Mach
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2006
- Messages
- 27,745
- Reaction score
- 24,087
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Slightly Liberal
Ask the Republican party, they drive the majority of their (positive) talking points, just as the Democrats do for theirs.
The Democrats apparently believe compromise is a desirable behavior for government, and a marketable position to their base.
Republicans, at least in my recent memory, don't see a lot of advantage in talking up the idea of "compromise with liberals". They appear to believe that their popularity is better served from both:
1. Claiming they won't/can't compromise with liberals because to do so is wrong
2. By not working at all with Obama, they are thinking they can get his administration to not make a lot of progress, and be well positioned for the next election running against a "couldn't accomplish anything" party.
They are comfortable with those tactics and implications, they believe it's at least neutral to their base, if not a positive. The tea party also adds another potential reason they want nothing to do with compromise...they are trying to move the Republican party more towards libertarian values, and those values are very polarized and rhetorically don't fit well with "compromise".
The Democrats apparently believe compromise is a desirable behavior for government, and a marketable position to their base.
Republicans, at least in my recent memory, don't see a lot of advantage in talking up the idea of "compromise with liberals". They appear to believe that their popularity is better served from both:
1. Claiming they won't/can't compromise with liberals because to do so is wrong
2. By not working at all with Obama, they are thinking they can get his administration to not make a lot of progress, and be well positioned for the next election running against a "couldn't accomplish anything" party.
They are comfortable with those tactics and implications, they believe it's at least neutral to their base, if not a positive. The tea party also adds another potential reason they want nothing to do with compromise...they are trying to move the Republican party more towards libertarian values, and those values are very polarized and rhetorically don't fit well with "compromise".
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