Democrats: Stop the Blame Game
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
President Barack Obama ran on a platform of “Change We Can Believe In!” back in 2008. Even this writer was caught up in the potential end to gridlock and rational and reasonable debate in the Congress. When I punched the ticket for President Obama in 2008 I believed all ideologies would have a seat at Obama’s table and, at minimum, there would be dialogue to traverse the distance between Right and Left philosophies.
What were I and much of the country smoking?!?
Two plus years into the Obama administration and this doesn’t feel remarkably different than other presidencies in terms of gridlock in Congress, a President not all that interested in the other side, and most importantly not the type of “Yes We Can!” rah-rah atmosphere that swept Obama into the Presidency in 2008.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRhode Island’s Congressional ‘leaders’ play the blame game
Instead what we have is continued partisanship and leadership that’s lacking. As reported on GoLocalProv, here’s what some of our esteemed Congressional leadership had to say about the now-averted government shutdown:
Sheldon Whitehouse: “Republicans won’t take yes for answer”
Jack Reed: “The proposal of the Republican House is studded with special interest riders -- social policy not fiscal policy”
David Cicilline: “[…] extreme members of the Republican caucus have hijacked the budget process and are holding it up with controversial policies regarding women’s health and the environment. Democratic leadership has offered Republicans many different opportunities to vote to keep the government open; again, Republicans have said no.”
Jim Langevin: “Republicans demanded $61 billion in cuts that would be devastating to students in need of college aid, homeowners at risk of foreclosure, small businesses looking for loans, and low-income families struggling to put food on the table.”
Can’t you just feel the bipartisanship emanating from our Congressmen? I guess the Obama memo of hope, change, and “we can do this together” is still in the mail. The problem I have with such strident partisanship is that it doesn’t solve anything. Absolutely, nothing.
If you complain, you’re part of the problem! Huh?
What’s worse is that we have political analysts calling folks out for saying there’s a problem and complaining. Last week, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™ Tom Sgouros said:
In other words, the result of the pressure from the complainers has been a heavier burden on local businesses and residents […]After all, people might believe what you write and the policies you advocate might actually be enacted.
Wow, you know we’ve all seen spin doctoring before, but this takes the cake. Skyrocketing gas prices, the Governor proposing sales tax on even more common everyday items, the Providence budget with more holes in it than Swiss cheese, and the folks who are saying there’s a problem ARE the problem???
Come on, we’re not that dumb!
So what’s the answer? New voices
Alright folks, so Obama failed to bring the change he promised, our Congressional leaders have nothing more to add to the dialogue other than blaming the other guy, and Sgouros thinks if you complain about any of this you’re part of the problem.
So what’s the answer? More blame? Not keeping our word? Stop complaining? No, no, and no. Here’s the solution as I see it – we need different voices offering different solutions to the same problems we’ve been dealing with the past half decade.
Whitehouse, Chafee, Reed, Fox, and the list goes on and on have all tried to provide us with answers to the budget, educational, and economic issues facing the state. Well, pump some gas and see how well it’s working out. Check out our unemployment rates to see how substantive job initiatives proposed by any of the above (although to be fair, Chafee is just getting back in the game) have helped the economy. Finally, how are those test scores? We probably shouldn’t go there before Pat Crowley shows up and tells us how poorly teachers are getting paid.
We need real change much like the change Obama promised and not the same ol’ tired lines that our politicians drag out every time there’s a problem.
Rhode Island this might scare you, but in 2012 this state needs and influx of Republicans in the General Assembly. The state is worse off because the opposition to the Democrats has been feeble for decades. I’m not insinuating that Republicans are not guilty of playing politics, but what I can tell you about Rhode Island Republicans, there is a renewed zeal to set the state aright and take a different approach than Democrats have for decades.
Democrats have had their opportunity and unfortunately for you and I they have failed. Obama was correct in that the country needed change. We still need change here in Rhode Island. In order to get that change we must change how we have voted year after year after year.
Give Republicans a chance to implement policies we believe will tackle our problems head on.
Could the alternative be worse? Don’t answer that, we don’t want it to get any worse.
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