This article came out on Huffington Post talking about Obama's strong words for the GOP's obstructionism. Just like the stimulus, he is hoping that he can garner some bipartisan support for his health care reform so he won't need to jam it down their throats (perhaps what they resent the most is the fact that there is really nothing they can do to stop legislation these days). As some point out, this is kind of like a much friendlier version of Reagan's ultimatums in 1991 that the Democrats had better get on board lest they be sent to the "political wilderness" when it was he who had the enormous mandate.
Now, those hoping the GOP will come around are not realizing something fundamental about politics these days. The Republicans are stuck in a precarious position--they can either update their policies and move with the country a little more to the left, or they can try and "return to their principles." Reforming will be disastrous for their (special) interests, though, and they are unlikely to give that up until they absolutely have to. This has lead McCain to denouncing some of his own daughter's comments, she being one of the few voices among the right to be updating some of the more archaic positions. Right now they have one shot, the one that Rush Limbaugh so famously articulated: "I hope he fails."
While just as cynical, this is not an "America should die for voting for who was better" kind of deal. It's a political necessity. Unlike the democrats, who went along with almost everything Bush did and thus share some of the blame (and political damage), the GOP has a smarter angle. They are playing a kind of Pascal's Wager.
Basically going with Obama is a lose/lose for them--if he fails, it'll be partly because of them, and anyone who voted with him will receive criticism as well: a political wash. If he succeeds, even if they are part of it it'll seem like they are admiting that they were wrong, and there will be a very stark comparison between the failed Bush years and the successful Obama years. His policies will be unbeatable in elections. In the event that his policies fail, and they happened to have been on board, then they will suffer a double whammy: they ruined things when they were in charge, and then they rolled over and allowed things to get ruined again. This leaves only one option for any Republican wishing to get reelected (or maybe even gain some seats); that he does fail, and they are seen as the voice of reason.
If I am right and this is their strategy, it is an all or nothing grab for power at the expense of an operating, bipartisan government. They will see the limited influence that they wielded over the stimulus disappear as liberals realize that concessions won't necessarily translate into votes. This means that only the GOP can be blamed should their newly loved "debate" disappear and Washington becomes a partisan liberal-fest (fingers crossed). And it's dangerous for the Democrats should it take more than four years for things to start getting better--should that happen, and the Republicans play the "look he failed and we told you he would," then we could be looking at a Republican president again. Can you imagine a Bush or McCain trying to tackle the problems we have or take over the extremely complex and delicate policies that Obama is putting in place?
Let's hope he clearly succeeds, and quickly, and let his administration realize what they are dealing with.
