Don’t Look For Compromise (And Other Midterm Thoughts)
In the wake of Tuesday’s elections some pundits have called on the President to compromise with the Republican Congress. That’s not really gonna happen, nor should it. Paul Waldman explains why the GOP is impossible to compromise with:
In order to compromise, you need two sides who are both willing to give something up in order to reach a mutually acceptable accommodation. So tell me: what exactly will Republicans be willing to give up in order to get some of what they want? When they only controlled one house of Congress, the answer was “Nothing.” Why will they be more open-minded when they control both houses?
And President Obama, who in his first term looked for compromises, seems to realize this:
And in the last sentence of his riff, he spun that into an argument that the election is really a mandate to continue forward with his executive actions. “The most important thing I can do is just get stuff done and help Congress get some things done.”
In other words, Obama doesn’t see the election results as a reason to back off. He sees them as a reason to push harder.
Finally, Matt Dickinson explains why the President is probably interpreting the election correctly:
Click here for reuse options!Yes, this election was in part a referendum on Obama, but exits polls indicate that fully 45% of voters didn’t factor Obama’s performance into their vote at all, while 19% said their vote was meant to express support for him, so this can’t be viewed as a wholesale rejection of his presidency. More generally, when the economy is weak, the president suffers from low approval ratings and people are generally dissatisfied with the state of the nation, we should not be surprised that a Republican-oriented electorate dumped on members of a Democratic president’s party in Congress. Indeed, the greater surprise would have been if Democrats somehow held onto their Senate majority in the face of these fundamentals.
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Stuart Shapiro
Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.
42 responses to Don’t Look For Compromise (And Other Midterm Thoughts)
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tiredoftea November 6th, 2014 at 11:56
We have discovered the sound of one hand clapping.
eyelashviper November 7th, 2014 at 14:11
And cortical neurons that fire only halfway…
tiredoftea November 6th, 2014 at 12:56
We have discovered the sound of one hand clapping.
eyelashviper November 7th, 2014 at 15:11
And cortical neurons that fire only halfway…
OldLefty November 6th, 2014 at 12:50
When Democrats won in 2008 and 2012, did they call on Boehner and McConnell to compromise?
OldLefty November 6th, 2014 at 13:50
When Democrats won in 2008 and 2012, did they call on Boehner and McConnell to compromise?
Clark Clark November 6th, 2014 at 13:02
Just wait until 2016!
trees November 6th, 2014 at 14:04
I can’t wait. If you thought this was a shellacking just wait till ’16…lol…
William November 6th, 2014 at 14:14
just wait till ’16…lol…
You don’t read much do you? Try it sometime. It,s more difficult than the radio, but remember. Ignorance isn’t patriotism.
AP
Though the political climate of 2016 is unpredictable and no
one knows which senators may retire or die by then, as of now Senate
Republicans face daunting odds that year. They are set to defend 24 Senate
seats that year compared with just 10 for Democrats. And seven of those GOP
seats are in states Obama carried in 2012.
You’re welcome.
OldLefty November 6th, 2014 at 14:15
Why would you think that THIS was more relevant , with 36% of the voting public that the shellacking of 2008 and 2012 with 58% of the voting public?
Why would you think that THIS was more relevant, when Congressional Republicans have consistently had the lowest approval ratings than Congressional Democrats since 2008?
Especially when the media has been predicting this sine September 2012?
Guest November 6th, 2014 at 14:02
Just wait until 2016!
trees November 6th, 2014 at 15:04
I can’t wait. If you thought this was a shellacking just wait till ’16…lol…
William November 6th, 2014 at 15:14
just wait till ’16…lol…
You don’t read much do you? Try it sometime. It is more difficult than the radio, but remember. Ignorance isn’t patriotism.
AP
Though the political climate of 2016 is unpredictable and no
one knows which senators may retire or die by then, as of now Senate
Republicans face daunting odds that year. They are set to defend 24 Senate
seats that year compared with just 10 for Democrats. And seven of those GOP
seats are in states Obama carried in 2012.
You’re welcome.
OldLefty November 6th, 2014 at 15:15
Why would you think that THIS was more relevant , with 36% of the voting public that the shellacking of 2008 and 2012 with 58% of the voting public?
Why would you think that THIS was more relevant, when Congressional Republicans have consistently had the lowest approval ratings than Congressional Democrats since 2008?
Especially when the media has been predicting this sine September 2012?
edmeyer_able November 6th, 2014 at 13:19
If Obama signs even one bill that doesn’t have the approval of 150 house dems and 30 senators I’ll be sadly disillusioned.
edmeyer_able November 6th, 2014 at 14:19
If Obama signs even one bill that doesn’t have the approval of 150 house dems and 30 senators I’ll be sadly disillusioned.
Ron Jackson November 6th, 2014 at 14:01
The only thing anyone on the left should want to see happen to all right wingers is for them to all die. This will never happen of course, because to many on the left do not have it in them to say out loud that they hate all right wingers.
Ron Jackson November 6th, 2014 at 15:01
The only thing anyone on the left should want to see happen to all right wingers is for them to all die. This will never happen of course, because to many on the left do not have it in them to say out loud that they hate all right wingers.
bpollen November 6th, 2014 at 22:35
In the Republican dictionary, compromise = capitulation.
eyelashviper November 7th, 2014 at 14:09
I don;t think that the word “compromise” is in their dictionary, along with govern, responsibility, consequences, compassion, and ethics.
bpollen November 8th, 2014 at 02:42
On Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh, Republican zealot par excellence, said that Republican’s weren’t elected to compromise. I still contend that, with respect to Republicans and compromise, the great Inigo Montoya put it best: “I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Allan Kim Harrison November 13th, 2014 at 07:55
The Republicans won so they could stop the liberal agenda. If “we”, the Republicans wanted things done with a liberal twist we would have given the house to the Democrats.
bpollen November 16th, 2014 at 03:12
Whose liberal agenda are you referring to and what is said agenda? And where did it say on any ballot that you were voting to oppose the liberal agenda? What Republicans won who ONLY campaigned against the liberal agenda and didn’t claim to be FOR something? Was the Republican theme of ISIS terror coming to our shores so we gotta stop immigration a DIRECT attack against the liberal agenda? (I kinda doubt ISIS cares as much about your politics as your country of origin and your religion.)
Don’t remember ever being taught in school that the reason we vote is screw the other side. Thought it was so they could actually govern. Funny thinking “you” Republicans use.
Allan Kim Harrison November 13th, 2014 at 07:49
Funny how often we’re hearing the word compromise since the Republicans won the elections. Like the president said after he was first elected…Elections have consequences, we won.
tracey marie November 13th, 2014 at 08:07
funny how the right does not know what compromise is, afterall they were the party that held a meeting in 2009 to plan the “failure of the President even if they had to destroy the economy to do it”.
Allan Kim Harrison November 13th, 2014 at 09:10
I’m sure the left was all about supporting Bush when he was elected, hell they still blame Bush for some of their failures.
tracey marie November 13th, 2014 at 09:16
deflection and lying…your schtick is old and tired
Allan Kim Harrison November 13th, 2014 at 09:21
Like a moth to a flame you keep responding to me.
Dcbos November 14th, 2014 at 17:29
and they road blocked everything; stuff happens ; go a head impeach him he doesn’t care the mook majority in the house is a divided group of loons and some, not many, real republicans.
bpollen November 6th, 2014 at 23:35
In the Republican dictionary, compromise = capitulation.
eyelashviper November 7th, 2014 at 15:09
I don;t think that the word “compromise” is in their dictionary, along with govern, responsibility, consequences, compassion, and ethics.
bpollen November 8th, 2014 at 03:42
On Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh, Republican zealot par excellence, said that Republican’s weren’t elected to compromise. I still contend that, with respect to Republicans and compromise, the great Inigo Montoya put it best: “I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Ed Hamilton November 13th, 2014 at 08:55
The Republicans won so they could stop the liberal agenda. If “we”, the Republicans wanted things done with a liberal twist we would have given the house to the Democrats.
bpollen November 16th, 2014 at 04:12
Whose liberal agenda are you referring to and what is said agenda? And where did it say on any ballot that you were voting to oppose the liberal agenda? What Republicans won who ONLY campaigned against the liberal agenda and didn’t claim to be FOR something? Was the Republican theme of ISIS terror coming to our shores so we gotta stop immigration a DIRECT attack against the liberal agenda? (I kinda doubt ISIS cares as much about your politics as your country of origin and your religion.)
Don’t remember ever being taught in school that the reason we vote is screw the other side. Thought it was so they could actually govern. Funny thinking “you” Republicans use.
Ed Hamilton November 13th, 2014 at 08:49
Funny how often we’re hearing the word compromise since the Republicans won the elections. Like the president said after he was first elected…Elections have consequences, we won.
tracey marie November 13th, 2014 at 09:07
funny how the right does not know what compromise is, afterall they were the party that held a meeting in 2009 to plan the “failure of the President even if they had to destroy the economy to do it”.
Ed Hamilton November 13th, 2014 at 10:10
I’m sure the left was all about supporting Bush when he was elected, hell they still blame Bush for some of their failures.
tracey marie November 13th, 2014 at 10:16
deflection and lying…your schtick is old and tired
Ed Hamilton November 13th, 2014 at 10:21
Like a moth to a flame you keep responding to me.
Dcbos November 14th, 2014 at 18:29
and they road blocked everything; stuff happens ; go a head impeach him he doesn’t care the mook majority in the house is a divided group of loons and some, not many, real republicans.
AnthonyLook November 20th, 2014 at 19:56
I anticipate a record two years of Presidential vetoes. The Republicans will have to override and exclusively put their party stamp on all legislative actions and subsequently live with that record.
AnthonyLook November 20th, 2014 at 20:56
I anticipate a record two years of Presidential vetoes. The Republicans will have to override and exclusively put their party stamp on all legislative actions and subsequently live with that record.