tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353086127312096609.post3867168637982857082..comments2023-10-09T12:23:39.596-04:00Comments on Spanky McSchmanky's Extraterrestrial House of Pancakes: Smart Letters: BipartisanshipMABhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17476343623230573262noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353086127312096609.post-28048504329442411342009-02-17T14:09:00.000-05:002009-02-17T14:09:00.000-05:00I thought about including the Obama "sap" quote. ...I thought about including the Obama "sap" quote. I ended up refraining, obviously. Thanks for bringing it into the fold.<BR/><BR/>As far as winning is concerned, there is more than one Republican congressperson out there right now crowing to their constituents about the pork they got into a bill that they didn't vote for. Funny.MABhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17476343623230573262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353086127312096609.post-71453815032014303302009-02-17T14:03:00.000-05:002009-02-17T14:03:00.000-05:00You turned me on to Dan Froomkin and the White Hou...You turned me on to Dan Froomkin and the White House Watch (bastid! Like I have TIME for all that!!) and one of today's offerings was bits from an interview on Air Force One between Obama and a group of opinion columnist in which the President had this to say:<BR/><BR/>Obama made it clear that, despite his efforts at outreach, he's realistic enough not to expect a great deal of support from Congressional Republicans any time soon. "You know, I am an eternal optimist," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm a sap -- so my goal is to assume the best, but prepare for a whole range of different possibilities in terms of how Congress reacts."<BR/><BR/>He does, however, hope that more Republicans in Congress will eventually come around -- possibly because their constituents demand it. "I do think that over time, as we keep on reaching out, and as I think the American people express their view that we need to start actually doing something about jobs, housing, health care, education, and so forth, that there will be some counterveiling pressures to work in a more constructive way."<BR/><BR/>I don't know if he's really going to GET to that point - I think that the issues your smart guy raises are important ones, and I think that many of our congresspeople have developed a far better gauge for "winning" than for what's really good for the people as a whole. Plus, some people are just assholes and will never concede to anyone they think is "less" than they are, regardless of whether that person's ideas are more valid.Mrs. Chilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814787474739856911noreply@blogger.com