Republicans, Not Obama, Should Hit Reset Button

Republicans are suggesting that President Obama hit the reset button on his administration.

"What we really need to do is start over," Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said on Sunday's "Meet the Press."

"If he wants to meet us in the middle of the political spectrum, we'll be there to help," McConnell said, adding that it would give him "much more cooperation" than he had in his first year.

Well, maybe the Republicans should hit the reset button. Over the last year, they have shown that they are more interested in politics than helping to address some of the most serious issues in the country.

Take the the comments of Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, for example. He said defeating President Obama's health care proposal would be the president's "Waterloo":

"If we're able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him," DeMint said.

DeMint or Republicans have not disputed those comments. They have instead pushed a false narrative that providing health care for Americans will turn this country into a socialist regime. Individuals should educate themselves and get the facts.

That's why remarks about Obama needing to hit the reset button or become more centrist fall flat. Republicans have had control of the country for 8 years. The policies of President George W. Bush are one of the main reasons Obama won and has had to hit reset on everything from financial regulations, taxes and how America relates to other countries.Health care is President Obama's top domestic policy because of the drastic effect it has on individuals and businesses. Forty-six-million Americans don't have any health coverage. Only people who have health coverage would say that it's not a right that Americans don't deserve.

We are the only industrialized country that does not guarantee health care for its citizens and the only one where people are allowed to go bankrupt because of medical bills. Businesses are drowning from the cost of health care.

It's so discouraging to think that so many Americans don't care whether other Americans have health care. Unfortunately, it's not until people hit hard times and lose their jobs and homes through no fault of their own do they understand the importance of this country's safety net.

President Obama is expected to introduce initiatives in his state of the union address, which would help middle class families. His proposals will address issues, such as "tax credits for child care, caps on some student loan payments and a requirement that companies let workers save automatically for retirement," the New York Times reports. The proposals are not expected to cost a lot of money and some suggest they indicate that Obama is adopting a more populist tone.

The Republicans should also think about ways to cooperate, so that a health care bill can pass. Instead of withdrawing from the process and playing politics, maybe they need to adopt a more populist pose.

Or maybe the American people need to hit the reset button and demand that lawmakers do what is best for millions of Americans.