These Village enablers have a lot of nerve ... by digby

[Ichingcarpenter]

I know I'm sounding very shrill and resentful, but I can't help it when I hear so-called intellectuals like Fareed Zakaria today on his show suddenly waking up to fact that the GOP is a bunch of reactionary fanatics --- and selling it like it's some kind of new thing. Might I just point out that he has been an enabler of this bunch of nuts for years?

Like this, from January of 2010:
Barack Obama campaigned as the man who would bridge the divides of right and left, reach out with ideas to red and blue America and create a United States of America.

Now, the Republicans have been very obstructionist. They have played hard-to-get. But certainly on health care, Obama never really tried to make the compromises that might have gotten some key conservatives on board.

In a recent "Wall Street Journal" poll, Obama did all right on most categories of leadership. The public still admires him as a person and as a leader. But his worst score was in response to the question, has he changed the way Washington works?

See, America wants a president who at least tries to effect that change. That's the change we all want to believe in.



more: http://digbysblog.blogspot.dk/2013/10/these-village-enablers-have-lot-of-nerve.html

"I hear so-called intellectuals like Fareed Zakaria today suddenly waking up to fact that the GOP is a bunch of reactionary fanatics—and selling it like it's [a] new thing. ... he has been an enabler of this bunch of nuts for years"

[tblue37]

1. What really fries my bacon is the claim that he especially refused to

reach out or compromise on the ACA? For goodness' sake, he freaking adopted the Romneycare model, which was based on the Heritage Foundation plan! He didn't just reach out and compromise over it--he wrapped the other side in a warm embrace and sang them a lullaby.

I am not blaming him for that. I think he knew that was the best deal he could get, since we had DINOs like Lieberman in the Senate to block anything better, and figured that if he could get this passed, it could eventually lead to universal health *care* rather than just expanded insurance availabilty plus reining in some of the worst insurance company abuses.

But it is still a *Republican* plan, and for anyone, especially these dopey pundits, to now claim he refused to compromise is just--AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

[B Calm]

3. +1

[cojoel]

4. I seem to recall a meeting...

Where Obama had Democratic and Republican leaders from the House and Senate come together to discuss ideas for the health care plan. The only "idea" presented by the Republican's at the meeting was to throw it out and start again. Obama said early in the meeting we weren't going to do that.

Even Frum excoriated the Republicans for not contributing to the process.

[malaise]

2. The chickens are coming home to roost

for all the M$Greedia hacks and enablers.