But for as much as the White House can justly gloat over its strategy for securing Senate support, we shouldn’t ignore the extent to which it had a huge ally in persuading Democrats to stand with the deal. Namely, the Republican Party.In short, he claims the GOP refusal to compromise is a prime factor in Democratic cohesion. Since no compromise is possible, an all-or-nothing game inevitably follows, and in the case of Democrats prevailing (as they did with this deal and the passage of the ACA in 2010) the GOP walks away with little more than recriminations.
I'm not convinced he's right on all counts, but there are enough examples over the past 6 years to make this a credible theory.
