Emanuel On GOP: "We Welcome Their Ideas"

[Truth Teller]

Source: CBS News

Incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said President-elect Barack Obama wants to work with Republicans, saying the new chief executive will "welcome their ideas" on how to resolve the ongoing financial crisis the country faces.

Emanuel met today with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the entire GOP leadership from that chamber for about 30 minutes, and is currently huddling with House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.). A one-on-one session with House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) will follow the Pence meeting.

Emanuel noted that he personally had spoken to almost two dozen Republicans in the last two weeks to tell them that the new administration is serious about bipartisan cooperation.

"We welcome their ideas and their concepts," Emanuel told reporters after his meeting with McConnell and other Senate Republicans. "It's challenging times economically. The middle class is working harder, earning less and paying more. The challenges facing the country require that people of both parties work together to solve those problems."

"I told them that I welcome their ideas, be that in their area of education, health care, taxes, energy policy, national security," Emanuel added. "Give us those ideas, because we are formulating what we're going to do in the Obama administration."


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/20/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4621638.shtml

[Unsane]

1. We're gonna need a few of them on board to get anything passed. Smart on Rahm.

[Truth Teller]

8. Yeah, 60 Senate seats is gonna be tough

We need to work at least a few of them.

[EconomicLiberal]

2. We don't welcome their ideas. They already fucked it up enough. n/t

[Strawman]

3. I like what FDR said at MSG in 1936 better

"I welcome their hatred"

http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/text/us/fdr1936.html

[Two Americas]

15. and from the same speech...

"But the resolute enemy within our gates is ever ready to beat down our words unless in greater courage we will fight for them."

[girl gone mad]

25. That was an alpha male.

Rahm could learn a thing or two.

[Mojambo]

4. I have no problem with this statement

It doesn't say anything about implementing their ideas. Only listening to them.

[TheWraith]

5. "Because after working hard all day we need some comic relief." nt

[EconomicLiberal]

6. ......

:spray: :spray: :spray:

[DS1]

7. Welcoming and accepting are two different things

It's a political term. Relax.

[Cronopio]

9. So is "bipartisanship". We've seen where that's gotten the country.

So I'm not relaxing yet.

[unkachuck]

10. "I told them that I welcome their ideas,..."

....I wonder where all this smooth-talk and accommodation is leading us....

....if there is one thing positive I can say about bushco is that they quickly determined where their votes were and rolled-over anyone who got in their way....it wasn't pleasant, but it was very effective....

....if all this schmooze is leading us to stalemate, I'm going to personally 'hose' all over Obama and his administration....

[jmowreader]

11. There are a few fiscally responsible Republicans left

One of the Republicans' major problems is they're pack animals. Take ten Repukes, give them a problem and ask them to solve it, and you'd probably get ten different ideas. Some would be good, some bad and some just fair. Take the same ten Repukes, stick them in one room and give them the same problem, and they'd have one idea.

I think if we can get them away from the leadership, they might come up with some good ideas...eventually, we might convince them the Republican leadership is the problem.

[Two Americas]

17. there are more than a few Democrats

There are millions of Democrats, the have-nots, the downtrodden, unemployed, the homeless, the sick, the persecuted, abused and forgotten, whose ideas and input are still not welcome.

But we are to worry about, flatter and woo "a few fiscally responsible Republicans" and make sure they retain a respected position and a seat at the table after the people have utterly and completely rejected Reaganomics?

I am sorry, but that strikes me as insane.

[jmowreader]

29. It's not insane at all

There are probably still Republicans who think Reaganomics was a bad idea. These old-school, pay-as-you-go Republicans are going to be critical in the upcoming months.

Government can't be small enough to drown in a bathtub, and the only people who can tell Republicans that are other Republicans. We've got to get some good Eisenhower-style Republicans to help guide the GOP rank & file to a position of sanity.

Would Eisenhower have put up with Grover Norquist? No. Would Lincoln? In fact, NO Republican president before Reagan would have run the country into the ground the way Reagan did--there's a reason the Repukes were known as the party of fiscal restraint.

We need the input of the people you mentioned too. It's critical. But we also need to get the support of the estimated 60 percent of the country that doesn't claim to be Democrat. If we don't, if we don't change in this way, all that will happen is Rush/Hannity/Coulter/O'Reilly will lambaste everything we do until it works then give credit to Reagan after it does. They fucking did it to Clinton; take it as gospel when I tell you they'll do it to Obama.

[Two Americas]

30. the people

The people utterly rejected Reaganomics. We don't need to win the people over to the side of the Democrats, we need to win the activists and party officials over to the side of the people.

Of course not all Republican officials all agree completely with the Bush administration, but that is silly to point out since we may have never seen such a lockstep bunch of politicians in all of our history.

The rank and file Republican voters are already communicating and coming over to our side. But that is not the Republicans being discussed here.

I think it is time that we stop basing decisions on fears of what the right wingers might say or do.

What is happening is that right wing ideas are being forced into the Democratic party discussions by conservatives, despite the overwhelming repudiation of those ideas by the public, and there is a concerted effort going on to shut out the political Left, despite the fact that the public is moving dramatically to the Left.

The public HAS been listening to the "concepts and ideas" - so called - from the Republicans for decades. They are through listening to them. Why would any Democrat, in the wake of this mandate being delivered to us, want to revive the fortunes and restore the perceived legitimacy of ANY Republican politician, let alone their "ideas and concepts?"

[w4rma]

35. I agree. (nt)

[Aristus]

12. I hope that's Emmanuel's way of saying: 'The GOP can kiss my ass before I wipe!"

Fuck the repukes! We had to eat eight years of their shit...

[OwnedByFerrets]

13. We've had THEIR ideas for EIGHT LONG YEARS.....

we dont welcome them or anything thing else they have to share.

[hollowdweller]

32. That was ideology, not ideas.

Ideas involve solutions to problems. Their ideology involves not doing anything and hoping stuff happens on it's own.

[Two Americas]

14. my, my

Republicans are welcome to give their "ideas" to the new administration, but those of us promoting the traditional principles and ideals of the Democratic party are being told here to STFU?

May as well ask the fox for his ideas on managing the hen house while we are at it.

[Two Americas]

16. it is all a massive bait and switch

So many here argued that "Emmanuel will not be setting policy."

Emmanuel speaking for the administration -

"WE are formulating what we're going to do in the Obama administration."

There are dozens of threads here today telling those who are promoting the traditional principles and ideals of the Democratic party that their ideas are not welcome.

Emmanuel about the Republicans -

"We welcome their ideas and their concepts."

"Obama will control him" we were told, so "stop criticizing."

We are seeing a massive betrayal and deception unfolding before our eyes.

[JJ]

18. "We welcome their ideas..."

So we can do the exact opposite, because experience over the last forty years has shown us that the Republicans know how to do it completely wrong.

[gravity]

19. It will be good for the Democratic agenda

When you are dealing with someone against you politically, if you can show that you understand where they are coming from, they will much more likely support you.

For example, with universal health care. If a republican says I don't want to wait in a long line like they do in Canada. Instead of telling them that they are full of shit, you say I don't want long lines for health care either so help me design a policy that avoids this.

That is how bipartisan is suppose to work. Not this Bush scaring the Democrats with controversial bills BS.

[junior college]

20. I hope the Emanuel pick doesn't backfire

He is a bit of a creepy sidewinder

[babylonsister]

21. Recommend, and thanks. This is the way to get some cooperation. nt

[RufusTFirefly]

22. Or, as John Edwards once put it...

"Some people argue that we’re going to sit at a table with these people and they’re going to voluntarily give their power away. I think it is a complete fantasy; it will never happen."

[midnight]

26. I loved that approach. Don't even set a plate down for those

folks they will not stop until they have consumed all our rights.

[BunkerHill24]

23. Hhmmm! Looks like shorty sleaze Emmanuel is already in charge

....and spearheading the way forward on Obama's presidency!!

[girl gone mad]

24. You mean the ideas that caused this mess?

Thank you sir, may I have another?

[Alter Ego]

27. ",,,because I have a few dozen dead mackerel that need new owners."

[Tempest]

28. It's a trick

On the GOP.

Emanuel knows they DON'T have any ideas.

[ryanmuegge]

31. Yeah, you welcome them because you are them.

[Thickasabrick]

33. Brilliant. They have no ideas. Very safe thing for Rahm to say.

[and-justice-for-all]

34. I would'nt give the left behind GOP much thought...

They have no ideas other than how to destroy a country and a planet.

they can listen to the repukes all they want, but I would take what those GOP clowns say with a grain of salt; This: "education, health care, taxes, energy policy, national security" has been where the GOP has failed and deliberately too.

The Obama Administration needs to the aggressive progressive administration and not be cowards to the repuke thugs that remain on the hill. The repukes have ultimately ruined everything in 8 years and they need to have their hands removed from any positions of power and critical decision making.

I can tell from Mitch McConnell's recent comments that he, and his crony repukes commrades, will attempt to strong arm/bully the Obama administration and the Democrats. Obama and Company better put those asshats in their place, and do so right out the door.

[dysfunctional press]

36. dlc'ers usually DO welcome republican ideas...it's the progressive ones they have a problem with.

nt