Enough of the Republicans' shenanigans!

By George Uriesi

 Barack Obama is rightfully signaling that he's had it with Republican shenanigans. And it's about time too...
Any objective observer knows that Obama came to the White House intent on living up to the spirit of his keynote speech at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in July 2004 when he postulated that the US was neither blue nor red, but the United States of America.
So for the first couple of years of his Presidency, he went out on a limb, to the chagrin of his base, always offering huge concessions to the Republicans in Congress, even before negotiations on any matter. Apparently he thought this was a good and unusual way to demonstrate good faith.
Instead, all the man got in return was abuse from both sides of the aisle. Democrats were apoplectic, calling him weak and a sellout. Republicans completely ignored his repeated demonstrations of good faith and instead stonewalled everything he tried to do. Yet he persisted in the hope that his approach would eventually win him some key converts and break down the resistance. But alas!
Turns out that even while he was busy celebrating at several events on inauguration night, the Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was holding a meeting and stating that his number one priority was to ensure that the brand new President would be a one term President! What do you know?
(By the way, there's no way anyone can possibly convince someone like me that that wasn't a racially motivated posture by Mc Connell. He just couldn't accept that America had elected a black President. So the next best thing was to get him out asap! The slimy bastard)!
Anyway, with time, it became clear to Obama that these Republicans were not ready to work with him on any level, on anything whatsoever. They just hated him personally. Even in matters that they had proposed themselves, as soon as Obama indicated that he supported their proposals, they turned coat immediately. They couldn't be seen to agree on any matter with this terrible Kenyan in the White House.
Even where conspiracy theorists and racists concocted all sorts of smears about the President, very few Republicans would come out to dismiss the nonsense. They stood by and watched the birther hysteria and stupidity and many even joined in propagating it. They manufactured lies and accused him of introducing death panels and so many other unprintable fallacies in the affordable health care law.
Throughout his Presidency, they have demonstrated nothing but intense hatred, disdain, disrespect and disregard for this President. And the man has remained cool, calm and calculated throughout. That's how he outwitted them and beat the hell out of them again in 2012 to get re-elected. And that's how he has bested them again and again and again, much to their eternal angst!
Finally, by the beginning of his second term, Obama had become very clear about the rigidity of the Republicans. They were not going to budge. So he began to slowly but surely retreat from his unrealistic approach and instead started to play them at their stupid game. He stuck to his guns and with the passing of time, the statistics began to show how hugely successful Obama has been as President...
His stimulus package upon assuming office prevented a second great depression and his economic policies have led to the longest private sector job gain streak in US history- 55 consecutive months! Check. Unemployment down to 5.8% from more than 7.8% when he came into office and going down. Check. 64 consecutive months of economic expansion with GDP growth recording 3.5% last quarter for the first time since 2006. Check.
What's more? A two-thirds reduction in the federal budget deficit from 9.8% of GDP when he assumed office to 2.9% of GDP in 2014. Check. 10 million perviously uncovered people now with health care coverage, leading to the highest number and percentage of Americans covered by health insurance ever. Check. Health care cost increases at the slowest rate in decades. Check. The stock market has continued to break records. Check. While of course, the cost of gas has cratered. Check!
And to borrow from the Republicans under President George W Bush (who by the way presided over the 9-11 attacks), he has kept the country safe from day 1! Check!
By any standards of modesty, this is an exceptional outcome given the political environment in which this President has had to operate. Yet the Republicans have forcefully pushed through a fallacious narrative that makes him out to be a failure and a lot of Americans have fallen for it. Not to mention his fellow Democrats, the cowards that they are.
But Obama's mission is not by any means over. There are still key elements of his promised program yet to be delivered. These include Immigration reform, acting to protect the Environment, achieving equal pay for men and women and raising the minimum wage to assuage wage stagnation and its effect on the lowest earners in America, amongst many other issues.
Because of a contentious mid term election, he held back on moving on these important matters, so as not to jeopardize fellow Democrats struggling to hold their Senate seats in tough constituencies. And he took a lot of flak for that.
Alas, the elections are over now and he doesn't have to kowtow to scaredy-cat Democrats anymore. So he's thrown down the gauntlet on the first item on his fourth quarter agenda- Immigration. The Republicans have played him on it for years. But at last, he's finally calling their bluff. By going ahead to take executive action tomorrow, the President has extended his middle finger to them!
President Obama is clearly demonstrating that he's determined to finish his Presidential program and defend his legacy in these last 2 years. He's saying to congressional Republicans "distort my actions and intentions all you want. Obstruct me all you want. But I am going to pursue and deliver my program in my last 2 years. If you guys like, go ahead and impeach me as you like to threaten. But I'm now totally sick and tired of your nonsense"!
No doubt the Democrats will have no choice but to rally around him now, not just for their political sakes, but more importantly for the 2016 presidential election. And it is in this long game that Obama has beaten the Republicans again and again!
Watch this space...