I have to agree with you, Debbie. I'm glad Obama tried to extend a hand, but when you do that and get bitten hard, you need to rethink sticking it out there without a glove on.

The Republicans have shown that they are more interested in destroying the country rather than have a Democrat be successful at saving it.

I'm beyond appalled.

Daschle fought the good fights when the Dems were in the toilet and it looked like Rove would win a new Rainbow Coalition forever. A rainbow of hate, and distrust of the Constitution and fear of foreign invaders.

Tom is a good man. But I do not know the fight going on behind the scenes. I know that if Tom did not see the votes or did see some offal being thrown on the New Administration, he would resign.
Or withdraw his nomination or whatever is the proper term.

I have no problem discussing this and I recommend your post as always.

I'm angry but I don't feel sick. Obama's eye is on the prize .... the most immediate of which is a stimulus package that will work. And to get that he needs some Republicans, not many but some. Going after the whole party with a big gun, much as they deserve it, isn't going to get him those few needed votes. In the meantime, as sick as people are of pay-to-play and tax cheats and the rest, they are sick of the nasty attack mode of governing. I get the feeling, out here in the hinterlands, that McCain, McConnell, Boehner, et al. are playing to each other and their base ...... but not winning them any fans out in the real world. ----- So, frustrating as it is, I think Obama is handling things right, going for the immediately necessary and the long-range other goals and ignoring for the most part the hysterical carping. Remember how he drove us crazy during the campaign but not coming out with the round-house punch when it seemed soooooo needed? But he won. So I have faith. Or at least hope. Both are good. (But that doesn't mean that *I'm* not angry as fire at what these people are willing to do. It's utterly disgusting.)

Team Obama appears to have two or three pklans at once all of which are flexible without losing their purpose completely. I'm confident he can get it done and, if not, we are in for a serious worsening of the economic crisis and everyone will know the Dems tried to get things done but the Reich had a tantrum and could not play nice.

Take courage. There are many Republicans fleeing their posts like rats on a sinking ship. Rachel Maddow had a list of about a half dozen remarking they will not run again. Typical immature behavior. If they can't have it their way they will not play. If it's going to take some effort, count them out. Glad to see them creating more jobs for the Dems. It's always better to have people willing to work and gets their hands dirty then these well-dressed slackers who can't bring themselves to consider anyone else but themselves.

Daschle was one of Senator Obama's earliest and most prominent supporters back when the nomination was conceded to Senator Clinton by all the experts and pundits. I never thought much of Daschle when he was Senate Democratic leader in Bush's first stolen term---whether in majority or minority, he seemed ineffectual.

It didn't look like President Obama backed Daschle very hard in this episode. He went to the mat for that tax-cheat guy at the Treasury, though. All in all, NOT YET very much evidence of "change we can believe in."

All during the campaign, Mr. Obama told his liberal supporters that their continued activism would be needed once he was elected. So let's not sit back and say, "Team Obama has a plan and everything will work out."

The two million people who went to Washington for the inauguration should be followed by a million more going to demand the Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration forget about placating the Republican traitors AND GET RADICAL!!

Lincoln was bogged down and the Union kept getting beaten until the Emancipation was issued and black troops were recruited. FDR campaigned as a humdrum hack, but when he took office he got radical and more radical after the 1934 mid-terms---listen to the denunciation of the moneychangers in the temple from FDR's inaugural speech . . . it makes more sense and reflected the economic and political reality a lot better than Obama's speech did.

Forget the hot air about bipartisanship and get to work---there's a REASON the voters kicked out the Republicans, and that reason WASN'T that the voters wanted to appease and capitulate to the Republicans on every point of contention!

And if the administration and Congress don't figure this out, their support will evaporate in cynicism, despair, and frustration.

A tactic or strategy which makes for a successful election campaign may not be the right formula for success once the campaign is over and the term of office begins. Stop posturing and start governing!!!

Daschle and his wife are snakes.

Are the same people crying over him crying over Duke Cunningham and William Jefferson?

I had no confidence he would really reform health care. Push for Howard Dean instead.

And for more on Daschle if you didn't read Greenwald already:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/02/01/daschle/index.html

The GOP pretend to care so deeply about the stimulus, when it is patently obvious and a derelict of their duty to the public, that the GOP are working furiously for the next elections and not the peoples' economic crisis looming so large at this time. Some Republican Pundits charged with this task, call the Stimulus a stinking corpse, before it is even born, instead of what it is -- a valuable work in progress for this country. Like any creation, in the early stages, it is chaos and not fully formed, such as a fetus, a painting, any work of art, and yet the artist ploughs on knowing the beauty to be eventually created. Why in the world, would some Pundits criticize the early form instead of giving support, is beyond the pale, especially when they know to publically criticize it is to get the ball rolling to derail it. May be they do not love this country more than their party affiliation! These pundits sit in their high-paying jobs, so lofty, and pick apart every little thing someone says or does, Wears...., with nothing good to say, like their word is God or gold -- as they no longer report the news but give their Opinions about the news. There was a time when we were taught as Americans, if you have nothing good to say about anyone, say nothing at all. We have lost that. These Pundits are a part of the problem and not the solution.

At this critical stage in our rapidly-crumbling economy, it would seem that the Republican Senators would do everything they can to do something, to tell the American people, I am on your side, and not always to quickly say no to the middle class and the little people; no to schools, education, infra structure, green jobs, all of which have too long been denied and neglected and Yet, always yes to the Special Interest Groups, to wars, to big oil and their tax breaks.

It is a sad fact that for average American citizens, the GOP is becoming the party of NO! We can not depend on the GOP to help us, they never have. In 2010, we will know what to do.