It seems like a foregone conclusion that Obama will soon sign a financial regulatory reforms bill. He may even pass it with significant Republican support. Will success breed success? Is the Party of Hell No strategy breaking down?
About The Author

BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
14 Comments
Recent Posts
- Day 28: Democracy Dies In Darkness
- Day 26: People Discover That American Fascists Like German Fascists
- Day 25: The Fascist Regime Comes for the Federal Prosecutors
- Day 23: The Fascist Regime and House Budget Committee Are Coming for Medicaid
- Day 22: The Fascist Regime Destabilizes the Jordanian Monarchy
Fox, the Tea Partiers, and the GOP, 2009 edition stirred the crazies up so badly against the Islamo-Commie-Nazis that this is going to cause some real cognitive dissonance. How can real patriots be bi-partisan with people like that? It should make for even more interesting Republican primaries this year.
Lord I hope so.
Will success breed success? Maybe, but I doubt it. McConnell is trying as hard as he can, but I don’t think he’ll be able to spin this one. I don’t think future issues are safe from the spin, though, which is why I doubt it.
Financial reform is the bill to fall on your sword for. We should go all in.
Also, why is the left praising Lincoln’s bill?
Here’s why.
No, I’m aware, but I wouldn’t call it strong. A lot of it is good, but I’m concerned with some sections. Section 106 and Section 120, to be precise.
the only thing Americans can agree on is that the assholes of Wall Street need to be bitchslapped.
unless you work on Wall Street, you believe they’ve fucked over the rest of America and hell, the WORLD.
you can’t ‘ FRANK LUNTZ’ your way out of this.
the difference is that, outside of Fox Noise, the rest of the MSM has called out their lies as LIES on this.
I dunno why, but they have. My mouth was open when I saw Halperin of all people on Hardball, calling out their lies.
Tweety, in his own, way, explained it well:
these mofos (my word) don’t make anything. Americans don’t begrudge someone who makes/creates something from getting paid, but these clowns (my word) don’t make shyt.
I’m trying to use search to find some of Booman’s stories about the 2008 dem primaries and getting “zero results”. what to do? I’m checking “check archive” trying various topics all with no results. since I’m getting no results at all, obviously completely on the wrong track as they say.
.
Link to BooMan’s stories in archive around Super Tuesday
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
Thanks so much!!!!
I think we’re underestimating what passing health care reform meant: it showed the president really was willing to bank on policy. And then the Democrats didn’t break a united front on health care, a huge part of that being the Goldman fraud suite, and that put the Republicans as the clear opposition party. Unlike health care, where the democrats fought themselves and took pot shots at Republicans who trained their fire on them.
I doubt that the “Party of Hell No” strategy is breaking down, because it HAS PAID some dividends.
Financial reform is the exception. Since the population is united in its disgust of Wall Street and its desire to see some regulation, it’s much more difficult politically to totally obstruct.
But for budget, immigration, energy, DADT…. Will the republicans change their tone in the coming weeks? Will they stop the distorsions and the divisive rhetoric ? Will they change how they behave in the House and the Senate? No. Just look how they’re still playing silly games this week with the confirmation of the President’s nominees.
Unless the republicans are CALLED OUT in the MSM for their obstructionism, they won’t change tactics.
To answer your question Booman, I think yes, the Party of Hell No strategy is breaking down…at least on financial regulatory reform. As Gail Collins writes in her column in today’s NY Times, “Nobody is going to scare voters by predicting that if the Democratic bill passes, they may not be able to keep seeing the same hedge fund manager.”
However, LadyNorth is right (as is Marc Ambinder in his CBS news column you linked to), the strategy has paid some short-term dividends for the Republicans and it’s likely to help them win seats in both houses of Congress this fall.
Having said that, the strategy is breaking down and will continue to break down—assuming the Democrats and outside factors continue to apply pressure.
Two big things Democrats can do:
*Keep up the pressure.
In high school and college basketball (less so in the pros), it’s common for teams to apply a full or 3/4 court press the entire game, even if doesn’t seem to be working initially. The strategy is to wear down the opponent—physically and mentally—so that they start to make mistakes and eventually crumble.
Washington Democrats can keep up the pressure by advancing the agenda they were elected on. For example:
Better minds than mine can decide how much emphasis to put on each. The important thing is to force the Republicans on the defensive so that they’re having to react to the Democratic agenda (much as they were in the first 4 months of Obama’s administration, and as they are now on financial reform).
*Frame the conversation.
Obama apparently did a nice job of this speaking at Barbara Boxer’s fundraiser the other night. According to EJ Dionne’s Washington Post column, here’s part of what Obama said:
“‘In this entire year and a half of cleaning up the mess, it’s been tough because the folks very responsible for a large portion of this mess decided to stand on the sidelines,’ Obama declared. ‘It was as if somebody had driven their car into the ditch and then just watched you as you had to yank it out, and asked you: “Why didn’t you do it faster — and why do I have that scratch on the fender?” And you want to say: “Why don’t you put your shoulder up against that car and help to push?” That’s what we need, is some help.’
In one paragraph, Obama did what many of the dispirited in his party have long been urging him to do: He linked the economic mess to past Republican policies — much as Ronald Reagan blamed the economic downturn of the early 1980s on Democrats and liberals — and turned the tables on bipartisanship by asserting that it is Republicans who are blocking concord.”
If Democrats and progressives do those two things—consistently and persistently in the coming months and years—then, assuming even slow economic recovery, I think that by 2011-12 the Party of Hell No strategy will leave the Republicans in the ditch…with nobody to pull them out.
Why are Brown, Collins, Snowe so hard to pick off in the first place? Still think that’s the great unknown in Americans politics right now. What leverage do McConnel and Gregg have over them? The obvious answer is that they are playing politics and they’ll come around eventually, but if our political system was working as it has in recent history, these three would huddle up with the dems, water it down, then vote for cloture. Why isn’t that happening? Again, this dynamic is frustrating, but what’s more frustrating is the lack of curiosity by journalists and such over what the secret is to McConnel’s discipline. There was a great article in the Huff post a couple weeks ago on the progressive caucus and the blue dogs and internal struggles. Would love to see some sort of reporting like that about what’s going on inside the GOP caucus right now.
Amen to that jcbhan.
And not just Brown, Collins and Snowe. What about senators like Voinovich and Gregg?
Garry Trudeau once did a devastating bit about George H. W. Bush putting his manhood in a blind trust. The Senate Republicans’ party discipline is the underreported story of the year in Washington.