115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

[ticapnews]

Probably more than I should admit to.

That said, isn't the point of being an elected official to at least try to accomplish the legislative agenda you've advertised to your voters? Sure, unless you control both houses and the executive branch, you don't get to ram through whatever legislation you want. But even in those situations it almost always takes some compromise.

Pass your legislation. You may not get it past the other house or the executive, but at least you've tried and at least you've opened discussions. Half a loaf is better than no loaf at all. Unless, of course, your handlers prefer to keep the loaf for themselves.

Back when compromise was allowed, even respected, it might be possible. If this Congress existed in 1820 the union would still have 22 states and a lot of Territories.

[Kepler]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

On the contrary

The point of being an elected official is to be re-elected

The point of being an elected official is to represent your constituents. The sine qua non is to get re-elected.

The main problem is that the constituents are dollar bills, now, not people. We need to change that.

[SJHovey]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

Even though I'm pretty sure this was intended as a BSABSVR barb,

Actually, my initial post was intended as the barb.

I do think both sides are bad. But I don't think that means you should vote for the Republican candidate. You should vote for the candidate with whom you feel most comfortable.

But for those of you who mock or complain about BSABSVR, isn't it equally stupid or disingenuous to argue that Democrats aren't perfect, but Republicans are evil, and the only way to correct problems in this country is to vote Republicans out and Democrats in, when we all know (and history has shown) that there is virtually no chance that a Democratic majority is going to pass the sort of gun control, immigration policies or tax changes/income inequality legislation that has to be passed?

[Kepler]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

But for those of you who mock or complain about BSABSVR, isn't it equally stupid or disingenuous to argue that Democrats aren't perfect, but Republicans are evil, and the only way to correct problems in this country is to vote Republicans out and Democrats in, when we all know (and history has shown) that there is virtually no chance that a Democratic majority is going to pass the sort of gun control, immigration policies or tax changes/income inequality legislation that has to be passed?

In a word, no. I do not think it's either stupid or disingenuous to argue that a liberal Democratic wave would solve this country's most pressing problems by doing many of those things. We did precisely that in 1932 and saved this country from the fascism that spread across Europe. We must do it again.

But even as we tolerate a half-baked Democratic party that will only nibble around the edges, I am 100% certain all of our most pressing problems will be exacerbated by Republicans because they want to do so. When Republicans make inequality worse they are doing what they intend, it is not a side effect. When they drive the debt up they want to do so, to starve the beast. Everything they do is intended to transfer power from democratic government institutions to plutocratic private institutions and individuals. They believe in that because they hold to a terrible, terrible ideology that should be completely snuffed out -- an ideology just as virulent as fascism, and closely akin to it.

The Republican party is not "conservative." They are the proponents of a radical plutocratic dictatorship, masquerading as a conservative party.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

Actually, my initial post was intended as the barb.

I do think both sides are bad. But I don't think that means you should vote for the Republican candidate. You should vote for the candidate with whom you feel most comfortable.

But for those of you who mock or complain about BSABSVR, isn't it equally stupid or disingenuous to argue that Democrats aren't perfect, but Republicans are evil, and the only way to correct problems in this country is to vote Republicans out and Democrats in, when we all know (and history has shown) that there is virtually no chance that a Democratic majority is going to pass the sort of gun control, immigration policies or tax changes/income inequality legislation that has to be passed?

The problem is people aren't consistent. We elected Obama and a bunch of democrats over the course of the 2006 and 2008 elections. They did a number of things they said they were going to do to fix repair an economy that was literally about to go off a cliff (the only reason it was not as bad as the depressing in the 1930s was because of social security, medicare and medicaid and unemployment insurance in all 50 states) and delivered some sort of realistic attempt at universal healthcare. Then the economy grew faster in 2010 than it had grown in 3 or 4 years and we rewarded ourselves with a republican congress and now political obstruction is as bad as it has ever been in my lifetime (I'm not young). So we need to eradicate the republican party this year, and put a democrat in the White House in 2020. Then in 2022 if they do what the people voted for, reward them with reelection. If they don't, replace them with someone who will.

I realize other factors have been at play over the last few elections, most notably voter suppression (other than gerrymandering all of that is on one party only). But voters gotta do a better job. We won't, because we're fundamentally lazy and as a society we're getting dumber. I think we have 2 elections left before there will not be a fix. 2018 and 2020. After that, we're fvcked if we don't get this right.

[Kepler]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

As long as demographics hold voter suppression will eventually be overturned. It's ghastly, but just like Jim Crow the free states will eventually have the votes to elect the presidents to name the justices to end Jim Crow among the slave states.

It's a pain in the neck and I'd much prefer just kicking them out of the Union, but it beats a civil war and we will always need the South to stock our Strategic Cute Under-educated Daddy Issue Hooker Reserve.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

As long as demographics hold voter suppression will eventually be overturned. It's ghastly, but just like Jim Crow the free states will eventually have the votes to elect the presidents to name the justices to end Jim Crow among the slave states.

It's a pin in the neck and I'd much prefer just kicking them out of the Union, but it beats a civil war.

Kep I could not disagree more. What happened in Florida in 2000 and Wisconsin in 2016 does not indicate a changing demographic will fix this. We are seeing a newly impassioned effort by republicans because they've seen it work. We're running out of time. If republicans succeed over the next few elections they will effectively disenfranchise so many people it won't matter if reasonable open minded people make up the majority of our population. We're likely headed to 21st century apartheid where a substantial number of non-whites won't be able to vote.

[Rover]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

Guys, it depends on the voters. Ultimately if they care enough they have the power to confine the GOP to places where racist old people are predominate. That takes turning off American Idol and actually voting. As we've all said repeatedly, its the same 62M showing up to vote GOP since Bush ran for re-election. They're not growing, they're just turning out more consistently. Match their intensity over the same length of time and all the goodies you seek will be yours.

[Kepler]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

Guys, it depends on the voters. Ultimately if they care enough they have the power to confine the GOP to places where racist old people are predominate. That takes turning off American Idol and actually voting. As we've all said repeatedly, its the same 62M showing up to vote GOP since Bush ran for re-election. They're not growing, they're just turning out more consistently. Match their intensity over the same length of time and all the goodies you seek will be yours.

Preach.

[joecct]

Preach.

aka "The Wobblies".
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indu...s_of_the_World

[St. Clown]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

Preach.

How is that last one not from The Onion?

[joecct]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

If you're R in CA, you're a D in Mississippi.

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2...ate-mississip/

It's probably true.

[mookie1995]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

Guys, it depends on the voters. Ultimately if they care enough they have the power to confine the GOP to places where racist old people are predominate. That takes turning off American Idol and actually voting. As we've all said repeatedly, its the same 62M showing up to vote GOP since Bush ran for re-election. They're not growing, they're just turning out more consistently. Match their intensity over the same length of time and all the goodies you seek will be yours.

you don't think they are growing?

kep keeps claiming they will die off. but seems as they are dying, the roster replenishes and numbers remain steady. they as the old bubble drain is gone, all these new recruits will increase that number, and they get younger.

[Kepler]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

you don't think they are growing?

kep keeps claiming they will die off. but seems as they are dying, the roster replenishes and numbers remain steady. they as the old bubble drain is gone, all these new recruits will increase that number, and they get younger.

If you're talking about Deplorables, they will never "die off" but they are gradually becoming a smaller percentage of the electorate. Look at the last hundred years: more people are educated, fewer people are racist. That is the natural path of an urbanizing country with a growing economy.

If the US goes into a permanent depression the Deplorables will grow -- they are a predictable sociological consequence of hopelessness. Reactionaries are sewn by poverty and harvested by displacement. Mussolini, Hitler, Dump: it's the same playbook.

[mookie1995]

Re: 115th Congress - Fantastik! Try to remember we vote in November.

There is nothing natural about not blaming others for any misfortune that falls upon a human.

You have your head in the sand, but that’s cool.

If anything, education teaches a human to keep their hate quiet, under a bushel.

Never forget the evolved black side right / black side left dudes on Star Trek