GOP obstuctionism

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let me start off by pointing out that I'm some what of a fan of obstructionism - it slows government down and stops them from doing a bunch of "stuff".

That said, I'm interested in where people think the unheard of levels of Republican obstructionism will lead. This session, they are on pace to mount 153 filibusters, the previous record is 58.

Does the strategy of not letting Congress get anything done while screaming about Congress not getting anything done pay off for them, or does it end up backfiring?

Minority whip Trent Lott stated, "The strategy of being obstructionist, can either work or fail ... and so far, it's working for us."

I tend to agree with Trent that to this point it has worked (at least in terms of the very short term) for the GOP from a political stand point. I have my doubts that it will continue to work from a political stand point, as people become more and more aware of why things are not happening in Congress. Though I am surprised the Dems haven't been screaming "obstructionism" louder and more often, it seems like they would have learned a lesson or two from the GOP when the situation was reversed.

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And what about all the Democratic obstructionism before the Dems regained Congress? Both parties will always do the same.

The GOP is on pace to about triple the amount of filibusters ever mounted in a single session. So no, this is not the norm, not even close - no party ever taken obstructionism to this level before.