President Obama says troubled by comments of top Republicans

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

President Barack Obama on Saturday chided the two top Republicans in Congress, challenging his rivals to make a fresh start and build a bipartisan effort to boost growth after next week's election.

Speaking three days before a midterm congressional election in which his Democrats are expected to suffer heavy losses, Obama said lawmakers had a "duty" to seek common ground.

"That's why I found the recent comments by the top two Republicans in Congress so troubling," Obama said in his weekly radio address, in which he urged Democrats and Republicans to work together on issues like extending middle-class tax cuts.

"The Republican leader of the House actually said that 'this is not the time for compromise.' And the Republican leader of the Senate said his main goal after this election is simply to win the next one," Obama said, referring to Representative John Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69T0UF20101030?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Reuters%2FPoliticsNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Politics+News%29

---

Obama appeals for an end to partisan politics — with a jab at GOP
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39922794/ns/politics-decision_2010/

[opihimoimoi]

1. TROUBLED???? Fuck That...Its time to think and respond...the GOPs want our HEAD...DEAD

Its WAR

Fuck the GOP

They are EVIL.....

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. What do you want the president to do?

Cancel the elections and have them arrested?

[bongbong]

9. Not a bad idea

EOM

[Nuclear Unicorn]

23. Don't be absurd

[John Kerry VonErich]

55. Though you're right, I don't blame them for feeling that way.

Hatred of the right is extremely thick here now.

[Ter]

56. You think so

But it would cause revolution.

[northernlights]

32. how about giving up on kabuki-theatre "bipartisanship"

and quit running to the right to meet them at the edge of the cliff we're all falling off?

Seriously, he threw out public option *before negotiations began*.

He threw out a real stimulus package -- the size recommended by leading economists -- *before negotiations began.*

He upped the ante on spying on Americans. Upped the ante on the so-called unitary executive bullshit. Upped the ante on any other number of travesties.

He could have taken the *pragmatic* route and narrowed the focus in Afghanistan -- like Gates/Biden recommended. He chose to RUN RIGHT with the MIC and up the ante in Afghanistan.

And now he's running after the GOP and whining because the they just keeps dragging us further off the cliff?

STOP FOLLOWING THE EFFING GOP OFF THE CLIFF. STEER LEFT AND GET US BACK ON MOTHERFUCKING TRACK. OR SHUT UP AND QUIT WHINING.

He made his bed. Now he can sleep in it. Too bad the rest of us are stuck in there too.

[Iowa]

37. Well said. Two thumbs up for northernlights.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[skyounkin]

35. Call them the fuck out and maybe STOP

crying for bi-partisianship.

Just a thought.

[Joe Bacon]

61. I want him to stand up and tell them to go to hell.

I'm tired of surrendering to these assholes! FUCK THEM!

[samplegirl]

2. It's a Waste of Breath Obama

[demwing]

3. REALLY? TROUBLED?

Now you're troubled? That could have come 2 years ago! Why the hell is it just happening NOW?

[xultar]

16. +9999999999999999990

[boomerbust]

4. Dear Mr. President

Bipartisanship? I am one of your biggest supporters but you have to get over the working together with these evil MOFOs. They want to destroy you. Its time to go Chicago on their asses.

[24601]

11. And I'm on the other side of the equation. It's counterintuitive to

lock the opposition out of the process until it starts to crystallize that they are going to take over at least parts of Congress - and THEN invite someone over to the WH for a one on one chat. If you wanted bipartisanship, that should have been done around Jan 22, 2009. The reasonable conclusion is that the WH didn't REALLY want it, but wanted the appearance of wanting it, believing there were sufficient votes to go it alone.

Oops - that didn't work.

So let's say things pick up over the next few years - the model reinforced in the public minds will be that divided government works and is healthy for the economy and other growing things.

There will be multiple periods to remember

- Clinton - 1st 2 years - one party rule. Result - US pissed & voter revolt
- Clinton post 1994 election - divided government. Gridlock means nobody gets everything - Booming economy, generally happy country.
- Bush 1st 2 years - No clear one party rule as senate split 50-50 until Jeffords switches. Both parties get behind "Pearl Harbor" mentality and work together for a while. Country in shock but united.
- Bush 2003-2007 - his four years of one party rule (Dems still have filibuster and can block in Senate) USA pissed - voter revolt.
- Bush 2007-2009 - Dems control Congress - gridlock. What happened???
- Obama 2009-2011 - One Party Rule - USA pissed, voter revolt.
- Obama 2011-2013 - Gridlock or bipartisanship? Rep Control House - Dem retain Senate but weaker.

Now my poly sci hat says that POTUS always predominates in security & foreign policy. Congress can dominate domestically by exercising power of the purse.

So what will it be politicians? Work together or spend 2 years campaigning, trying to piss all all over each over, soaking the rest of us in the process and telling us it's just a spring rain.

***Wildcard Alert*** The courts aren't just going to stand around watching.

[SharksBreath]

13. It's a good thing Clinton passed the budget reduction bill

before the GOP regained power in 1994.

Otherwise those 6 years of Booming Economy would have never happened.

Your poly sci hat needs to be smacked off your head if you think the GOP had anything to do with that economic boom.

"The Republicans, as you'll remember, captured the House in 1994, maintaining control of the chamber until they were ejected in 2006. During that span, Bill Clinton presided over the end of the Reagan-Bush I deficits, only see to George W. Bush blow the surplus on tax cuts for the rich, the funded Medicare prescription drug program and the war in Iraq.

While Americans can look back fondly at the surpluses of the Clinton years, Jeb Hensarling wants them to forget that the Republican Party had very little to with it.

In 1993, Congress passed and President Clinton signed a half-billion deficit reduction package, one that included a boost in upper income tax rates to 39.6%. When Clinton's 1993 economic program scraped by without capturing the support of even one GOP lawmaker, the New York Times remarked:

Historians believe that no other important legislation, at least since World War II, has been enacted without at least one vote in either house from each major party.

Inheriting massive budget deficits and unemployment topping 7% from Bush the Elder, Clinton's $496 billion program was nonetheless opposed by every single member of the GOP, as well as defectors from his own party. As the Times recounted, it took a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Al Gore to earn victory:

An identical version of the $496 billion deficit-cutting measure was approved Thursday night by the House, 218 to 216. The Senate was divided 50 to 50 before Mr. Gore voted. Since tie votes in the House mean defeat, the bill would have failed if even one representative or one senator who voted with the President had switched sides.

The rest, as they say, is history."

http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/republicans-claim-credit-for-clinton-surpluses

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[24601]

24. It's a worn-out debating trick to attck the individual when you

dislike the data. I'll not fall for it.

If you think the opposition is coming to DU for voting hints, you have misjudged our influence.

[TBF]

25. Wrong -

Clinton - "bipartisanship" passed NAFTA, destroyed welfare
Bush - destroyed Iraq and set the stage for war in several middle eastern countries

People may seem "generally happy" when gas prices are low and they are actually employed, but look at what the top 3 items I mentioned have done to this country. NAFTA - jobs are gone. WELFARE - now folks lose jobs and live in "tent cities". IRAQ - continued war in the middle east in several countries

These are not positive.

[Warren Stupidity]

41. Wrong on the facts.

Bush, pre 9-11, split senate, passed stupid ruinous irresponsible tax cuts.

Obama and the Democratic congressional leadership reached out consistently, maddeningly to seek bipartisan support for their agenda. They did so by pre-conceding almost everything remotely left of center from the stimulus package, health care reform, and financial reform, presenting republicans with, in the case of health care reform, a program that matched republican proposals from the past, that mirrored the program Mitt Romney put together for Massachusetts, and got nothing in exchange except alarmingly over the top rhetoric (death panels) and NO.

[yurbud]

43. Dem control of Congress didn't lead to gridlock. Republicans threw up procedural

roadblocks and Democrats refused to bulldoze through them. You are setting up a false equivalence in the way the two parties go about their business.

In one sense, the Bushies did bipartisanship right: they said, ''We're going to do THIS and you are welcome to vote with us.''

[rayofreason]

58. If divided government...

...is seen as advantageous because (as is likely) the economy improves, then Obama has a better shot at reelection.

I wonder if Obama is factoring that in and that secretly he won't be displeased with a (not too big) loss on Tuesday?

[Scruffy1]

5. WTF? OVER

And I thought I was the dumb Findian but even I figured out years ago you can't reason with these assholes.

[Tesha]

6. Well, at least he's "troubled"; he used to just be "concerned".

Meanwhile, our country is dying, and many of its citizens
along with it.

Tesha

[onehandle]

15. Starting Wednesday he'll be 'miffed.' nt

[The Uncola]

8. If he thinks he's ..

.. "troubled" now, wait till these assholes start launching investigations into every bullshit bit of nonsense they can dream up. "Bipartisan effort," my ass. They will be burying him and he'll still having that hallucination.

[Jakes Progress]

10. My that must have disappointed him.

Too bad it also seemed like a surprise to him.

[Democat]

12. Lets wait until after the election to congratulate whoever wins!

For the next few days, how about showing some passion and outrage, Obama, like the Republicans are doing.

[onehandle]

14. Oh my stars and garters. Gentlemen, I do declare. My word...

sigh...

[AC_Mem]

17. We have a smart President

For the past two years he has shown the world that he continues to reach out to the GOP to try to get them to work with the democrats. The GOP has shown themselves to refuse, obstruct and block every effort. Again, the President reaches out; again his hand is slapped back.

Now - I think he gets it. The GOP has gotten so cocky because President Obama has not fought them back, that they are just being.... transparent. Which is what he promised us when he was elected.

I would be willing to bet that the next two years may be a surprise to the bullies.

We have a smart President. Let's see what happens once these elections are over and we find out what he has to work with. I think we are going to see some interesting changes coming that the GOP may not be too happy with.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Hmmm.

[24601]

31. Making speeches isn't reaching out. You do that with one-on-one

or two-on-one leadership discussions. Just when did the President have the minority leaders over for a private chat? That's when real reaching out began.

You can make all kind of excuses for why you don't want to and why they don't deserve it, but at the end of the day do you want results or rhetoric?

[skyounkin]

36. Yeah- they'll absolutely HATE controlling congress

We have a smart president- to bad he is so fucking naive.

He has reached out, and they have repeatedly slapped his hand- and the voting republic will REWARD them for it.

[AngryOldDem]

46. If the bullies have both the House and Senate...

...what possible surprises could be in store for THEM? I'm worried about what's in store for US.

Obama's been laboring under the Kumbaya-let's-all-come-and-reason-together bullshit that just doesn't work anymore. You can't compromise or dialogue with people whose mantra is "our way or no way."

[Thav]

20. I think the Rethugs are right.

This is not the time for compromise, the Democrats need to stop trying to include the tantrum throwing republicans in the legislative process. If all they want to do is cause trouble and throw fits, why should they play? That's how it works on the playground in elementary school, the kids who throw fits get left out of the fun. So it's time to leave the republicans out of the process. You KNOW they won't let the democrats play if they get the majority.

It's obvious that Obama wanted to work with the republicans because it's the fair thing to do, and he has the country's best interest in mind. However the republicans don't want to work with anyone, and are only interested in partisan politics rather than advancing the country.

I'm one of those frustrated voters, but I'm more frustrated by the republicans and their attitude toward the legislative process, and their consistent attitude of "NO no no no!! waah waah no no! I don't like it!! waaah!! *stamp stamp tantrum*" The republicans have no interest in fixing the economy, they have no interest in the plight of the unemployed, all they care about are their rich corporate friends and making them richer. For all the republicans care, 95% of the country can get bent - except at election time when they need to vote R, because it's what's good for them.

It's time for the democrats to grow a spine and stand up to the bullies that are the Republicans, a win Tuesday should let them know we still believe in them, and we want them to stand up to the republicans and their bullying and tantrum throwing ways.

[msongs]

22. when he gets tired of the abuse he will do something about it ....maybe lol nt

[Hawkowl]

57. Obama LIKES the abuse

That can be the only explanation. He's in some weird masochistic, codependent, abusive relationship with the Rethuglicans. Christ he needs to go see a shrink.

[DallasNE]

21. One Reason Republicans Say This

Is because they never suffer any consequences for what they say. And the polls show that they will not be held accountable any time soon either.

[cyclezealot]

26. Why we didn't vote Obama in the primaries..

Pandering to the Gobbers. It was naive in 2008 , it should have been apparent when he formed his Cabinet.. And certainly dead wrong now.. Of course they want his head on a platter. Expect the House Government Operations Committee to be busy with nosy investigative hearings. Will they re-hire Ken Starr.? Had Obama not let them make the most noise all these months, just maybe they would not have gotten the ear of the gullible. Don't say we didn't tell you so..

[davidwparker]

27. Why? Aren't they your friends, Obama? They have spit

in your face during the first half of your only term. Now, they are going to spit in your face with potential majorities.

[lunatica]

28. I just wonder how many more of us on DU will be foreclosed on in the next two years

Will they work together to make sure the bread lines are well stocked? Or will the Republicans block that too?

[PurityOfEssence]

29. Still doesn't get it.

It's just baffling sometimes how dumb really smart people can be.

He doesn't understand that, after holding out the olive branch and being as inclusive as possible that they'd still want to destroy him. He doesn't understand that they can't see how little threat an ultramoderate really is to the establishment. He doesn't know what he's dealing with.

The heart and soul--a literary device here--of conservatism is the cocksure presumption of not only being correct, but that ANY other viewpoint is evil and deserving of destruction. These guys play for keeps: they're full-blown economic feudalists, and in league with cultural atavists of the worst sort. There is to be no compromise for them. Even as Obama's given things away to them when in a position of power, even as he's watered down initiatives, they label him a shirtless barbarian lefty.

He quite simply doesn't get it. It's just plain silly.

Just because one is savvy at winning elections with a one-trick pony approach of being all things to all people and avoiding controversy doesn't necessarily make one an astute observer of the human condition, and CERTAINLY doesn't make one a leader.

I still think we're not going to get quite the disaster on Tuesday that so many predict, but at moments like this, it's easy to see why we might.

[timefortherevolution]

33. He doesn't WANT to get it.

Plain and simple.

His life was all about conciliatory tones...
And he got promoted for it.

Just like the corporate culture.

He's getting rewarded just fine.

[L0oniX]

30. So hows that reaching across the aisle thing working out for ya?

[Third Doctor]

34. Now he's troubled?

He is a bit late on that one.

[hughee99]

38. Now is the time to seek command ground AND punish our enemies. n/t

:shrug:

[andym]

39. He doesn't seem to get that the GOP has no interest in any leftward movement

whatsoever. To compromise with Obama they would have to move leftward and basically admit their general principle of maximized freedom at the expense of equality of opportunity is problematic. They won't do this, because it endangers their very existence as a party. The GOP continues to move rightward, and is working hard to bring America back not to the days of the Tea party, but the Donner party.

[Warren Stupidity]

40. We are so fucked.

The same failed strategy will be continued.
Please Obama, please stop reaching out to these shitheads. Please Fight Back.

[PurityOfEssence]

50. Does not compute

Wrong guy.

Despite a consistent ultramoderate nature, people projected all sorts of assumptions and fantasies on the man. His guilt is that he let them do so.

I don't think I've ever seen a major political player as misrepresented as this man, and I don't look forward to the ensuing chapters.

At times of great rancor, "getting along" and "reaching out" are sheer folly. By what conceivable glimmer of character does anyone expect riskiness from this man? He's not going to call them the monarchist thugs that they are, regardless of what they call him. He makes Jimmy Carter look like the Tasmanian Devil.

Let's see what really happens on Tuesday; the right may not be as successful as they think and they will almost definitely overreach.

[yurbud]

42. I'm trying to think of a way this bipartisan talk isn't retarded, and I've only come up with one

the right wing Democrats are not going to move left to help the party, so rather than say he is capitulating to assholes in his own party, Obama is making it look like he is pre-compromising with his political opponents.

But that is being extremely generous.

[county worker]

44. I'll tell you right now, if Obama compromises with the right taking us more

conservative he will be a one term President. If the last two years taught us anything it is that compromise is another word for we lose.

[AngryOldDem]

45. Note to Obama: Bipartisanship is dead.

That's something I don't think he's ever truly acknowledged. The Democrats should have been using their majorities and leverage to get around these obstructionist SOBs instead of rolling over and playing dead.

[primavera]

48. Was it ever alive?

Ever? Personally, I think sacrificing good policy and leadership for the sake of "bipartisanship" is like relying on the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny to solve the nation's problems.

[glinda]

47. Have they drugged him? Wake up man.

[ibegurpard]

49. If Republicans take congress I expect him to stonewall them...period.

If not, I will not support his re-election.

[Safetykitten]

51. President Obama sent to negotiate with the Borg. Hilarity ensues.

[eridani]

52. And he wants to cooperate with these shitstains even more?

WHY, for fuck's sake?

[rustyd55]

53. big corp

big corp controls republicans they will keep the tax cuts and keep raising prices they run this country

[truthisfreedom]

54. Thoughtful.

His strategy as we near the election is strange and somewhat workable.

[City Lights]

59. Troubled is the best you can do, Mr. President?

Troubled is a word I'd expect to find in a strongly-worded letter. Time to up the ante, Mr. President. Call them out on their obstructionism. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

[donco6]

60. The comment that troubled me the most was the one by McConnell

McConnell candidly acknowledged that he feels his “single most important” job is to defeat President Obama in 2012.

Without batting an eye, this turd can say that his job has nothing to do with making life better for Americans, but in playing some political game. That's disgusting. And for people like me, who have had problems with some of Obama's decisions, this resonates. I think the Dems should play it up harder and louder.