The one quote that says it all about Obama and the GOP

[ProSense]

The Morning Plum: The one quote that says it all about Obama and the GOP

Posted by Greg Sargent

The New York Times and CBS News have released new poll findings that again confirm what other polls have showed: Large majorities agree with the Democratic position, and disagree with the Republican position, on key issues facing the country. But before delving into those numbers, I wanted to highlight this quote from a Republican voter — given to the Times in a follow up interview — because it perfectly captures what is currently causing all the gridlock and stalemate in Washington:

Rick Buckman, 52, a Republican and an electrical engineer from Dallas, Pa., said that while he supported stricter gun legislation, he did not necessarily approve of the president’s approach. “I was really ticked off that the law didn’t pass,” Mr. Buckman said. “But I thought it was wrong of President Obama to get in front of the public and use people who had been damaged by gun violence as props.”

Obviously one doesn’t want to read too much into what one voter says, but this is just perfect. This Republican supports stricter gun laws, and was “ticked off” that they didn’t pass. But to this voter, when Obama gets out there and advocates for what that Republican supports, he’s just grandstanding. What’s more, he’s been seduced by a ridiculous and lurid line pushed by far right Senators and right wing media — that there’s something nefarious and cynical about Obama’s alliance with Newtown families in pushing for gun control, even though better gun laws are exactly what those families want, and even though they themselves first contacted the White House to get involved in the campaign to push for it.

This goes directly to the ongoing debate about the limits of presidential power in moving Congress and to all the pundit sneering about Obama’s insistence that a “permission structure” is needed for GOP officials to compromise with the president. As Brian Beutler put it yesterday, Obama is right: Nothing will happen unless he can “create atmospheric and procedural and rhetorical conditions that might allow House Republicans to give Obama something he wants without appearing to have consorted with him in any way.” He need to “find a sort of legislative wormhole connecting the House GOP’s irrational universe and the universe everyone else inhabits.” GOP Senator Pat Toomey has also confirmed a variation of this, i.e., that Republican voters across the country won’t let their representatives compromise with the president.

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And yet, with the possible exception of immigration — because Republicans perceive a possible existential threat from changing demographics – Obama can’t win GOP cooperation on these issues, because to Republicans, cooperation with Obama equals losing. But the way to change this dynamic is supposedly to show more … presidential leadership, even though public support is already overwhelming for his positions, and even though Republicans don’t want to be publicly associated with Obama’s displays of leadership in the first place, let alone allow him any victories. As Jonathan Chait puts it:

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/05/02/the-morning-plum-the-one-quote-that-says-it-all-about-obama-and-the-gop/

"This Republican supports stricter gun laws," and this is the media's way of continuing it's bullshit meme about Obama and "leadership."

He's supposed to lead, but when he leads, he's grandstanding. If he can't get elected Republicans to stop acting like belligerent assholes, well then it's his fault.

"Specifically, what is it Obama should do that he hasn't already done?"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022783203

[babylonsister]

1. Untenable situation; the m$m needs to

focus on this b.s.

[graham4anything]

2. 80-20. It's coming. Would be nice if it were here in 2008.

when the people in the extremes yell you gotta tear it down, perhaps they outsmarted themselves on their way to obsolete point of view.

[patrice]

3. PO has done more to place the ISSUES in public awareness; issues affect everyone, so his oppositions

are threatened by that fact alone: people are talking, thinking, and acting upon the issues as they perceive them, party is not the sole determiner of the discourse. This is a threat to politics, especially when the issue is something as far reaching as guns are.

After all of this administration's time, as issues development have proceeded at a greater pace than before, it's STILL the hallmark of a "good" Republican, even if Reps agree with so much else (banks, bin Laden dead, CPI, trade agreements, environmental de-regulation . . . . whatever any Republican likes), there STILL MUST BE whatever can be used as "deal breaker" - and it could be anything at all, because it doesn't matter, as long as it gives any individual so inclined an excuse to throw their weight around and LOOK principled to whatever political fan-club they are playing to. The idea is to prevent people from organizing effectively around issues instead of parties.

[nakocal]

4. The republicans are not acting like "belligerent assholes", they are "belligerent assholes".

The republicans are not acting like "belligerent assholes", they are "belligerent assholes".

[Cha]

5. That quote from the republicon sounds like something

he regurgitated from fox screws. He lets them do his thinking for him.