What Is The Point Of A Majority If You Can't Get Anything Accomplished?

While I certainly can't speak to Bennett's motivations or state of mind, I think his observations about Republicans are critically important. The party that once liked to throw around the "party of ideas" moniker has become devoid of almost all thought. Indeed, in most GOP circles, ideas themselves are suspect -- they're probably the result of some kind of egg-head intellectual who reads books instead of watching Fox News.

Bennett has to be frustrated that his career his is ending because members of his own party were outraged that he tried to solve problems by working with other senators (i.e., his job). But the more important point is that the development itself is evidence of a Republican Party with a kind of reflexive sickness -- an allergy to substance, problem-solving, compromise, and reason.

Interesting point from Steve Benen.

I was reading an earlier piece at Benen's site, The Washington Monthly, concerning the lock step approach to governing adhered to by the current Republican party by threatening members who "stray" from their ideological viewpoints with such things as taking away chairmanship of committees, among other things. While that has been common knowledge by most people, whether in politics or not, what comes to mind, as was noted in the article I read, was why the Democrats don't take the same type of approach. The point was made that if the Democrats HAD taken this road, most of the agenda that Obama tried to pass WOULD have passed. Instead, the inept Democratic party caved in all the time on everything that the Republican party did not like since Obama came into office and the Democratic party took over Congress. And even WITH the caving, the Republican party stayed together on it's "NO" votes, regardless of how much the Democrats gave them in concessions.

Imagine how much better the economy and life would be right now if only the Democrats figured out that they ain't gonna get no bipartisanship votes. We stormed the White House and Congress in 2008 for the sole purpose of overriding the bullshit that had been passing for government the past eight years under the Bush Administration, and right after that, the Obama Administration started playing pussyfoot with the other side. The end result is the complete mess we have today. Nothing major by way of any reform ... all half ass crap that doesn't go far enough to change the direction this country is heading in. And, of course, the failure of Obama to even attempt to try to push through the more progressive concepts he (supposedly) ran on. In fact, it is quite clear that Obama is distancing himself from the man we all rooted for during the campaign.

And for what? That is my big question. No one on the Hill that has an "R" next to his name likes him. Many, in fact, despise him, still think he's not an American citizen and is a Muslim! And the Blue Dogs ... well they mostly just shit on him, like good little doggies.

What is the point of a fucking majority if you can't get anything accomplished?