Kevin Madden Republican strategist :
On Judd Gregg:
Senator Gregg’s nomination withdrawal underscores just how unpalatable the Democrats’ massive stimulus spending bill has become. Republican lawmakers cannot, in good faith, abandon their governing principles in favor of such a massive waste of taxpayer money on just more government programs.
I expect that President Obama’s overture toward Senator Gregg had more to do with tokenism and pageantry than any real and significant step towards crafting a bi-partisan policy agenda. Again, President Obama’s greatest challenge is his willingness to confront the elements within the Democratic Party that are thoroughly uninterested in forging the grand coalitions needed to confront the challenges facing the nation.