From a New York Times story about the Republican response to recent IRS revelations:
Since last year's elections, Republicans in Congress have struggled for traction on their legislative efforts, torn between conservatives who drove the agenda after their 2010 landslide and new voices counseling a shift in course to reflect President Obama's re-election and the loss of Republican seats in the House and the Senate.Really? In the Republican Party? Who are these "new voices counseling a shift in course to reflect President Obama's re-election and the loss of Republican seats in the House and the Senate"? I haven't encountered any. Have you?
Oh, sure, certain members of the GOP are pursuing immigration reform -- but they're doing that for their own party's benefit, not because they want to cooperate with the president. And yes, Republicans have refrained from destroying the full faith and credit of the United States since the election -- but that's at the request of their wealthy donors, not because they want to play nice with the White House. And yes, admittedly, one -- one -- Republican, Pat Toomey, seemed to work hard on a gun bill, but he's in a state Obama won by 5 points and the state has an extremely unpopular Republican governor.
These "new voices counseling a shift in course to reflect President Obama's re-election and the loss of Republican seats in the House and the Senate" are having no ultimate impact on budget and tax issues, on guns, and now on whether the GOP should go Javert on the president for the next three and a half years. Who are these voices? Why can only Beltway journalists hear them?
