Competent vs ideology. Practical vs ideology. What works at the lowest cost vs ideology. And so on. Everything vs ideology. The majority of the country doesn’t care about ideology, especially from those on the extreme right and left who control both parties. They just want good value for their money, and neither side seems willing to give that.
Happy days are here again for the Republicans, or so you might think. Barack Obama’s popularity rating is sagging well below 50%. Passing health-care reform has done nothing to help him; most Americans believe he has wasted their money—and their view of how he is dealing with the economy is no less jaded. […] Sixty per cent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track.
[…]
The Republicans at the moment are less a party than an ongoing civil war (with, from a centrist point of view, the wrong side usually winning). There is a dwindling band of moderate Republicans who understand that they have to work with the Democrats in the interests of America. There is the old intolerant, gun-toting, immigrant-bashing, mainly southern right which sees any form of co-operation as treachery, even blasphemy. And muddying the whole picture is the tea-party movement, a tax revolt whose activists (some clever, some dotty, all angry) seem to loathe Bush-era free-spending Republicans as much as they hate Democrats. Egged on by a hysterical blogosphere and the ravings of Fox News blowhards, the Republican Party has turned upon itself.
[…]
As for ideas, the Republicans seem to be reducing themselves into exactly what the Democrats say they are: the nasty party of No. They may well lambast Mr Obama for expanding the federal deficit; but it is less impressive when they are unable to suggest alternatives.
[…]
Out of power, a party can get away with such negative ambiguity; the business of an opposition is to oppose. The real problem for the political right may well come if it wins in November. Just as the party found after it seized Congress in 1994, voters expect solutions, not just rage.
Whichever group inside the Republican party can raise the most money and organize better will dominate after the fall midterms. That will dictate the candidate for 2012 since each party needs more the 1/2 billion to run for president now.
I gotta agree with Glass Half Full in #50:
“We’ve elected both many times in my life, but all these issues remain. And people like you pretend that if we ONLY elected YOUR party ONE MORE TIME, immigration would be fixed, the budget under control, etc. Nope. Not gonna happen.”
My favorite recent example of this is the “repeal & reform” mantra about health care… as if the opponents of the health care bill will not only get enough seats in Congress to get a repeal passed – through both houses – but they will also have won enough seats to override Obama’s guaranteed veto.
Yeah, right.
And then, they’ll have enough seats to draft a “reform” version – at some nebulous time in the future – which will handily win approval in both houses, and be signed into law by Obama…
HAHAHAhaahhah… what a bunch of crack-smoking dreamers.
——-
The other objection I have is with the whole “vote the incumbents out of office” idea.
As GHF stated in #50:
“As long as it take $500 million dollars to run for President, $80 million to run for Senate, etc….our politicians will be corrupt. End of story. What do you EXPECT? Come on. How am I supposed to get elected without selling out to special interests when it takes THAT kind of money to have a serious campaign?”
Cynic that I am, I don’t think that “fresh blood” will be any less likely to be corruptible than the “old guard”.
#63 – Guyver
I’d have been happy to let failing banks fail, if they weren’t so big and powerful that they’d take the economy down with them.
But whenever we talk about regulation to prevent that, I hear a lot of “Those damn commies want to take over our banks! Regulation baad!”
MikieV said, ” but they will also have won enough seats to override Obama’s guaranteed veto.
Yeah, right.”
Unnecessary. All that is needed is a very coherent majority in the House. Obama wants ANY $ for ANYTHING, sign here. Done.
Sarah’s boob job is enough to make me change my party registration: http://tinyurl.com/26ygy55
“Competent vs ideology. Practical vs ideology. What works at the lowest cost vs ideology. ”
In each instance when the rate when down, revenues from the tax increased. Why would you raise the rate?
“I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness.”
Barack Obama
http://tinyurl.com/32w8ngg
>Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines. /// Yes, let uniformed disadvantaged consumers choose from a group of competing monopolists. What about people who can’t afford heathcare to begin with? Pre-existing conditions? FAIL.
Competing monopolists?
The primarily goal is to do an end-run against state regulations that drive up costs.
Ok, I just have to jump in here for a moment.
Just to stir the pot,
Bobbo said: “The country would be better without the current morass/corruption of the two party system. Anyone supporting either is wrong.
VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE.”
Again, I have to agree completely.
BUT!!! Beware what you with for.
3rd party = Tea Party. Purging Republicans, attracting independents, gaining seats in Congress…
That was, “wish for”
As in, “I ‘wish for’ a political party that actually cared about the country and those whom they are supposed to serve…”
And this little, excellent article gives a very good feel for the corruption and sleaziness of the two-party system.
Pay particular note how the last line of the article treats the main challenger as if he is from another party.
Think about it.
I don’t care what you people all think! All I know is Palin is still hot! 🙂 Sure, I think he’s a little short..up…there, you know..the brain…but being hot outweighs that completely!
On another note, my compliments to the artist. I had a good laugh at Glenn Beck’s tear.
11.
Palin was McCain’s boob job.
this is a cycle. has everybody forgotten that just a few years ago the democrats couldnt organize a picnic. it swings back and forth cuz we get tired of feeling as if one side is fucking us and then pick the other side. then they fuck us and so on. It’s all the same story. In the morning.
The South Carolina Democrat who was unemployed was hoping Barack Obama would offer him a job if he dropped out.
That depends on what you mean by “screwed up”. I would say they are less screwed up than they were 4 years ago. Now there seem to be some candidates who actually believe in the conservative principles they are supposed to represent. That is probably a good thing for any party.
#86, Mike.
Good luck to him!
Clearly the Republican Party is in the right place and right time to save the country from the likes of Obama, Wright, Alinsky, and Marx.
Asking “how screwed up is the Republican Party” shows the level of butt-hurt and regret the Dems are feeling with a loser like Obama.
Jimmy Carter…no longer our worst President. Thanks Barry for taking the prize!
“* Number one: let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.”
No one seems to get that this is strictly an anti-regulation ploy: let all the insurance companies leave the states that actually enforce rules and move to Arkansas. (Hell, even Texas regulates insurance companies more than Arkansas does!)
“* Number two: allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do.”
Who’s stopping them?
– – – – –
“You want full employment and real high taxes? It isn’t going to happen.”
We had it in the 50s — 80, 85, 90% max income tax rates and anyone who really wanted a job could get one.
– – – – –
“In each instance when the rate when down, revenues from the tax increased.”
Ha! I laugh at the Laffer Curve! Then if we lower the tax rate to ZERO, the revenue will be INFINITE!!!!!!!!! HAHhahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
#90 “No one seems to get that this is strictly an anti-regulation ploy: let all the insurance companies leave the states that actually enforce rules and move to Arkansas. ”
Clueless. There aren’t enough people there to sustain a large ins company. “Enforce rules”? State mandates for all policies include junk like hair transplants, acupuncture, etc., etc. This drives the policy prices up through the roof. One can’t buy the coverage YOU want and need. Like I said, CLUELESS.
#90–Unc Patso==your comment re No1 is another and better one than mine. Thanks.
As for No 2, I’m not sure but I assume anti-trust laws prevent non-standard customers from “uniting” to bargain for lower rates. The Ins Co’s have no incentive to provide their “services” to larger groups for less money.
So, in the main, the “alternative plans” by the Repugs are like saying “We have a plan to balance the budget” but when you look at the numbers its all based on magical thinking that lowering tax rates while increases spending will be overcome by growth in the economy because it happened once a long time ago under special circumstances and never again.
Repuglicans = magical thinking.
Lib economics New York style!
Anon–fair call but fairer still: more bipartisan BS.
Yep, Dems = mystical, magical, thinking.
Anon–no you’re missing it. Both engage in this kind of BS as a form of political dance. But when push comes to shove and a little “reality” is called for, the Repugs continue their silly dance. At least the Dems, or their leadership aka Obama, split on the issue.
The Dems are disreputable in this farce, the Repugs truly shameless.
A difference.
#90, he was referring specifically to a cut from 28 to 20% and from 20 to 15% as well as a prior increase to 28%, and why Obama wanted to increase the capital gains tax to 28% given the revenue effects of those changes.
OK, ya idiots..
I want you all to do me a favor..
its NOT the elected officials we have the most problem.
LOOK at WHO is NOT the elected. LOOK back 20-30-40 years and SEE WHO was in Washington. Working as assistants and in other JOBS for the ELECTED officials.
MOSTLY the SAME people that are there NOW. these are the persons that influence. from the lobbyists to the Secretaries..
Ha! I laugh at the Laffer Curve! Then if we lower the tax rate to ZERO, the revenue will be INFINITE!!!!!!!!! HAHhahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
The liberal says, “If we make the tax rate 100%, tax revenue will be INFINITE!!!!!” Sheesh. Is no one taught the concept of a mathematical CURVE anymore? Proof that economics and mathematics are simply not taught often enough in schools.