GOP looks to serve as check on Obama, Democrats

[ducks]

WASHINGTON – A top House Republican says there is a willingness to try to work with President-elect Obama to get things done.

But Rep. Eric Cantor also says to expect Republicans to serve as a check and balance against the power held by Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California.

Cantor, a Virginia Republican, is running to be the second-ranking Republican in the House — the job of minority whip.

Meanwhile, Obama's transition chief says the incoming administration is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on stem cell research, oil and gas drilling, and other matters. John Podesta says the idea is that a president can use such orders to move quickly without waiting for Congress to act.

Cantor and Podesta spoke on "Fox News Sunday."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081109/ap_on_el_pr/obama

[clambake]

i wouldn't let them "check and balance" the tires on my car.

[boutons_]

Repugs lost Congrssional majority in 2006 and have since blocked Dems' legislation with 100+ Senate filibusters in under 2 years, more that all the Dem filibusters in the preceding 6 years.

As asshole Cantor says, I expect the Repugs, esp now the remaining are hard-core hard-ass ideologues, to interpret, as an exercise in pure fantasy, their total defeat and increased minority status as a mandate to block, compromise, destroy every single Dem legislation and then place all blame for obstructionism on the Dems.

[timvp]

The GOP needs to stay out of the way, for the most part. Unless Obama and the Dems start getting too budget increase happy, it's time to see what they're made out of.

Obama has some good ideas and I'm pretty sure he knows the difference between some of his campaign fibs that got him elected and real issues he must tackle. If the GOP simply goes against everything just because it is coming from Obama, they'd be doing everyone a disservice. If Obama sinks instead of swims, the situation would be rectified in 2012 anyways.

[MannyIsGod]

Well I may want to stop Tim Duncan in the post but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it. When you don't have power you don't have power. And although its a longshot because of the Georgia race, Dems can still get to 60 seats in the Senate and will likely end up with 59.

[baseline bum]

The GOP needs to stay out of the way, for the most part. Unless Obama and the Dems start getting too budget increase happy, it's time to see what they're made out of.

Obama has some good ideas and I'm pretty sure he knows the difference between some of his campaign fibs that got him elected and real issues he must tackle. If the GOP simply goes against everything just because it is coming from Obama, they'd be doing everyone a disservice. If Obama sinks instead of swims, the situation would be rectified in 2012 anyways.

Not if the religious right stays on the Palin bandwagon. Maybe if they're smart enough to pick a guy like Jindal instead.

[spurster]

I would hope that they do check up on the Democrats. However, the Senate is the only place where they can stop anything and only then if they are united.