One of the things that drives me most crazy in the world of political punditry, is the idea that Republicans - who have not argued in good faith, who have spread lies about reform in order to kill it, and whose arguments amount to "ways not to reform the healthcare system and kill the Obama Presidency" - share equal blame with Democrats for a lack of bi-partisanship.
For example, this idiotic Op-Ed.
"Republican cries for fiscal responsibility also ring hollow when you consider the party’s record of establishing higher-cost private Medicare plans and enacting a drug benefit that wasn’t paid for. The fact is that under the Republicans’ watch, critical problems of escalating health costs and access to affordable coverage were largely ignored.
Yet Democratic leadership worsened the erosion of bipartisanship. With dissonant voices excluded, too many Democrats failed to recognize that most Americans, who already have health insurance, wanted the assurance of continued, affordable coverage. Health security, especially in a severe recession, should have been the central concern."
This is a central message the Democrats have addressed. Quite officially.
The fact is, Obama has done more than pay lip service to the idea of bipartisanship. The Democrats included Republican ideas publicly and purposefully. But when you reach across the aisle only to get your hand bitten over and over, eventually you are forced to stop. Otherwise, shame on you.
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