I do not think "faced down a hardline Republican Congress" means what Ezra Klein thinks it means.

[TacticalPeek]

"Clinton also faced down a hardline Republican Congress" - Ezra Klein
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/2011-is-not-1995/2011/04/06/AFxPaT5C_blog.html

'Also'?

Also, like as if Obama faced down *anybody*, ever? I don't think that word means what Ezra thinks it means.


President Clinton, 1995:

Five months ago I proposed my balanced budget plan. It balances the budget in the right way. It cuts hundreds of wasteful and outdated programs. But it upholds our fundamental values to provide opportunity, to respect our obligations to our parents and our children, to strengthen families and to strengthen America, because it preserves Medicare and Medicaid, it invests in education and technology, it protects the environment and it gives the tax cuts to working families for child-rearing and for education.

Unfortunately, Republican leaders in Washington have put ideology ahead of common sense and shared values in their pursuit of a budget plan. We can balance the budget without doing what they seek to do. We can balance the budget without the deep cuts in education, without the deep cuts in the environment, without letting Medicare whither on the vine, without imposing tax increases on the hardest-pressed working families in America.

I am fighting for a balanced budget that is good for America and consistent with our values. If they'll give me the tools I'll balance the budget.

I vetoed the spending bill sent to me by Congress last night because America can never accept under pressure what it would not accept in free and open debate. I strongly believe their budget plan is bad for America. I believe it will undermine opportunity, make it harder for families to do the work that they have to do, weaken our obligations to our parents and our children, and make our country more divided. So I will continue to fight for the right kind of balanced budget.

Remember, the Republicans are following a very explicit strategy announced last April by Speaker Gingrich to use the threat of a government shutdown to force America to accept their cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, to accept their cuts in education and technology and the environment.

Yesterday they sent me legislation that said, we will only keep the government going and we will only let it pay its debts if, and only if, we accept their cuts in Medicare, their cuts in education, their cuts in the environment, and their repeal of 25 years of bipartisan commitments to protect the environment and public health.

On behalf of the American people, I said no. If America has to close down access to education, to a clean environment, to affordable health care to keep our government open, then the price is too high.


http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-14-for-the-record-president-on-government-shutdown.html


C-span3 today played video of some key moments in the 95-96 shutdowns. They are also up at their website. Ezra should take the time to review these, and see how well it can work when you know what you believe in and have advanced political skills.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/FederalGove

You have to stand for something!

:kick:


(Btw, technically today we have a divided, not Republican Congress - only professional leftists like myself would call it a Republican Congress. Clinton faced down an R House *AND* an R Senate, and won for the people. It can be done, but you have to *TRY*.)

full speech
http://clinton6.nara.gov/1995/11/1995-11-14-for-the-record-president-on-government-shutdown.html

[ProSense]

1. "You have to stand for something!" Yup, could anyone

imagine what would happen if President Obama proposed a plan similar to this?

[deepersouth]

2. I've seen what Obama stands for.

And I've seen what he lies down for. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

[golddigger]

6. Yep! You can judge a President by the advisor's he picks.

[ProudDad]

7. +1000

[ProSense]

11. Dick Morris?

Mark Penn?

[golddigger]

16. Goldman Sacs? JP Morgan?

[ProSense]

17. Repealing Glass-Steagall?

The Enron loophole?

NJ once had a really progressive Governor (Corzine) who once worked for Goldman Sachs. Now we've got Chris Christie.

[golddigger]

18. You know we could go on like this all day, but I rather not.

Obama is weak and was bought and paid for. Can't watch or listen to him anymore. He makes me ill and nothing you say to me will change that.

All my time and money will be going to democratic state and local elections.

[ProSense]

20. Because you have nothing.

"Obama is weak and was bought and paid for. Can't watch or listen to him anymore. He makes me ill and nothing you say to me will change that."

Clinton!!!!!

[golddigger]

22. Your right I don't have nothing. All the blue links were takin.

[Avant Guardian]

28. Attacking Clinton somehow absolves Obama?

There is no 'Bill Clinton vs Barack Obama' rivalry. Why do hardcore Obama defenders always deflect everything to Clinton? What is the purpose? I find it strange.

[dionysus]

33. snap.

[Teaser]

19. 2 posts, and you got him figured, right?

.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Proposal V. Stand

Words V. Actions

:think:

[ProSense]

4. Damn

You're brilliant!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Thanks.

[FrenchieCat]

8. I was talking to a Republican today about the Govt Shutdown showdown.....

and was telling him how some progressive attack the president harder
than they attack the Republicans in just about every case.

He said.....I want to let those Progressives whine as loud and for as long as possible,
and then I want to see them crying nonstop when they help get a Republican into the WH.

[Hawkowl]

9. I'm already crying

A Republican instead of Obama isn't going to make me cry any harder. I did cry less for a few months after Obama replaced Bush, but I now find I dislike Obama even more than I disliked Bush. The only thing I can put my finger on, is the fact Obama pretends to be my friend and stabs the progressives in the back. Bush just plain old spit in your eye--a good old fashioned, honest enemy.

Nope. If Obama's strategy of telling the left to fuck off gets him unelected, it's HIS FAULT.

[maxsolomon]

26. I don't know if you remember Bush clearly.

He's a war criminal directly responsible for the deaths of 100s of 1000s of Iraqis and 5000 Americans.

He either fabricated evidence to justify the war, or was too stupid to see through the tissue-thin case his aides made for it. The rest of the planet knew it was BS and he continued.

He plunged this nation into massive debt and an economic crises second only to the Great Depression.

He's an AWOL silver-spoon frat-boy dry-drunk false-christian narcissist, handed everything he ever did in his life through connections.

He utterly lacks a conscience, and sleeps like a baby at night when he should be begging a psychiatrist to make his nightmares of blood and rotting corpses stop.

He's the worst president this fucked-up nation has ever had.

He should be in the Hague.

I could go on. Fuck him, his parents, his brothers, and his enablers. The only Bushes that get off the hooks are his kids.

Obama being a wussy center-right moderate prior to his 2012 steamrolling of whatever clown the GOP rolls out is infuriating, certainly, but you should revisit your memories of the Bush era.

[Hawkowl]

31. And Obama gave him a pass

Obama refuses to even open investigations into "war crimes". Obama continues the Iraq occupation and escalation in Afghanistan for military/industrial profits.

Obama endorses the extra-judicial killing of American citizens and the suspension of Habeas Corpus and the continuation of Guantanamo.

Obama has legitimized the use of warrantless wiretaps.

Obama has refused to prosecute all torturers sanctioned by Bush, but yet prosecutes more whistle blowers than any other President.

When you cover up evil, and shake hands with evil, and continue aforesaid evil policies, that makes you evil. More evil because the power to stop it is there.

[Logical]

12. I hate the Republicans but I expect them to be mean to us......

I expect Obama to fight harder than hell to stop them. No cooperate with them.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. I personally never criticize my fellow Democrats to Republicans

I do not feel any sort of bond with Republicans. I tell them that we are unified, strong, and ready to kick their asses with a bench so deep it makes their candidates look like, well their candidates.
This thing of slamming other Democratic voters and telling the Republicans we are weak, this is just not my sort of thing. Running to the other side to slam your own is an interesting hobby. Being critical of policy is one thing, but rushing to the GOP to trash our own rank and file is a choice I can not endorse. Gossip. Then come here and tell it again. As if it was a good thing. Wow.

[FrenchieCat]

21. I realize that you are too busy criticizing fellow Democrats to Democrats

to get to the Republicans,

But when I see so many Democrats having the same goal as Republicans; defeating this President,
I figure I need to let the Republicans know that I understand exactly their strategy....
allowing Democrats to do the dirty work of defeating themselves.

[JoePhilly]

14. All the moderate Dems hear from either side is .... "Obama bad".

Of course we knew that the GOP and Fox attacks on Obama would be relentless. And they are.

I did not expect liberals to start ripping Obama in less then 2 years. But that's what's happened.

And what the moderate Dem and the low information voter hear are two simple words, over and over ... "Obama bad".

If you want to get Dems to stay home, this is the way to do it.

If the GOP can rile up the crazies and get a 3% increase in whack job turn out, AND ... if we help reduce Dem turn out by about 3%, via endless carping, the GOP might just be able to turn the 2008 6% Dem victory into a 1% GOP victory.

Sounds crazy, but Bush's majorities were 0% and 1.7% respectively.

[golddigger]

24. What an idiot. Doesn't he realize he has one of the best Republican president in office at

the moment.

[genna]

30. Republicans also say that Obama is a socialist Marxist bad for America

foreigner. Which are we supposed to believe: what our gut tells us is going on or what leaders who compromise on principles say?

I don't understand the people who say Obama is worse than Bush. Bush took up a special place in denial, lying, and bull headedness that will probably never be duplicated.

I'm not sure whether Clinton's inability to push through big reforms clarifies Obama's ability to give away more than Republicans ask for. Each have their own problems.

I think we have a right to look at Obama and be disappointed for all that could have been but isn't. There is no reason to linger there. If the Tea Party can push Obama to meet their agenda, why shouldn't the democratic base? Either our opinion and beliefs matter or we don't.

I think we matter irrespective of the politics of the moment.

[TacticalPeek]

10. Morning kick.

:kick:

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

15. Obama has done and is doing a better job than you could ever have dreamed of doing.

and he will continue to until 2016.

[BklnDem75]

23. Were you there?

[johnaries]

25. I was. The difference is that Obama was able to avert a shutdown.

Clinton did not - and it cost the taxpayers $800 million as well as many services not being available during the shutdown.

[BklnDem75]

27. I fully agree

[Avant Guardian]

29. Clinton didn't bend

And he won that fight. Afterward he shot up in the polls, where he stayed until he left office. Newt's polls dropped through the floor. It was a win win for Clinton.

[Dawson Leery]

32. kick