Gregg: Obama Never Could Get GOP Support On Stimulus (VIDEO)

Appearing on CNBC the day after he abruptly withdrew his nomination for Commerce Secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg made a rather blunt admission about the partisan intransigence that the Obama administration is forced to deal with.

From the transcript:

Carl Quintanilla: Well, Senator, since you were nominated it's become quite clear that the margin that the president is going to rely on in the Senate has come down to really three Senators."

Sen. Gregg: I think it's always been that margin.

Watch:

The remark suggests that no matter the extent or quality of White House overtures on the stimulus, 38 Republican Senators would be in opposition. In the same interview, Gregg detailed some of the philosophical areas on which he and the president could forge agreement. But there is something remarkably candid about admitting that Obama "always" had a margin of error of three Republican Senators when it came to an economic recovery package that the vast majority of elected officials consider vital.

Certainly, it's enough to spur a new round of debate over whether the notion of post-partisanship -- however noble -- is serving the president well or is a practical means of legislating. Privately and increasingly publicly, Democratic operatives are pining for the White House to move away from cross-the-aisle overtures.

But others say the long-term benefits are worth it, regardless of how many olive branches go unaccepted. I talked this morning with consultant Bob Shrum about this very topic, and here is what he had to say:

I don't think that Obama will abandon attempts at outreach across the aisle because I think they are helping him. I understand the conventional wisdom is that the process is in disarray. But in the end Obama comes out the winner because he looks open and reasonable. Gregg looked somewhere between goofy and dishonest while the Republicans in Congress look bitter and with no alternative.

I think maybe the political and chattering class doesn't get this but maybe the voters do. I think Obama will stay calm and focused. He won't react to the gyrations of the daily news cycle or the daily Dow. And I think that is smart. All you have to look at his approval ratings and the support for the stimulus where there was all this second-guessing.

Comments

[postman606]

Obama can give public lip-service to working with Republican Senators and privately do some arm twisting with the Senators from states that he won.

[stagebandman]

Senator, you had your chance. You turned your back on your president and your country. As far as I'm concerned, what you have to say now has absolutely no relevance.

[babymonster]

"Obama was never going to get support for the stimulus."

Obama should say:

"Republicans are never going to get reelected when I campaign against them."

Was it the eighties or the early nineties when the Republicans kicked out all their independent thinkers. The Republicans have no platform except for their greed, that is why they act like a mafia, nobody better get out of line. What is up with Reid suggesting this guy?

[stateretiree]

The President is a better person than I am, because there would not be one republican district get a single penny of this stimulus bill. If they did not want to support it then apparently their constituents do not need any kind of help.

[shockwave11]

good point

[howdidoodi]

The President is a better person than any R senator. These people obviously do not speak for their constituents, only their own mis guided and hopelessly out of date ideology. They should be told this by the electorate in no uncertain terms.

Love the ending of this piece by Frank Rich in the NYT yesterday:

"Republicans will also be judged by the voters. If they want to obstruct and filibuster while the economy is in free fall, the president should call their bluff and let them go at it. In the first four years after F.D.R. took over from Hoover, the already decimated ranks of Republicans in Congress fell from 36 to 16 in the Senate and from 117 to 88 in the House. The G.O.P. is so insistent that the New Deal was a mirage it may well have convinced itself that its own sorry record back then didn’t happen either. "

Read the rest of it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15rich.html?em

[Gatormouth]

Absolute "Free Trade" in military terms is unilateral disarmament. Fair trade rules are required for us to have a level playing field. Deliberate de-industr­ialization since the Carter administration has gone on too long. It was good for business and good for investors, but not good for the country as a whole. Factories were cheaper to build overseas, regulations looser, and labor cheap and easily manipulated. Our politicians were happy to represent those who funded their elections, rather then the voters who supposedly were their constituents. In the Great Depression there were shuttered factories available to absorb labor once the tide turned. No more.

Any new tech or industrial jobs created here, any available investment capital produced here, will only evaporate and trickle down overseas until we stop using “protectionism” as a four letter word. Our country is run by rule of law. FDR showed that the “Third Way” of regulated capitalism was superior to either Fascism or Communism. And bringing back the Sherman Anti Trust is a good first step! Super corporations are subverting our government, and companies too big to fail ARE too big. Do you recognize that Japanese Auto plants in our Southern States were able to severely impact our legislation for economic reform? Public finance of election is the next step.

As Al Capp pointed out via his character of General Bullmoose in Lil’ Abner, what is good for General Bullmoose is not always good for the country! But we all should know this.

[kay]

Gregg supported the stimulus before he was ordered not to. He lobbied for this job until he was ordered to step down.

That's principled. Sure.

He's pathetic.

[mmgbizgirl]

For some reason, every time I see this weasels face I want to throw a boot at it.

[Supercruize]

THe GOP didnt give a hoot. GW Bush always threatened to use his vete powers to get things done his way, or the GOP' s way. I dont know why Obama is trying to win over old dogs who are clearly not going to learn any new tricks. McCain might smile, even say a few jokes at a dinner "organized to honor him" but as soon as that is done, its business as usual. Obama should play some of the adverts that the GOP aired during the election to get an idea of who he is dealing with. He was not elected for bipartisanship, well, thats important but not most important. Let sleeping dogs lie mr president.

[Academic]

You've hit the nail right on the head my friend. I've said precisely the same in my articles and blogs elsewhere. And as someone who from the very outset of Barack's presidential campaign was there campaigning and doing a multiplicity of things to get him elected, I've said as much to him. The problem, though, is that Barack is inherently a decent and caring man who genuinely has the best interests of the United States and its people, who he deeply love, at heart and would really like to involve all shades of opinion elected to Congress – Democrat as well as Republican or Independent. The same can't be said, unfortunately, for the Republicans; most of whom, including John McCain, would smile at you and then ruthlessly stab you in the back. Besides, most of then detest the notion of an African American “nobody” as they see him still being President of the United States. And in actual fact would like to see business as usual, as it was under George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

So I think it's up to Barack to get on and do the job he was elected to and let the Republicans go hang themselves. The American people aren't stupid. They know who got them into this mess and who is genuinely trying to get them out of it.

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[independent32955]

Obama needs to lead and the dems in Congress need to legislate. They need to either stand on their principles and hope it works out or step aside and give it back to the GOP (God forbid)

The republicans and quite honestly their supporters will likely do whatever they can do make America fail over the next few years...that is something we must accept. They do NOT want to see America succeed if that means Obama and the Dems are responsible for fixing it.

A sad, sad day for America. I find it admirable that Obama wants to reach out. He should continue to do so, because the President is the president of ALL Americans, but he should also realize that he can only reach so far...at some point, the republicans will need to reach for him too, or go away!

[Mugzi]

So true...the true repug colors are showing and it isn't pretty! I'm curious who is pulling their strings,..

[SteveDenver]

I also agree that Obama needs to continue outreach, because somewhere along the way a Republican may agree and decide to reach back.

I also agree that Obama needs to reach only so far and Republicans must respond. To overreach is capitulation to Republican intransigence, probably resulting in Obama forfeiting what he knows is correct to do.

I am incredibly proud of Obama and reject the ranks of those who try to judge his presidency by its first month.

[OhioObamaVoter]

Did anyone else just hear Rachel Maddow's interview with Ray Lahood, Sec of Transportation? Very interesting... Mr. Lahood, Republican, seems quite confident in his ability to be an effective part of the Obama cabinet. He is supportive of the stimulous bill and in disagreement with House Republicans as to the idea that transportation and infrastructure spending included in the bill is wasteful and does not promote jobs. He didn't seem to understand Sen. Gregg's "asking for the job" of Commerce Secretary and then suddenly withdrawing. I believe Mr. Lahood may be my favorite Republican.

[the964kid]

Gregg: jacka** of the year award.

[Chbronze]

The republicans will be bipartisian when it is in their interest. Just because democrats want republicans to buy into Keynesian economics, does not mean we will. Where was the bipartisianship for the last few years of the Iraq war, or on Gitmo, we finally had some bipartisianship on FISA, but that was hard fought. Democrats, like republicans use bipartisian to mean come over to my side, not let's find comprimise.

[lovenews]

Hmmm..the last time Democrats supported the Repugs they later found out that it was all based on a lie.

There will be no Repug support of this bill because the Repugs are spending all their time drafting attacks against all the postitive outcomes of the bill.

They can't afford to allow the public to believe that a Democrate cleaned up yet again after a Bush.

[nibblybits]

They will oppose everything Obama does, because his success will mean their marginalization for years to come.

[Phalanxman]

It is abundantly clear that the Republicans have collectively decided to take a block, delay, criticize and don't cooperate with the will of the majority position. All this means is we'll have to vote more of them into a day job come 2010.

[slarabee]

Like that is new news.

[Firestarter]

Time to mobilize the campaign machine against these Repuk.es! Gregg is a spineless pu.nk. He could have grown a pair and said he would not be an obstructionist, but he cowered like the littel RepubliGIRLS they are. A bunch of men acting worse than toddlers, this is truly pathetic. There are those on the RepubliGIRLS side that feel its against their rac !st values to work with someone of color. This is sad and this is why they need to go. Time for action..who is up for a recall?

[spartanmom]

Why are you using GIRLS like it's a bad thing?