From TPM Reader JG …
Excuse me if I sound like a worry wart, but I am a little concerned that Obama is being punked by the GOPers on the stimulus bill. As I understand it, he has already changed the proposed bill to include tax cuts and made other changes to please the GOP. However, it seems that he has yet to get them to buy in. It would seem that rather than putting their proposals into the package upfront, it would be better if he made it clear that he would include their proposal only if they agree to support the bill. By making the concessions up front, he seems to be diluting his proposals, lending credibility to both the GOP’s proposals and criticisms of Obama’s package.
Or not so punk’d, from TPM Reader ND …
I have to disagree with your reader about his worry that Obama is getting ‘punked’ by Republicans. I am beginning to think that a lot of liberals are suffering from some kind of Stockholm syndrome with the republicans and conservatives giving them credit for every little move while trashing Obama and doubting him every step of the way. Though we may not like everything that is on the bill and should as progressives push for what we think needs to be done the comments I have seen go way beyond that. Calling into question Obama’s commitment to progressive causes and his savvy about how to get a good bill passed. People seem to forget that Obama is extending a hand not in order to get all the republicans to bend over for him (excuse the graphic description) but is doing this for a large audience. The ones getting punked are the republicans who will look childish and small when this is done. Obama is playing chess while the republicans and many liberals are barely doing checkers. Not a week in and already giving the cons more credit than the guy who won the election for our cause.
On this whole front, I would say it’s very important to distinguish between what the Obama folks are really doing and thinking and what’s just Beltway media nonsense.
Given the way that the insider media can define narratives, it’s easy to get the two confused or assume the one defines the other. I think that the healthy attitude is one of watchful skepticism but we should also not assume that the people in the White House don’t see that the Republicans are a largely discredited minority party with few cards to play, even if many reporters remain easy to play.
