It's official. Republics in Congress DO NOT care about helping this country.

[Poiuyt]

(Former Maryland congressman Wayne) GILCHREST: For example, when Obama asked a large contigent of Democrats and Republicans to come to the White House to begin to talk about the healthcare bill, the whip — who I know well, my good friend Eric Cantor from Virginia, a Republican — brings in the bill. Now he didn’t bring in suggestions. He didn’t want dialogue about how to make this better, he brought in a bill. And when it was his time to discuss the issue, all he talked about was how big the bill, how complicated the bill is, how much they don’t have time to read the bill and all these things, which was really a waste of time. <...>

But the Republicans came to that meeting, and they planned prior to that meeting how they would try to disrupt that meeting. And the reason I say that is because I’ve been in many meetings with Republicans, as a Republican member of Congress, when they discuss certain pieces of legislation, but when they discuss how we can totally disrupt the Democratic majority from the subcommittee right on to the House floor. That’s how often, that’s how meetings were at times. I remember one time Secretary Paulson came into a meeting to give us a heads up about potential economic calamity and we listened to him for 15 minutes and the Minority Leader, John Boehner, dismissed Mr. Paulson because we had to get to two things — how to disrupt the Democrats from the subcommittee to the House floor, and how to raise money for the next election.

more -

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/01/gilchrest-gop-gimmicks/

I've long thought that republican's only agenda was to disrupt things for the Democrats. They offer no solutions -- just disrupt the Democrats and make the country ungovernable while we are in office.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Depressing but what we've all suspected for too long

I wish that more people would understand this about them and how "bipartisanship" simply doesn't (can't) work when one group is focused only on trying to figure out ways to somehow make the next big legislative battle their opponent's "waterloo". I can understand and appreciate how the two parties might have ideological differences over legislation but I'm willing to consider the other side and take their ideas, concerns, suggestions more seriously if they were actually committed to solving the problem at hand rather than trying to figure out the best way to make their opponents look bad and lose the next election. :eyes:

[AnnieBW]

2. Gilchrist was one of the decent Repubs

He got primaried by a ultra-conservative, which allowed Frank Kratovil to win. He's a moderate Repub, and very concerned about the environment.

[WeDidIt]

3. In other words, the GOP is a party of trolls

Seriously, all they want to do is troll Congress.

[Codeine]

4. That's been official since before I was born. nt

[potsmokinghippie666]

5. Isn't that...

...what they were always about? If they cared about the people we would have had Universal Healthcare a looooong time ago.

[Pirate Smile]

6. I know this topic annoys some people but I have to say, who the hell would have a reason to unrec

this? I rec'ed but that wasn't enough to get it above 0.

Whoever did is a troll.

[RKP5637]

7. I just rec'ed it too and it's still 0. WTF n/t

[Angry Dragon]

8. I got it to +1

[AuntPatsy]

9. k & r.......it cannot be said out loud enough...it has to stop..it just has to and someone

with a loud enough voice needs to ensure that they hear us yelling for them to just stop it already...

[csziggy]

10. Up to +4 - We need to give up on bipartisanship

It is a foolish idea to think that the Party of NO will cooperate at all.

[earth mom]

11. News flash for ya: NO ONE in Congress gives a shit.

The sooner people in this country realize that the better.

Roseanne Barr said it best on her blog the other day:

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT SEEKS NOT TO GIVE BACK ANYTHING TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE TAXES IT PAYS!
Paying money for nothing = slavery. We are slaves, not citizens now.
-Roseanne Barr

[47of74]

12. News flash: I don't like Roseanne

[earth mom]

13. So, who cares who you like? I didn't post it for you.

:eyes:

[47of74]

14. Washington warned us of this

I seem to recall that George Washington had this to say in his farewell address;

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

I think by and large the Democrats have tried to take this into account, and not get carried away with the spirit of party. Republicans, on the other hand...