An article from Politico.com and linked on Yahoo News notes that President Obama is beginning to strike back at Republican intransigence against the stimulus and health care reform. He has begun issuing statements through the Democratic National Committee condemning the behavior of Republican leader Congressman Eric Cantor, and Cabinet Secretaries have called the governors of states such as Arizona with Republican representatives who oppose the stimulus, asking if they would like stimulus monies to be withheld.
My Gut Reaction: It's about frakking time.
Analysis: For too long, we have allowed the Republicans to indulge in rough politics without any real retaliation from the Democratic leadership. If what we are seeing is any indication, that's about to change.
If the Republicans want to bitch about stimulus spending, they should have the guts to forgo any benefits it may bring. It is hypocritical to take the public money if they think it is useful or harmful to the nation's long term interests. Let the Republican shirkers go without, while the rest reap the rewards.
Democrats used to be willing to play hard ball. As Molly Ivins once described, President Lyndon Johnson once had an issue getting the schools in a particular southern town to integrate. Furious, he called the governor of the state the town was in, and asked if his state wanted to keep its military bases. When the governor anxiously said it did, President Johnson said coldly: "Schools. Integration. Tomorrow."
And lo and behold, the schools were integrated the next day.
The moral of the story is the Democrats need to start polishing up their political guns. It's elephant hunting time.
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