First, let’s define the term:
A situation in which a participant's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the other participant(s).
HCR is just the latest example of Republicans going for broke and losing BIG TIME.
This started to be noticed during the Gingrich era, Rethugs had to stay together, they needed to spew their ideological ravings with one voice. So there was no straying from the agreed upon line. It was easy to hold to one line as all the "moderate" Rethugs were to spineless to announce to the world, and their rabid, red meat eating leadership that they were unhappy. Once they got into the majority they actively went after conseraDems who could have been their natural allies. So where did this era end, with the government shutdown of 1995; and stories of Gingrich being pissed off that he had to sit in the back of Air Force One. Pictures on the national news of closed museums and disappointed tourists brought home to the American people that the Rethugs were a bunch of spoiled children who couldn’t be allowed to play with their toys alone.
So let’s speed forward 14 years. To 2009 when health care bills started to be put together Rethugs were given a chance to have input into the various bills. But Bevis and Butthead (Boehner and Cantor) decided that they would risk all on a strategy of obstructions. At the beginning it looked like a winning strategy. Reid and Obama sent out very strong signals that they wanted a bi-partisan bill, and were strongly rebuffed by Beavis and Butthead. As long as the Rethugs stayed together, and Democrats split into their usual warring tribes it could have worked. However, Reid suddenly said one day that reconciliation for HCR was still on the table. This should have been a waning sign to the Rethugs that NOW was the time to deal. But this was ignored; WHY? Because there was no one in the Rethug leadership who understands the art of the political deal. I would guess that there are not more than a dozen Rethug members who were in Congress when Rethugs and Democrats would sit down and compromise on major legislation. Their political calculus was when we win this vote we can win both the House and Senate in 2010 and assure Sarah Palin gets into the White House, and damage the current occupant.
Let’s look at what has happened now. We have Obama’s signature piece of legislation passed, without a Rethug fingerprint on it. We have broken the back of the Tea Party movement Yes, it was a zero sum game, and the Rethugs got the ZERO