Howard Fineman
There were some, including some in the media, who listened to President Obama's account of this week's meeting with Republicans and concluded that there was hope for a surprisingly bipartisan conclusion to the lame duck Congress.
My questions are: What planet do he and they think they are on? And have they paid any attention to Sen. Mitch McConnell?
The president emerged from the meeting yesterday to say, hopefully, that he had suggested that they work together not just on taxes and spending, but on the other issues pending, including an extension of unemployment insurance.
But at that very moment McConnell and the rest of the GOP Senate leadership were beginning work on a plan to force the Senate to do just the opposite: a unified GOP threat to filibuster debate on anything but taxes and spending.
Republicans are energized and out for blood. And, like all tough politicians, when they sense weakness and confusion on the other side, they are emboldened to press harder.
On the Hill yesterday, GOP aides privately could barely contain their contempt -- and their amusement -- at the president's declaration of a dawn of bipartisan optimism.
Rightardia agrees. The Republicans only talk about bipartisanship when they control Washington. The GOP has used the Club for Growth to weed out GOP moderates and in the last election the GOP also defeated more than 30 Blue Dog Democrats. in the 2010 elections. The two parties are highly polarized.
Now is the time to figure out how to get things done in view of the circumstances. Talking about 'pie in the sky bipartisanship is a waste of time.
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