OH, WE'RE SORRY. WE FORGOT THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THE MARQUIS OF QUEENSBURY RULES WHILE YOU GET TO KICK US IN THE NUTS

Congressman: Democrat Leadership Threatening 'Retribution' for Dems Who Cooperate with White House

Rep. Paul Ryan (R.-Wis.) was asked at a CATO conference in Washington yesterday whether he had persuaded any Democrats to back his plan to rescue Social Security from its financial troubles. Under his legislation (HR 4851), no new taxes would be needed to pay for "transition costs," participation in the new system would be voluntary and individuals would be allowed to divert a portion of their payroll tax into a mutual fund....

"We were in planning stages [with friendly Democrats]," said Ryan. But each essentially told him: "I like what you're doing. I like this bill. I think it's the right way to go. But my party leadership will break my back. The retribution that they are promising us is as great as I have ever seen. We can't do it."...

--Allan Ryskind in Human Events Online

No matter how many times they lose, they still want to define "bipartisanship" as "doing what the Democrats want."

--right-wing blogger C. D. Harris

Apparently, bipartisanship is not a two-way street.

--right-wing blogger Betsy Newmark

*****

...Bob Dole, after having told me earlier that we would work out a compromise on the issue, announced that he would block any health-care legislation and make my program a major issue in the November congressional elections. A few days later, Newt Gingrich was quoted as saying the Republican strategy was to make health-care reform unpassable by voting against improving amendments. He was as good as his word. On June 30, [1994,] the House Ways and Means Committee voted out a universal coverage bill without a single Republican vote.

The Republican leaders had received a memorandum from William Kristol, former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle, urging them to kill health-care reform. Kristol said the Republicans couldn't afford to allow anything to pass; a success on health care would present a "serious political threat to the Republican Party," while its demise would be a "monumental setback for the President." At the end of May, at a Memorial Day retreat, the Republican congressional leaders decided to adopt Kristol's position.

--Bill Clinton, My Life, p. 601