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Transcript:
DOWD: To me, this is a perfect example of what’s gone wrong in Washington. I think Samantha Power is very competent and very qualified. I think Ambassador Rice is very competent and very qualified. But just because you can appoint somebody doesn’t mean you should appoint somebody. And to me, this is basically at a time when everybody says we need to lower the bitterness, and lower the vitriol and bring Washington and figure out a way to get all of this screaming and yelling, he basically sticks a stick in the eye of many Republicans and says, oh by the way, the people that you’ve been castigating, the people that you don’t trust I’m going to put in these two key positions.
STEPHANOPOULOS: He puts her in a White House position, not a Senate confirmable position. That would have been the more in your face move.
DOWD: No, this is even more in your face, George I think. It says we’re not even going to let you approve this. We’re going to put them now in charge of an agency as we’ve learned in the last few days..
KRUGMAN: You can also view this alternatively view this as saying I will not be bullied. You guys tore this person up for no good reason, and I’m going to show that that doesn’t actually work.
DOWD: I actually strength comes from trying to actually reach over to the other side of aisle, and trying to get something done.
KRUGMAN: Boy has this guy reached. He’s reached, and reached, and reached, and had all the fingers ripped off of hand at this point in his life.
Dowd was using the standard Republican talking point that Obama hasn’t reached across the aisle to Republicans. After four plus years of Republicans rejecting their own ideas when presented to them by this president, it is clear that what Republicans really mean when they say reach across the aisle is, “do exactly what I want.” Krugman was correct. Obama spent years reaching out to Republicans, only to be rejected each time.
The president eventually realized that Republicans were trying to run out the clock on his presidency by saying no, so he is working around them by doing things like naming Susan Rice to a White House position. Sure, Obama was sending a political message by appointing Rice. What Republicans fail to acknowledge is that they forced Obama to behave this way by refusing to work with him on anything.
Krugman’s statement was something that is rarely heard in the mainstream media. It was an actual acknowledgement of the real dynamic in Washington. The dysfunction in Washington was caused and is being perpetuated by the Republican Party.
President Obama has done his best, but reaching out to the other side will get you nothing if they refuse to say yes. This fact is often overlooked by a mainstream media that has happily swallowed the Republican narrative of a broken Washington hook, line, and sinker.





Nathan Godfrey
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 9:02 pm
Mr President,it’s time to stop being Mr Nice Guy to the republican asswipes. You need to do what you think is right for the people and the country. Start by kicking their ass and the hell with their feelings.They are not your friend sir so treat them the way they’ve been treating you.
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nabsentia23
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 8:09 am
Despite his attempts at bipartisanship, Obama has never been “Mr. Nice Guy.” And he’s even less so now. The appointment of Susan Rice proves that.
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Bob Robertson
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 9:28 pm
What a complete turd that Krugman is. Mouthpiece of the power elites.
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Churchlady320
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 9:47 pm
You don’t get out much, do you?
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jeff warren
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
mouth piece?power elite? justpointing out fact’s some people cant handle facts?
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TroN
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 10:28 pm
People who can’t accept the facts tend to talks like that. Krugman are one of the rarest voice in decline-free mainstream media networks.
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Nefer
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 11:36 pm
What a silly thing to say. Krugman’s a turd for stating a simple, documented, provable fact?
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Bonnie Fruchey-Mossing
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 12:40 am
Where do you get your information from? One can only guess.
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Tina Herald
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 2:26 am
You may disagree with Krugman but to say he’s a mouthpiece of the power elites is ridiculous. He’s pretty much the opposite. That would more likely be George Will at that table.
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nabsentia23
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 8:07 am
Nope, you’re wrong.
Krugman is just proven that it’s you who is the turd.
You have no idea what’s been going on in leftwing. All of us, even those who hate Obama, that this President has been devotedly bipartisan (to the point of utter frustration).
However, the majority of American voters are bipartisan and Obama’s continuous reaching out was to demonstrate that the GOP is not. The GOP knows this which is why they are flat-out lying at this point. They are trying hide the fact that from the very beginning, they plotted to obstruct Obama.
And since when has the GOP been reformers or adversaries of the “power elites?” They haven’t been since 1865. Since the turn of the 20th century, the GOP has been butt-kissers of the power elites. If Teddy Roosevelt were alive today, he’d tell you.
Shoot, in 1867, the GOP sold-out the newly freed slaves and the newly elected black GOP legislators in the South by ending Reconstruction.
So, go concern troll…
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djchefron
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 8:37 am
The right wing has a victim mentality.The IRS doing its job,how dare the jack booted thugs of the federal government ask for paperwork.Asking the rich to pay their fair share why are you picking on us the small business owners of the United States.Its what plays to their non thinking base.If I didnt get that job its because its affirmative action even if the other person has a masters while you’re finishing up night school for a GED.
That’s all they have to offer “We are the victims here”
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Dorothy Szymznshi
Jun. 9th, 2013 at 11:01 pm
Good for Krugman. It’s time someone stood up to the lying cry babies. Krugman is completely right. Republicans have bullied Obama from the beginning and now want to cry, he won’t play with me. It’s time for the President to be tuff.
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TYBANDIT
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 1:58 am
Dowd knows that, but he thought he could get away with saying such nonsense. Good that Krugman was there to call him on it.Lord knows little George wasn’t going to.
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Tina Herald
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 2:23 am
Dowd was quite a jerk. Because the crappy media can’t do their job regarding the fake scandals and allowed/helped the right wing to eviscerate Susan Rice Obama can’t nominate the person he trusts, thinks would do the best job and would have nominated to Sec of State. Then Dowd goes on to say Obama hasn’t reached out to whiny, sore loser Republicans. I’d say a president who’s adopted just about every policy Republicans have wanted/proposed in past 10 yrs is “reaching out”.
Regarding NSA, the current system w/ 2 layers of warrants/FISA court was the result and supposed remedy for Bush’s warrantless wiretapping (not just collecting phone #s but listening). There were thousands of Bush admin NSA letters of surveillance. Now everyone has completely forgotten about it, especially our pathetic Beltway press.
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j
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 7:14 am
Any politician who is now whining and saying they did not know about the NSA program (Rand Paul for one) has no business being in government service. The house and senate regularly vote to continue this program. There are briefings on a regular basis to give them an outline of what is happening which many of them do not bother to attend, they are too bu7sy running their mouth, badmouthing the president, or fund raising, or naming post offices and trying to stop health care (which is going to be a big push soon). In short – they have never cared about the NSA, they have one objective – to stop Obama.
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Mark
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 9:26 am
The Republicans’ idea of compromise is not “do exactly what I want.” It’s “resign and let us rule unopposed.”
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Charles Almon
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 10:36 am
Reach out to Republicans (to them)=
do everything our way.
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Barry Roope
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 11:50 am
Anybody that has been paying attention knows that the President has extended his hand countless times to the Republicans, and every time, he has pulled back a bloody stub, now that it is his second term, I say fuck the Republicans, he needs to hammer them in public every single day, every time they pull an asshole move, he needs to speak about it, he needs to destroy them while he still has the power, the Republicans have did everything to hurt him and America for the last 4 and a half years, now he needs to show them for what they are, Racists Self Serving Pigs.
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Director4u2c
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 7:36 pm
All these idiots are a joke. They are upset about this now? And not when Bush administration implemented this on steroids. Really? I guess their viewers are as stupid as they are.
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clennis05
Jun. 10th, 2013 at 10:02 pm
That GOP circle firing squad is cocked and ready, however, only one musket is packed with a blank. No way out except to dig,dig, dig baby. It’s not B.Y.O.F. (bring your own fork) the gatekeeper’s got plenty of them for all of you. Remember, be polite and don’t lie when you get there. That gatekeeper is unreasonable.
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TS
Jun. 11th, 2013 at 12:03 am
Wait. Let me get this straight. Appointing two “very competent and very qualified” people to important positions is “sticking a stick in the eye” of republicans? I don’t see how one can make statements like that and expect to be taken seriously.
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Shiva
Jun. 11th, 2013 at 12:10 am
You arnt good at reading comprehension or knowledge of current events are you
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