* " POLITICS " *

[mr.willy]

[Terry]

This guy is "ON" it!

Post-Election Rant #1
Yesterday's midterm election was nothing short of a catastrophe for the Democratic party. The combination of the worst economy since the Great Depression, a  jobless rate stuck at 10%, a president and a majority party unable to make a coherent case for their agenda or to articulate their vision, and the surprising uprising of the Tea Party movement, conspired to deliver an unprecedented spanking at the polls.

To read this as an endorsement of the Republican party and its agenda, however, would be a huge mistake. This was the party that only two years ago received a similar rebuke. Let's look back two years. Obama came in on a wave of optimism, promising Change, change in the way Washington works, certainly, but most important, change from what so many Americans saw as a slow, inexorable American decline. The expectations were enormous, and probably impossible to achieve, at least in the short term, especially given the dire state of the economy. Obama made a series of mistakes early on, misunderstanding the nature and scope of his mandate. He spent far too much time reaching out to an embittered Republican party, searching for compromises where none were possible. He appointed Wall Street insiders to head his economic team. He refused to pursue criminal prosecutions for Bush officials who created the torture policies that harmed this country so badly in the international arena. He failed to close Guantanamo, failed to make a clear distinction between his policies and those of the Bush administration in prosecuting the war on terror. And, in retrospect, he spent far too much capital on health care while ignoring jobs. Worst of all, he failed to make a forceful case for his agenda, failed to articulate his vision clearly and consistently, failed to rouse the American people in the pursuit of grand goals. He settled for half a loaf with the stimulus, extended TARP without restrictions on bonuses for bankers, and backed down repeatedly under the threat of filibusters instead of calling the Republicans out every time they blocked necessary legislation. The result was a massive defection from his base on the left, a dispirited disengagement from the independent middle, and an uprising from the right.

None of this should be read as a new electoral love for the Republican party. The GOP was perfectly happy to take the votes of dissatisfied voters without having to articulate a vision of its own. They sang the same old song of smaller government and lower taxes. Oh, and we'll create jobs. Now that they have control of the House, we'll see how that translates. It's easy to say you'll cut government, but government is the nation's largest employer. Do you eliminate jobs there? How will you get the private sector to start hiring? Where will you cut? The proposals made so far result in modest savings of a few hundred billion dollars. Extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans adds some $700 billion to the deficit. Then there's military spending, Social Security and Medicare, which make up the vast bulk of the budget. Do you make serious cuts in any of those? How will you work with a still-Democratic Senate and President to turn the economy around and solve our many other problems?

House Speaker-to-be John Boehner was hardly encouraging in his speech victory speech last night. He essentially invited Obama to kneel at his feet and throw out his agenda. Other Republicans say they'll continue the so far successful strategy of fighting anything Obama tries to do. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell claims that his agenda for the next two years is to defeat Obama in 2012. In a disturbing echo of the Republican over-reach of the Clinton years, others talk of starting a round of investigations of the current administration or of impeaching Obama.Does any of this sound like a way to move this nation out of the mess it's in? As we fall farther and farther behind in creating a renewable energy economy, in rebuilding our deteriorating infrastructure, in rebuilding an economy on principles that will sustain it in this century, do we really want another two years of partisan gridlock? Is that what the voters said when they threw the gauntlet down?

Rather, I believe that the last two election cycles were a repudiation of both parties and of the way business gets done (or doesn't) in Washington. We have a two party system, and when we throw one out, we have no choice but to put the other one in. Obama and the Democrats may well have been badly out of touch with the electorate, but I hardly think the Republican party, based on what I'm hearing from its leaders, can make a greater claim to the hearts and minds of the American people, or tunderstanding the real meaning of this election. It's ironic that John Boehner, of all people, the man who describes himself as "cozy with lobbyists," the man who once distributed checks from the tobacco lobby on the House floor, is the new face of the voters' revulsion with Washington. We'll see where he leads.

I'm not optimistic.

[Terry]

"WE" have no choice but to put the 'other' one in!

[Terry]

Thank goodness!

Pelosi is gone

[Terry]

Obama goes to India -- below is the condos "WE" (tax payers) can afford to lodge them in -- not where they're booked:

[Terry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2TO2vS1jpA&feature=related

[Terry]

[Terry]

Hillrey makes her plea, vote for me for pres. in 2012, can't you see, I'll be the president "U" want me to be!

[Terry]

QUACK! >>> QUACK!

[Terry]

Despite the fact that the Democrats took a real beating , the Democratic-led Congress will soon be back in Washington for a lame-duck session. Heavy emphasis on the word, "lame."
Because this Congress allowed so much unfinished business to pile up before the elections, there'll be no shortage of things to do should they actually decide to tackle some of the people's business.

There are the (1) Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of this year. If nothing is done, the biggest tax increase in American history will land on our doorsteps January 1.

There's the issue of (2) expiring unemployment insurance for two million Americans.

And don't forget about the (3)budget. Lawmakers need to either pass another temporary measure to keep the government funded - or pass the remaining spending bills for fiscal year 2011. The second won't happen, the first has to.
Let's see a Ginrich!

Other pending issues include the (4) estate tax and the alternative minimum tax.

Don't hold your breath on any of this stuff. Congress will only be in session for a few weeks before the Christmas recess.

Plus, insiders say this lame-duck session could be more unpredictable than most since the balance of power is shifting. They say Republicans could spend at least a week figuring out who will take leadership roles in the next Congress.

More importantly, it's likely the Republicans won't be in the mood to do much cooperating, since they'll be running the show come January.

[Terry]

{{{ "WHICH will it be?

or

[Terry]

[mr.willy]

Terry what are you doing agreeing with CNN's Jack Cafferty you copied and pasted the same thing that Jackl is saying. ::D: ::D: ::D: ::D:

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2010/11/03/lame-duck-congress-first-order-of-business/

[Terry]

"Hee's "MY MAN!"
... not that 'i' agree with him on all points, but he certainly stimulates my thinking.
His approach to getting reaction from viewers is interesting. It's how he ask the questions & his dialogue before asking -  that makes him interesting.

[Terry]

 AdaLeft
Newbie

Posts: 42
Re: DON'T BLAME THE UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS...they didn't write the rulebook
« Reply #110 on: Today at 04:41:36 PM »QuoteMy point was, WE the people put these people in office, be it republicans or democrats.  We've no one to blame but ourselves, whether it's debt, mandated health care, wars of choice, or any other gigantic mistake.
We've no one to blame but ourselves

NO! 'i' don't agree!
    When "WE" put these people into office ( they claimed to think like '''''''''''''''''''''''''"WE" did, but after seeing where they were & what was going on they got 'greedy' & corrupt just like the others that were already there.   That was due to "US" letting them do their own thing & not saying nothing. EXAMPLE: salary increases, better healthcare, better retirement, etc. which gave them the bighead, since it made'm feel better & {more important} than "US".
GIVE"M @ TERMS,  out they go - 'i' say!

If it's good enough for the President, so be it for the others!