Is It Too Much To Believe That Obama Has Finally Learned How To Negotiate?

[stopbush]

In the past, Obama would give away the store as a staring position in negotiations. All that did was to inspire the Rs to demand even more, and to reach a compromise that placated the right more than it had to.

Maybe Team Obama has learned their lesson. Maybe they went out with their contraceptive policy hoping that no one would make a stink, but realizing that a stink probably would erupt, and that this time around, they were going to start from a position where they could negotiate a compromise without giving away the store.

Perhaps Obama is ending up just about where he expected to be on this issue, but in the meanwhile, he once again comes off as the adult in the room who is willing to reach accord with the loonies on the right.

[JohnnyRingo]

1. Honestly, I don't know how they could have seen this coming

I would never have predicted the right would go nuts over birth control pills. What is this, 1964? I think the admin was blindsided by this partisan attack, but they certainly know politics better than I do.

Still, I find it incredible that the religious right went this far over something that seems so much accepted life in the 21st century.

[msanthrope]

4. Wrong. Not only did they anticipate it, they outplayed them. Plan 'B' was ready to go

from the moment Plan 'A' was announced. It was to the administration's advantage to let the CC males blow themselves out on this.

That's why it was announced with PP, NARAL, and the ACLU on board. You think that happened overnight?

[monmouth]

2. I'm sure the President knew exactly what he was doing as he handed out the rope

to the repubs and let them have at it. If I didn't know better one would think the President was playing chess again and sort of planned on things working out this way...Nah, couldn't happen, right????

[Arkana]

3. Perhaps he's subscribing to the Nixon "Madman" theory of negotiating finally.

[msanthrope]

5. Yeah...but who's Kissinger? nt

[Arkana]

6. Biden after a few scotches?

[Shankapotomus]

7. I think the Repubs, in their ceaseless demands

lost track of the one granted to faith based initiatives and cornered themselves on this one.

[joeybee12]

8. Yes it is...this is another capitualtion, not compromise.

[boxman15]

9. How?

The end result is the same. NARAL and Planned Parenthood disagree with you.

[nolabear]

11. How so? What's your criteria for compromise?

I have to hand it to Obama. He persists in the face of absolute rabidness to be the entire country's president. I'd have lost it long ago.

[Pirate Smile]

13. That is not true. The goal was to get all women free contraception coverage.

That has not changed.

The goal wasn't to make religiously affiliated businesses to pay for it.

Insurance Companies are fine paying for it because it is cheaper then paying for the pregnancies that would result from the lack of that coverage.

[northoftheborder]

10. It looks to me that Obama is learning how to play the game (not compromising from the beginning.)

[craigmatic]

12. Obama only puts his weight behind what he thinks will win. That's how he negotiates.

Since we're in an election year he'll take harder stances because he doesn't trust republicans to get anything done and he wants to run against their obstruction.