Why do we even bother trying to compromise with Republicans?

[Hugabear]

Seems like over the past several years, the only ones who have been doing any compromising are Democrats. We've compromised our stance on health care, taxes, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now we're about to compromise our sacred cows Social Security and Medicare.

What exactly are the repukes compromising on? NOTHING. Hell, they're not even willing to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

So I ask again, why do we even bother trying to compromise with them? If we had pursued a truly progressive agenda after winning back control of Congress, and just told the repukes to go pound sand, we sure as hell wouldn't be where we are today.

[LiberalAndProud]

1. How do we not? They are in the majority in the House.

But in this case, they are being so mule headed, I think we should just let them drive the bus over the cliff, because they're hellbent on doing just that. If we take a hit for it, at least we haven't betrayed our core values.

[Hugabear]

2. They are now. What about when we controlled both houses?

Even before repukes won control of the House, seemed like we spent far too much time trying to coax them into working with us, trying to put together bipartisan legislation.

We lost the House in part because we allowed them to dictate too much.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I'm sure Harry Reid is keeping the powder dry for some good reason.

:sarcasm:

[LiberalAndProud]

6. We did, I know. The House was excellent and the Senate was Ben Nelson.

The thing I regret the most is that Harry didn't threaten the nuclear option out of the gate and use it when the Repubs continued to fillibuster. If we had to pay a price later, then we that would have been the price. Instead we're paying it now, and it is very high indeed.

And I wish Obama had had about 4 years of experience before he put in his first day. I often wonder if he would like a do-over. He's just not a "my way or the highway" kind of guy.

It's not that I think he is as progressive as we need, I just think he isn't as conservative as he has governed. Does that make sense?

[0rganism]

10. if and when the repubs win back the senate, the fillibuster is DOA

It's scary to me how completely certain I feel about this prediction.

[LiberalAndProud]

12. Now there is a scary thought.

Let's not let them for a very long time.

[0rganism]

18. Sadly, I think it will happen sooner than you or I would like

in 2012, there are 33 senate seats up for elections. 10 of them are held by Republican incumbents.

Given the recently unlimited campaign advertising by anonymous corporate interests, what are the odds that the GOP can flip more than 3?

[Selatius]

14. Not all Democrats were liberal. That was the problem.

Even when Democrats commanded the most seats in both chambers of Congress, the simple fact is if you add in the conservatives in the Republican Party with the conservatives in the Democratic Party, you find liberals were typically out-numbered. In the House, where you need a simple majority to pass something, it was easy to lose a few conservative Democrats to pass a health care plan with a Public Option. The Senate, a much harder deal. You had a lot of right-wing Democrats in the Senate who were balking at the Public Option, for good reason.

Many of them accepted good sums of money from pharmaceutical companies and health insurance company executives, as well as money from the workers who work there.

[Fearless]

17. Exactly... the Blue Dogs

[provis99]

19. their majority isn't veto proof.

The worst that could happen is that Obama could veto their bad legislation, and they wouldn't be able to override it. so there is absolutely no reason to compromise.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

3. I can't think of a good reason. n/t

[patrice]

5. Because, unfortunately, they're not just going to disappear. They're ALWAYS going to be

there, in greater or lesser numbers, but also more or less actively working to destroy whatever we get done, so the trick is to get enough control over what the compromise is in order to construct it in such a manner as to reduce the degree to which they subsequently undermine you and, hopefully also, to provide for the kinds of options that allow us to mitigate the damage to our programs and policies that whatever their more or less reduced degree of destruction achieves.

[napoleon_in_rags]

7. Yeah, I think they should call some of these bluffs.

The Republicans haven't exactly show that they hold the keys to paradise for America either. If they project power through congress and things go to hell its coming right at them.

[patrice]

11. You know, if we had somekind of disaster-preparedness effort, like co-operatives & such to

deal with the shit they will wreak, I'd say Obama doesn't matter, let them have their way and we'll "go to the mattresses".

But we don't have any of that, so a lot of people will die when Republicans get their way and the country sooner or later erupts into god knows what.

[napoleon_in_rags]

20. Yeah, I'm first in line.

So are many of the people I respect the most, like the old WWII vets I used to serve at a nursing home when I was younger.

But at a certain point you just don't really care about yourself anymore. "It comes to us all, its as soft as your pillow", that's what Radiohead says. I remember hearing that old quote "give me liberty or give me death" and thinking it was really courageous as a kid, but now I see its not, its just a statement of the human condition: Life under oppression is no life at all. You're not "saving" anybody's life if you're saving it in oppression. So I say, take the principled stand and let come what may.

And for the record, I think Obama is a nice guy. I will always remember him sticking out his chin for HCR when everybody was arrayed against him. But this thing looks like a runaway train, all these forces are lining up to take him down, and for what? So they can PRETEND to be driving the train when it finally jumps the rails? At some point politics has to disconnect with image and reconnect with reality.

[patrice]

21. I worked in a nursing home too for 3 years. A REAL EYE OPENER.

Like I said elsewhere on this board recently:

I have seen someone die (not where I worked, btw), because the system decided it was her time and the whole thing was perfectly legal AND financed by Medicare and ugly as hell.

I have also seen someone else die of exactly the same thing, on her own time, also financed by Medicare, and one of the main differences between those two ladies' experiences was a matter of something like 10 years.

I used to LOVE that Patrick Henry quote when I was a kid. It set my heart on fire! I STILL believe it, but I've learned how to bank the fire for the long run. I live what I believe just as much as, or more than, ever, just in less ego-inflated, power drunk ways that have more to do with what is valued than they have to do with my self. There is a balance, of course, between those two factors that I try to find in order to live on and find more ways to manifest the best approximation of the truth I am capable of identifying.

That's a very honest thing you said about that runaway train. I could work with one whole heck of a lot of people I actually disagree with if they'd just admit that fact.

:hi: Very pleased to meet you, napolean_in_rags! :hi:

[Fearless]

8. Because some of us think we live in an ideal world...

We don't. They are going to fight tooth and nail to get EVERYTHING they want. If we compromise then they end up winning. If we give an inches they take feet and we have nothing left to stand on.

[Still Waters]

9. Because the Democratic party does not stand by its principles

The Democratic Party has been the Compromise Party since Reagan. The evil genius that melded the Republican party into the Christian Party and the Patriotic Party is too much for the Democrats to overcome.

[defendandprotect]

13. "WE" don't -- Obama does -- !! Immediately after 2010 defeat, O announced ready 4 more compromise!!

[ChoppinBroccoli]

15. As Much Sense As "The Way To Beat Them Is NOT To Be Exactly Like Them" Makes..............

...............I think it's time for the Republicans to finally experience what it feels like to have the other side say, "we're doing it this way, and if you don't like it, you can go piss up a rope," the way the Republicans did to us during the Bush years.

Yes, I realize that we need to hold ourselves to higher standards, but sometimes the only thing bullies understand is being bullied themselves. Maybe they wouldn't be so quick to piss down on everyone else when they're at the top of the ladder if they knew THEY were going to get pissed on when they ended up at the bottom (because sooner or later, everyone always does).

There's an old saying that goes, "The people you step on while you're on your way up the ladder, you'll meet again on your way down." I think it's time for us to start making these pukes regret stepping on us.

[patrice]

24. I wouldn't hold the position on this question that I do if I didn't also believe that we ARE

headed in the direction you describe in your first sentence. I just don't think we're going to make any progress in that direction if we destroy this President, because one of the things we NEED to get where you want to go is STRONG UNIONS, so we need to buy time for Labor to come into its own. One of the main traits of the American economy that invites investment at present, especially foreign investment, is the downward pressure on wages. And did you see the news about how Missouri Unions have suffered legislation that cripples their PAC contribution abilities? Destroying Obama/Democrats will set Labor back decades. Because of economics, the U.S.A. doesn't have that kind of time and, because of fossil fuels, Earth climate may not have that kind of time.

[EstimatedProphet]

16. Heard a dumbass call Mark Thompson today saying Obama never compromises

Seriously. He said that Obama bullies the repubs into getting what he wants all the time, and they keep reaching out but he stabs them in the back. Face it, the other side is a cult and they are completely brainwashed.

[patrice]

22. We should use that word "cult" ALL of the time: the Republican cult. One thing we know

about their rank-and-file, they're vulnerable to repetition, so we should refer to their cult as often as possible. Personally, I wouldn't argue with them about it either, just say it, let 'em scream, and then say it again and again.

[lpbk2713]

23. Because it's the "nice" thing to do.

Some people can relate to "nice" .


Bullshit sez I.