Month: January 2013

In 2008, an optimistic Barack Obama took the oath of office with a sincere desire to end partisanship in Washington and work with Republicans and Democrats to change the country and world. Four years later, the GOP has tried to block every initiative good or bad – refusing even to do legislative housekeeping such as raising the debt ceiling.

Rep. Joe Wilson shouted out “you lie” during Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” When Obama was trying to get healthcare passed, GOP senator Jim DeMint said “”If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him,” – signaling that the GOP was more interested in destroying Obama than crafting a health care law.

The 2009 Obama took the oath of office with a red tie ready to work across the aisle. The 2013 Obama wore a blue tie that says to the GOP – “I’ll do this without you if necessary”. I expect that Obama II is going to be wild ride and that he will make massive use of executive orders and any other means at his disposal to get around a recalcitrant GOP that so far has shown that it is more interested in thwarting Obama than governing the country.

I will also say that the partisanship problems are not completely the fault of the GOP …… just 87.5% their fault.