New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg just did President Barack Obama a huge favor. <\/p>\n
He clarified, once and for all, the fact that the Republican Party is ideologically immune to bipartisan overtures. <\/p>\n
Sen. Gregg is a relatively moderate lawmaker from a relatively moderate state. He’s no fire-breather, as his winsome withdrawal speech made clear.<\/p>\n
But the philosophy of his party is so starkly different from Mr. Obama’s vision of where the country should go that Sen. Gregg simply couldn’t go along.<\/p>\n
Consider for a moment how dramatic that decision is. <\/p>\n
Sen. Gregg had the opportunity to influence one of the most important policy debates in post-War American history.<\/p>\n
He might have worked from within the Democratic administration to shape and soften some of the economic provisions that he disapproves of.<\/p>\n
If Mr. Obama proves to be successful, then Sen. Gregg and the GOP would have helped to avert a dire economic disaster.<\/p>\n
It’s also worth pointing out that the latest polls show that the stimulus measure is still broadly popular.<\/p>\n
What’s more, Mr. Obama is pushing a range of measures (government interventions in the marketplace, stimulus spending, etc.) that Republican presidents have embraced in the past — including Richard Nixon, George W. Bush and George Bush Sr.<\/p>\n
Democrats can also point to substantive points of compromise in the bill, which attracted the support of three other Northeastern Senators.<\/p>\n
If Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter support it, then it can hardly be outside the mainstream of American politics.<\/p>\n
But the Republican Party as a whole still very much wants the country to go in a different direction. <\/p>\n
And unless Barack Obama is willing to follow them, he should take Sen. Gregg’s message to heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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