And When Exactly Did They Cooperate?

On August 12, Iowa's Chuck Grassley, ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee and member of the Gang of Six, characterized health care as a "government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma."

Five days later, Grassley acknowledged that if most Republicans were to vote against it, he, too, would vote against a bipartisan health care bill he might help craft.

Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona told reporters the next day that even if its concessions made it into the bill, the GOP was unlikely to support the health care reform bill pending, and eventually passed, in the Senate.

And South Carolina's Jim DeMint had employed a historical reference when in a conference call with tea party participants on July 17 he declared "If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

And shortly after following the "Hell no, you can't" rant (video below) of House Minority Leader John Boehner, all 178 Republicans, no doubt (sarcasm alert) voting their conscience, voted in lockstep to allow insurance companies to continue denying coverage to children and to drop loyal customers when they get sick, to block Medicare from covering more of the pharmaceutical needs of the elderly, and to leave 30-plus million Americans uninsured. All of them. Not to be confused with the House's previous vote (on its own bill), in which all but one Republican voting against health care. (Louisiana's Joseph Cao waited until the requisite number of votes for passage had been cast, then voted "aye" to preserve his career in a majority-black district.) And not to be confused with the vote in the Senate, in which all 40 Republicans voted against the bill which ultimately became law.

Those votes, in turn, were consistent with the GOP's cry of "No!" when a modest stimulus bill was proposed in the United States Congress and all 176 House Republicans, followed by 37 of 40 Senate Republicans, voted against it.

The New York Times recently summarized the legislative strategy of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who "warned against the lure of the short-term attention to be gained by going bipartisan, and linked Republican gains in November to showing voters they could hold the line against big government."

The Facebook page of the GOP's last vice-presidential nominee, according to The Huffington Post, "now carries a map featuring 20 gun sights, one for each of the Democrats targeted this year by her political action committee SarahPAC. Three of the gun sights, those where incumbent Democrats have already announced their retirement, are colored red." Mrs. Palin says supporters will "aim for these races and many others" in a "first salvo" to get conservatives elected.

A gas line between the propane tank and the grill at the home of the brother of freshman U.S. Representative Tom Perriello (D-Va)- one of several apparent attempts at intimidating supporters of health care- and the National Republican Congressional Committee takes "blaming the victim" to a new level:

Central and Southside Virginians are the ones who are going to have the bear the burden of increased taxes. What you're seeing is a frustration among his constituents who believe he's not listening to them.

Enter John McCain. The man who was the GOP's last presidential candidate warned on Monday during an interview with an Arizona radio affiliate

There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year. They have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've done it.

Please check the link. This is not from the Onion. And John McCain was not reported to have followed his absurd remark with a wry smile, a chuckle, and assurance that he was only joking.

In the presidential election lost by McCain and Palin, Republicans hit the mother lode. While the country voted for change, the nation, and the GOP, got a President who values bipartisanship and cooperation above all. To this all, the Repub Party said: not good enough. We want our agenda enacted. Otherwise, we will yell, scream, pout, and rationalize violent attacks upon our opponents.