This notion, which I suspect we're about to hear a whole lot of, strikes me as wildly misguided.Who is this administration official? Are there really people who are this naive and this moronic in the Obama administration? Have you people been paying attention to the universal Republican opposition to every single piece of legislation Obama has introduced?
The narrower majority will force more White House engagement with Republicans, which could actually help restore a bit of the post-partisan image that was a fundamental ingredient of his appeal to voters.
"Now everything that gets done in the Senate will have the imprimatur of bipartisanship," another administration official said. "The benefits of that will accrue to the president and the Democratic Senate. It adds to the pressure on Republicans to participate in the process in a meaningful way, which so far they have refused to do."This is great idea, isn't it? All the White House and Democratic congressional leaders have to do is continue to work on their policy agenda, while reaching out in good faith to earn support from congressional Republicans. Bills will start passing with bipartisan support; the public will be impressed; David Broder will start dancing in front of the Washington Post building; a season of goodwill and comity will bloom on Capitol Hill; and Lucy really will let Charlie Brown kick the ball.
Or maybe not.
Why would the GOP ever decide to do anything other than block this legislation when you knuckleheads are falling for the trap and are actually buying the GOP line that your legislation is not bi-partisan enough? If this is real, then Obama and the Dems were doomed from the beginning.
Politico reporting... yeahhhh, anonymous source? Check. And and asinine comment that looks like it was custom made to look like a Village Bambi emerging into Washington with wide-eyed amazement at the power of Bipartisanship.
ReplyDeleteNah, not buying it. Something more along the lines of what you reported with Voinivich seems more likely.
Steve Benen clarifies, because Politico won't, saying "The White House rallying cry, according to one Obama confidant, will be, "Buckle up -- let's get some stuff done."The White House rallying cry, according to one Obama confidant, will be, "Buckle up -- let's get some stuff done."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_01/021998.php
Because leaving it to Congress worked great!
ReplyDeleteShoulda been this way from the start.
Who is this administration official?
ReplyDeleteOfficial weed tester, I'm guessing.