Can President Obama "get along" with Congress?

I've just listened to the umpteenth MSM-ian sniveler stating the conventional wisdom that Obama hasn't "gotten along" with Congress and asking if there's any chance of his doing so, after the 2014 elections?

Of course we Democrats when remained of this question, tend to be drawn to the "moral equivalence" angle and the fact that the GOPs' Job #1 from the git go, is to NOT get along with Obama about everything and anything. So....to hell with THAT particular set of MSM-ian mewling!

But...it's ALSO true that Pres. Obama's not been best buddies with the Democrats in Congress, either. Some Democrats won't like this but....that's the #1 reason why I voted for him and what has made him such a good president.

It is a ridiculous argument, but the cable news networks have to fill 24 hours with something.

I can't really see the President convincing the likes of Ted Cruz or Paul Ryan to pass a minimum wage increase simply by having a few beers with them after hours. As you said, the Republicans in Congress made no secret of their agenda. Immediately after the President was elected, they announced their intention to do nothing but obstruct progress, and that is one political promise that they have actually kept.

NightSwimmer said:

It is a ridiculous argument, but the cable news networks have to fill 24 hours with something.

I can't really see the President convincing the likes of Ted Cruz or Paul Ryan to pass a minimum wage increase simply by having a few beers with them after hours. As you said, the Republicans in Congress made no secret of their agenda. Immediately after the President was elected, they announced their intention to do nothing but obstruct progress, and that is one political promise that they have actually kept.

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The GOP is the "dog bites man" part of my story. The fact of his not being "best friends" with the Democrats has been more telling from a practical standpoint.

As one for instance - let's consider the "sexual orientation / equal rights" question. In the past, at least some aspect of the Democratic Party would've "required" him to officially sign on with, and proclaim the righteousness of that cause. That tended to be counterproductive. Those who were aligned with that cause, were already solidly in the Democrats' camp. But..those floating around in the middle who were unconvinced albeit perhaps amenable to change, were made nervous by such public declarations.

I'm sure it was always assumed that Obama was at least "friendly" to the cause of orientation equality, but I think you'd have a difficult time pinning down any point at which he declared himself "all in" with that particular "team".

And yet.....the cause of orientation equality has been advanced more in the past 5 years, than all of the millennia prior.