Have Democrats Become the New Republicans?

[danarhea]

I am talking about tactics here. Let me explain:

Everybody has known for years that, when Republicans were in power, they were ruthless, taking no prisoners, and waging a "scorched earth" war, as far as politics goes. The Democrats? No spine. We saw that as far back as Jimmy Carter. Whenever the Republicans got upset, the Democrats always went into "kumbahah" mode, handing victory after victory to Republicans on may issues. Republicans? If Democrats got upset, the GOP tended to squash them like bugs.

However, the past couple of weeks has shown us that the Democrats are finally learning to play the same game as the GOP. When insurance companies made their infomercial pillorying the Democrats over the Health Insurance Bill, the Democrats did something that they are not used to doing. They did not talk to anybody, and they did not attempt to compromise with the insurance lobby. Instead, they took away the anti-trust exemption that insurance companies have been enjoying for decades.

Whether the Democrats finally finding their gonads is a good thing or a bad thing is going to depend on one factor - Whether you are a hyperpartisan Democrat or a hyperpartisan Republican. One of them will see this as progress, while the other sees it as nothing more than open warfare.

So, what do I think? I thought it was bad when Republicans did it, and I think it is just as bad, now that Democrats are doing it. Throughout the history of the United States of America, while there have been eras where scorched earth politics ruled the day, in the end, things got done with both sides coming to eventual agreements. I believe that era has now ended. The last president to really court both sides of the aisle was Ronald Reagan, and he was the last president to REALLY get things done. Just as he would strongarm Democrats into voting for something they did not really want, he was also prone to strongarming Republicans to vote for what they didn't want either.

After the Reagan era, things went downhill quickly. After 2000, Republican demogoguery and bullying ruled the day. Today, Republican demogoguery is mostly absent, gone with the Republican majority that waged war on the Democrats. Now it looks like it has been replaced......... With Democratic demogoguery, bullying, and open warfare on Republicans.

God save the United States of America.

[/rant]

Thanks for reading this.

 

[Joe1991]

Rumors of their gonadal implant have been greatly exaggerated.

I have full faith and confidence that the Dems will implode, stab each other in the back and sell out to the highest bidder soon enough.

Taking away the anti-trust exemption from the insurance companies was tossing a tiny bone to us liberals.

Take Health Care to continue, polls show the majority of Americans want the public option, the President wants the public option, the dems have majorities in both houses and are still having trouble even getting all democrats on board on the public option.

Democrats have become the new Republicans in that too many of them have sold their soul to the corporate entities.

 

[Fiddytree]

This is relatively normal for our political history. It all depends upon who buckles first. People tend to exaggerate 'the good ole days' and say "oh, do you remember when people came together to solve the nation's problems? Now it's warfare!" This is to say it is mostly ridiculous to suggest we are somehow worse off. Always consider our combative political history, and the lengths at which our leaders go to maintain their positions.