I've said it before: Obama doesn't have to BE "bipartisan" as long as he APPEARS bipartisan.

You miss my point..

Which is that, it's not OBAMA who has any problem with being (or appearing to be) bi partisan.

It's the VAST majority of Democrats who claim to support OBAMA yet still feel free to be bigoted towards fellow Americans who just happen to have a different political ideology than they do..

That's not being a liberal and that's not supporting Obama..

Michale....

From MyDD:

"In a March CBS/New York Times poll, a clear majority (56%) wanted President Obama to pursue the policies he promised in the campaign rather than working in a bipartisan way with Republicans (39%). An even larger majority (79%) wanted Congressional Republicans to work in a bipartisan way with the President rather than sticking to Republican policies. By refusing to do so, it is the Republicans and not Barack Obama who are now polarizing American politics and, as a result, it is they who are polarized from most of their fellow citizens as well."

-CW

I'm thinking the GOP may have to lose another election before they wake up and realize that playing just to their (shrinking) base is simply not working. One can only hope, in any case.

kevinem2 -

Yeah, pretty good response rate on HuffPost for this one, getting featured on the front page works wonders some times!

Michale -

I've said it before: Obama doesn't have to BE "bipartisan" as long as he APPEARS bipartisan. Cynical? Political? OK, guilty as charged, but that's the nature of the game some times. This appears to be working out just dandy for him, as poll after poll shows the public sees Obama as reaching out, and the Republicans doing nothing but obstructing. "The party of no" label is catching on, and it could doom Republican chances for 2010 if they don't counteract it within the next six months or so. The funny thing is, when you look at everything Congress has been doing, there have actually been some important bipartisan votes, but it doesn't fit into the media's storyline, so they ignore them. I will be interested to see if Republicans start slowly moving towards bipartisanship the closer we get to next year's elections. It could happen, or it could go the other way. It'll be interesting to watch, though.

-CW

It's utterly mind-boggling..

Michale.....

I don't understand how Rush Limbaugh can breathe when he sits down...works equally well if you insert your favourite wingnut's name: Hannity, Beck, Coulter, Bachmann etc.

Good to see lots of responses to this piece on Huffpo. Elizabeth- your alter-ego is sure busy on Huffpo :-)

What strikes me these days is how the GOP keeps doubling-down on Teh Wackyâ„¢. Newt threatens to start a third party if the GOP doesn't get its act together (read: set a right-wing agenda), the House GOP leadership presents an "alternative" budget that's damn close to a flat tax, etc. They are down to their base, and the base keeps shrinking, but they keep pulling out their loopiest ideas and most incendiary talking points -- and then have the cojones to accuse Obama of being a "polarizing" figure.