March 17, 2013

A Liberal Case For No Compromise In Washington

Washington D.C. - photo by Patrick NouhaillerNumerous articles on this blog have critiqued Republicans’ unwillingness to compromise. I’ve mentioned that House Speaker John Boehner doesn’t even like the word compromise. So you would think that I believe compromise is a good thing in Washington. Well, if we were dealing with two political parties that gravitated towards the center of the political spectrum, one being center-left, the other being center-right, then sure, compromise is a good thing. That’s not the make-up of Washington D.C. at the moment.

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August 7, 2011

Nuance vs. Conviction

An op-ed in the L.A. Times, Obama’s Clarity Gap, sheds light on what I believe is a growing sentiment among Obama supporters: We still support him but what is he willing to fight for? In the debt debate the President appeared to be willing to fight for increased tax revenue as part of a balanced approach but ultimately the deal that was completed is entirely one-sided. Maybe it’s not fair to use this one example because Republicans in Congress appear to have left Obama with little choice since many felt default either wouldn’t happen, or wasn’t a big deal. But this is not the first time Obama has punted. He punted last December by extending the Bush tax cuts. So what is President Obama willing to fight for? I don’t dismiss the great achievements of his first term, health care reform, repeal of don’t ask don’t tell, Osama bin Laden, but I feel increasingly frustrated because I don’t know where President Obama is willing to make stand.

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