A Good Question: "Are They Just Out of Ideas?"

Daniel Fishman of Washington University's Student Life newspaper has a good column today about Republicans' obstruction in Congress, their dishonest attacks and refusal to present alternatives on the big issues of the day. An excerpt:

[Rush] Limbaugh’s principle of opposing Obama even at America’s expense may be acceptable for a radio personality, but Republicans in charge of national policy should care more about America’s success. Republican House leadership put the year’s most important piece of legislation, health care, into the hands of House Minority Whip and 2010 Senate candidate Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and waited for him to unveil the Republican plan. The man who wants to be your senator guaranteed in June that he would provide a bill that "costs less and provides better care for the American people" than Democratic proposals. Representative Blunt’s plan still has not been released.

Rather than coming out with ideas on how to improve the American health care system, the Republicans chose to criticize the various Democratic proposals with lies. They said that the Democratic plans would create death panels and destroy Medicare in hopes that, as Senator Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said, it would “break” President Obama by making health care Obama’s “Waterloo.” Opposing the president on health care went so far that Representative Joe Wilson, R-S.C. broke Congressional rules and heckled the president during his speech to Congress. While opposition is the natural role of the minority party, this should be done with class and constructive ideas in order to produce better outcomes. The Republican Party simply criticizes whatever President Obama and the Democrats attempt rather than countering with ideas which could improve America.

You can read the whole column here.

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