On Thursday evening, an unpopular president told an unpopular Congress to get to work and pass his jobs bill. Right away, as he said several times. President Barack Obama repeatedly tried to sweeten the deal by reminding his skeptics across the aisle that many of the ideas in his bill were Republican ideas. The reaction? House Speaker John Boehner, stone-faced for much of the speech, later allowed that the president’s proposals “merit consideration.” That was more of a harrumph than the Idaho Republican delegation could muster. Our lawmakers couldn’t decide whether to rip the president for “recycling” his concept of economic stimulus (Sen. Jim Risch’s word), or rip him for offering up a bunch of “short-term Band-Aids” (Rep. Mike Simpson’s words). So they compromised and did some of both. Politics as usual, in unusual times/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Can we afford politics as usual in these unusual times, particularly from our Idaho congressional delegation?