Good. From Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, who is consistently excellent in both reporting and analysis:
"I felt like there was a degree of audacity in him being there today, after passing his third large partisan bill," Corker told me, insisting Republicans had been stiff-armed by the White House on financial reform, health care, and the stimulus.
"I told him I felt like a prop afer the actions they had taken regarding bipartisanship," Corker said. "It hit a nerve."
Corker added that Obama came back at him with "quite a lengthy response," but he declined to share what, precisely, the president said
Greg Sargent, The Plum Line
How do I know it was a smackdown? I wasn't there, but my gut tells me that the President understands the limits of bipartisanship when all it means is capitulation to Republican policies that destroyed our economy.
Obama's sharpest accuser was Bob Corker of Tennessee, a first-term senator who feels the administration undermined his efforts to craft a bipartisan financial regulation bill.
"I told him I thought there was a degree of audacity in him even showing up today after what happened with financial regulation," Corker told reporters. "I just wanted him to tell me how, when he wakes up in the morning, comes over to a luncheon like ours today, how does he reconcile that duplicity?"
Four people who were in the room said Obama bristled and defended his administration's handling of negotiations. On the way out, Corker said, Obama approached him and both men repeated their main points.
snip
"He needs to take a Valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans," Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., told reporters. "He's pretty thin-skinned."
Obama gets an earful in clash with GOP senators
Yes, Wall Street did not get all it wanted and the Republicans are mad. There are reforms and while they may not go far enough, they are a start. So Corker is corked. Well FU Senator Corker.
I like the Fighting Barack Obama. Keep it up. We need you.
One more point. I am so tired of the sterile flame wars here over whether Barack Obama is cool or uncool. It really does not matter.
For progressive change to happen, we need everyone we can get to fight for it. Barack Obama may be too centrist for some of us, including me, at times, but we need to be together in fighting the Republicans.
There needs to be room for policy criticism that does not divide unnecessarily. Both "sides" of this divide need to work together.
To the left I say, Obama is the most progressive president since LBJ. I wish he were more left and more transformative, but we have sufferred through so many that were much to his right. He is far better than Clinton or Carter, in my view.
To those who are self selected "defenders of Obama", cut people some slack. There has to be room to disagree and still be part of a coalition.
Because if we destroy each other, then people like Corker will prevail.
Yes, I'm a fuckin naive idealist.
Update I: What is it about Southern, white Republicans that they seem to think it's okay to insult the President. Wilson shouting out you lie from the House during the state of the union. Corker insulting him by asking him how he "when he wakes up in the morning, comes over to a luncheon like ours today, how does he reconcile that duplicity?"
I am not one to hear dog whistles much, but sounds to me like Sen. Corker was doing a little here, especially bragging about accusing the President of duplicity.
This is a war. I know which side I am on.