Post-Partisanship? I Finally Figured It Out!

One of the most prominent planks in Obama’s campaign platform was his promise to move beyond (or above) partisanship.Many observers have thus been confused or disappointed by the currently unfolding reality of President Obama’s economic agenda for the nation, consisting as it does of the conversion of one liberal wish list after another into government policy with little, often no, input from Republicans.

A real mystery, no?, even after the campaign promises have been discounted by the amount usually applied to campaign promises.

Well, no. It’s a mystery no more. I have finally figured it out.

In our recent political history — in fact, even going back into the not so recent past — Democrats have been the tax and spend party, and Republicans have been the borrow and spend party. Obama’s signal accomplishment in his first two months in office has indeed been his transcendence of that old partisan divide.

The Democrats under Obama’s leadership have now become the party committed to both tax and spend and borrow and spend, taking both taxing and borrowing to heretofore undreamed of heights (or depths).

Say What? (3)

  1. theblogprof March 25, 2009 at 9:40 pm | | Reply

    That has to be the best darned explanation of post-partisanship that I have heard yet!

  2. Cobra March 26, 2009 at 12:29 am | | Reply

    John writes:

    “The Democrats under Obama’s leadership have now become the party committed to both tax and spend and borrow and spend, taking both taxing and borrowing to heretofore undreamed of heights (or depths).

    Perhaps that’s due to a situation of “heretofore undreamed of” economic crisis.

    I watch with eagle-like accuity as Republicans like Eric Holder and Mitch McConnell offer absolutely NOTHING except a chorus of “more tax cuts” for the rich, expecting a different result from that of the past eight years of tax cuts for the rich.

    I listen with rapt attention as conservative call for MORE “deregulation” and more “free market” solutions that led to the credit default swap derivative bomb that detonated on this country last year.

    I for one, am so happy to have a President in the White House who isn’t afraid to tell the American people the dangers of a $62 Trillion Dollar unregulated Credit Default Swap Market.

    I’m glad we have a President in the White House that doesn’t HIDE the costs of wars from the budget, so that the $3.2 Trillion dollar budget the Bush proposed in February 2008 (the then largest budget in history) remained at that figure.

    Who do conservatives think they’re fooling here?

    –Cobra

  3. Brett Bellmore March 26, 2009 at 7:15 am | | Reply

    I figured “post-partisanship” referred to a planned effort to make the US a one party state.

    But your explanation works, too.

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