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NEWSWEEK: What have you learned watching the Republican Party in the past 115 days or so?
OBAMA: What I've learned, I think, [is] that the Republican Party, like the Democratic Party after Ronald Reagan's election, when it's been in power for a long time, has trouble making an adjustment—not just to minority status but also to self-reflection. I think there's a certain period of time where you insist on talking only to your base instead of to the American people more broadly. And I suspect that they'll make an adjustment. There are some smart people over there and some good people who may disagree with me on specific policies but I think have sincere convictions and want to see the country succeed.
Right now they're sort of trapped in the pattern of having to appeal to the most ideologically pure wing of their party as opposed to thinking a little bit more practically. And that, I think, is putting a lot of Republicans who would like to work with us on specific, select issues—they might disagree with us on one thing but want to work with us on another thing—in an awkward position.
If you start marginalizing too many of those people, sooner or later the party starts figuring out, "Well, you know what, this is probably not going to work for us long term," and the adjustment is made. But it's a painful process. As I said, the Democrats went through it, and I expect the Republicans will get through it as well.
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- Retort of the day
- "Thanks for Sharing, Governor. Now Shut Up."
- Religious views of sex
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- And then there were sixty
- Quote for the day
- Health benefits and WWII
- Debating the public option
- Obama's speech to gay rights groups
- Ricci and judicial politics
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- "Terrible precedents"
- More on the latest Mankiw-Krugman spat
- "The Arbiter of Ignorance"
- "Forgive Mark Sanford"
- American and Iranian nationalism
- "Sorry sir, but this sewer is catch and release on...
- Credit where credit is due
- American Imaginer
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- Amateur hour
- A more interesting take on Sanford
- How are those bailouts comming?
- Bloggy takedown of the day
- The pitfalls of the public option
- Leaving bad enough alone
- Some choice you're giving us, lady
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- Missing the logic of recognizing his own would-be-...
- Guilty pleasures
- A tragic life
- Iran's Assembly of Experts
- Against mandates
- A different perspective on Iran
- Unbreakable no longer
- The more things change...
- 40% of income on healthcare in 2100 isn't so bad, ...
- In the shadow of the mountain
- Why the obsession with Sanford?
- Dick Van Patten explains why Jesus Christ is God
- Reponding to events in Iran
- Keeping quiet
- Detainee rights
- Blame the demons
- Rawr
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- Iran election tracker
- Recount
- Line of the month
- UAW jumps the shark
- Moore Award nominee
- Redneck nerdery of the week
- The first nerd presidency of the modern era
- Roger Cohen in Iran today
- Escalating violence in Iran
- Bravo, Ron Paul
- Wow
- The importance of local legitimacy
- PETA bait
- Pictures of Israeli settlements
- The professor vs. the fighter pilot
- Lesson in democracy for neocons
- About those smoking bans
- "Administration's Reform Plan Misses the Mark"
- Stage of denial
- Prophetic quote of the day
- Worldwide protests
- A genuine rally photo
- Potemkin rallies
- Manufactured controversy watch
- "The Laffer Curve of the Left"
- Tweet of the day
- The revolution will be twittered
- The minimum wage
- That Iranian "election"
- Favored constituency watch
- Quote of the day
- Ranking the public plans
- Punblic health insurance option, ctd.
- Quote of the day
- U.S. auto industry doing well
- Quote of the day
- Tipping the scale
- Procedure over innocence
- Nanny state cometh
- Freedom and responsibility
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- Obama reconsiders domestic agenda
- The next Iranian president?
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- Back to work
- A stock market primer
- After gay marriage
- Joe Scarborough
- Americans care about smaller government
- How stupid do they think we are?
- Misunderstanding markets, school vouchers edition
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