False Steps – and Glimpses of Unity – as GOP Fills New Role
abc NEWS
By RICK KLEIN and JONATHAN KARL
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2009If the first 100 days are a test of a new president, they’re a major exam for an opposition party — particularly one that’s coming off eight years in control of the White House.
With a few new leaders emerging — and more than a few old leaders not going away — Republicans have witnessed battles pitting congressional leadership against White House aspirants, voices of the past against possible voices of the future, and talking heads vs. decision-makers.
Here are 11 key moments from the first 100 days of Republicans as opposition party against the White House:
No. 1: United Vote
It was only Day 9 of the Obama presidency, but it would mark the defining moment for the Republican opposition of the first 100 days.
Every single Republican in the House voted against the $789 billion economic stimulus plan, despite an intense lobbying push by the Obama White House to achieve a bipartisan victory on his first major legislative priority.
The remarkable display of unity was a significant victory for House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va. — one of the party’s new young faces.
It was also an embarrassment to a president who seemed to try everything — including rides on Air Force One and a White House Super Bowl party — to get the support of at a least a few moderate Republicans.
The vote also served as a stark reminder of Republican powerlessness: Even when totally united, they could do nothing to stop, or even significantly influence, the Obama agenda.
No. 2: Limbaugh’s Lips
Rush Limbaugh knew exactly what he was doing when he declared, “I hope Obama fails.”
The problems came when Republican leaders were asked whether they agreed. It put GOP elected officials in a bind: Either contradict perhaps the most powerful force in the conservative media, or be accused of rooting against the president of the United States.
El Rushbo’s comments fed directly into Democratic lampooning of Republicans as the “party of no.” And with the few Republicans who contradicted Limbaugh rushing to apologize for it, the leadership vacuum in the GOP was exposed — a vacuum that Limbaugh and others have been only too happy to fill. …
…
No. 4: Pelosi’s Proclamation
Just three days into the new presidency, a Democrat did more for Republican unity than any GOP leader.
With Capitol Hill consumed by the president’s call for a massive stimulus bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced that House Democrats had gone forward and crafted a measure without Republican input.
“Yes, we wrote the bill,” Pelosi declared. “Yes, we won the election.”
With those words, the seeds of Republican opposition were planted. …
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Obama100days/story?id=7442673&page=1
The above authors said:
“With those words, the seeds of Republican opposition were planted”.
But, the seeds of Republican opposition were planted soon after the neocon led Republican party realized that the American electorate was serious about removing the party of Reagan from positions of leadership. That did not happen in 2006, but it did happen in 2008. Why the electorate’s “shot across the neocon’s bow” in 2006 failed to register, is a mystery. Perhaps the IN-DENIAL tool was used.
The neocons have been in power since the 80’s and it appears that they may have had visions of a permanent hold on the Presidency of the United States of America – thus their idea that the President should need only himself to start a nuclear war – did not likely reference Barack Obama.
Republican opposition to the Democrats did not really start in 2006 as the electorate swept numerous neocon Republicans out of power. Even after that, the neocon led Republican party still had hopes of not having to contend with Democrats after the 2008 campaign for President.
The neocon’s campaign did not always center on political topics – they had no political topics they wanted to talk about. Lipstick on a Pig came into focus. What a campaign topic!
After Barack Obama won the office of President of the United States of America, the Republican opposition to the Democrats surfaced – BIG time.
Words like, “I hope Obama fails”, escaped the lips of a neocon spokes-person whose own ideas about “managing his personal prescription drug plan” ran afoul of America’s “best practices” rules.
The Republicans “presided over” America’s first devastated economy in the 30’s. The Republican’s contribution to the solution of that 30’s problem is not well known. And they are well on their way to “STONEWALLING” a Democratic attempted solution to their MOST RECENT wrecking of America’s economy.
[An aside]
What would have happened, in 2006 if Pelosi and the Democrats, had decided to impeach the Bush team? One thing is for certain, America would not now be faced with a “double standard” in the impeachment category.
But WHAT-IF the President was impeached, tried and convicted(based on the odds, not too likely a chance) and the Vice President was not?
