In 2009, Obama sought bi-partisan cooperation with Republicans. That cooperation, however, proved to be Charlie Brown's football. Republicans pulled it out from under Obama each time the kick came. What Obama did get passed, satisfied neither the Left nor the Right, compromised to the nth degree for the sake of passing something, anything.
Congress is back in session. Oh, how the speeches are flowing on C-Span 1 and 2. Some of it sounds wonderful. All of it sounds as deeply partisan as the Grand Canyon. But, there are clues that what is to come of it all, may have some real benefit for the American people and their future. Here are some positive things I am hearing in all that 'speechifying'.
Republicans are speaking as if they are already in power. Apparently, they don't know the meaning of Lame Duck. Do you? If not, "The description of 'lame duck' is often applied to politicians who are known to be in their final term of office, when colleagues and electors look toward a successor. It is also sometimes used to describe office-holders who have lost an election but have not yet left office. " However, it doesn't mean those in their final term roll over and play dead. It can mean the exact opposite.
The overarching result of the 2010 elections was that American voters are not happy with the speed of the economic recovery, nor with either of the two political parties. Their votes registered these complaints. Republicans won a majority in the House absent the predicted Tsunami in their favor, and were denied the Senate majority. Democrats were in control while the nation attempted to recover from the worst Recession, begun under Pres. G.W. Bush, since the Great Depression. That recovery was not broad enough, or fast enough for voters, and their votes registered that complaint.
