The ‘Party of No’

March 3, 2007

In the 109th Congress, Republicans on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue had some fairly controversial policy ideas, which congressional Dems opposed vigorously. GOP and media critics started calling Dems the “party of no.”

U.S. News’ Gloria Borger wrote, “Social Security reform? No. Clear some judges? No way, Jose. Find some agreement on national security? Nyet…. Sad to say, the Democrats are becoming the party of no.”

The Senate Republican Conference followed suit: “Democrats continue to be the party of no — no ideas, no solutions and no progress. On the most important issues facing our country today, Harry Reid and Senate Democrats have repeatedly chosen to say ‘no.'”

All of a sudden, with the GOP in the minority, obstructionism doesn’t sound bad anymore. Consider, for example, what Grover Norquist argued this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

“Nothing good happens in the next two years out of this Congress. Nothing good.

“If you read in the newspaper that there’s a bill with a nice sounding name, and it sounds in the first sentence like the bill is good, you haven’t read the whole bill. Nothing good happens. They’re not going to cut taxes.

“Look, get married, develop a hobby, learn to belly dance, learn to golf — you know, we got two years free, but we gotta spend some time and effort playing defense here. Because the Democrats are going to be like young men on prom dates — they’re gonna keep asking the same question of us over and over and over again. And our job is to say ‘no, no, no, no’ for two years.

“It doesn’t do us any good to go ‘no, no, yes’ okay? It has to be ‘no’ for two years in a row. It’s going to be tiresome, it’s going to be boring. People are gonna go, ‘oh maybe this bill isn’t as bad as it looks.’ Don’t eat it, don’t swallow it, don’t touch it. Nothing good passes this Congress. Plan for the future and read novels.”

Advice for Dems: this is an opportunity. Start asking Republicans: “Do you agree with Grover Norquist that the next two years should be nothing but gridlock?”

Whiny, spoiled, tantrum throwing little brats. No more. No less. Was there really a quote at some time that RepubCo was “the party of ideas”? They accomplished nothing while in power, (from Norquist’s perspective, a very good thing), and they’ll make sure nothing gets accomplished while they are out of power.

America’s a barge that’s dead in the water and discharging a flood of money. Norquist’s corporate buddies are pirates in Zodiacs that are circling and boarding and ripping off everything they can. The barge may drift or sink but they’ll have their booty and that’s all that matters. To Norquist, nothing is everything.

American’s are pretty f’ing dense. They’ll go down with the barge if Norquist et al tells them that it’s best for the future of the barge if they do.

  • Norquist, Cheney et al are out to destroy the U.S. Government and Nation and take over all of its resources. This is a proven reality by their actions and words. They are as evil and as much an enemy as Al Queda. In 2 years if the Democrats hold all 3 branches of government, and there is no reason why they should not, it will be time to go after these traitors and criminals against humanity. The USA Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act will still be in force. Use Them!

  • This is great! What Norquist is saying aloud and on record is that republicans don’t believe in democracy, won’t participate in one, and place party above the will of the American people.

    Dems must keep promoting ideas that voters support, and force repugs to say no. Overwhelm them with opportunities to say no, and keep a count. Beat the hell out of them with their own obstruction next election — but don’t let them portray you as unable to get anything done.

    Belly dancing?

  • It is somehow fitting that a two-bit crook like Norquist is advising a bunch of corrupt, petty would-be dictators. I don’t want to hear anymore about “conservative” values. These people operate like the ultimate free-enterprise system—the Mafia. They make it easy to understand why ideologies such as communism got started.

  • The thing you have to understand about Norquist is that when government fails in any way–when you have a Brownie disaster in response to a hurricane, say–he sees it as a good thing. Norquist’s whole worldview is simply that government is worthless; that it does nothing well, and accordingly shouldn’t be allowed to do anything.

    His biggest fear–the development he knows would be death for his push toward what we might call anarchic corporatism (though Hobbesian Corporatism might be more evocative)–is the advent of new public programs that work. The New Deal, in Norquist’s eyes, was a blow from which it took the country more than 50 years to recover… because it was, at bottom, a state of mind that took it as read that government could add value to people’s lives, and did so.

    Any congressional action that helps expand economic opportunity, that makes life better for the always-in-play segment of the electorate (because Norquist is above all a political animal) we sometimes overgeneralize as “Reagan Democrats,” that proves the notion that government can work effectively as the public’s instrument of action, is a negative in his eyes… no matter how many lives might benefit as a result.

    He’s a monster, perhaps less viscerally offensive than the Coulters and Limbaughs, but far more dangerous.

  • beep 22 (#3) is right. as frustrating as it may get, dems should just keep introducing all those important bills that the american public wants, and make the repugs say no no no no over and over. and make them keep using that filibuster too. after a while even the biggest dimbulb will be able to figure out what’s happening.

  • Someone said, “a pox on the land” and the Republicancer party came forward. A fish rots from the head so it is no wonder, with the Dumbcider and his blazing IQ of 81 heading the Republicancer party, that our government is permeated with incompetents and crooks. The MSM should move to Nevada where prostitution is legal.

  • That should be a two-part question. Start asking Republicans: “Do you agree with Grover Norquist that the next two years should be nothing but gridlock?”

    No? Well then, what are YOU going to compromise on, in order to go along with the majority of the American people?

  • Why hasn’t someone drowned this son of a bitch in a bathtub yet? Whenever I think of Norquist I imagine that painting The Death of Marat, only with that bastard Grover’s face on it.

  • Grover is a funny man. Nothing came out of the last 6 years – when it was controlled by Republicans and he has the gall to say nothing good will come from the next two years while it is controlled by Democrats? Please. So lame. So predictable. So Grover.

    Republicans like to say the Democrats are the party of “no ideas, no solutions and no progress” well Republicans now have the mantle of no competence, no accountability, and no ethics. So hey I guess it is even. Not.

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