they have no intention of participating in “governing in a sensible, non-ideological way.” So you’ve got one hand clapping…

GeoT and JA, I agree that some — maybe even many — Republicans have no intention of working with us. But if you read the WaPost story I linked to, it’s clear that some do. Olympia Snowe for one. I think McCain can also be brought over. Maybe even Tom Coburn! Same goes for moderate Democrats, who also are queasy about this bill. Every dollar we spend now will have to be financed. So it’s imperative we spent $$ only on things that stimulate the economy, and the quicker the better. Otherwise, we are just borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

LL, I agree that at the margin, some of the things I mentioned are stimulative. The Senate should definitely debate those. But many of them are not, and they need to be axed.

So this is not about Democrats versus Republicans, or whether Obama has the balls to steamroll opponents. It is about his promise to govern in a sensible, non-ideological way. Americans are holding him to that promise, and properly so
_______

The first thing Michael Steele did was position the Republicans in an adversarial posture:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/us/politics/03web-nagourney.html?_r=3

they have no intention of participating in “governing in a sensible, non-ideological way.” So you’ve got one hand clapping…

ogenec – I might agree with you if the Repubs weren’t going to stick to their ideology. They will and there are Repubs up here who are absolutely gleeful about the negative comments about the stim package and actually hoping as Rush does, that Obama fails. They do not want change. They want the status quo and that means playing to the money interests. Obama may want smart, non-ideological and sensible governing but the majority of Repubs are not about to let that happen. They’d rather throw out the baby with the bath water.

Thanks Geo…you understand I need instructions step by step:)
_____

also: you need to use the same email address as you use on blog sites for the avatars to work.

Obama’s biggest problem in the Senate is not Republicans, it’s his fellow Democrats: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020304024.html?hpid=topnews

What do these things have to do with stimulus: $1.1 billion for comparative medical research, $350 million for Agriculture Department computers, $75 million to discourage smoking, $20 million in Interior Department funding, $400 million for HIV screening and $650 million for wildlife management? The answer is: NOTHING.

I did not expect much restraint from Congressional Democrats. But as Washington said, the senate is the saucer to the House’s cup: we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it. The Senate will cut a lot of this non-stimulus spending out, boost infrastructure spending, and the resulting bill will pass both houses with wide margins.

So this is not about Democrats versus Republicans, or whether Obama has the balls to steamroll opponents. It is about his promise to govern in a sensible, non-ideological way. Americans are holding him to that promise, and properly so.

I signed up at wordpress now how do I do gravatar? Google it?
_____

sign-in @ wordpress.com go to “my account” (upper left) and select “edit profile” “Gravatar” box is upper right

Sometimes I think we’d be better off with a Repub congress and Obama as President. It might be easier to compromise and get things done. Look what happened when Clinton faced a Republican congress. They did get things done and we were all in pretty damn good shape.

Time will tell on his ability to be more agressive, and I’m hoping in the meantime Rahm is kicking some butt in the background. Obama needs to get his act together but Democrats in general need to decide a direction and go full steam ahead.