Efforts to Bridge the Partisan Divide
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-12-01/efforts-bridge-partisan-divide
President Barack Obama called it “productive” while Republican leaders said it was a “frank” discussion. The president met with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle yesterday to find common ground on pressing issues over the lame duck session. Among the topics they discussed were extending the Bush tax cuts, whether to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and ratifying an arms agreement with Russia. Both sides pledged cooperation, but no concrete agreements were reached in the meeting. Republicans say they view the midterm election mandate differently than the president does. Diane and guests take a look at the efforts to bridge the partisan divide.
Guests
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher of the Nation, writes a weekly column for The Washington Post.
Byron York
chief political correspondent, Washington Examiner
Ron Elving
Washington editor for NPR.
Comments
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In reference to the topic of freezing federal salaries for 2 years, I was surprised to hear Ms Katrina vanden Heuvel, Editor and Publisher of the Nation, say that she was moved by the thought of a VA nurse having to take a reduction in pay.
I wasn't aware that President Obama was considering REDUCING federal government workers' pay. Does Ms. Heuvel know something we don't? But, come to think of it. That might save us taxpayers even more and go a long way to reducing the federal deficit. I appreciate her suggestion.
I thought that the comment was very insightful on how the each party treats their positions almost like religious beliefs which, of course, transcend any facts and engender all-or-nothing and take-it-or-leave-it attitudes.
Certainly the first Republican commandments must be "Blessed are the Rich and Powerful." This is reflected in their insistence that the Bush tax cuts for the Wealthy-est MUST be approved again. In the Republican religion, Ronald Reagan must either be Saint or Savior and everything he said or did is treated like Scripture. This is true of his "Trickle-Down Commandment of Economics". Republicans seem to have forgotten that even Republican economists pronounced this economic policy to be a failure BUT Republicans keep on resurrecting this every time they come into power. That they should raise it at a time when they say they are committed to reducing the deficit appears contradictory; heck, even Warren Buffet seems opposed to this. To understand it as a fundamental belief / commandment of the Republican religion perhaps makes the position more understandable, however wrong.
I largely agreed with your panelist, Katrina, this morning. I only wish that she had added more to her explanation of the causes of the fiscal crisis. She said that the causes were the Bush tax cuts and engagement on two wars simultaneously (I forget her third cause). And she praised Obama's fiscal policies upon INHERITING this fiscal crisis for averting a far worse disaster, even if some were not as effective as they could have been. But I did not here her explain that two other Bush-Republican Commandments contributed greatly to the fiscal crisis: "Thou shalt not Regulate" which is based upon a corollary, "Business is always Good and will always Do the Right Thing" (i.e. never act out of greed to the detriment of the country).
The partisan divide is between 80% of Congresspersons and Senators who work directly for the Oligarchy, and the other 20% who have some inkling the general public is being taken advantage of and misled, but themselves must also serve the Oligarchy sometimes in order to get reelected. There is at present no contest in the struggle to dispossess and peonize most American citizens. I am 36 years old and have gone from being a business supporting progressive Republican in 1992 to a critic of corporate capitalism at home and globally. Corporate capitalism makes equitable compensation and democracy impossible by putting wealth in too few pockets. It despoils the environment, degrades the quality of everything produced and clogs up the economy with gambling upon gambling. It will take two generations for the working class to be educated to these facts and wake up to citizen responsibility. By then it will be too late on all fronts. Our only hope is that privileged people like myself relent on our greed and understand we will share in the demise of humanity. If you have a surplus then give and share like never before. Also use your wealth to defeat corporate capitalism and set caps on income and wealth. That is our only hope.
I was moved by your comment especially being a person of means. If you can rethink your position after facing the truth with your eyes open, there is hope that others will as well. Your comments indicate that you feel americans vote against their self-interest because they are uninformed; I guess I have become so pessimistic that I can't give americans a pass on being uninformed. This has gone on for so long that I can only believe that the average non-rich, american is just plain politically stupid.