I finally watched Obama with the House Republicans and I agree with Brad DeLong, it's Why I Voted for This Guy. I really wish we saw that kind of exchange all the time.
He called out the Republicans for demonizing the level of debate without actually calling them out on it. He said it was both sides, I think it's just that the GOP is better at it. All he had to do was
mention death panels in the last answer to make his point. He called himself a centrist and that's certainly true, in spite of how he's portrayed. He didn't propose truly progressive health reform (a government run or even single payer system) and the stimulus wasn't as much spending as a progressive would want and included lots of tax cuts. He also called them out that they can't complain that they don't get 100% or 80% of what they want. He could have add that they are the minority party, but he didn't, which was probably better. Bipartisan means ideas from both sides (well it will have to be to get votes from both sides) so compromise is key. And it's clear his policies have been that.
Many people there complained that things weren't getting passed Pelosi and I know she's demonized by the right, I just don't know enough about the procedure to know if it's true. Given the talking points of death panels, climate change is a lie, socialism, worse deficits than republicans, and everything else, my first instinct is to doubt it. Which is just what Obama said.
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