Whence Obama now? Look to financial reform

And, it’s going to be another tough slog, as Senate Republicans try to characterize white as the new black, up as the new down. Financial regulation as the new ‘big bank bailout.’

My dear readers, the bloody battle of health care reform hath chastened the GOP not.

Read what economist Paul Klugman of The New York Times has to say, and how he frames the coming fight:

Punks and Plutocrats

Health reform is the law of the land. Next up: financial reform. But will it happen? The White House is optimistic, because it believes that Republicans won’t want to be cast as allies of Wall Street. I’m not so sure. The key question is how many senators believe that they can get away with claiming that war is peace, slavery is freedom, and regulating big banks is doing those big banks a favor.

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Does America need GOP racist and 'baby killer' kind of bipartianship?

Like it wasn’t enough for health care reform opponents to hurl racial and anti-gay epithets at civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, and openly gay Sen. Barney Frank. They spit at black legislators.

Then, since that wasn’t enough, civility on the floor of Congress hit a new low thanks to Texas Republican Randy Neugebauer, who called out to Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) “it’s a baby killer.” This is the same Texas Republican that introduced ‘birther’ legislation calling for public displays of presidential birth certificates - the implication being that President Obama can’t produce one and may not be a legal citizen.

Limbaugh jumps in with his own brand of vitriol:

Will somebody please ask Limbaugh to tell us specifically what action he’s calling for?

John McCain says: 

” There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year. They have poisoned the well in what they’ve done and how they’ve done it.”

Gosh, John … who poisoned the well?

What all of these people seem to forget: It isn’t just about them.

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