Whatever one's political viewpoint, it's fairly well understood that the nation President Obama inherited last January is confronted with serious problems which demand his and our attention. Whether it's a matter of the looming health care crisis, two land wars in the Middle East, which are putting American servicemen at risk, the near-collapse of our financial institutions (remember that TARP moneys were distributed under the Bush regime) or burgeoning unemployment, these are not issues that will solve themselves.

In the nearly one year that our president has occupied his office, we have seen him take action or propose solutions to confront these issues. Whether or not we agree with all of his solutions, he is working to solve these problems. For example, members of the Nevada County Democratic Central Committee have mixed opinions regarding his decision to bolster American troop strength in Afghanistan (yes, we Democrats rarely march in lock step), with many members advocating a withdrawal from that arena or, at minimum, a clearly defined exit strategy.

In similar fashion, the NCDCC strongly advocates a single-payer plan as a solution to our health care shortfall, a plan President Obama admitted liking best while campaigning, but has never seriously entertained while in office.

We, the Democratic Central Committee may disagree with some of his proposed solutions, but one thing is certain –– doing nothing is not the answer to our problems.

So what have we Democrats seen coming from the other side of the aisle? Certainly not innovative solutions to these problems, nor a willingness to work with the opposition to find compromise and agreement to achieve legislation that is in the interest of all their constituents. On the contrary, Republicans have become the “party of no,” voting as a bloc in opposition to the change that Americans demanded in the election of a year ago.

Never has that been more evident than in the conduct of our Republican District 4 representative Tom McClintock, who has “distinguished” himself by voting against almost every bill introduced in Congress. Most recently, this included his vote against the extension of unemployment benefits and tax credits for first-time home buyers, this happening at time of 10.9 percent unemployment in Nevada County. That's right. At a time of historic need by his constituents, McClintock was one of 12 “no” votes (403 “yes” votes were cast) against legislation that addresses that need.

Besides failing to seriously work on these major issues facing our nation, the “party of no” utilizes those problems for political gain. In the matter of crafting a health plan, we have the example of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), who circulated a plan of action to his fellow Republican legislators urging them to employ delaying tactics designed not to further debate and discussion on alternative solutions to matters of vexing importance, but rather to stymie any progress whatsoever in the interest of perceived political advantage in elections scheduled for 2010.

Whether this cynical view of the American electorate has any merit won't be determined for the better part of a year, but in the interim millions of our citizens will continue to go about their lives without health coverage, adding to the human tragedy of sickness and continuing to cost the American taxpayer, who picks up the tab for care of the uninsured when they visit their local emergency rooms.

Democrats in Congress will continue to seek bipartisan solutions to these and other problems, but will the Republicans? It is not enough to be merely against something without offering alternative solutions. In short, is this a time for political gamesmanship? We Democrats don't think so.

Dave Olsen is the communications team leader for Nevada County Democratic Central Committee.