Should the GOP become the 'Party of Yes'?
Republicans vow to withhold all cooperation after Dems "forced" health care reform. But is continually saying "no" to Obama a winning strategy?
Senate Republicans are using every parliamentary trick they can to block changes to the health-care law they feel Democrats forced though, and Sen. John McCain warned that Dems shouldn't expect any cooperation from the GOP for the rest of the year. Is thwarting the Democratic agenda the way for Republicans to score big gains in the November midterm elections?
This tantrum is juvenile and self-defeating: Sen. John McCain is saying flatly that Republicans care more about getting revenge against Democrats than they do about the nation's business, says John Cole in Balloon Juice. These guys are already the Party of No — not one of them voted for the final health bill. McCain's tantrum will only show voters how "worthless and childish" Republican lawmakers really are.
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It's Republicans' duty to be the "Party of No": The GOP is absolutely justified in fighting back after the way Democrats rammed through this "monstrosity" of a health bill, says Erick Erickson in RedState. And if Republicans balk for fear of being labeled the "Party of No," primary voters should replace them with "stronger conservatives."
Obstructionism is risky in these hard times: With so many Americans hurting, the Republican strategy could backfire, says Robert L. Borosage in The Huffington Post. If Democrats manage to create jobs and crack down on Wall Street excesses, voters aren't likely to smile on the GOP's obstructionism. But "if the jobs don't come back" and Democrats let bankers off easy, "the Republican strategy of 'hell no' might just work."
"Will Americans reward the Party of 'Hell No?'"
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