I think Obama is very serious in wanting to reach out and build consensus...even to the point that it might piss off some of his more liberal supporters.
But its a two way street and the Congressional Republicans(and supporters) need to remember who won the election.
Bi-partisanship does not mean an equal voice for the minority party....it means a seat at the table and a president who will listen with an open mind to ideas that may differ from his.
Obama made that point with the Republican leadership as well when he met with them on the economic stimulus package:
Quote:
President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill today that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration.
"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he told top GOP leaders....
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Voters not only want an end to the partisan bickering, but a change in policy direction as well and that means out with the old Republican ideas of using/threatening force before diplomacy, national security over individual privacy, secrecy over transparency, deregulation over government oversight and tax cuts for the wealthy as the only economic stimulus....and in with the new.