I think it is a mistake to keep referring to the President working with the new "GOP-Controlled Congress."
The real story is that it took a lot of Democrats to help turn all those blue states red, from the govenorships to members of Congress up for re-election. What the President will have to work with is the voice of the Nation as reflected by the new Congress. He, the whole Congress, and the voters need to begin thinking in those terms.
I am not now a Democrat or a Republican but I began voting on the Republican ticket when the Executive Branch and its leader lost its way, turned its back on our Constitution, and began operating by Executive Orders to get its way by ignoring Congress. What we need is a new leader in the Executive Branch.
Charlotte Parton
Chattanooga
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There will be really no difference between this “New Congress” and the old Congress. If you listen to Mitch McConnell and John Boehner after the election, we’re back to the same tiresome rhetoric—repeal the ACA, don’t dare make an Executive Order, do what we want.
The President has two key weapons in his arsenal, the veto pen and Executive Orders. It’s been that way through political history. Obama has said that any repeal or changes to the ACA that work to weaken the act will be vetoed. This Republican Congress knows that, yet they persist at this folly wasting taxpayer money and valuable time that can be used to compromise on issues the people want to see moved forward. Republicans say that the voters don’t want the ACA. They say their election for control of both houses proves that. Tell that to the approximately 10-million who have signed up for ACA benefits. And we will see even more signing up this coming month when new enrollment period opens. Republicans say the ACA is a “job killer.” Since the economy tanked in 2008 when we lost more than four million jobs, we have now added more than five million jobs with a 1.2 million net job gain. “Job killer?” I think not.
On immigration, the Republican House, John Boehner most notably, blocked a vote on an immigration that passed the Senate with bipartisan support. They will block it again because the House cannot pass it with the extreme-right caucus they have inherited. Republicans are in deep trouble on this issue. If they don’t pass a bill that satisfies the large voting core of Hispanics and Latinos, they’ll be out in 2016. The President sees no movement there and will take advantage by issuing an Executive Order. The Republicans no doubt will continue their ridiculous pursuit of a lawsuit over his powers. It will fail, again costing money and time. In the end, the President will make good on his promise for immigration reform using his Constitutional power that all past presidents have used, and the Republicans will suffer again in the voters’ eyes.
What is needed now is compromise to move this nation forward. We have heard recently that Republicans will end gridlock. The blame for all our lost time due to obstruction is shared by both parties. Republicans trying to take credit for reducing gridlock have to start first by taking a hard look into the mirror. Now’s the time do something.
The Republican Congress has the majority and the spotlight; the President has veto power and executive prerogatives. Looks like an even playing field to me. This should be an interesting two years.
Greg Williams
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I guess it is all a matter of perspective, but i completely disagree with Charlotte Parton. First of all, there were no Blue States turning Red. The Republican victories were primarily and mostly in heavily Red States, which makes me wonder why those contests were as close as they were in the first place. If you look back in history, this happens every 4-6 years where the congress will be all of 1 party and the Executive branch will be the other...switch out whichever party you like, doesn't matter. and the victorious party starts exclaiming rout!, mandates, landslide! As much as i had hoped that we would have a new representative that would be truly representative of me and ALL of the people in the 3rd district instead of the republican party, i knew it was all wishful thinking. Same thing in 4th district.
I find it interesting that now, you are hearing from the republicans.... talk of of bi-partisanship, working across the aisle, tax reform, immigration reform, etc. who are these people and where have they been the last 6 years? they are the very ones who have been blocking everything this President has tried to do to move the country forward, which he has successfully done, in spite of their obstruction tactics. Makes you wonder how much better things could have been, if both sides could have cooperated for the good of the country instead of their party? I guess now they will start taking credit for all of the gains that this President made in the last 6 years....without their help.
Like Charlotte, I am not now a Democrat or a Republican but I began voting on the Democratic ticket when Reagan got elected, which still to this day puzzles me as to how such a bad actor got elected and with all of the scandals and damage that he did to our Economy and the middle class, why now a portion of our country still thinks he was a good President. I certainly don't.
The real story is here that there is no real story here at all, which is sad for our country as we seem destined to keep repeating the same old mistakes over and over again...business as usual, just like groundhog day.
John Fricke
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Greg and John,
I would like to know where you are getting your information from concerning the congressional gridlock. You now feel that because the Republicans now control Congress the situation will only get worse with more Republicans are in Congress. I am retired and a news junkie, and read mostly national news and world events that have the potential affect life in the U.S., and yes I consider myself an open minded Republican. (Barack Obama is anything but open. More on this later.) But unlike you, I started as a Democrat and voted for George McGovern. My first Republican vote was Nixon, but only his first term. I also voted for Bill Clinton his second term and Barack Obama for his first term. The point is I really try to look at the candidates and find out as much about each one as I can before forming my own opinion on any candidate. In addition I will not hesitate to vote Democrat if I feel at the time they the best option available. To that extent my only vote for Obama was completely because I thought McCain would be worst.
All of my information comes from the major media. I start my day with a nice hot cup of very weak coffee to sip on, turn on my computer start alphabetically down my book marked list of websites. Starting with ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN, NBC, USA and even check Yahoo News which is 99.5 percent liberal spewing, before heading to the local Chattanooga news reading each as I move down the list. Then, having grown up in North Carolina and having lived in all of its largest media markets, and have a lot of friends and family in the area I am interested on what is happening those places also.
I found out quickly after President Obama took office that his agenda was nowhere near what he ran his campaign on. He has been very untruthful with the American people. He and his administration have covered up more scandals, missteps, arrogantly ignored the know will of the people, etc., etc., etc. in a very Un-Presidential manner far exceeding anything Nixon ever thought, much less did. They have ignored the Constitution, hidden, lied about, lost, can't find, anything they know will reveal the truth. They have targeted journalist that would speak out against the President or his policies even going as far to try to jail some and edit any story they knew was being released from Fast and Furious to IRS Targeting to Benghazi to releasing five high level terrorists for a know deserter (while ignoring a decorated Marine falsely jailed in Mexico whose crime was making a wrong turn not deserting his post and his unit) that have already returned to their terrorism along scores of fellow former Gitmo detainees that have since rejoined terrorist groups. He did everything could to exclude anything he did not specifically want ACA that he did not include a single Republican suggestion offered. He then accused the Republicans of being unwilling to compromise if they wanted to exclude any of his or his party's input. By definition compromise is giving in order to get. What did he give on - nothing. Where was his compromise to encourage Republicans to compromise?
In comes Harry Reid - "Mr. Gridlock Himself." He immediately "soured the well" by starting his practice of protecting the President first by not allowing over 300 house approved bills to be voted on in the Senate that he felt the President would veto. Over 300 bills passed by the house of representatives and sent to the Democrat Senate and Harry Reid that never even went to committee just killed by Reid. While Harry Reid was completely ignoring the House of Representatives, the other part of the legislative media likes to call "Congress" but is actually the House of Representatives. Oh, by the way, there were over 90 jobs bills included in the over 300 Reid buried. That doesn't sound at all like the problem is with the House of Representatives.
All you hear from most of the media (especially if you limit your sources), which is, as most opened minded would agree, leans more Democrat than Republican. They use the term "Congressional Gridlock." The next part is where they show their bias by reminding everyone "Congress" (inferring the Republican controlled House) is responsible for the gridlock. The media reports say that "Congress" (again inferring the House) can't agree on legislation to send to the President to sign. Most media sources speak of the Senate as the Senate and not when talking about or the Congress. It is impossible pass legislation when Senate, controlled by Harry Reid and the Democrats, refuses to even vote on over 300 passed bills. I wonder how many people really know that Congress is the House and the Senate and not just the House. I would not be surprised that a large percentage of actual and registered voters actually believe Congress means the House.
I started by saying I read a lot of news. My fully informed opinion from all that news is that I definitely agree more often with the Republican viewpoint. That said, there are still a lot of things I agree with the Democrats on. To that extent I also read a lot of opinions and view points on both sides because the only way I develop a truly objective opinion is to consider all the attempts to bring some form focus issues and candidates both Republic and Democrat. You learn more about what a politician is really about because none are ever 100 percent honest and open with their viewpoints. Through this process I learn the good and bad ramifications of legislation before it is passed.
Congress (both houses) should never pass legislation and the President should never sign legislation based on, "We have to pass it to find out what is in it” (can you say Nancy Pelosi.) A law is nothing more than a legal contract that all Americans are required to follow. When I was in college my business law professor was the North Carolina attorney general and the from the first class to the last class he told us every day to never sign a contract without reading it. All contracts are compromises (there's that word again) and they all include good and bad provisions for all parties concerned. Yet the President and Congress (both houses were controlled by the Democrats when ACA was passed) didn't care to find out the good and bad (as it applies to the vast majority of Americans) before signing the most intrusive legislation on personal life ever to become law. They did not allow any Republican input (not compromising with Republicans) and going entirely against overwhelming opposition for the American public. Why, because it does not impact them nearly as much as the average citizen and they quite frankly didn't care. All the President and the Democratic Congress wanted was for the President to pass his signature legislation and leave a legacy. In fact, the vast majority of the American public, unless you read the very biased polls conducted by The Huffington Post, Politic etc. and expounded by Yahoo News almost daily, still oppose the law and want it at the very least amended and preferably overturned. So much for a legacy. The ACA has been a huge failure and nothing but problems and failures. Only eight million managed to enroll. Of those, only six million, most with subsidies, actually paid their portion of the premium and were not terminated. On the other hand, ACA cost 10 million premium paying people their coverage. Why? Because President Barack Obama had a better understanding of the coverage those 10 million people whose policies felt they needed. How is this progress? You cover six million subsidized people and terminate 10 million that are paying the full premium. That has to have a negative impact on claims paying reserves.
Now here is where I actually agree with you. I too feel gridlock will continue, but for an entirely different reason. As we all know party agenda always starts at the top. That is undoubtedly true when the head of your party is President Barack Obama. Harry Reid was actually the President's puppet. The President directed Reid to insulate him from having to veto something he knew the vast majority of Americans wanted and the President (not the people) didn't personally like. Now the President will have to veto things that will no doubt be popular with the American public but he has his own personal uncompromising purely political reasons for. President Obama has reached new depths of disapproval from most Americans. Many feel the he is the worst President in modern history. Without Harry Reid to insulate him from personal destruction, President Barack Obama's actions of the next two years will prove that he actually is the worst President in modern history if not ever. He is viewed as being the champion of everyone but the average taxpaying legal citizen. He has decided to help our enemies (Iran, Syria, etc.) and offend our most stringent ally, Israel. The public is now seeing him for what he really is - a champion of illegal immigrants, racially divisive, disengaged with reality and desirous of having the only say in how our country is ran. I guess his former Secretary of State, Leon Panetta, said it best in recent interview, "He (President Obama) always considers himself the smartest man in the room and refuses to take any advice." As the President said in his press conference on national television Wednesday after the election, "I was elected to do what I feel is best for the American people and I will do everything I can to enact my policies that I feel are the best for the people." He also said "I want to work with the Republicans as long as they bring me what I want." The people elected a President to lead the nation, not a king or dictator the dictate what we do.
The only thing standing between the U.S. and greatness again are the failed policies of Barack Obama. The President who always knows best and refuses take advice or compromise. Like most Americans I feel that unfortunately we have two more years of the worst President in modern history. One who is bent on dragging the United States down to third world status and those two years can't go by fast enough.
By the way, did either of you even bother to watch either Mitch McConnell's or John Boehner's press conferences? I did, but based on your letters I doubt either of you did.
Rick Brines,
Signal Mountain