# Robert Draper: GOP decided to oppose Obama in everything on Jan 20, 2009 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 26, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984 "2012-04-26T03:08:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/21 "2012-04-26T21:31:20Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Actually, not. If Bush proposed something that was good for the country, then I would expect the Democrats to support it. What we’ve had for the past three years are the Republicans blocking everything that Obama proposes, even if he’s agreeing to what the Republicans wanted in the first place. Remember 2010- Republicans demand a deficit commisssion. Obama says “fine, let’s do it”. Republicans immediately say “YOU want it, too? Fuck you, we’ll filibuster it.” The most recent episode of _Key & Peele_ had a sketch that addressed this very isue. Couldn’t find a clip online, but [here’s](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/29/president-obama-flips-script-key-and-peele-video_n_1309308.html) an article about it. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/22 "2012-04-26T21:58:11Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > So what? Are you telling me you didn’t want a Democratic Congress to oppose everything GW Bush wanted to do? And with two questions, Rand has exposed everything wrong with Republican politicians Party Before Country But hey, at least it’s an ethos. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/23 "2012-04-26T23:30:36Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > So what? Are you telling me you didn’t want a Democratic Congress to oppose everything GW Bush wanted to do? > [@yanceylebeef](#): > > And with two questions, Rand has exposed everything wrong with Republican politicians > Party Before Country > > But hey, at least it’s an ethos. Agree with **yancey**. The fact that you think that, Rand, shows how you think, and more importantly, how you think the other side thinks. Unlike the GOP, the Democrats want what’s good for the country, whether its their idea or the Republicans idea. Health Care mandate? GOP idea that the Dems support and the GOP eventually end up opposing. Deficit commission? Same thing. Although I suppose this is still better than nothing and something the Dems can end up using to their advantage. Just start supporting whatever they don’t want the GOP to pass and they won’t. Sort of a little political reverse psychology ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/24 "2012-04-27T02:18:56Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > So what? Are you telling me you didn’t want a Democratic Congress to oppose everything GW Bush wanted to do? Hopefully, the next time the GOP holds the White House, the Democrats in Congress will act as they did with Dubya. From 2001 through 2008, there was occasional strong opposition, e.g. Harriet Miers, but often compromise (gang of 14). Many of them voted for the war against Saddam and its funding and at the same time voted for the Bush tax cuts that are the single largest cause of the current “debt crisis”. Those were huge mistakes I hope are not repeated, but they do show a willingness on the part of many Democrats to work with a GOP POTUS. That is the way American politics should work and has worked. The irresponsible scorched Earth tactics planned January 20, 2009 may have forever poisoned the well of goodwill making future cooperation impossible. Hopefully not. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/25 "2012-04-27T03:03:12Z")
That’s why we need a 3rd party. So the GOP can exit. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/26 "2012-04-27T03:43:38Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > That’s why we need a 3rd party. So the GOP can exit. I actually agree with this. Things won’t improve until the Republicans suffer electoral collapse. Conservatives who agree with the design of the founding father’s constitution -predicated upon compromise among those who disagree with one another- would do well to vote for a third party. This would signal that while they disapprove of scorched earth tactics and tiny-tent ideological posturing, they could be coaxed back to a sane party. Unfortunately, virtually all modern conservatives are nutbags, so we’re out of luck. America deserves better conservatives. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/27 "2012-04-27T22:42:33Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > So what? Are you telling me you didn’t want a Democratic Congress to oppose everything GW Bush wanted to do? Dunno about the OP, but I would have been quite upset if a Dem Congress had tried to block the invasion of Afghanistan, or expansion of AIDS relief to Africa. There were any number of things he wanted to do I didn’t care about, and I certainly would not have been pleased if they tried to block everything for the sake of doing so. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/28 "2012-04-27T22:44:32Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > That’s why we need a 3rd party. So the GOP can exit. If we have to have a two-party system, better if it were the Socialists or the Greens, not the Pubs, who alternated in office with the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/29 "2012-04-27T23:15:19Z")
If Bush had gotten his immigration reform package (which was pretty good) past his own parties, many if not most Democrats would have supported it. And remember that during the financial crisis it was the Republicans who were opposing the Administration’s rescue package. They’d rather have a depression than lose their ideological purity. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/30 "2012-04-27T23:51:48Z")
Not buying it. If they had agreed to simply oppose Obama on “everything”, why did they need this specific plan: > [@](#): > > The dinner lasted nearly four hours. They parted company almost giddily. The Republicans had agreed on a way forward: > Go after Geithner. (And indeed Kyl did, the next day: ‘Would you answer my question rather than dancing around it—please?’) > > Show united and unyielding opposition to the president’s economic policies. (Eight days later, Minority Whip Cantor would hold the House Republicans to a unanimous No against Obama’s economic stimulus plan.) > > Begin attacking vulnerable Democrats on the airwaves. (The first National Republican Congressional Committee attack ads would run in less than two months.) > > Win the spear point of the House in 2010. Jab Obama relentlessly in 2011. Win the White House and the Senate in 2012. Sounds like the opposition directed at the President’s economic policies, but I’m still wondering how Draper knows this. “Jab Obama relentlessly” just sounds like “never say a good thing about him, and make sure you say bad things regularly”. And, seriously, the note about Kyl badgering Geitner in questioning is offered up as proof that the cabal had launched their dastardly plan? That’s SOP in confirmation hearings. This guy, Draper, how is he going about quoting what someone said in a meeting that he didn’t attend? Nope. Not buying it based on the blurb in the Huffington Post. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/31 "2012-04-28T00:47:23Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Hopefully, the next time the GOP holds the White House, the Democrats in Congress will act as they did with Dubya. Actually, hopefully the next time the GOP holds the White House, it will be two or three cycles of the Universe from now. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/32 "2012-04-28T15:53:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If we have to have a two-party system, better if it were the Socialists or the Greens, not the Pubs, who alternated in office with the Democrats. Right. The Dems have pretty much become the sane voice of conservatism as it is while the GOP is reduced almost entirely to appealing to negative pathos. I don’t think they are responsible or respectful of the democratic process or the nation as a whole. I’m just happy my view on this doesn’t come across as fringe-y. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/33 "2012-04-29T23:12:44Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > So what? Are you telling me you didn’t want a Democratic Congress to oppose everything GW Bush wanted to do? People like you (and they exist on both sides but they do seem to congregate mostly on the right) literally can’t see any way to do things in a democracy other than this psychopathic oppositionalism. It doesn’t even occur to you that others might do things differently–and that’s unfortunate because in this case “differently” means “constructively and basically better in every way.” In short, you’re blind even the possibility of an honest participation in democracy. Even as I say this you think I’m either lying or lying to myself. You can’t even imagine that there may be people who _really do think this way_. But you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/34 "2012-04-29T23:17:06Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/35 "2012-04-30T00:12:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Not buying it. If they had agreed to simply oppose Obama on “everything”, why did they need this specific plan: Then surely you can point to examples of Republicans cooperating with Democrats since 01/20/09. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/36 "2012-04-30T09:52:40Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Then surely you can point to examples of Republicans cooperating with Democrats since 01/20/09. They cooperate with the Democrats the way that Lucy cooperates with Charlie Brown by holding the football for him. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/37 "2012-04-30T14:20:29Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Then surely you can point to examples of Republicans cooperating with Democrats since 01/20/09. All I hear is crickets. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/38 "2012-04-30T14:45:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by BobLibDem > Then surely you can point to examples of Republicans cooperating with Democrats since 01/20/09. > [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > All I hear is crickets. Come on. There’s got to be something that the Repubicans cooperated on. - Renaming a post office in West Junction TN? - A declaration that squirrels are really, really cute when they beg for peanuts? - A bill congratulating the national spelling bee champion? ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/39 "2012-04-30T14:57:20Z")
> [@Euphonious Polemic](#): > > - Renaming a post office in West Junction TN? What’s wrong with Lynch 'Em All and Off Licence? > [@](#): > > A declaration that squirrels are really, really cute when they beg for peanuts? Handouts?! In my day, squirrels had to compete for food according to the God made rules of natural selection! Not that I believe in evolution of course. > [@](#): > > A bill congratulating the national spelling bee champion? Snob! ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984/40 "2012-05-01T12:50:48Z")
gamerunknown, that “snob!” quote/comment you made literally just brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robert-draper-gop-decided-to-oppose-obama-in-everything-on-jan-20-2009/619984.md?page=3)