Succeeding at Failure: Republicans Drag Down Congress

The Republican strategy of obstruction is working. The latest Pew poll shows Congressional Favorability Falls to 24-Year Low [1]

Former Senate Republican Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss, didn’t hide his goals. "The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail...and so far it's working for us [2]," he told Roll Call in April of 2007.

We call the technique “block and blame [3].” Obstruct all progress, and blame Democrats for getting nothing done. We documented it carefully in the previous (110th) session of Congress. Republicans set a new record for filibusters. [4]

Bob Borosage called it “knee-capping the postman [5] and then complaining that the mail is late.” (July 30, 2008).

He predicted, “They’ll bring down the temple [6]in the hope that both parties will be equally discredited in the rubble.” (August 2, 2007)

Sadly, his prediction is proving true. People still agree with Democrats [1]on most issues, but they don’t parse the partisan bickering. It just looks like dysfunction in Congress, and the Democrats are in charge. As Pew puts it, “this could take a toll on the Democrats [1]in the 2010 midterm elections.”