"Wes" wrote in message
...
"Ed Huntress" wrote:
No, when you are out, your power is reduced. Think Senate. If you are
really out, well,
you are out. the Republicans are almost out but not out. Keep in mind
this isn't a
democracy aka mob rule. There is that null zone where a simple majority
can't run rough
shod over the rest of us. Must be annoying for you, it sure was
annoying
for me during
GWB's administration.
The principled idea is that the basic direction and the election promises
are what the people voted on. Compromise doesn't mean defeating what the
majority voted for. It means negotiating to protect individual INTERESTS
of
the opposing party's constituents. That's not what's going on now. The
Republicans are trying to defeat the program itself, changing the basic
direction to one that the minority prefers. They have some power to do
that
through congressional rules, but only by stopping legislation, not by
proposing or passing it. Thus, they've become the party of "no," as
they've
admitted, and which I documented in a recent post.
I don't think most voters even know what they voted for. Change is a
ephemeral word, so
is Hope.
I voted for universal health care, regulation of the shadow banks, and a
less pugilistic diplomacy. Two out of three ain't bad.
It's a perversion of the principles of representative democracy.
No, it is working just fine.
I see you're not an originalist. The Founders would turn over in their
graves. d8-)
The disgusting thing is that the Republicans in Congress know how the
American public voted, and they've been doing their best to subvert it.
In
other words, they really don't believe in elections or democratic
institutions. Whenever they don't get *their* way, they try to subvert
the
whole process. The method they're using is something that's been called
"pushing the Overton Window." Glenn Beck is a big fan.
They have been doing exactly what I expect out of them. Push back.
Senator 41, Scott
Brown from Taxichussits should have been a clue that the dems
overreached.
Loosing
Teddy's seat, in a blue state, that should be a freaking clue.
A clue to what? That the Democrat who ran was a washout?
You mean there wasn't one Dem worth a crap to run against Scott Brown?
How deep is your
bench? Must not be very deep, we have an unknown that is the Democratic
candidate to run
against De Mint in SC. Where the hell did the dems come up with this guy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Greene
No Dem officials in S.C. seem to know who he is, so it appears we'll have to
look elsewhere to figure out who "came up with him."
Republican politicians act as if they'd be happier in a totalitarian
regime.
They clearly don't believe in representative democracy or elections.
They
want mob rule by polls when they're out, and to ignore public opinion
when
they're in. One trouble they're having right now is that, despite their
prevarications, Obama's favorable rating is still positive. Even the Fox
News poll had him at +2% as of yesterday:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...oval-1044.html
Barely breaking water. Not very good Ed. He won by a significant
margin
and he has lost
it.
Way, way ahead of where Reagan was at this point in his term. If "the
people" actually wanted to change direction, he'd be in NEGATIVE
territory.
Fewer than half of the people in the country disapprove of what he's doing
overall. In other words, more people approve than disapprove. Remember how
representative democracy works? Jefferson had some words about it:
"A nation ceases to be republican when the will of the majority ceases to
be
the law...to consider the will of the society enounced by the majority of
a
single vote, as sacred as if unanimous, is the first of all lessons of
importance, yet the last which is thoroughly learnt." -- Thomas Jefferson,
letter to Baron Humboldt, 1817.
Here is a clue on how well Obama is leading. It is from the WSJ.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...ctions_opinion
Very simple things like easing EPA regulations and a waiver of the Jones
act and deploying
skimmers that are not being used seem to be beyond the wonder boy. GWB
would have figured
that out in minutes or days.
Like he did with Katrina? Wes, Bush ("Heck of a job, Brownie") couldn't find
his ass with both hands.
I find it interesting that you're using an op-ed from an academic economist
(NOT the WSJ, but an independent writer) as an authority on oil spills, and
who quotes journalist and Internet sources for the "straightforward" ideas
for cleaning up the spill. g
I have no idea what's going on with the cleanup, and I don't think we'll
know the whole story for at least a year or two.
I'm really believing the Obama administration wants this to
be a disaster or just doesn't give a crap since if Jindal looks good,
Obama looks bad and
Jindal might be running against him in 2012.
You do have a streak of conspiracy theorist in you. That seems to be quite
common among conservatives these days.
If Obama keeps this up, it is guaranteed it
will happen. Jindal is not a light weight like Palain and I'd love to see
the leftist
hate mongers go after a son of imimigrants that is brown and a minority.
I'd love to see him run for national office. Have you ever seen a recipe for
moussaka? He'd be the main ingredient.
I do get a chuckle out of his repeated calls for smaller federal government,
until he starts screaming that he wants more federal government in
Louisianna... I guess he wants smaller government for everyone else.
You are losing your objectivity on this one.
I think you've lost your sense of how our representative democracy works.
You are most certainly forgetting the words of the Founders about what it
necessary for it to succeed.
I think it is working just as it should.
Minorities can stop legislation, eh? I don't think you'll find that idea in
the words of the Founders. See above.
The dems should have have won a few more senate
seats if they wanted to secure your agenda. This is not mob rule.
It's majority rule. See above. If you don't like Jefferson, I can quote
Hamilton or Madison to the same effect, if you prefer.
The Senate rules for cloture are not law, nor are they in the Constitution.
Do you know where they come from?
Btw, Chris Cristee was on Fox today, I like that guy. New Jersey might
have hope yet.
Yes, he's likeable, and probably what we need right now. Whether it will
improve things remains an open question but I'll go along with him. At the
very least, we'll find out one way or the other how much austerity will work
at the state level.
He's trying something that we've never tried before, at the federal level or
in this state: He's not only slashed the state budget, but he's also put a
cap on property tax increases. That means the schools will be bled from both
ends. I'm not expecting it to be tolerated for long but at least it gets the
forces on both sides moving and acting. People could come to blows over
this.
--
Ed Huntress