AP bemoans partisanship; forgets to mention record number of GOP filibusters

Written by Eric Boehlert

Published

Like lots of news outlets, the AP is using the retirement announcement from Sen. Evan Bayh to do lots of hand-wringing about he absence of Congressional moderates and to bemoan the lack of bipartisanship cooperation inside the Beltway.

But oh my gosh, look at the all the things the AP article forgets to mention in it's sad tale about lack of across-the-isle cooperation, as the article leaves the unmistakable impression that both sides are equally to blame for the stalemate. The AP forgets to mention that in last year's key White House legislative initiatives, the Republican Party has essentially voted en mass against the Obama administration.

Unlike when the new Republican president, Reagan, Bush and Bush arrived in the White House and were able to find scores of Democrats willing to hlep them pass bills, Obama has been met with a virtual stonewall; an obstructionist stonewall that has no precedent in modern American politics.

But oops, the AP forgets to mention any of that context and history in its sad tale about Dems and GOP not working together.

And oh yeah, the AP forgets to mention the run-away (and historic) number of cloture votes that Republicans have forced upon the Congress last year; more cloture votes to break filibusters than Congress faced during the entire 1950's and 1960's combined.

The Beltway press corps loves to whine the lack of bipartisan cooperation. It also loves to play dumb about why that is.

UPDATED: NPR does the exact same thing with its long look at the rise of partisanship. Conclusion: Both sides are to blame for today's stalemate.

What's never mentioned? The historic number of GOP fillibusters.

UPDATED: And three makes a trend. WashPost's David Broder checks in today with his hand-wring, both-sides-are-to-blame column and (surprise!) never mentions the historic number of GOP filibusters.

UPDATED: Credit to McClatchy Newspapers' David Lightman for simply spelling out what's going on:

Senate Republicans are using the filibuster to limit and often derail Democrats' initiatives, paralyzing the Senate and making it nearly impossible to accomplish even the most routine matters.

Honestly AP, NPR, and WashPost, is that really so difficult?