If you had only one person to hold accountable for the present gridlock in our government?

[kentuck]

Who would it be?

My nominee would be John Boehner. He, more than any one person, is responsible for the present gridlock in Washington.

He could have put his country over his Party but he didn't. If he were a leader worth his salt, he could have gotten a small number of Republicans to vote to put people over wealthy interests. But he chose to go along with the Tea Party members of Congress and just simply refuse to work with this President or the Democrats at all. It is his job to keep the government functioning at a minimum. He has refused to do even that.

It's too bad the Repubs cannot fire him and send their Party a loud message?

Some may choose Mitch McConnell of the Senate?

Some may say Harry Reid?

Some may say Barack Obama?

Whomever they choose, they know that our government is dysfunctional. Much of the dispute over the IRS records is due to choosing dysfunction over good government. The Republican blockade of all legislation that might make Barack or the country look and work better will continue to harm our country. The House is most responsible because that is where legislation begins. If it doesn't begin, it doesn't continue...

[bluedigger]

1. Grover Norquist.

Boehner is just the sad sack of shit left holding the bag.

[MrMickeysMom]

13. Grover was my best estimate, too...

All pond scum is produced by this fetid layer...

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Mr Cantor actually.

[TransitJohn]

3. Ford.

He pardoned Nixon, and ever since, Right Wing criminals have done whatever they've wanted with no repercussions. Complete impunity.

[JaneyVee]

4. Has to be Boehner.

[Auntie Bush]

6. You mean Boner?

[Thinkingabout]

5. Boehner is too afraid of the tp bunch, Haskert had the rule not to let anything come to the floor

Which did not have the majority backing it. That was fine when you have the majority all pulling in the same direction but Boehner does not have that luxury. There are lots which would get passes.with the intelligent GOP members and Democrats who wants to see Congress governing. He needs to get past the tears and hammer his gavel on the TP and they would either get to work or stick out like sore thumbs. They are only strong because he allows them to be.

[Marie Marie]

7. McChinless McConnell - the head of the Filibuster Party in the Senate.

You know the guy whose only priority was to make Obama a 1 Term president and he couldn't even accomplish that.

[magellan]

8. Boehner

Maybe we can't unseat him, but maybe we can get him out of the Speaker's chair.

[napoleon_in_rags]

9. What about the people behind the scenes?

The Koch's? Rove? All the rest who work huge influence?

And what about the media power players? Limbaugh? Hannity?

My view of politics has changed over the years. I now see politicians as mostly responding to influence, and power being in the hands of those who exert it behind the scenes. Powerful lobbyists, media players, etc. I think these behind-the-scenes players have a lot to answer for as far as the status quo.

[blue neen]

10. Richard Mellon Scaife.

What is going on today is the product of many years and many dollars of influence.

[TygrBright]

11. Yep. Him or either Koch. n/t

[UTUSN]

12. limbaugh the scorched earth jerk since the '90s nt

[lpbk2713]

14. Gingrich

He made assholery acceptable during his tenure and he remains an asshole to this day.

[on point]

15. Harry Reid. He had the chance to shut them down. And did not.

[BlueCaliDem]

16. Boehner. He could have neutralized the TeaBaggers in his caucus and caucused with Democrats

to get bills through. He is the one enabling and empowering them because he's more concerned about keeping his cushiony job rather than passing bills that will create them for the American people.

I agree with you 100%.

Had Boehner shown a backbone, Harry Reid and the Democrats would neutralize the filibuster-happy Republicans in the Senate and we'd be able to get this country moving forward. But Rubberbackboner knows that the Republicans are all safe in their seats, thanks to gerrymandering, and if nothing's done, this is how it's going to be for the next four years.

I just wished that progressive states would start gerrymandering a la Tom Delay - mid-census - and give more seats to Democrats. This would force the House Republicans to scatter and quickly try to find compromise with the Democrats. Unless and until this is done, they only have ONE goal: to ensure that President Obama is prematurely a lame-duck president.

[kentuck]

19. Bingo!

"Had Boehner shown a backbone, Harry Reid and the Democrats would neutralize the filibuster-happy Republicans in the Senate and we'd be able to get this country moving forward."

[Shankapotomus]

17. Bob Grant

From wiki:

"A veteran of broadcasting in New York City, Grant is considered a pioneer of the "conservative" and "confrontational" talk radio format."

He created all these a-holes we're seeing today.

[longship]

18. Rupert Murdock!

He's the one who turned journalism into a Goebbels like political mouthpiece. And it's infected all the other journalism sources. The fourth estate is dying, and I lay all the blame on Murdock, with Roger Ailes a close second.

[winter is coming]

20. One of the Koch brothers. n/t

[tabbycat31]

21. Mitch McConnell

For abusing the filibuster.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

22. The orange looking one

[dmr]

23. Whoever's holding the purse strings.

Personally, I think they & the GOP is the enemy of the State.

[Spider Jerusalem]

24. James Madison

the American form of government as originally conceived is entirely unworkable in practice. The "checks and balances" tend to gridlock; the whole thing needs to be scrapped and replaced with a parliamentary system. (The effects of extreme partisanship were not considered at the time, and too many concessions were made to small states in giving each state an equal representation of the Senate and in giving the Senate, at the time an undemocratic appointed body, too much power relative to the elected House of Representatives).

[Bucky]

25. I blame the Hon. Alexander Hamilton and his Foederalist Party for this monocratic madness!

Nay, on further thought, it is the Deistic scoundrelry of Messrs. Jefferson and Madison and their d___néd Democratic-Republicans who bring on the mobocratic perniciousness of the present day!

[woo me with science]

26. Our problem is not gridlock. It is monied corruption.

There is remarkable bipartisanship and cooperation when it comes to implementing the agenda of the one percent.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

27. Obama. For not prosecuting openly-admitted war criminals

and encouraging Republicans and wannabe-Republicans to continue with their excessive selfish ways.

Name one Democratic President other than Obama who would have tolerated this. Just one.

[BlueToTheBone]

28. Unelected Grover Norquist. n/t