Republican senator credits Obama with reaching out

[ProSense]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A veteran GOP senator credits President Barack Obama with reaching out more to Republicans since last month's election, but he also says there are some in the GOP who don't want to go along with anything the White House wants.

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana says he believes that Obama's efforts have been appreciated by the GOP leadership. And Lugar says it may turn out the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Obama may see "more eye to eye" than others about how the lame-duck session of Congress should end up.

Lugar tells CNN's "State of the Union" that McConnell seems to be dealing with a faction in their own party that doesn't want to go along with anything Obama wants — and that the GOP must never become "the party of no."


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101205/ap_on_go_co/us_republicans_obama_1

[bullimiami]

1. He has reached out again and again only to get his hand slapped and called names.

[jaxx]

4. That's true and look for more reaching out.

The President isn't afraid of them.

[Joe Bacon]

13. Obama gives them everything they demand

And then the Republicans spit on him, make fun of him, slap him down and demand even more. He gives them more, they once again spit on him, make fun of him, slap him down and demand even more and it goes on and on and on and on. Obama is just not up to the job.

[cliffordu]

15. In terms of political analysis,

neither are you.

[jaxx]

28. No he doesn't.

They didn't want health care reform, but they got it.
They didn't want financial reform, but they got it.
They didn't want hate crimes, but they got it.

Anyone saying he gives in to everything isn't paying attention.

[Joe Bacon]

32. 0 for 3

Obama forced Romneycare on us forcing us to buy worthless figleaf policies at extorted rates.

Obama made sure that the so called financial reform was watered down. Proof of that is his intention to name Blue Dog Melissa Bean to run the agency.

And the same Obama who allegedly opposes hate crimes still defends Don't Ask Don't tell in the courts!

[Iowa]

33. +1

[Recursion]

12. Most of his outreach has been to conservative Democrats

eg on health care; none of what the GOP wanted (medical savings accounts, tort reform, etc.) ever made it into that bill.

[No Elephants]

20. You can't be serious. No one is that naive.

Oh, and "tort reform" is code for "people who are injured by malpractice can pound sand because we get a hell of a lot of money from doctors and their organizations and their medical malpractice insurancr companies..

[Recursion]

21. I'm well aware of what "tort reform" means, and I'm against it

What the GOP wanted was "tort reform", medical savings accounts, and pricing transparency, none of which they got. What the blue dogs wanted was a bill that reduced the deficit, which is why the public option was thrown out -- it was a concession to conservative democrats, not to republicans. Republicans hated the bill either way because it doesn't bring any market pressures to bear on delivery costs (though admittedly they would have hated it more with a public option).

[theFrankFactor]

24. I'd Prefer: "Republican Senator Credits Obama With Being a Leader and Representing Constituents!"

But that will NEVER fucking happen.

Minority Republicans rule, majority Republicans rule... REPUBLICANS RULE! That's the way America works now. And when you read "republican" and "Democrat" read Unitary Corporate Party. Once you get that past your nostalgia and warm and fuzzies feelings for "party politics" your on your way to wiping yourself instead of wearing diapers.

[babylonsister]

2. Nice to know there's one sane rethug. nt

[CurtEastPoint]

3. 'GOP must never become "the party of no.' Can't un-ring that bell.

They already are.

[Roy Rolling]

22. I agree

Yeah, a little too late to unring that bell. Ironically, said while the story is Obama capitulates to the party that refuses to say "yes" on anything but to their uncompromising wing-nut donors and comrades.

[Paladin]

5. "Appreciated By The GOP Leadership"?

Now there's something to look forward to. Just one more bit of appeasement, just one more cave-in, just one final abandonment of a pledge made during the campaign, and the Republicans will shower Obama with love. Keep looking for that pony, Mr. President, it's bound to be in there somewhere.....

[LibDemAlways]

7. Obama has consistently demonstrated that he is

more interested in appreciation by the likes of scumbags like McConnell than in the appreciation of honest, hardworking Americans. The next two years will simply be more of the same.

[Iowa]

34. Yep. I'll bet he's he's just glowing because of this Republican praise...

A desperate desire to please the plutocracy defines his presidency.

[tjwash]

6. Republicans block unemployment extensions and middle class tax breaks!

Republicans block unemployment extensions and middle class tax breaks!
Republicans block unemployment extensions and middle class tax breaks!
Republicans block unemployment extensions and middle class tax breaks!
Republicans block unemployment extensions and middle class tax breaks!
Republicans block unemployment extensions and middle class tax breaks!

[Doctor_J]

14. Their way of saying, "thanks for reaching out"

and when can we have some more?

[mbperrin]

8. Yes, when I vote straight D, I really want to please the R's.

No, wait, I actually expected policies promoted by D's.


It's so confusing. So next time I should vote Republican, then THAT President will reach out to Dems, and THEN I'll get what I want, right?

[msongs]

9. repubs give a little reward so they can turn around and bully obama more. classic behavior nt

[politicalmajority]

10. Dick Lugar Is Just Playing a Nice Hostage Taker

Obama is suffering from the Stockholm syndrome in the hands of the Republicans and Lugar's compliment will aggravate the symptom.

Read Frank Rich's column today: All the President's Captors at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/opinion/05rich.html

[DailyGrind51]

11. "Reaching" or "selling" out?

[Steve_I_Am]

16. Republicans may call it "reaching out" . . .

To me, it looks more like "bending over."

[dbmk]

17. Wow

Pretty transparent good cop, bad cop routine they have going there.

[ctwayne]

18. Obama= Republican Lite

If I wanted a moderately conservative Republican president, I could change my party registration and vote for Mitt Romney in 2012. Then I wouldn't need Obama, at all. Unfortunately I would prefer a liberal Democrat.

[No Elephants]

23. Romney is no moderate. However, he'll pretend to be, if he thinks he must.

In fact, he's pretend anything, if he thinks it will get him elected.

[ctwayne]

25. Not Much Difference

Romneycare in Massachusetts and Obamacare in the United States are essentially the same law.

[Guilded Lilly]

19. The Republicans are punks, pure and simple.

Obama has not thrilled me with his capitulation on certain issues. It saddens and maddens me that politics once again uses and victimizes all of us that live outside that cursed beltway. It aggravates me that the hope I had has been highly wounded. I feel the President's accomplishments have been purposefully drowned in a sea of media drama-lust blathering. I will not support ANY Republican in the near future, if ever...

But for the Republicans to even insinuate that they have been anything BUT a belligerant self-serving, punk Party of Hell NO and at heart are racist, bigotted, misogynist
anti-middle and working class wretches...is utter fantasy.

McConnell can go choke himself.

These upcoming *political compromises* are BS.
And so is Congress.

[theFrankFactor]

27. Yeah, and Democrats are... what? Strong, decisive, unflinching, dedicated.... LOL!

What a fucking joke!

[Guilded Lilly]

31. My comment was about Republicans

and it still stands no matter what you interject into my very clear statement.

[Arkana]

26. Lugar's always been more reasonable than his colleagues anyway.

He's still a Republican and possessed of some abhorrent beliefs, but he's at least a reasonable guy.

[yurbud]

29. that makes it ALL worth it, doesn't it? The praise of one of the last semi-sane Republicans

makes all the capitulation, and pre-compromise worth it.

Obama must be so proud.

[FailureToCommunicate]

30. Lugar and Obama -BFF- took road trip to Soviet nuke sites (link)

back when Pres Obama was a freshman senator:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509230360sep23,0,1103689.story



http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20101129/NEWS02/311280007/Indiana-Sen-Lugar-working-with-Obama-for-Senate-OK-on-arms-treaty

[Javaman]

35. They are calling it reaching "out" now, huh?

:rofl: