Playing the game

Earlier this morning I wrote,

[Republicans] play politics for the pure pursuit of power.

When I complain that no one in the Democratic Party "knows how to play this game" this is exactly what I am talking about.

I should make it clear, that I'm not saying that I want Democrats to play the same kind of political games that Republicans do. I'd much prefer that Democrats pass good progressive legislation and genuinely make people's lives a little better. What I do want though is for Democrats in Washington to understand that the GOP is always playing these types of games, why the GOP is playing these games and to react accordingly. It's the seeming obliviousness to the very existence of the game that frustrates me.