Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), the master strategist who engineered the House GOP's two unanimous "no" votes on the stimulus bill, hopes President Obama doesn't learn the wrong lesson from their united opposition to his agenda.
Mr. Cantor acknowledged that Mr. Obama had won points from the public for appearing less partisan than Republicans in this battle, but he warned that the president should not draw the wrong lesson.Okay, I'll play.
“I think it would be short-sighted for him to take away from a zero vote that he shouldn’t even mess with us anymore,” he said.
What should the president take away from those two zero votes, Mr. Cantor?
At least you are self-aware enough to realize that you lost the message war on this one. President Obama did indeed win "points" for appearing less partisan than the Republicans. That's because he was less partisan. He reached across the aisle and you nutcases slapped his hand away because it would play well to your neanderthal base. He negotiated an economic recovery bill that included the largest middle-class tax cut in history, and every single one of you voted "no." Twice.
To my mind, the lesson is that no matter what he proposes, short of the complete elimination of the tax code, Republican House members will pursue an exclusive agenda of obstructionism. After all, if the GOP wasn't willing to support a tax cut of such massive proportions, then what on earth will it support?
But I am willing to acknowledge, at least for the sake of argument, that I am reading this one wrong.
So, you tell me, Mr. Cantor?
What is the lesson that President Obama should take away from the Republicans' complete demonstrated unwillingness to negotiate with him in good faith?
