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Post by Karen on Sept 21, 2011 11:12:58 GMT -5
I understand how you feel. Most everyone is frustrated. Independents who voted 3rd party (Nadar) in 2000, gave us Bush for 8 years. I don't know if our country would survive that. I understand the splitting the vote concept, but I think it only goes so far. It's a question of whether whoever is elected being so constrained by the position that things will progress in the same way no matter who wins. In that case, it would be better to vote on principle than strategy. The thing is, Obama keeps going back and forth between frustrating me and impressing me in what he's able to do in his position. Well, there's still a year left to decide. Yes, he's often between a rock and a hard place. He keeps trying to negotiate and compromise like an adult with the insane clown posse. But he's done a lot of good since he's been in office with what he's had to work with. List of Accomplishments[\url]
I am sure there are other lists out there available by Googling.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Sept 21, 2011 13:39:00 GMT -5
Ah, thanks for the filling me in about Ron Paul, y'all. And, yeah, healthcare is an entirely different beast from most other industries; acknowledging that seems to be largely missing from the mainstream debate about it. Also, I keep vacillating between thinking I'm going to vote for Obama again and voting for some 3rd party candidate; it's weird. Not that I'm paying a lot of attention to politics at the moment. Two words for you: Supreme Court
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Post by Sue on Sept 21, 2011 16:28:02 GMT -5
Ah, thanks for the filling me in about Ron Paul, y'all. And, yeah, healthcare is an entirely different beast from most other industries; acknowledging that seems to be largely missing from the mainstream debate about it. Also, I keep vacillating between thinking I'm going to vote for Obama again and voting for some 3rd party candidate; it's weird. Not that I'm paying a lot of attention to politics at the moment. Two words for you: Supreme Court You make an excellent point. Who is likely to retire in the next 6 years. And, this is a reason why it is necessary to work in LOCAL elections to try to get the Congress filled with people who will confirm a viable candidate. Have you seen what PA is up to? blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/09/15/pete-sessions-pa-electoral-college-change-would-put-house-races-at-risk/?mod=google_news_blogIf you google it there is a video of Rachel Maddow covering the topic.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Sept 21, 2011 16:45:15 GMT -5
I saw that on Maddow the other day. The big issue on the court is Ruth Bader Ginsberg: she's in her seventies, and a double cancer survivor. Losing her when a Republican is in office would change the balance of the court for decades. Kennedy and Breyer are also in their seventies. GHWB and GWB nominated very young and extremely conservative justices: Scalia is the eldest, and he is a few months Breyer's junior. Clarence Thomas was born in 1948, Samuel Alito in 1951, and Chief Justice John Roberts in 1955: none of them are likely to go through a Warren-like change of philosophy, and even though I'm perpetually surprised that Scalia doesn't blow up from the force of sheer ire, they're all healthy and unlikely, at this time, to die or retire. It's a matter or *Not Letting Things Get Worse* which is never my favorite flavor. Julia, but: the oldest justices are the ones who are holding the gates against an overturn of Roe v. Wade and other important stuff.
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Post by Queen E on Sept 21, 2011 16:55:51 GMT -5
I understand how you feel. Most everyone is frustrated. Independents who voted 3rd party (Nadar) in 2000, gave us Bush for 8 years. I don't know if our country would survive that. I understand the splitting the vote concept, but I think it only goes so far. It's a question of whether whoever is elected being so constrained by the position that things will progress in the same way no matter who wins. In that case, it would be better to vote on principle than strategy. The thing is, Obama keeps going back and forth between frustrating me and impressing me in what he's able to do in his position. Well, there's still a year left to decide. It's strikingly similar to what happened during Clinton's first term, actually. In fact, in some ways it was worse; the Gingrich-led Congress let the government completely shut down over the budget fight they were having with Clinton in 1995 (I think). I'm not frustrated with Obama; I'm frustrated with the Congress. They have turned Congress into a grade school playground; they'd rather break all the equipment than play by any other rules then the ones they've created in their heads. I think we need to bring in Supernanny. She'd put them all on the naughty step (one minute for every year of their age) until they apologized and behaved. Except Bernie Saunders, who is never not awesome.
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Post by SpringSummers on Sept 21, 2011 16:56:40 GMT -5
Hey, we've had a new part over here since Sep 8, and I just noticed? Well we need a good topic to dig into over here . . . maybe the upcoming political season will spice it up over here!
I must ruminate on some controversial topic to say controversial things about . . . we haven't had a good discussion in awhile.
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Post by Queen E on Sept 21, 2011 17:04:31 GMT -5
Hey, we've had a new part over here since Sep 8, and I just noticed? Well we need a good topic to dig into over here . . . maybe the upcoming political season will spice it up over here! I must ruminate on some controversial topic to say controversial things about . . . we haven't had a good discussion in awhile. Hee! Here's a few: Evolution Reproductive Rights Universal Health Care and my personal favorite: Is Eric Cantor the Devil? I vote "no" on that last one. Just one of the lesser minions with delusions of grandeur. On the Daily Show, they've compared Fred Dalton Thompson to Foghorn Leghorn, Joe Lieberman to Droopy Dog, and my personal favorite, Mitch McConnell to the Draw-A-Turtle art school thing. I've nothing pithy like that on Cantor, but I seriously can't stand his face. He reminds me of certain guys I went to high school with...guys that weren't popular, but weren't pariahs; they were always in that social middle ground. In fact, they were often nastier than the popular kids because they wanted to get in with them by stomping on those below. That's my read on Cantor. And Scott Walker.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Sept 21, 2011 19:46:47 GMT -5
Hey, we've had a new part over here since Sep 8, and I just noticed? Well we need a good topic to dig into over here . . . maybe the upcoming political season will spice it up over here! I must ruminate on some controversial topic to say controversial things about . . . we haven't had a good discussion in awhile. Hee! Here's a few: Evolution Reproductive Rights Universal Health Care and my personal favorite: Is Eric Cantor the Devil?
I vote "no" on that last one. Just one of the lesser minions with delusions of grandeur. On the Daily Show, they've compared Fred Dalton Thompson to Foghorn Leghorn, Joe Lieberman to Droopy Dog, and my personal favorite, Mitch McConnell to the Draw-A-Turtle art school thing. I've nothing pithy like that on Cantor, but I seriously can't stand his face. He reminds me of certain guys I went to high school with...guys that weren't popular, but weren't pariahs; they were always in that social middle ground. In fact, they were often nastier than the popular kids because they wanted to get in with them by stomping on those below. That's my read on Cantor. And Scott Walker. No, that would be Paul Ryan. Julia, Lucifer, son of the morning, et'c and so on.
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Post by Karen on Sept 21, 2011 21:49:55 GMT -5
Hey, we've had a new part over here since Sep 8, and I just noticed? Well we need a good topic to dig into over here . . . maybe the upcoming political season will spice it up over here! I must ruminate on some controversial topic to say controversial things about . . . we haven't had a good discussion in awhile. Hee! Here's a few: Evolution Reproductive Rights Universal Health Care and my personal favorite: Is Eric Cantor the Devil? I vote "no" on that last one. Just one of the lesser minions with delusions of grandeur. On the Daily Show, they've compared Fred Dalton Thompson to Foghorn Leghorn, Joe Lieberman to Droopy Dog, and my personal favorite, Mitch McConnell to the Draw-A-Turtle art school thing. I've nothing pithy like that on Cantor, but I seriously can't stand his face. He reminds me of certain guys I went to high school with...guys that weren't popular, but weren't pariahs; they were always in that social middle ground. In fact, they were often nastier than the popular kids because they wanted to get in with them by stomping on those below. That's my read on Cantor. And Scott Walker. Both wannabe's, licking the boots of their masters. Maybe this would help with the pithy -
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Post by SpringSummers on Sept 21, 2011 23:21:12 GMT -5
Hey, we've had a new part over here since Sep 8, and I just noticed? Well we need a good topic to dig into over here . . . maybe the upcoming political season will spice it up over here! I must ruminate on some controversial topic to say controversial things about . . . we haven't had a good discussion in awhile. Hee! Here's a few: Evolution Reproductive Rights Universal Health Care Not sure we have enough disagreement on the first two for an interesting discussion . . . and the last one is so ill-defined in my head, not sure where to go with it. So I could not start that one off, anyhow. Though I'd be happy to promise to disagree with whatever you post about it. I don't know a whole lot about Cantor except the very basics, but looks wise, he kinda looks like a male Sarah Palin to me. Also agree that he is not likely the Big Dog of the Kingdom of Evil.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Sept 22, 2011 0:05:08 GMT -5
Now that I think of it, Grover Nordquist is obviously Satan.
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Post by Sue on Sept 22, 2011 8:35:11 GMT -5
Well, currently in the news:
The death penalty.
A Palestinian state (and a ton of subplots, apparently, although I don't understand it all myself Chuck Todd suggests that a major policy/relationship change has taken place in the past 48 hours). Apparently Huffington either is unaware or hasn't yet figured out what slant to write from/position to take. (No sense in discussing the media.)
[As to the other, I tend to think of Beelzebub's minions here on earth as mostly mini-Wormwoods. Not that I would ever suggest applying that label to any particular person. Jim was fascinated by Jon Stewart's interview with Michael Steele about a month ago. We had totally disdained Steele the entire time he was RNC chair but Jim said the interview was quite impressive and that Stewart was likewise impressed. So why can't people be their real selves instead of politically crafted card-board cut-outs that make them look like stooges? I suspect this is why guys keep getting elected -- their constituents may actually know the guy from the neighborhood, the store, church, school and know he is a real person not simply what is portrayed in the media -- usually looking like a caricature. Which is another reason I like both Stewart and Joe Scarborough -- both strike me as being themselves rather than a carefully crafted public persona with an agenda.]
Oh, and, apparently there is another govt shutdown looming due to a failed budget bill.
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Post by Anne, Old S'cubie Cat on Sept 22, 2011 8:59:46 GMT -5
Well, currently in the news: The death penalty. A Palestinian state (and a ton of subplots, apparently, although I don't understand it all myself Chuck Todd suggests that a major policy/relationship change has taken place in the past 48 hours). Apparently Huffington either is unaware or hasn't yet figured out what slant to write from/position to take. (No sense in discussing the media.) [As to the other, I tend to think of Beelzebub's minions here on earth as mostly mini-Wormwoods. Not that I would ever suggest applying that label to any particular person. Jim was fascinated by Jon Stewart's interview with Michael Steele about a month ago. We had totally disdained Steele the entire time he was RNC chair but Jim said the interview was quite impressive and that Stewart was likewise impressed. So why can't people be their real selves instead of politically crafted card-board cut-outs that make them look like stooges? I suspect this is why guys keep getting elected -- their constituents may actually know the guy from the neighborhood, the store, church, school and know he is a real person not simply what is portrayed in the media -- usually looking like a caricature. Which is another reason I like both Stewart and Joe Scarborough -- both strike me as being themselves rather than a carefully crafted public persona with an agenda.] Oh, and, apparently there is another govt shutdown looming due to a failed budget bill. Steele is now a regular on TRMS, and we've been really impressed with his discussions with Rachel.
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Post by Karen on Sept 22, 2011 9:33:08 GMT -5
Speaking of not being discussed in the media. There has been march in NYC since Saturday, and from what I've read, there are more people on their way to protest the way that W all St has been conducting their business.
Yesterday Yahoo blocked any email that had the organizer's website in their subject or text. Big Brother working overtime to shut this protest down.
FSTV covered it and so did Keith Olberman. There is a video on youtube of his coverage, or there was one last night. Who knows if it's still up.
From what I read about the recent London/UK riots, some of the kids who were involved said that they had been protesting about the dire economic conditions of a lot of unemployed, but because the media/newspapers ignored them, they got very frustrated from not being heard. People just want to know they have a voice. It's called Democracy.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Sept 22, 2011 12:46:05 GMT -5
Y'all are reminding me that I need to get back in the habit of watching the Daily Show.
Agree about politicians resembling caricatures of themselves in the public sphere. I remember being impressed about how much more I liked Congresswoman Lumis in person than I ever expected from all the soundbites and twitter posts I had seen.
Good point about upcoming Supreme Court nominations, but it doesn't change my general feeling/dilemma about the '12 presidential election.
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