

[geek tragedy]

45. Everyone is in favor of what they call 'strengthening Social Security"

But the Republicans' opposition to immigration reform is much more apparent--they don't like Latinos.

[lumberjack_jeff]

39. +1 n/t

[Rain Mcloud]

40. +1

[HooptieWagon]

55. Making illegal immigrants legal could help SS.

And a tax increase on the wealthy can be tacked on to any budget bill, esp if Dems take the House.

[JDPriestly]

61. +1 dependingon what you mean by "strengthening Social Security."

Republicans and Obama use that term to mean cutting the benefits of those who paid into the system and can barely survive on their benefits.

[Scuba]

63. Lift the cap, tax capital gains, increase COLA, lower eligibility age.

[JDPriestly]

80. Agreed!

[blue14u]

73. If we get out and win seats

in 2014... we can have anything we want.. Working on

immigration is a good safe bet for him. He can and will

win that battle. As a matter of fact, I believe he can change the

world now with this last win over the debt ceiling.. There are

many great and wonderful things he can accomplish. We just have

to have his back, (if we feel its fair and right), and we need to vote

out, and crush the Screws gang.. It can be done if we try and work hard.

[grahamhgreen]

84. 100%. Immigration is not the battle - the hoarders want cheap labor.

[tomp]

97. agreed. he's diverting public attention from that....

....while chuck shumer is mentioning that possible cuts are on the table.

[KharmaTrain]

3. He's Just Handing Them Rope...

...only the rushpublicans can and are destroying their party. They're the ones alienating large voting blocs...women, blacks, hispanics, people under 30 and so on by their regressive and repressive "policies". As usual, count on a rushpublican to avoid accepting responsibilities of their own actions and blaming others for their failures...

[DireStrike]

16. That phrase has been uttered so many times these past few years

For once, it actually looks to be correct.

[VanillaRhapsody]

22. It's all incremental and strategic..

slow and steady wins the race...

Obama is trying to put an end to the TeaPublicans...and move the country back to the left.

All the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments over PBO's methods individually....do not see that it is part of a bigger picture. Each issue is just one rung on a ladder towards that. Some cannot understand "Why...Why...hasn't he addressed my issue...its much more important than the others"! The reason is that WHEN you address the issue is as important as the Issue itself...because it is all part of the overall strategy. He is not choosing issues randomly...

[Skraxx]

34. Exactly, well said

The foundation must be laid first, then the frame and structure, THEN you're ready for the roof.

[Cha]

52. Yeah, they'd rather do it their way.. I'm thinking

President Obama knows what he's doing and reallly glad he's the President.

Well stated, VR

[VanillaRhapsody]

60. Thanks Cha....

we elected the guy whose instincts we trust.....that trust has paid off over and over. I am still awe struck that he has accomplished all that he has. I those that think he should do it their way....should run for the office themselves!

[Cha]

65. We had great instincts, VR and so does

the President. Like you said in your above post.. "It's all incremental and strategic..

slow and steady wins the race..." Just have to realize that.

[IrishAyes]

70. Emotionally immature people don't understand that.

[Coyotl]

4. This was about saving the economy. The Republicans are destroying themselves, no Obama needed.

Albeit, their hatred of a black President is a form of self-destruction as is their attempt to torpedo the Obama economic recovery for political gain.

[Abukhatar]

62. actually no....

Without Obama, framing the scenario, they would not have fallen into the trap - but remember many here don't believe he can play chess nor give him credit when he does ( remember syria, doma, obamacare, somali pirates etc...etc...) Coz they cannot see the next move as clearly as he does

[Coyotl]

78. They created their own trap. It was their idea to try to torpedo the economy.

That is not a trap set by Obama.

[regnaD kciN]

5. "…to try to destroy the Republican Party…"

Why should Obama be concerned with that, when Republicans are doing such a good job of it on their own?

[Maeve]

7. Seriously. All he's doing is telling them to proceed! eom

[warrior1]

6. Hey Raul

the republicans are destroying themselves.

[LisaLynne]

8. They are still in denial about what's really going on.

They think Obama is trying to destroy them? No, the world is just moving past them. They're refusing to see that. They really just can't live in reality.

[sendero]

10. ^^^^ Yes....

.... unable to see or understand anything outside of their tea-party/libertarian echo-chamber, it is unfathomable to them that maybe most Americans simply don't agree with them AT ALL.

So they conjure up a boogieman who SIMPLY DID WHAT HE, FOR MONTHS BEFORE, SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO. NO NEGOTIATION.

These ass-clowns will almost certainly pull a similar stunt come Jan/Feb. I hope Obama gives them the same treatment they deserve while watching them bring their own party down. Sweet.

[LisaLynne]

11. Unfathomable to them -- exactly!

They just have to come up with some other explanation because it sure can't be that people don't agree with them! It just can't!

[Vinnie From Indy]

24. They are being told 24/7 by right wing media that Obama IS trying to destroy them.

I think the influence of right wing media reinforcing their fear to make a buck has a great deal to do with their mindset.

[M.G.]

31. Classic Projection

The level of projection among the lunatic right reaches, well, lunatic proportions.

They're probably convinced Obama is obsessed with trying to destroy them, just as they're convinced he's unprecedentedly partisan (I've heard that tossed around quite a bit). No doubt as they threatened to destroy the United States's credit and collapse the American economy, the hardline conservatives were telling themselves Obama was a dangerous anti-American radical.

[Cha]

53. Oh yeah.. as in Totally. nm

[Baitball Blogger]

9. You know, I didn't want to say it out loud, because I didn't want to jinx him, but...

the way Obama has managed to wade through a swamp full of right-wing alligators truly impresses me. He seems to have paid very close attention to what happened to the Clintons and is benefiting from the lessons learned in hindsight.

Now, if we can only figure out why he would want to have anything to do with that Pacific alliance thing I keep hearing about, he might just turn out to be one of the best presidents we ever had.

[randome]

13. His deliberative thinking in the face of pressure is truly impressive.

And I say that with the full acceptance that no man or woman is perfect. I don't hero-worship.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[Cha]

57. Yeah, we have to qualify that we don't "hero worship" but

when I like someone who's doing a good job for my country and standing between me and the teakochs I will appreciate him greatly.

No one is perfect but I haven't ever seen anyone praise Pres Obama for being Perfect! And, if they do.. well bless their hearts.. they're wrong.

[bluestate10]

17. If done right, the Trans Pacific trade deal can be a huge boon for Americans, if done wrong, it

can destroy what little manufacturing we have left and also take away finance and financial services and leave us with nothing but food industry and hospitality jobs.

The reason why I think the agreement, if done right, can be a huge positive is the large populations of Asian countries. If leaders of those countries are forced to focus on internal growth and less on exporting, the large populations will create an enormous demand for imports into those countries, those imports will grow American companies that supply the products that are imported into Asian countries.

[The Magistrate]

14. He Says 'Try To Destroy The Republican Party', Ma'am, Like That Were A Bad Thing....

Everyone who loves the United States of America knows destroying the Republican party is the most pressing need of our country today.

Desire to destroy the Republican party is the mark of patriotism, of allegiance to the United States.

Supporting the Republican party, lending it aid and comfort, is the mark of hating the United States, and actively seeking to harm it and its people.

I would not give two cents for a President of the United States today who did not seek to destroy the Republican party....

[libodem]

18. Oh, hell to the yes!

Cheers! I'll drink to that!!!

[Zambero]

30. Which Republican party is he referring to?

The two warring factions are doing their level best to destroy each other, even without assistance from Democrats. But hey, I still think we should be willing to "assist" with the mutual self-destruction.

[Delmette]

36. Be careful of what you wish for.

The conservatives just might turn around and produce something much worse. I can't imagine anything worse, but then I'm usually surprised by the extreme garbage they spew and by the people who believe them.

[SunSeeker]

42. THANK YOU!! nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

56. +1

[bluestate10]

15. The President should take Labrador's words, dissect them then clearly explain why Labrador is wrong,

with numbers. Labrador's position is unsustainable and Labrador know that. The President must to go right after teabaggers on immigration. The President only listed three main policy objectives, I wish the President had added infrastructure investment to that list, or even add it as time goes on over the next 2-3 months.

[LuvLoogie]

21. POTUS has to clear the obstruction.

Cruz assumed that he was that immovable force in the path of Obama's approaching bulldozer, forgetting that the Prez also wields a katana.

He's setting them up so that no one will miss them when they're gone.

[Zambero]

26. Raul Labrador is a worthless publicity seeking stuffed shirt

He was originally one of the bipartisan "Gang of 8", a group with an intent on crafting bipartisan immigration reform. It might seem that a former immigration lawyer and native Puerto Rican would possess the credentials to participate in seeking out solutions, but true to form Tea Party members of Congress are not prone to work with Democrats, and rising hopeful Labrador somehow became conflicted and called himself off (or got called off, not much difference) a few months ago. But the whole episode was nonetheless great publicity for him -- not once but twice -- in initially joining the Gang of 8, and then suddenly dropping out. And the reason for the disassociation? Obamacare of course! Yes, an adamant refusal to associate with those who would not favor repealing it, even if an altogether different issue was the task at hand. Hey, I might not like grapefruit, but boycotting apples would not ordinarily be a consequence of that. Then again, with the far right any excuse will do. Labrador is one of scores in Congress these days that do nothing but obstruct, taking up space and valuable time, contributing nothing save tired right wing talking points, and given his entrenched do-nothing status, fleecing his constituents at every turn.

[Jackpine Radical]

23. "he’s trying to destroy the Republican Party."--This from the party that declared its sole mission

to be making Obama a one-term President.

And, in fact, destroying the Republican Party is indeed a necessary step on the path to "get good policies."

[mckara]

27. When Do We Begin Saturation Bombing Republicans?

Cluster bombs, a combination of H.E. and phosphorous, or Daisy Cutters?

[randome]

29. I hear salt works well on slugs.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[Rosa Luxemburg]

35. You give slugs a bad name!

[notgoinback]

32. The best one-word description of Barack Obama

"Dignified"!
How miraculous it is to have a American president who is emotionally and intellectually
qualified for the job. Every time I watch a White House press conference and see this
man calmly responding to an onslaught of cynical, sometimes hostile questions, I think
of an old Persian proverb: The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on...

[randome]

37. "Style" and "Class" work as well!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]

[The Wizard]

38. Democrats didn't

put Ted Cruz in the Senate, but having that hateful nut in the spotlight helps Democrats raise funding. Then again maybe he's there to make other Republicans sound reasonable, kind of like Murdoch putting Beck on the air so as to make Hannity and Billo The Clown sound reasonable.

[freshwest]

47. This thread and all the replies are great! K&R everyone here!

[BumRushDaShow]

48. Huzzah!

[barbtries]

49. i don't even get what this guy is saying

As the G.O.P. was nearing its moment of collapse on the shutdown and debt ceiling, Representative Raúl Labrador, Republican of Idaho, said, “I think it’d be crazy for the House Republican leadership to enter into negotiations with him on immigration.” He continued: “And I’m a proponent of immigration reform. So I think what he’s done over the last two and a half weeks — he’s trying to destroy the Republican Party. And I think that anything we do right now with this president on immigration will be with that same goal in mind: which is to try to destroy the Republican Party and not to get good policies.”

who isn't trying to get good policies? how are you going to get good policies if you refuse to join in the debate? and why should the president be trying to destroy the republican party, they're destroying themselves. the statement makes no sense - pure bullshit.

[Cha]

50. And, the "far right" is so angry with Pres Obama and the Fed Gov because

hate radio and fox news tells them to be. The lies they tell about PBO would get anyone susceptible to brainwashing Whipped into a rabid froth. Freaking Propaganda Machines.

"The far right is angry at the government and the man at the top of it. According to a Pew Research report released Friday: “Anger at the federal government is most pronounced among Tea Party Republicans."

Good article by Charles Blow.. thanks babylonsistah. Sun Tzu’s quote makes a lot of sense in reference to what just happened..

“Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.”

[Sunlei]

54. I hope President O has a good weekend relax. Next week Rs better be ready to WORK!

[Maedhros]

66. Defeating the Republicans on the shutdown/debt ceiling

was a gutsy goal-line stand.

Now, let's get the offense on the field and drive.

[randome]

74. If not that, a baseball bat across the kneecaps will do!

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

[Maedhros]

76. The important thing is that decent policies are enacted.

Beating up on Republicans achieves nothing by itself.

[Snake Plissken]

67. Hey way a minute we're the only ones who are supposed to destroy the other party, the President is

not playing fair

[Dalai_1]

69. K&R n/t

[ProSense]

72. The day the right lost the economic argument

That was the title of this piece from July:

The day the right lost the economic argument

President Obama's speech clinched the case against Norquist-style austerity — and won over the likes of USA Today

By Michael Lind

If you need any further evidence of the stark ideological divide that separates progressives from conservatives, you can find it by contrasting President Barack Obama’s speech on the economy with the response of the House Republicans...the president provided a capsule summary of the mainstream progressive narrative about the U.S. economy from 1945 to 2009:

In the period after World War II, a growing middle class was the engine of our prosperity. Whether you owned a company, swept its floors, or worked anywhere in between, this country offered you a basic bargain – a sense that your hard work would be rewarded with fair wages and benefits, the chance to buy a home, to save for retirement, and, above all, to hand down a better life for your kids.

But over time, that engine began to stall. That bargain began to fray. Technology made some jobs obsolete. Global competition sent others overseas. It became harder for unions to fight for the middle class. Washington doled out bigger tax cuts to the rich and smaller minimum wage increases for the working poor. The link between higher productivity and people’s wages and salaries was severed – the income of the top 1% nearly quadrupled from 1979 to 2007, while the typical family’s barely budged.

Towards the end of those three decades, a housing bubble, credit cards, and a churning financial sector kept the economy artificially juiced up.

That’s an excellent statement of the progressive theory of the case. What collapsed in 2008 was not merely the lesser stock and real estate bubble of the 2000s, but the larger Bubble Economy which had been “artificially juiced up” since the 1980s.

If you accept this thesis, as most progressives do, there can be no going to back to pre-2008 “normality”— because from Reagan to George W. Bush the “normal” was abnormal and sustained only by the Keynesian stimulus provided by Reagan’s and George W. Bush’s military build-ups and the stock market and real estate bubbles fueled by tax cuts for the rich. (Conservatives oppose Keynesian stimulus in the form of productive infrastructure investment, but support Keynesian stimulus if it benefits rentiers, defense contractors, real estate speculators and money managers).

- more -

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/25/the_day_the_right_lost_the_economic_argument/

Yesterday, the President made the case for good government again, smacking down the Republican hostage takers in the process.

<...>

We hear all the time about how government is the problem. Well, it turns out we rely on it in a whole lot of ways. Not only does it keep us strong through our military and our law enforcement, it plays a vital role in caring for our seniors and our veterans, educating our kids, making sure our workers are trained for the jobs that are being created, arming our businesses with the best science and technology so they can compete with companies from other countries. It plays a key role in keeping our food and our toys and our workplaces safe. It helps folks rebuild after a storm. It conserves our natural resources. It finances startups. It helps to sell our products overseas. It provides security to our diplomats abroad.

So let's work together to make government work better, instead of treating it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That’s not what the founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-government. You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president, then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it. But don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building. That's not being faithful to what this country is about.

Transcript: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023871486

Wow...Obama actually made Reid kill the Susan Collins deal
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023869728

No!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023866933


Originally posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023877964

[uponit7771]

81. If this is the case this is the right time to do this, choke the SNOT out of the current GOP culture

... and do it with the win of showing the growing Hispanic culture that the GOP doesn't like them either.

Would be nice to use other issues but I think showing how much the GOP hates the "others" will gain more right now

[TxDemChem]

82. I truly believe such blind hatred can only lead to loss

When you behave irrationally, eventually others will begin to notice the stupidity of your actions. They've been stuck on stupid for nearly 6 years. It's wearing thin to the more rational elements of their party.

[grahamhgreen]

86. No, they want cheap labor, sorry. Tactic is just another sell out.

[mattclearing]

88. To any reasonable person, Obama is offering a shot at redemption.

But the Republicans aren't capable of getting past their xenophobic wing and voter base. If they were, this wouldn't be perceived as rubbing their noses in it.

[LostOne4Ever]

92. Quite possibly the most brilliant president we ever had!

Going for immigration reform is brilliant!

If the repugs fight this they look like racist and will repel the fastest growing demographic in the country even further to the side of the democrats.

If they decide to work with the PotUS and dems (FAT CHANCE) on immigration reform, they will piss off their own base and the dems and president will be seen as bi-partisan and successful and get all the glory and earn votes from all the people it will help!

Either way it increases the number of votes for democrats and decreases the votes for republicans. They can't win and we can't lose.

Checkmate rethugs. Checkmate.

[p class=post-sig style=margin-top:0px;text-align:center;]

[div style='color: #B20000;font-size: 2.000em'] [center] Not all those who wander are LOST!!! [/center]

[polynomial]

95. Over and over

Through these past years America has witness rhetoric from hate radio relentlessly 24x7, by Limbaugh, Levin, Medved, Cunningham, major players in Fox news, that this President is a failed president or he is not supposed to be president, President Obama is not born of this world, or President Obama needs to be impeached, or the best by Limbaugh “I hope he fails”. Or, Mitch McConnell that openly in public discourse declares to do everything in his power to get rid of President Obama.

These are just a few examples likely loads of regular every day citizens hyped up over the years deliberately jamming the system to support their party. All done in the name of jamming President Obama even to the point of make the whole country fail if they have to gain a win. That includes scam like advanced derivative secret trading that is paid for by our tax money if they the one percent goof. As the years past these political people show the sides of the current politics however the strange thing is this Internet networking that exposes what has always been there. Journalism always knew this these political sides always existed yet played the public.

Through the debate or conversation in breaking news, yes it isn’t the government that is broken, it’s the people in it, it is the news medium that is broken. Deliberately convoluting rhetoric through theories of critique, and taking advantage of the average ignorance in the argument of fiat. From my view what stands out is President Obama is merely defending himself from critics. Those critics usually dig a hole, a mile wide with a bottom to hell.

The Republican Party is so blinded with hate they jackhammer themselves to hell. President Obama is a good man he is just defending what Bush once called a simple piece of paper, the Constitution, which President Obama took oath to defend.

[tsuki]

96. Great quote. nt

[mdbl]

98. This statement is ludicrous

"So I think what he’s done over the last two and a half weeks — he’s trying to destroy the Republican Party. And I think that anything we do right now with this president on immigration will be with that same goal in mind: which is to try to destroy the Republican Party and not to get good policies.”

There is no way you can destroy a fascist group who exists because of money poured in from people from whom you boy toilet paper, paper towels and gasoline. Yes, I mean weirdos like the Koch brothers, who take the average or poor American's money and uses it completely against him. When that system is stopped, there might be some Repuglican destruction. Otherwise, it's all smoke and mirrors.