E. J. Dionne: GOP Obstruction Goes Unnoticed—and Unpunished

[babylonsister]

GOP Obstruction Goes Unnoticed—and Unpunished

Posted on Nov 18, 2009

By E.J. Dionne


Normal human beings—let’s call them real Americans—cannot understand why, 10 months after President Obama’s inauguration, Congress is still tied down in a procedural torture chamber trying to pass the health care bill Obama promised in his campaign.

Last year, the voters gave him the largest popular vote margin won by a presidential candidate in 20 years. They gave Democrats their largest Senate majority since 1976 and their largest House majority since 1992.

Obama didn’t just offer bromides about hope and change. He made quite specific pledges. You’d think that the newly empowered Democrats would want to deliver quickly.

But what do real Americans see? On health care, they read about this or that Democratic senator prepared to bring action to a screeching halt out of displeasure with some aspect of the proposal. They first hear that a bill will pass by Thanksgiving, and then learn it might not get a final vote until after the New Year.

Is it any wonder that Congress has miserable approval ratings? Is it surprising that independents, who want their government to solve a few problems, are becoming impatient with the current majority?

Democrats in the Senate—the House is not the problem—need to have a long chat with themselves and decide whether they want to engage in an act of collective suicide.

But it’s also time to start paying attention to how Republicans, with Machiavellian brilliance, have hit upon what might be called the Beltway-at-Rush-Hour Strategy, aimed at snarling legislative traffic to a standstill so Democrats have no hope of reaching the next exit.

more...

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/gop_obstruction_goes_unnoticed_--_and_unpunished_20091118/

[high density]

1. Talking about Sarah Palin's new book is much easier than real reporting on Congress

What is considered "news" these days is amazing. Things that would typically be in the 3rd hour of the "Today" show are being thrust out there as the top headlines. At the same time the GOP's ridiculous obstructionism goes unnoticed, or worse, it's blamed on the Democrats by the echochamber started by Fox and Drudge.

[Clio the Leo]

2. Considering the fact that House Dems almost derailed their own bill...

.... I'd say that, yes, they ARE a part of the problem too. While we can blame a lot on the GOP, the problem as I see it is that EVERYONE in the Democratic caucus is trying to get EVERYTHING they want. IF all 60 members of the Senate and all of House Dems were truly commited to getting the bill passed and were UNITED in that effort, we'd have passed the thing months ago.

Everyone .... I mean EVERYONE .... not just the Blue Dogs, but the progressives as well, need to be willing to compromise and realize that no one is going to get EVERYTHING they want or NONE of us will get ANYTHING.

(make sense? I think I just confused myself! lol)

[annabanana]

3. (that damned librul media. . )

Seriously. The obstructionism is epic, and yet the false equivilencies of corpomedia will NOT allow for any discussion of this problem.