Comments on: The con that has always been at the core of the G.O.P.’s political strategy https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/03/the-con-that-has-always-been-at-the-core-of-the-g-o-p-s-political-strategy/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:07:28 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/03/the-con-that-has-always-been-at-the-core-of-the-g-o-p-s-political-strategy/#comment-21330 ER Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:47:10 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=27332#comment-21330 Obama's biggest mistake in his first term (to the consternation and despair of his supporters) was treating his political opponents as gentlemen, a loyal opposition: by offering to negotiate with them, meeting them halfway, trying to compromise. In typical fascist fashion, they interpreted fairness as weakness, reason for cowardice, and intelligence for effeminacy and indecision. I don't think he will make that mistake again. <blockquote>Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations in his first term and emboldened by a clear if close election to a second, has emerged as a different kind of negotiator in the past week or two, sticking to the liberal line and frustrating Republicans on the other side of the bargaining table. Disciplined and unyielding, he argues for raising taxes on the wealthy while offering nothing new to rein in spending and overhaul entitlement programs beyond what was on the table last year. Until Republicans offer their own new plan, Mr. Obama will not alter his. In effect, he is trying to leverage what he claims as an election mandate to force Republicans to take ownership of the difficult choices ahead. His approach is born of painful experience. In his first four years in office, Mr. Obama has repeatedly offered what he considered compromises on stimulus spending, health care and deficit reduction to Republicans, who either rejected them as inadequate or pocketed them and insisted on more. </blockquote> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/us/politics/pushing-gop-to-negotiate-obama-ends-giving-in.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0" rel="nofollow">No more Mr Nice Guy.</a> Obama’s biggest mistake in his first term (to the consternation and despair of his supporters) was treating his political opponents as gentlemen, a loyal opposition: by offering to negotiate with them, meeting them halfway, trying to compromise.

In typical fascist fashion, they interpreted fairness as weakness, reason for cowardice, and intelligence for effeminacy and indecision. I don’t think he will make that mistake again.

Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations in his first term and emboldened by a clear if close election to a second, has emerged as a different kind of negotiator in the past week or two, sticking to the liberal line and frustrating Republicans on the other side of the bargaining table.

Disciplined and unyielding, he argues for raising taxes on the wealthy while offering nothing new to rein in spending and overhaul entitlement programs beyond what was on the table last year. Until Republicans offer their own new plan, Mr. Obama will not alter his. In effect, he is trying to leverage what he claims as an election mandate to force Republicans to take ownership of the difficult choices ahead.

His approach is born of painful experience. In his first four years in office, Mr. Obama has repeatedly offered what he considered compromises on stimulus spending, health care and deficit reduction to Republicans, who either rejected them as inadequate or pocketed them and insisted on more.

No more Mr Nice Guy.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/03/the-con-that-has-always-been-at-the-core-of-the-g-o-p-s-political-strategy/#comment-21328 bowser Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:28:46 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=27332#comment-21328 Less goverment, smaller government, means no OHSA, Medicare, school lunches, no workers compensation, that sort of thing. No regulation, so that free enterprise can operate more efficiently. Lower the debt means, paradoxically, lower taxes which will free up capital to invest in hedge funds, because they aren't regulated. What is sold is that it will create jobs, though what we saw create jobs was low interest and liars loans. Thats how they do it. Smoke and mirrors, pure BS, that as ER mentioned, they can sell to people who live under bridges. Actually, they are independent, entrepreneurs, folks who stand on their own two feet. Less goverment, smaller government, means no OHSA, Medicare, school lunches, no workers compensation, that sort of thing. No regulation, so that free enterprise can operate more efficiently.

Lower the debt means, paradoxically, lower taxes which will free up capital to invest in hedge funds, because they aren’t regulated. What is sold is that it will create jobs, though what we saw create jobs was low interest and liars loans.

Thats how they do it. Smoke and mirrors, pure BS, that as ER mentioned, they can sell to people who live under bridges. Actually, they are independent, entrepreneurs, folks who stand on their own two feet.

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