Obama Drops Ceremonial Pen, Angering GOP

[babylonsister]

Obama Drops Ceremonial Pen, Angering GOP

* By Humberto Sanchez
* Roll Call Staff
* March 7, 2012, Midnight


Senate Republicans are bristling that the president has cut down on one of his ceremonial duties: signing bills in public.

Most Republicans suspect the dearth of signing ceremonies is an election-year strategy in the mold of President Harry Truman's method of running against a "do-nothing" Congress. To trumpet legislative successes would run counter to the narrative of a hamstrung president, Senate Republicans say.

"I think that's his strategy," Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said, adding that Senate Democratic leaders are helping President Barack Obama by focusing on partisan legislation that they know Republicans won't support.

Coburn called it a "shame" that the White House would take the approach that "'the only way I can win is to make someone else look bad, rather than win on my accomplishments and my leadership.' That is a tragedy."

more...

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_105/Obama-Drops-Ceremonial-Pen-Angering-GOP-212927-1.html?pos=htmbtxt

[billybob537]

1. Pass the smelling salts

I've got the vapors!!
Yet another case of pot calling the kettle black.
This is exactly what the House Republicans have been doing for two years.
Thanks for the training.

[Scuba]

2. I'm waiting for them to come right out with it ....

... and admit that they just can't stand the idea of a black man in the White House.

[SwampG8r]

38. i dont know that the idea of a black man in the white house

is as disturbing to them as the fact that he isnt "their kind" of black man
herman cain would have been ok because he knows how to apply the proper amount of coonery to be unthreatening
they object to a well educated well spoken black man who speaks his own mind


for the jury...the term coonery is one popularized by spike lee to define use of sterotyped behaviour by black people to achieve personal gains

[Scuba]

39. I won't alert on this use of a "c-word", and although I like Spike, it makes me uncomfortable...

My first experience with black Americans was in the US military in 1970. Many could not believe that I came from Coon Valley, Wisconsin, and were offended by the town's name. I could not disagree.

Coon Creek runs right through Coon Valley, and is a prized trout stream, fished by anglers and racoons alike.

[SwampG8r]

40. i appreciate your feelings and

i agree that it is not a "comfortable" term
sadly in this instance it does fit

[caraher]

3. You can be sure that if he were doing a lot of signing ceremonies...

they'd complain that he was grandstanding and hogging credit for Republican legislative leadership.

[kag]

8. Yup. No doubt!

Besides, if you go nothin' to sign...!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. Yeah, really

How many things have NOT been filibustered to death in the Senate since last year? Republican "complaints" about President Obama have become so petty it's become little more than background noise to me. Maybe the Republicans should start thinking about actually working with President Obama and the Democrats to pass some things that he might actually sign. They can't just propose a bunch of extremist OTT legislation and then somehow expect the President and Democrats in Congress to just adopt it and, based on their track record, even he were to embrace their ideas, they'd turn against it in a heartbeat anyway.

Actually, you know, maybe.....................

[tanyev]

4. Holy crap. Thought for sure this was going to be a satire article.

[Renew Deal]

5. Me too

And Coburn shows that he's irony deficient.

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Oh, FFS! They just have to have something to complain about.

[Historic NY]

7. Coburn must be self medicating.........

Coburn called it a "shame" that the White House would take the approach that "'the only way I can win is to make someone else look bad, rather than win on my accomplishments and my leadership.' That is a tragedy."


Isn't that the GOP game plan....???

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Yup

That has been the basic GOP strategy proposed by (unofficial) Republican leader Rush Limbaugh and enthusiastically adopted by the rest of the party.



BTW nobody can "make" people look bad who really ARE bad.

[freshwest]

9. Oh, the poutrage!

[Demeter]

10. Call the Whaammbulance

and tell them to bring the guys in white coats with the straitjackets.

[Lil Missy]

11. Is this the onion?

[rurallib]

15. same thought I had

Surprised they haven't blamed their shitty pres. candidates on Obama somehow.

[VWolf]

26. Ironically, that may be something they CAN blame on Pres Obama

If, for the sake of argument, there exists a qualified republican candidate, do you think s/he would even consider running this time around? Better to wait until 2016, when Obama is gone.

[LynnTTT]

18. That's what I thought at first.

had to read the article to make sure it wasn't a joke.

[Cosmocat]

27. They are RELENTLESS

with their counter intuitive BS ...

My mind literally can not even work in a manner to think of the way they twist crape ...

[madrchsod]

12. pathetic...

i guess some people have`t grown up.

[sofa king]

16. That aint' quite like losing Osama bin Laden, is it?

[leftyohiolib]

17. headline should read "gop babies wetting their pants and crying"

[Skinner]

19. Oh the irony...

Coburn called it a "shame" that the White House would take the approach that "'the only way I can win is to make someone else look bad, rather than win on my accomplishments and my leadership.' That is a tragedy."

[hobbit709]

20. You have to remember that whenever they go on about something, they're projecting.

[emulatorloo]

37. Projection is the first topic in "Republican 101"

It really is their bread and butter tactic.

[yellerpup]

21. Coburn needs briefing on the meaning of tragedy.

Let's start with global warming.

[Harriety]

22. What a crock coming from the repubstructionsts!

[AlbertCat]

23. "'the only way I can win is to make someone else look bad, rather than win on my accomplishments...

... and my leadership.' That is a tragedy."

No.

It's a projection.


Really guys, stop assuming everyone does what you do yourselves.

[krispos42]

24. Okay, Tom, list your legislatives accomplishments n/t

[malthaussen]

25. And furthermore, I don't like his ties!

What will these fools come up with next?

-- Mal

[a2liberal]

28. wow

Projection much? Silly Republicans

>"the only way I can win is to make someone else look bad, rather than win on my accomplishments and my leadership."

[liberal N proud]

29. He should have a Ceremonial NON-Signing Statement

He could hold the photo-op with an empty desk and no pens, highlighting the do-nothing obstructionist Congress.

[Drunken Irishman]

30. Are you fucking kidding me?

[Ishoutandscream2]

31. Man, they are really reaching!

What next, he doesn't like apple pie?

[and-justice-for-all]

32. There are more important matters at hand...

leave it to repukes to make something out of nothing.

[DFW]

33. Republicans don't need Obama's help to look bad

They are doing an excellent job of that all on their own.

[NICO9000]

34. Oh fer crissakes!

WTF is wrong with these people?

Oh wait...

[vercetti2021]

35. Ha

OMG cry more repugs, getting more and more sad each day.

[jmowreader]

36. He HAS to sign these things behind closed doors...

If the American public knew the only thing the Repuke-infested House and the Democratic-controlled Senate could agree on long enough to get a bill through Congress is post office naming, they'd be calling mortar missions against the House Chamber.

And since the Republicans are Second Amendment Absolutists, and the Second Amendment starts "a well-regulated militia being necessary," one would think mortars are just the weapons that need to be in the hands of the general public.

[yellowcanine]

41. This will get as much sympathy as Newt whining about having to use the back door of AF 1.

Proving once again that the Republicans are a bunch of crybabies. But unlike babies, they aren't cute and cuddly.