The Stakes

8 Random Items for 1/13/2009 #4

Now is when you will see the true test of the Republican party. You see, they love to talk "America First", but they are, and always have been, party first. They decry partisanship, but no party is more adept at playing partisan games. We, the Democrats, keep trying to be bipartisan because we're suckers. The problem with the Republicans isn't the way they do things, the way they say things, or their partisanship. It is the side of the partisan divide on which they stand that is the problem. We keep seeking that "higher ground" and the Republicans keep fighting us. It's time for us to get dirty, because you know they are.

Will the Republicans fight Obama led proposals that will help the American people through this financial crisis? Of course they will. Will the Republicans fight Obama led proposals that will end this financial crisis? Of course they will. Their survival is at stake.

As Digby said ...

If Obama were to succeed in fixing the economy, re-regulating the financial system, enacting health care and a modern environmental and energy policy, the right would be discredited for a couple of generations --- and the wealthy would lose many of their unfair advantages under a fair and equitable system. They not only do not want to take that chance, they also see this crisis as an opportunity to bury liberal economics and end the government programs that ensure a stable and prosperous society with a vast middle class. The stakes are huge for both sides.

Obama doesn't get to be a typical President. He doesn't get to take office at a normal point in history. Only Washington, Lincoln, FDR and Truman faced more daunting challenges when taking office. We need greatness from Barack Obama. We need greatness from the Democratic Party. Anything less will be disaster for our party, will be a disaster for the poor, will be a disaster for the middle class, and will be a disaster for America.