It’s easy to blame Pelosi and Reed and Krugman because they are very guilty. The Republicans haven’t done much better true, but because of reason 5) in the original article, not reason 1). There’s a world of difference between not doing something because its to your personal advantage and to hell with everyone else, and on the other hand not doing something because its not possible politically to do.
You're talking about the same thing using different words. It's "not possible politically to do," because it's to the personal advantage of some Republicans to do nothing. As a result, many Republicans talk tough when they lack the power to do something meaningful, but when they have the numbers, they do nothing because that's what's in their best interest.
Here's a good example: Right after the RATs and a few RINOs passed Obamacare, the Republicans in Congress from the top down promised to repeal Obamacare as soon as we take back Congress, take back the White House, blah, blah, blah. But now that we are on the verge of doing just that, the Republican leadership has turned wishy-washy on the issue and had even started a whisper campaign to preserve some parts of Obamacafre in the event the SCOTUS does what the Republicans will never actually do, and effectively strike Obamacare from the books. In other words, Republicans talk tough, but when the vote is on the line, way too many of them refuse to to what is right for America at the risk of their policital careers.
Immigration is another example. So is tax reform. Same with entitlement reform.