Obama and the GOP play 'chicken' and the GOP Lost

For the first time in my life I took an active interest in the passage of a bill namely the 'stimulous' package that was passed in the House yesterday. I watched C-span and watched the votes tally, and watched as not a single Republican voted for the bill.

It has been widely reported in the media that Obama has talked repeatedly to GOP leaders in an effort to reach out to them on compromise. It has been widely reported in the media about how the bill has been 'watered down' to appease Republicans.

And therin lies the seeds of Obama's victory. IT WAS WIDELY REPORTED!!!!! Every Dick, Jane and Sally on the street now know that efforts were made by the Democrats to reach out to the GOP and when vote time came, despite these provisions the bill passed witout ONE. SINGLE. REPUBLICAN. VOTE.

The Republicans, under full media scrutiny have just demonstrated that they are totally redundant. The next time that Congress needs to take up a bill of national importance (like say, health care reform) they now know that they can do so without having to worry about major obstructionism from Republicans, and the Republicans have no one to blame but themselves.

For years the Republicans have defined 'bipartisanship' as 'giving us our way all the time'. They will not compromise, they will not find consensus. Our way or the highway. This is precisely the attitude that caused them to lose ground in 2006, 2008, and in all likelihood, 2010 as well.

The bill that passed was a compromise bill, things were give up by the Democrats in order to appease Republicans, and they still wouldn't play ball. And the whole country watched them as they behaved like petulant spoiled children instead of statesmen, and in the process have handed Obama a major victory in the Court of Public Opinion.