Ever since the November elections, the Republicans have telegraphed their next attempts to move the goalposts farther to the right, saying "we will not compromise."
Progressives, I'm here to tell you they are ABSOLUTELY right.
Now is NOT a time for compromise. And to be frank, we have nobody but the Democrats to blame for the continual rightward moving of the goalposts because those goalposts can only move when the Democratic Party does not stand for its principles.
Rewind to the 2008 elections, when Barack Obama and the Democrats swept into Washington with a message of hope and change. The Republican brand was so tarnished, so damaged by eight years of incompetence in the White House that took a booming economy and budget surplus and destroyed both, that some pundits even suggested that the GOP change its name.
This was a perfect opportunity for Progressives to really put their collective boots on the throat of the Republican Party, and achieve the social changes that the electorate so clearly wanted after the 2008 elections. Instead, we've bent, compromised, and given up on some of the real issues that could bring real relief to middle-class families.
So while this President has accomplished some great things while in office, there are those of us who are utterly disappointed because we know what could have been.
We had an opportunity for some substantial change, and we blew it by our misguided insistence on "bipartisanship" and "compromise."
Now is NOT the time for compromise - at least not in the form that compromise exists in the Democratic Party, which is total capitulation to the Republicans.
But you can't negotiate with Republicans. Remember The Terminator:
It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.
It's important to keep that in mind, because that's the Republican worldview. They have no interest in cooperation. They have a singular worldview.
Say wait, that sounds familiar... almost like we're dealing with terrorists. Then again, they are the American Taliban...
At the same time, it's common knowledge that you don't negotiate with terrorists.
Why?
Terrorists only see their own agenda so negotiations do little to resolve the issue. The terrorists demand that their aims are the only ones that are important enough to be satisfied and prove through their actions and words that there is no compromise with them. Note that no matter the outcome the terrorist may still be a hero to many so negotiating with them gives the terrorists greater recognition and enables their group to commit even more violent acts or change conditions.
You don't say...
However, terrorists often look upon others not of their beliefs as sub-human and only consider the release of the hostage, not whether they are alive or not. Trying to make terrorists understand through human emotions is difficult if not impossible.
Looking upon others not of their beliefs as sub-human? You mean like demonizing words like "liberal" or calling them "socialist" or "nazi"?
The agenda and only the agenda is all that matters to them and their minds have usually been trained to think of others as targets. ... Trying to compromise or negotiate with a terrorist is often pointless and can weaken the nation thsat negotiates.
If we need guidance on this, let's turn to another Republican icon...
"We do not negotiate with terrorists."
-Ronald Reagan
For all these reasons above, we can no longer afford to negotiate with Republicans. We have created this monster, now we must tame it.
It's time that we as Democrats stand up and agree that we can not cede one more inch to the Republicans. Not a single inch. The time for compromise and bipartisanship has passed.
We can simply not afford to negotiate with those who refuse to negotiate in good faith. And can anyone credibly make the argument that the Republicans have come close to doing that since 1994?