GOP Obstructionists

GOP Focuses Effort To Kill Health Bills:

Emboldened by divided Democrats and polls that show rising public anxiety about President Obama's handling of health care and the economy, Republicans on Monday launched an aggressive effort to link the two, comparing the health-care bills moving through Congress to what they labeled as a failed economic stimulus bill.

..."He insists his health-care plan won't add to our nation's deficit, despite the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office saying exactly the opposite," [Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) said]. "And today we learn that the president is refusing to release a critical report on the state of our economy, which contains facts essential to this debate. What is he hiding?"

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele said in a speech Monday that Obama is "conducting a dangerous experiment with our health care." Steele added: "He's conducting a reckless experiment with our economy."

...Republicans made clear that they see an opportunity to derail the [healthcare] legislation now.

The RNC started running ads blasting the Democratic proposals, and William Kristol, editor of the conservative magazine the Weekly Standard, implored Republicans to "go for the kill." "We have plenty of time to work next year on sensible and targeted health reform in a bipartisan way. But first we need to get rid of Obamacare. Now is the time to do so," Kristol wrote on his magazine's blog.

Again, I note that this is exactly why the Democrats should concede nothing to the altar of bipartisanship and corporatism. They can water down legislation until it's not remotely progressive and unlikely to even be effective, but it still won't be enough for the right-leaning interests in this country to do anything but try to kill it and kill it and kill it, and anything resembling it, until they get what they want.

And what they want isn't good for the American people. Which is why they should be roundly ignored.