quote:

ORIGINAL: Thadius

See that is where it becomes confusing to me. If I remember correctly, the Dems took control of the House in the 2006 mid-term elections, with Pelosi becoming Speaker in Jan '07. I think they got control of the Senate right around that time as well. So we are looking at 4 years of a Dem controlled congress (both houses), they had a super-majority for the last year, with a Dem president, and they couldn't accomplish their goals? If their promises were even close to what most folks wanted, it would have been done in the first 6 months of President Obama's term. Something is going on other than the Repubs trying to roadblock every bill.

Know what I mean?

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

quote:

ORIGINAL: Thadius

See that is where it becomes confusing to me. If I remember correctly, the Dems took control of the House in the 2006 mid-term elections, with Pelosi becoming Speaker in Jan '07. I think they got control of the Senate right around that time as well. So we are looking at 4 years of a Dem controlled congress (both houses), they had a super-majority for the last year, with a Dem president, and they couldn't accomplish their goals? If their promises were even close to what most folks wanted, it would have been done in the first 6 months of President Obama's term. Something is going on other than the Repubs trying to roadblock every bill.

Know what I mean?

What's going on is you have different factions within the Democratic party.

The so-called super-majority was by one vote, which is now lost.

The Democrats have liberal, moderate, and conservative factions which often don't reach agreement, while the Republicans put extraordinary political pressure on their members to tow the party line. 

The health care vote is a pure example of that, one lone member of the House was the only Republican in Congress to vote for either bill.

And you are very well aware of this, so why are you putting forth this disingenuous
argument?   

quote:

ORIGINAL: Thadius


Disengenuous? The failure to pass these promised bills lays squarely at the feet of the Dem leadership. They could have easily gotten something passed that would have even got some Repub support. Perhaps, if the promises made about transparency and compromise were fulfilled, or at the very least attempted to, alot more could and would have been accomplished (including a much higher approval rating).

Let's also not act like the assumption of power just occured in this last election. The Dems have had control of both houses of congress since the '06 mid-terms. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the oppurtunity to fundamentally change the nation has been squandered.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

quote:

ORIGINAL: Thadius


Disengenuous? The failure to pass these promised bills lays squarely at the feet of the Dem leadership. They could have easily gotten something passed that would have even got some Repub support. Perhaps, if the promises made about transparency and compromise were fulfilled, or at the very least attempted to, alot more could and would have been accomplished (including a much higher approval rating).

Let's also not act like the assumption of power just occured in this last election. The Dems have had control of both houses of congress since the '06 mid-terms. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the oppurtunity to fundamentally change the nation has been squandered.

Then let me ask again about my original point.

Can you honestly make a case that there has been any spirit of cooperation or sense of bi-partisanship from the Republican party?


President Obama Addresses The Republican Retreat (Transcript0

quote:

ORIGINAL: Archer
The Democrats had the votes but couldn't even convince their own members without giving away huge PORK BRIBES to vote for their own party's bill.