When he ran for office in 2008, Barack Obama promised to be president of all Americans. He told us that there were "no red states or blue states, only the United States." He was a "uniter, not a divider" according to that campaign. Then Obama won the election and that was the end of that.
Remember 2009 - 2010? During those days, the Democrats had total control of Congress. Obama ignored the Republican minority. He never listened to their ideas. He never consulted them. Even when he held meetings with Republicans, Obama used the occasions to lecture them about his policies. There simply was no compromises ever offered by Obama. All the Republicans were told was "elections have consequences" and Obama had won.
Then came the 2010 election in which the GOP won control of the House. For the next four years, Obama continued on the same road as before. Except in times of crises, Obama did not try to reach agreements with the GOP. Both sides talked about the need for tax reform, but Obama would not even meet to discuss that issue. Republicans wanted to delay implementation of Obamacare, but Obama refused to even discuss the issue. Then he unleashed the failed Obamacare exchange website on the country, caused millions of cancellations of health insurance policies across the country, and finally did himself what the GOP had wanted: Obama delayed big chunks of Obamacare for one to three years. Obama refused to negotiate on anything with the Republicans; instead, he blamed the GOP for being obstinate. Obama imposed gridlock on the nation and tried to use it for his own political advantage.
After four years of that, the nation reached the point where Obama's games no longer worked. The Democrats were crushed in the 2014 election and the GOP took total control of Congress as well as most of the states. One would think that Obama would now try to negotiate with the GOP, but that would be wrong. If anything, Obama has become less amenable to compromise on anything. That fact struck me this afternoon as I read a politico article entitled "Obama to strike defiant tone with Republicans in big speech" which discusses the upcoming State of the Union Address.
The terrible thing about all this is that things that need action in Washington are just on hold. The Republicans can pass bills through Congress, but Obama is issuing veto threats left and right. Two weeks ago, Obama announced that he would veto the bill authorizing the Keystone XL Pipeline because the federal government had to wait for a decision by the courts in Nebraska about the route for that pipeline before making any decision. Then, last week, the Nebraska Supreme Court decided that case and removed the potential roadblock for the pipeline. What did Obama do? He re-issued his veto threat. Obama doesn't even have a coherent reason for threatening the veto anymore, but that does not stop him. He just won't agree to anything.
One thing is true: elections do have consequences. The GOP controls Congress and that takes away a lot of Obama's power. Still, the man remains president and he can govern through vetoes for a while at least. Just for once, however, it would be nice if he considered doing things for the good of the country. There's a lot that needs doing in Washington, and Obama even try to get any of that to happen.
Remember 2009 - 2010? During those days, the Democrats had total control of Congress. Obama ignored the Republican minority. He never listened to their ideas. He never consulted them. Even when he held meetings with Republicans, Obama used the occasions to lecture them about his policies. There simply was no compromises ever offered by Obama. All the Republicans were told was "elections have consequences" and Obama had won.
Then came the 2010 election in which the GOP won control of the House. For the next four years, Obama continued on the same road as before. Except in times of crises, Obama did not try to reach agreements with the GOP. Both sides talked about the need for tax reform, but Obama would not even meet to discuss that issue. Republicans wanted to delay implementation of Obamacare, but Obama refused to even discuss the issue. Then he unleashed the failed Obamacare exchange website on the country, caused millions of cancellations of health insurance policies across the country, and finally did himself what the GOP had wanted: Obama delayed big chunks of Obamacare for one to three years. Obama refused to negotiate on anything with the Republicans; instead, he blamed the GOP for being obstinate. Obama imposed gridlock on the nation and tried to use it for his own political advantage.
After four years of that, the nation reached the point where Obama's games no longer worked. The Democrats were crushed in the 2014 election and the GOP took total control of Congress as well as most of the states. One would think that Obama would now try to negotiate with the GOP, but that would be wrong. If anything, Obama has become less amenable to compromise on anything. That fact struck me this afternoon as I read a politico article entitled "Obama to strike defiant tone with Republicans in big speech" which discusses the upcoming State of the Union Address.
The terrible thing about all this is that things that need action in Washington are just on hold. The Republicans can pass bills through Congress, but Obama is issuing veto threats left and right. Two weeks ago, Obama announced that he would veto the bill authorizing the Keystone XL Pipeline because the federal government had to wait for a decision by the courts in Nebraska about the route for that pipeline before making any decision. Then, last week, the Nebraska Supreme Court decided that case and removed the potential roadblock for the pipeline. What did Obama do? He re-issued his veto threat. Obama doesn't even have a coherent reason for threatening the veto anymore, but that does not stop him. He just won't agree to anything.
One thing is true: elections do have consequences. The GOP controls Congress and that takes away a lot of Obama's power. Still, the man remains president and he can govern through vetoes for a while at least. Just for once, however, it would be nice if he considered doing things for the good of the country. There's a lot that needs doing in Washington, and Obama even try to get any of that to happen.
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