The 112th congress has been, without disclaimers, one of the most counterproductive and divisive in the last century; a Republican-controlled funhouse of conservative/libertarian talking points steamrolled through the voting process and destined to die on the Senate floor. President Obama, in the meantime, has seen almost every major initiative, appointment, or bill stalled out on the Senate floor by filibuster-happy Republican minority. The Republican tactic here has been simple: stall out the Democratic agenda until we can get a conservative in the White House, or take the Senate. In the meantime, the GOP has been trying to point to Obama has a failed-policy President, or a do-nothing President, either of which would be the direct result of Republican obstructionism. This got me thinking, President Obama's only real opportunity to fulfill that "hope and change" promise from 2008 was in the first two years of his presidency. What consumed the majority of that time period? Healthcare Reform.
