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Primary 2012: An austere OP for an austere era
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And if liberals don't come out to vote for Obama anyway, even if they're not particularly enthused, then the results will be like the 2000 election.
If memory serves me well, that turned out really fucking well for the country.
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
I guess he better start getting his shit together, then.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Like, really? Are you that stupid?
Edit: Using the Royal You, here... not directly asking anyone.
For me, it doesn't matter much. The GOP alternatives as all so unpalatable that I have to vote for him. Even if he's not the president many of us had hoped for, he's much better than the alternatives. At the end of the day, that's what matters.
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
I think it's been pretty well established that "Vote for X because Y is bad!" doesn't work. John Kerry, anyone?
I think it's obvious that 2008 happened because people were voting for someone. I think the return on that investment has been fairly poor, and many liberals and independents tend to agree.
Those are the dividends you're likely to see on Election Day. So, I respectfully request that Mr. President step up his game and be the man we all hoped he would be. Otherwise, it's likely to not go well for him, or the country as a whole.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Borderlands 2 PA Xbox Metatag - Bazillion Guns
Yeah, passing the most important piece of Democratic legislation (the healthcare act) since LBJ certainly was a terrible investment. [/sarcasm]
Seriously, did you all expect total victory? Especially with a disciplined, radical opposition party?
I'm certain a lot of conservatives were disappointed with Bush in 2004. They still voted like crazy.
@DevoutlyApathetic: Yeah, exactly
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
Reality Check: He didn't veto legislation written by the Heritage Foundation.
He then goes on to offer Social Security up on the budget chopping block.
Please don't compare the man to LBJ. It makes my pimp hand quiver.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Well, while that is true, it's up to Obama to effectively bring those up. If he feels his accomplishments are something to be proud of, then hopefully he'll campaign on them and convince people that their vote in 2008 was worth it. He's got an uphill battle in front of him, and he's playing a different game this time than he was in 2008, so he needs to be able to adjust and handle it.
(Soul Silver): 4383 4318 1528
Lv 85 Tauren Shaman Lv 85 Worgen Druid
You mean the debt ceiling bill? Yeah, vetoing that and going into default would be a great move! You're a brilliant political strategist! [/sarcasm]
He did the responsible thing. I wasn't happy about it, but the cuts are back-loaded and can be undone like a future congress (like if we all come out in 2012 and win elections nationwide). Better than default, certainly.
What cuts on SS? If it's lower benefits for the wealthy, fine by me. He was pretty circumspect on that, and I figure it was a strategic move by him to show that the Republicans are so unreasonable that they'll reject everything.
The healthcare bill is the most important Democratic legislation since Medicare and Medicaid. Sorry to break that to you, but Obama achieved what other Democratic presidents couldn't. If that's not enough for you, then have fun in your magical liberal fantasy world (that I'd probably like, but is beside the point).
Edit: Btw, how often was the filibuster used before the 1960's?
Answer: About once a decade.
During the 1960's, cloture ended the Civil Rights filibusters. LBJ had enduring Democratic majorities in Congress, and combined with the rarer filibustering, could pass far more legislation.
Obama operates in a much different environment.
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
Who said anything about vetoing the bill? I said he offered SS on the chopping block, and he did (the fucking traitor).
If he had vetoed it, he could have invoked the 14th and we wouldn't be talking about how to cut money during a recession like a group of retarded fucking hyenas. You know, like Clinton blatantly said he would do, and the reason the republican congress never gave Clinton shit about it. The man has a spine.
You're comparing LBJ's accomplishments to Obama's. Are you fucking serious?
That's the opposite of Obama.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
The healthcare bill he did pass was crap anyway.
Unless he does some incredible things in this next year, the reality is going to be this: Obama was a shit president with shit ideas that couldn't get shit done.
If you do not feel the same way you felt about him in 2008 or would not even donate more than 100 dollars to his campaign today, then you should not vote for him.
If you keep voting for Presidents you do not like, you will never evolve the democratic party. The party needs to get badly bruised so the politicians can learn.
This is the frustration I have with other liberals. They just cannot think long term. They live election to election, vote to vote, issue to issue. They do not understand the concept of investing in their party and the importance of maintaining their image, nor delayed gratification. It's a completely cutthroat party where everyone wants everything NOW and every second they don't have it is an OUTRAGE!
You shouldn't be afraid of a President Perry, because we've had shitty presidents before and we were fine. Obama's whole Presidency has been such a dark time that people actually look back fondly on the Bush years, when the economy was decent and people still had money and jobs. Don't sweat it.
Never get tired of hearing that one.
I think there is a time and place for being willing to take a loss in order to achieve a broader victory, and when the enemy is at your door, willing to burn everything down, that's just not the time.
Which is a lesson the Democrats need to learn as well, but capitulating right now is a really bad idea for everybody left of Lindsey Graham.
Like... basic human rights for everyone except rich, heterosexual men are at stake right now... it's not the time to sit on your thumbs and cry about not living in a liberal utopia.
A long time ago, Republicans wanted to completely remove the filibuster.
Democrats said no.
Because Democrats don't think long term.
Sometimes I wonder which party has the bigger morons.
No, that's exactly the time.
The enemy is always going to be at your door.
There is never going to be a time where basic human rights and heterosexual men aren't at stake. That's just something Democrats don't realize.
There is no magical time where taking a loss isn't going to hurt.
First, read my edit. If LBJ had to operate in today's political environment, he wouldn't have gotten nearly as much done. And just for reading comprehension, the operative word is "since". We're on the same side, dude. Calmness.
Second, the debt ceiling deal barely cuts anything in 2012. As mentioned, scheduled cuts can be undone by a future Congress. Was it the deal we wanted? No, but it was preferable to default or to months of impeachment hearings.
Invoking the 14th amendment is, as one commentator aptly put, a poisoned chalice. Expanding presidential power allows Congress to shirk its Constitutional responsibilities and pin all fault on the president. The problems in our political system are not Obama's fault. They're Congress' fault, specifically Republican lawmakers ("give us what we want or we'll set it all on fire!").
If we want to fix our political institutions, separation of powers is more important than ever.
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
I love how universal healthcare is a liberal utopia, despite most or all first world countries having it.
I love how expecting your president to stop sucking republican dick long enough to actually defend legislation democrats have fought long and hard for is somehow expecting a liberal utopia.
You defeatist apologists are ruining the party.
(read in Dorothy's voice)
"Oh no! Now you have to vote for him!"
No, actually I don't. There will always be a crisis of the moment. That has never, and will never change. The President either starts standing up for my party or he can kiss my ass. And no, hardcore republican circa 1985 is not "close enough."
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Beyond that, though, is the cognitive dissonance in moutpeace's argument.
Assertion 1:
Assertion 2:
If maintenance of the Democratic party's image is so important, then how does an Obama loss in 2012 help? Wouldn't it make the party look incredibly weak and divided, instead of cohesive and proud of its achievements?
Medicare and Medicaid started out far smaller than they are now. They expanded over time. In light of your second assertion, specifically about delayed gratification, why can't the healthcare bill improve and expand over time?
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
The same way that winning in 2008 apparently didn't help Democrats look stronger.
How the fuck do you hold a majority in Congress and the Presidency and still struggle to get your shit done?
You didn't answer the question. Try again.
To respond to your second sentence:
Filibuster and disciplined opposition that doesn't care about governance.
hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com
http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
There is no excuse for that question, and there is no answer except incompetence.
If the Republicans wanted to filibuster, let them filibuster and see what happens.
I have no faith in the Democratic party's ability to expand healthcare in the future based on what I've seen today.
So what's the alternative? Bend over and get fucked discretely by the GOP?
And here I was thinking that people voted for Obama because he wouldn't pull blatantly unconstitutional shit. Maybe you should just come out and say that he should have stripped the cuts from the debt ceiling bill with a signing statement.
And yes, we do dare compare a living politician to your messiah. Stuff your nostalgia up your ass and deal with it.
This. Precisely.
It's not unconstitutional. Read the Constitution.
I welcome the comparison, because it shows Obama as a weak President with no excuses. Compare him to TR while you're at it. FDR as well.
But don't come back and claim that will throw Obama in a favorable light.
"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother."
Exactly. Thinking long term is all well and good, but what about the people who stand to lose everything before then. What about people that, should the short run be lost, won't even live to see the long run? Politics isn't a game to be won, people's lives and livelihoods are at stake. I know it's easy to lose sight of that, but we need to look at both the short AND the long term.
(Soul Silver): 4383 4318 1528
Lv 85 Tauren Shaman Lv 85 Worgen Druid
I have. The constitution doesn't say what you seem to think it does, as has already been pointed out to you endlessly in the debt ceiling thread. Really, the only was the 14th amendment could be read as saying what you think it means is if it were read by someone of highly questionable literacy.
It's just crazy enough to work!
It's more "I'm not going to vote, period."
You're right, lets wait until nobody has anything to lose in the short term, ever.
Because they have a constituency who is ready to completely undermine their party at the first sign of weakness (ie, you)
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Voting for the party that most closely aligns with your personal beliefs. But you don't want to do that. You don't want to vote for a weaker party that aligns with your beliefs in the hope that, if crushed, they'll emerge stronger in the future. This isn't a scifi movie. There's no reason to believe that will happen.
No, there are many parties, and I'm not voting for any of them. I'm writing myself in.