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Originally Posted by aceventura3
as Obama spoke to Republicans the other day talking about how they should support his agenda when it has components that they would normally support, on the surface that makes a lot sense. But, when I recall his campaign and his actions as a Senator,Obama's constant belittling of Bush and the "failed" policies under the Bush administration, Obama's out-reach to Republicans seem inconsistent with his rhetoric as a Senator and as canidate for President.
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It wasn't belittling, as belittling suggests an attempt at reducing the standing of something. The standing was already reduced. Remember President Bush's numbers toward the end? It was maybe in the 20s. President Obama cited President Bush's failed policies, but of course he did. Do you expect him to not mention the 8 years of screw-ups when he's running against someone that shares many of the same plans as the guy in charge over those 8 years?
Anyway, President Obama's outreach started right after he came into office. Why do you think the left is so pissed off at him? He's continuing wiretapping, rendition, (torture), and he's fumbled closing Gitmo. He only went with the public option instead of single payer, and he CUT TAXES for over 95% of Americans. That's major outreach, and it's more than the GOP should have ever hoped for considering how badly they screwed up. And yet all President Obama's gotten in response to the blatant attempts at reaching out is uber-right wing extremists fearmongering and insanity. Instead of "thanks for not pushing through single payer", we got "OMGDEATHPANELS" from not just morons like Palin but echoed from those who used to be considered moderate conservatives.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aceventura3
Was this Obama's attempt of apologizing, acknowledging some shared fault and asking for a new start, or was this Obama lecturing Republicans primarily for their behavior but feeling obligated to say "...folks on my side do sometimes?"
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Let me ask this: when did President Obama lie or significantly exaggerate during his lecture? And didn't he really make an effort to answer even ridiculous questions as honestly as possible? How is this not transparent and bipartisan, things generally considered to be of pinnacle importance by conservatives?
Quote:
Originally Posted by aceventura3
The answer to the above question makes a big difference in how I would respond (agian, just me, I don't speak for others and I know all about my short comings).
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Can you imagine if I were president? I'd have laid into them with everything I had. I would have energized the living shit out of the left base and forever ruined any chance of fixing the rift between the left and the right. I would have done this to scare the House and Senate Democrats into line but it ultimately would have been a mistake (I think). President Obama's unwilling to give up on trying to pull this huge mess back together, which at the end of the day is the more important job. If we're fighting each other, it's harder to come together to get done what needs to be done.
You know I'm not an Obama apologist—I'm one of his harshest critics on the left—but please tell me you can see how this Q&A session was absolutely necessary and was carried out in the best way.