... It looks as if Republicans have taken the offer as a sign of weakness, as a starting point from which they can bargain Obama down. Oh, and they’re not giving up at all on the idea of using the debt ceiling for further blackmail.In other words, all of a sudden it’s feeling a lot like 2011 again, with the president negotiating with himself while the other side enjoys the process.
So Obama needs to draw a line right now: no further concessions. None. He’s already given too much. ...Paul Krugman, Economics and Politics
He's right. A lot of us think we're back in 2011. This morning's announcement about commission task force to study gun control was not a cheer-up moment. Why a task force? We know what has to be done already.
That's a great step we could take, suggested by an investment manager on the Ed Schultz show. He identifies the businesses that are tied into weaponry available to the public and suggests that public employees' unions -- particularly teachers and law enforcement -- as well as private individuals with investments go through their portfolios and sell shares in those businesses.
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Greg Sargent would seem to agree that Republicans will be just as destructive during Obama's second term as they were during the first.
As Mitch McConnell understood at the beginning of Obama’s term, most Americans don’t have strong views of policy, and aren’t even paying much attention. But what they do notice is process, and there, they operate from a simple premise: If both sides support something, it’s probably good. But if one side vocally opposes a measure, there must be something suspect — either the policy is bad, or the other side is not trying to meet the concerns of the offended party. Congressional Republicans use this dynamic to great effect during Obama’s first term, and successfully portrayed his administration as hopelessly partisan. But this also has important implications for the next year of policy making. ...Greg Sargent,WaPo
In other words, more and more of us are aware of the fact that the election is over and nothing much has changed. Not a happy realization.
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