What bothers me is he spouts the 'this is not about party politics' and 'we all need to work together and stop the bi-partisanship' publicly, but he practices (or in many cases congress) the opposite. For people who only listen to the public rhetoric, they don't know any better. They believe what he says without looking at his actions.


>I didn't say polarization has ratcheted up. I said it hasn't gotten any better, which I had (probably foolishly) hoped it would.
>
>(Imagining Emily Litella saying, "What's all this about Poland? What did they do to anyone?")
>
>For about the third time, I was not blaming it on one wing or the other. It's both of them.
>
>>I haven't read it yet,either, but he's a libertarian so I'm sure I'd agree with most of it.
>>
>>As to polarization, Mike, do you think that just ratcheted up for no good reason? What would you expect from a Presidency where he fingerpoints to his predecessor for all blame? Or a Congress who changes the rules at will to exclude the minority and shuts them out of meaningful meetings? Or a Speaker who you can tell when she is lying because her mouth is open?
>>
>>What I find supremely ironic is that the left spent 8 years calling Bush the evil, imperial President that he really never was yet is blind to the nakedly imperial Presidency of Obama. Every day there's a new example but you folks aren't paying attention and the media is sycophantic. Today was the signing of the ASEAN treaty on Presidential authority bypassing the Congressional role in treaties as outlined in the Constitution.
>>
>>To wit: I have somewhat of a problem with what Obama does but I have a REAL problem with how he does them. By any definition he's the most dictatorial President we have had since Lincoln - who at least had the excuse of a Civil War.
>>
>>If you're an inch-deep partisan who agrees with his policies and isn't terribly concerned with the traditional balance of power then have fun. Otherwise, be very afraid.
>>
>>>Key word = "right" I bet ;-)
>>>
>>>I wish there was some way we as a country could get past all this polarization. Call me naive but I genuinely had hope that Obama would bring people with different positions closer together. After six months in office it is already clear we are still as polarized, if not more so, as we were through the Clinton and Bush years. People don't just disagree any more. Now it has gone way past that into demonization and cries that the other side is leading us on a path to hell.