Listening
Gold Member
- Aug 27, 2011
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Obama is killing the Democratic Party
Obama is killing the Democratic Party - Right Turn - The Washington Post
President Obama, I have frequently argued, has been fabulous for the conservative movement. He spurred the creation of the tea party. He helped the GOP win the House majority in 2010 and make big gains in the Senate. His Obamacare has helped revive the Commerce Clause and given a boost to conservative jurisprudence. His refusal to support human rights has caused a bipartisan revulsion and reminded us that foreign policy must be girded by American values. Hes sent independents running into the GOPs arms. Hes forced conservatives to think hard and express eloquently principles of religious liberty, limited government, free markets and Constitutional democracy.
Obama also has wreaked havoc in the the Democratic Party. Hes firmly affixed the tax and spend label to it after Bill Clinton declared that the era of big government was over. Hes made Clinton into a pitch man for Mitt Romney. His rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline has split the party. His refusal to adopt the Simpson-Bowles commissions recommendations has turned Democrats into reactionaries, defending the status quo on entitlements. Hes alienated Jewish voters. Hes re-McGovernized the party, which now stands for appeasing despotic powers, turning on allies and slashing defense spending.
As Ross Douthat wrote, House Republicans have spent the past two years taking tough votes on entitlement reform, preparing themselves for an ambitious offensive should 2012 deliver the opportunity to cast those same votes and have them count. The Senate Democrats, on the other hand, have failed to even pass a budget: There is no Democratic equivalent of Paul Ryans fiscal blueprint, no Democratic plan to swallow hard and raise middle class taxes the way Republicans look poised to swallow hard and overhaul Medicare. Indeed, theres no liberal agenda to speak of at the moment, beyond a resounding No! to whatever conservatism intends to do.
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Ed Rendell has become something of a detractor of Obama's.
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Asked by host Charlie Rose whether he thought Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would have handled the presidency differently from Obama, Rendell responded that he thought Clinton wouldve come in with a lot more executive experience.
I think the president was hurt by being a legislator only, Rendell said.
He went on to praise the national health care law and the economic stimulus, but argued that too much of it was left up to the Congress rather than the White House.
I think Hillary Clinton wouldve sent them a bill and said, Heres what I want, he said.
Rendell, 68, also joked about prodding Clinton, who turns 65 in October, to pursue a presidential bid. At a recent dinner, he said, he reminded the secretary of state that if she thinks he looks great for his age, then she should consider running in 2016 when she will be as old as Rendell currently is.
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This can only be good for the GOP. I wonder if people can see the mess Obama has created.
Obama is killing the Democratic Party - Right Turn - The Washington Post
President Obama, I have frequently argued, has been fabulous for the conservative movement. He spurred the creation of the tea party. He helped the GOP win the House majority in 2010 and make big gains in the Senate. His Obamacare has helped revive the Commerce Clause and given a boost to conservative jurisprudence. His refusal to support human rights has caused a bipartisan revulsion and reminded us that foreign policy must be girded by American values. Hes sent independents running into the GOPs arms. Hes forced conservatives to think hard and express eloquently principles of religious liberty, limited government, free markets and Constitutional democracy.
Obama also has wreaked havoc in the the Democratic Party. Hes firmly affixed the tax and spend label to it after Bill Clinton declared that the era of big government was over. Hes made Clinton into a pitch man for Mitt Romney. His rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline has split the party. His refusal to adopt the Simpson-Bowles commissions recommendations has turned Democrats into reactionaries, defending the status quo on entitlements. Hes alienated Jewish voters. Hes re-McGovernized the party, which now stands for appeasing despotic powers, turning on allies and slashing defense spending.
As Ross Douthat wrote, House Republicans have spent the past two years taking tough votes on entitlement reform, preparing themselves for an ambitious offensive should 2012 deliver the opportunity to cast those same votes and have them count. The Senate Democrats, on the other hand, have failed to even pass a budget: There is no Democratic equivalent of Paul Ryans fiscal blueprint, no Democratic plan to swallow hard and raise middle class taxes the way Republicans look poised to swallow hard and overhaul Medicare. Indeed, theres no liberal agenda to speak of at the moment, beyond a resounding No! to whatever conservatism intends to do.
*****************************
Ed Rendell has become something of a detractor of Obama's.
*****************************
Asked by host Charlie Rose whether he thought Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would have handled the presidency differently from Obama, Rendell responded that he thought Clinton wouldve come in with a lot more executive experience.
I think the president was hurt by being a legislator only, Rendell said.
He went on to praise the national health care law and the economic stimulus, but argued that too much of it was left up to the Congress rather than the White House.
I think Hillary Clinton wouldve sent them a bill and said, Heres what I want, he said.
Rendell, 68, also joked about prodding Clinton, who turns 65 in October, to pursue a presidential bid. At a recent dinner, he said, he reminded the secretary of state that if she thinks he looks great for his age, then she should consider running in 2016 when she will be as old as Rendell currently is.
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This can only be good for the GOP. I wonder if people can see the mess Obama has created.
