Bipartisanship? DREAM On!

We've noted for some time how it's part of Rethuglican DNA to oppose any measures on the economy, energy, immigration, etc., that would redound positively to President Obama. Basically, they're in it to sabotage the government's ability to serve the people in the hopes (somewhat successful to date) of convincing low-information voters that "it's all Obama's fault," and it's time to give the keys back to the social and economic Darwinists who got us into the mess we're in.

Ezra Klein has an article in today's Kaplan Daily demonstrating how the Rethuglican/ New Confederate Party won't take "yes" for an answer, if it involves partnering with the Obama Administration or Democrats.

"As Democrats learned during the DREAM Act’s first decade in existence, proposing policies that Republicans have previously proposed doesn’t work. Since 2009, Democrats have sought to find middle ground with a health-care plan based around an individual mandate (which Republican Sen. John Chafee first introduced into the Senate in the 1990s), a cap-and-trade plan to reduce carbon emissions (which Republican Senator John McCain introduced into the Senate in 2003), and tax-cut based stimulus plans (which President George W. Bush signed in 2008). No go.

"Backing policies that Republicans currently support hasn’t proven much more effective. When Obama put his weight behind legislation to create a bipartisan deficit-reduction commission, a number of the Republicans who supported that bill, including Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, flipped to oppose it.

"Obama then created the Simpson-Bowles commission through an executive order. After it finished, Republicans lashed Obama for being cool in his initial reaction to the Simpson-Bowles deficit-reduction plan (which Republicans also didn’t support). So, when the Senate’s bipartisan Gang of Six proposed their version of the Simpson-Bowles plan, Obama gave an enthusiastic press conference calling the plan “good news” and signaling that he would sign it. A 'Senate Republican leadership aide' promptly e-mailed Politico’s Mike Allen to say, 'Background guidance: The president killed any chance of its success by 1) Embracing it. 2) Hailing the fact that it increases taxes. 3) Saying it mirrors his own plan.'

"As for simply acting on his own, that’s what the president tried to do with Rubio’s DREAM-lite, and Republicans quickly attacked him for making bipartisan cooperation on the issue harder, and now Rubio might not release his legislation at all.

"To recap: When Democrats endorse ideas Republican pioneered, that doesn’t lead to bipartisanship. When they endorse ideas Republicans currently support, that doesn’t lead to bipartisanship. And when they act on their own, that’s too partisan."

It's easy to explain if you put it all in the context of Rethuglican Senate Minority Leader and turtle-impersonator Mitch "Missy" McConnell, who said long ago the Rethugs number one priority was to defeat President Obama. We think that's called "Party Over Country."