Politics as usual: GOP hypocrisy

Dispatcher · 02-04-2010, 04:15 PM

Obama Calls Out Republicans, But Nobody's Home - Yahoo! News

So now the GOP politicians are voting against the same things they voted for, before Obama. I'm so glad to see they have a vision and a plan for America, but sooner or later, they will have to come up with something other than just "Oppose everything Obama proposes and get our majority back".

JaJae · 02-04-2010, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Dispatcher

Obama Calls Out Republicans, But Nobody's Home - Yahoo! News

So now the GOP politicians are voting against the same things they voted for, before Obama. I'm so glad to see they have a vision and a plan for America, but sooner or later, they will have to come up with something other than just "Oppose everything Obama proposes and get our majority back".

I haven't read the article, but some of the compromises Obama is giving come with a catch. Basically an Obama compromise is very similar to all politics in Washington. Group 1 wants A. Group 2 wants B. Group 1 is in power so they offer a compromise that includes A and a watered down version of B. If Group 2 declines they get called out for being hypocritical. This is nothing new, in fact it has been done throughout our nation's history. There's nothing wrong with it per se, can't really blame Obama for what he is doing. But I think the facts are being misrepresented. If Obama said, you want B, here's B.. the Republicans would vote for it. That's not what's happening. Democrats are in charge and they are writing the terms of the compromise in such a way that Republicans disagree.

It's like the Democrats wanting tax payers to fund abortions so they put a little tax cut in a bill to try to get the Republicans vote for it. Republicans say no, Democrats say "What you don't want a tax cut? Hypocrites!" Well wait, Republicans still want tax cuts, but they don't want to fund abortions... This is only an example, but this is the type of politics that's going on right now.

Dispatcher · 02-04-2010, 05:02 PM

Read the article this time. Some of the bills Obama is proposing are the exact bills GOP congressmen proposed or voted for in the past.

The Great Catpiss · 02-04-2010, 06:32 PM

It happens on both sides and it is tearing our country apart.

Dispatcher · 02-04-2010, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by The Great Catpiss

It happens on both sides and it is tearing our country apart.

Quite right.

stolz25 · 02-04-2010, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by The Great Catpiss

It happens on both sides and it is tearing our country apart.

LOL. Very dramatic. Gridlock is about the only thing that is keeping this country circling the drain. Every time congress gets together on anything we get bigger government and more crap to deal with.

The Great Catpiss · 02-04-2010, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by stolz25

LOL. Very dramatic. Gridlock is about the only thing that is keeping this country circling the drain. Every time congress gets together on anything we get bigger government and more crap to deal with.

Well that too, though why would they be so against something they were for in the past.

By tearing our country apart, I mean to say that I think it is making our country more polarized than ever.

stolz25 · 02-04-2010, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by The Great Catpiss

By tearing our country apart, I mean to say that I think it is making our country more polarized than ever.

Eh, I haven't lived that long, but I'm gonna bet there were more polarized times. Maybe during the Civil War for example.

In fact, most of the polarization is a joke from what I can tell. It's an effort on the part of politicians to differentiate themselves from their opponents, and nothing makes that more clear than refusing to vote on the exact same bill you just supported a couple years ago.

That's why during elections so much time is spent on abortion, global warming, and a few other hot button issues. Because in the normal course of a day you couldn't tell a republican from a democrat without them.

kinggovernor · 02-05-2010, 11:49 AM

the reason they voted against the paygo is because it will essentially lock in tax increases down the road

absent · 02-05-2010, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Dispatcher

Obama Calls Out Republicans, But Nobody's Home - Yahoo! News

So now the GOP politicians are voting against the same things they voted for, before Obama. I'm so glad to see they have a vision and a plan for America, but sooner or later, they will have to come up with something other than just "Oppose everything Obama proposes and get our majority back".

This is an interesting article, highly biased and probably not exactly accurate or complete in disclosing all the details. I'd like to point out this:

"I am not an ideologue," the President said to the House Republicans, cocooned in their annual policy caucus in Baltimore - and the ideologues among them laughed. The President was explaining, in the midst of an unprecedented, televised "Question Time" session, that he was open to any good ideas they might have. "It doesn't make sense," he continued, that if they told him," 'You could do this cheaper and get increased results,' that I wouldn't say, 'Great.'" But the logic of this seemed to slip past the assembled legislators - and the "I am not an ideologue" bite became a derisive staple on Fox News. And therein lies the crisis of democracy that our country faces: a moderate-liberal President, willing to make judicious compromises, confronted by a Republican Party paralyzed by cynicism and hypocrisy, undergirded by inchoate ideological fervor.

The problem is of course is that an idealogue is exactly what he is. The "I won" strategy has been going on since his inception as Leader of the Free World, and every promise he's made has been broken. It's not so much that Republicans don't want to work with him purely for the sake of partisanship, it's just that they don't trust him, as he's not been willing to work with them yet. He's had a supermajority and felt he's not needed them. Now he no longer has that supermajority (which, no less, still hasn't gotten him anything) and his desire to "win back" republicans is shallow at best.

Dispatcher · 02-06-2010, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by kinggovernor

the reason they voted against the paygo is because it will essentially lock in tax increases down the road

...or budget cuts THEY don't want to happen. In either case, how can they oppose "pay as you go", and still bitch about huge deficits?
They can't have it both ways (without looking ridicules).

stolz25 · 02-06-2010, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Dispatcher

(without looking ridicules).

This is ironic.

kinggovernor · 02-08-2010, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Dispatcher

...or budget cuts THEY don't want to happen. In either case, how can they oppose "pay as you go", and still bitch about huge deficits?
They can't have it both ways (without looking ridicules).

there are budget cuts that they want they just can't get them passed.

Swift · 02-09-2010, 08:43 AM

Sorry dispatcher, but was that article written by an assistant to Gibbs? Man that was holding up for Obama in every sentence.

Dumpy Dooby · 02-09-2010, 07:11 PM

There can be no "compromise" between liberty and anti-liberty. Nobody should compromise with Obama and those who support his policies. No compromises can be made with any thug that wishes to violate individual rights.

Dispatcher · 02-16-2010, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Swift

Sorry dispatcher, but was that article written by an assistant to Gibbs? Man that was holding up for Obama in every sentence.

You don't have to apologize if what you say is true. I am as much against media bias as you are, regardless which way something is biased.