No, Stephen Hayes, Americans aren't happy with GOP obstructionism
September 02, 2010 8:35 pm ET by Kate Conway
On the September 2 edition of Special Report, Weekly Standard editor Stephen Hayes responded to Juan Williams' assertion that Republicans "took a strategy of obstructing Obama" by stating:
HAYES: But that's okay if voters believe that obstructing the president as he tries to enact this agenda that many people disagree with is a good thing. And I think Republicans now -- or voters now are saying, "Yeah, it's fine if they want to obstruct the president."
In contrast to Hayes' statement, an August 11-16 AP-GfK poll found that only 30 percent approve "of the way Republicans in Congress are handling their jobs." The poll found that 49 percent approve of the way Barack Obama is handling his job and 37 percent approve of Congressional Democrats' performance.
An August 19-22 Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that 78 percent believe "Washington no longer works effectively because of fighting between parties and branches of government means that nothing can be accomplished." Thirty-six percent of those respondents said that Republicans have "done more to cause this situation" while 28 percent said Democrats were more to blame and another 28 percent blamed both parties.
I don't think anyone can look at these numbers and conclude that voters think the obstruction strategy is "a good thing."
The Republicans have learned that they really don't have to cooperate with Democrats at all. They can use the archaic Senate rules to stop just about any piece of legislation, or dilute it beyond recognition.
This November, there's a good chance they'll take back the House. They will not cooperate with Obama; they'll probably impeach him.
The rest of Obama's first term will be stagnant and ugly... Americans may vote in an idiot like Sarah Palin out of pure frustration.
Once they have the whole government again, the Republitoads can resume whittling away at the remains of the New Deal. The voters may get mad at them again and put Democrats back in power, but the Troglodytes have learned how to cripple the Government, and the cycle will start again.
Of course, a Democratic Party with a spine or an effective Free Press could stop this madness, but who are we kidding?