The Party of No

I hate it when I am right about things going badly in America. It honestly gives me no satisfaction whatsoever. I would much rather be wrong and swallow my pride and look like an idiot while watching our country progress in a positive direction than sit back with the smug satisfaction of knowing that I called it all along. Just two days ago I posted an article about the lack of bipartanship in this country. More specifically I wrote in disgust about politicians and pundits on both sides who use political gamesmanship and mudslinging to divide this country to further their own selfish interests. Less than 24 hours after that post Republicans embarrassed themselves during a presidential address of congress concerning healthcare as I and the rest of the nation watched it live. At least I can say I told you so...

Wednesday night, President Obama was addressing a joint session of Congress on the issue of healthcare. He was addressing several myths that I have highlighted on the blog for weeks now such as the rumor about "death panels". Obama had just stated that the healthcare bill would not entitle illegal immigrants to healthcare coverage, which it wouldn't, when Republican Rep. Joe Wilson screamed "lie, You lie!" from his seat. To put this in perspective, this was not just a simple outburst that needed to be reprimanded. NO president in the history of this country has ever been shouted down by an opponent at a joint session of congress. It simply has never happened in the 300 some years that this country has been in existence. What's worse is that this was not the only incident of the night. Republicans laughed when Obama said their were still minor details to be worked out before the bill was passed. Another man, a congressman mind you, carried a homemade sign around his neck that read "what bill". At other points in his speech, Obama was booed by Republicans, like when he was refuting their hateful and incredibly stupid false myths about the health care bill. Republicans were mostly silent during Obama's rousing calls for bipartisan support. Even when the president conceded that he was wiling to compromise on certain issued they didn't budge an inch. But it was quiter than OSU fans during the Florida game when Obama rightfully blasted Palin, a supposedly responsible politician, for spreading lies like the death panel rumor in a conscious and politically motivated attempt to kill reform at all costs. Now you tell me which party the big insurance companies have in their pocket!
Here is the news story here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/politics3199018;_ylt=AnMTJYT.b43gWYhzbrybHIms0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTJ0dWxyM2Y0BGFzc2V0A2NxLzIwMDkwOTEwL3BvbGl0aWNzMzE5OTAxOARjcG9zAzIEcG9zAzgEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA2xhd21ha2Vyc2Nvbg--

After Wilson's outburst, by far the worst of the night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shot him a look that would give ice chills. Joe Biden, the Vice President, and Michelle Obama both shook their head in disbelief. Again I don't think the gravity of this idiot's actions is getting through. No president has ever been subjected to this level of blatant disrespect before by his own people! At least it was a foreigner that threw shoes at President Bush and not a fellow American. After the speech was over Rahm Emmanuel, Obama's chief of staff, approached Republican leaders in Congress and demanded that Wilson apologized. That is the nice and censured version, I think (and hope) that Rahm wasnt so nice during the whole exchange.

Even veteran political commentators were stunned by Wilson's outburst. It is simply something that is unheard of in American history. NBC's Chuck Todd and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough were horrified at the level of disrespect shown to the president. Now to the Republicans credit, some like Senator McCain from Arizona, have called on their colleague to apologize for his actions. Wilson did later issue a statement apologizing for his lack of decorum and attributed his unacceptable behavior to an "uncontrollable rush of emotion". Nice to know that the people we elect to Congress have the composure and temprament of a three year old child. I also wonder if the man realizes that the point that he accused Obama of lying about is in fact the truth and that his right-wing buddies are feeding him nothing but lies and propaganda? It also begs the question, did this guy read the bill in the first place? Maybe if he had he wouldnt have made a fool of himself on national tv. Oh and then there are others like Republican strategist and former Bush advisor Karl Rove who thought the whole incident was hilarious. http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/09/obama-joint-address/

So where do we stand now? I'm not making such a fuss about the actions of this moron from South Carolina for no reason. He represents a symptom of a problem, and not the problem itself. The problem is stubborness. The Republican party as a whole has decided upon the strategy of "no". It is their answer to everything that Obama does, even his very presidency itself, (birthers anyone?). Just 24 hours ago I wrote about partisanship and how it can tear a country apart. It is now happening before our very eyes. Congress is deadlocked because neither side will compromise. The general public is polarized to one side or the other and unwilling to give ground or worse, they are disillusioned with Washington in general and don't think that any of our problems are ever going to be solved. This is not the direction that America need to go in. There are currently millions of uninsured Americans in this country. As Obama said last night, we are the ONLY advanced Democratic nation in the world that has such a problem with its healthcare system. It is a moral imperative that we cover our citizens to the best of our ability as a nation without running up the deficit to untameable heights. These are Obama's words, not mine, but I fully agree with him.

24 hours ago I warned that these stupid political games would have dire consequences for our nation. 12 hours ago another Republican made a fool of himself on national tv and insulted the man I voted for to lead this supposed democracy. The people need reform. The people will have reform. 24 hours ago I stood for bipartisanship. In theory I always will because I believe that compromise and moderation often yield the best policy initiatives. But it is clear that the Republican part does not want to compromise. 24 hours ago I was against the use of the reconciliation process. Now I say this is the last call. Any that want to come to the table and offer their suggestion on both sides are welcome. But like Obama said last night, the time for games has passed. We need health care reform and we need it now, no matter how the legislation has to be passed. Just remember that if in 2010 or 2012 the Republicans try to say that the Democrats went it alone and ignored their input this is a lie. The Republicans are the negative ones. They are the party of no. And if they want to ever be elected to office again I suggest they start being useful. Otherwise they can reap the fruits of their labor and enjoy many more years of not being in power.