“We have the votes. F—k ’em.” White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel thus outlined the new administration’s realpolitik in 2009, and President Obama has maintained this attitude toward Congress for eight years.

Emanuel and by extension Obama were talking about congressional Republicans and the $800 billion stimulus bill. Rather than working with the GOP to pass bipartisan legislation, the White House went with Chicago tactics and shut out the political opposition. When the votes were counted, not a single Republican had supported the bill.