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[The Obama Administration] The First 1,561 Days
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So the President has been re-elected.
But, as the saying goes (and if it isn't a saying, I'm gonna to try and make that happen): Winning an election is crossing the starting line, not the finish.
What will be accomplished in the second term? What will Joe Biden do since the Democratic majority in the Senate has expanded so he definitely won't need to break any ties? How often will Speaker Boehner allow single tears to cloud his orange visage?
But, as the saying goes (and if it isn't a saying, I'm gonna to try and make that happen): Winning an election is crossing the starting line, not the finish.
What will be accomplished in the second term? What will Joe Biden do since the Democratic majority in the Senate has expanded so he definitely won't need to break any ties? How often will Speaker Boehner allow single tears to cloud his orange visage?
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I know there are people saying that with reelection hanging over his head, Obama may have a freer reign, but I don't think that is likely to make much of a difference. He has already been making broad use of his executive powers in making changes like declining to defend DOMA, and I'm not sure that there is much he can do that he hasn't already. I fear this term will be a repeat of the last 2 years, with a hostile House preventing much from occurring.
Even if the House blocks everything the next 4 years, we still got a shitton done in the first two and preventing the misuse of executive power to undo their accomplishments is important.
This is gonna be the second Obama administration, so they shouldn't be concerned with re-election. They should be looking to get some fucking shit done, goddammit; winning the election was the easy part. Anyway, things I would really like to see get some attention in the second Obama administration:
*Statehood - Assuming statehood wins in Puerto Rico--and it looks like it probably will--this is going to be an issue for them. At the same time... it's about time we started taking D.C. statehood seriously, as well. These people pay all the same taxes as everyone else, have all the same fucking responsibilities, but don't really get a voice in the government.
*Marijuana Legalization - With two states voting for legalization this election, it's time to have an honest-to-god discussion about it.
*Cuba Policy - Fuck Floridians, we don't need you to win.
*Electoral reform - This is a fucking huge issue. It encompasses everything from voter ID, to the electoral college, to fixing gerrymandering, to restoring convicted felons' voting rights, to fucking shutting down the Republican voter suppression machine. And I mean that. I want some arrests and prosecutions, I want some bitches going to prison.
*Prison reform - This shit needs to happen. I'd like to see private prisons banned entirely, either phased out or bought out by the feds. Hopefully, marijuana legalization helps with this.
That'll work.
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The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
Before Christmas. And I want to see the GOP fucking try to stop him.
"CAN YOU SMEEEEEEELLLLL?
WHAT
BARRACK
IS
COOKIIIIINNNN'?!?!??"
Shamelessly stolen from Beach.
I'd consider it an early christmas present to see the President take the collective ass of the GOP House to town. Those fuckers have had a whupass comin' for a loooooong time.
I got a little excited when I saw your ship.
Are we so sure they'll cooperate?
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
I dunno, I personally don't think they will to any great extent.
But.
I'd just really like to see Barry-man rake them over the coals for a bit. He's earned that privilege after the House has been acting like shit-slinging retard monkeys for two years.
I got a little excited when I saw your ship.
No I'm not.
And I want them to try and stop us.
Do you honestly believe they're so desperate for power that they're willing to literally end the world as we know it?
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Immediate
Filibuster reform: Take actual control of the Senate. Make filibustering physically painful at the very least.
Debt deal: Trumpet everything you give up, make it really hard to not get a deal done.
Taxes: Let the Bush tax cuts expire on the most wealthy, if you have to use the Angus King suggestion about tying it to GDP growth (expires once GDP grows another 5% or something)
Cabinet: Figure out who is leaving, who you are bringing in. If you can send a few GOP Reps to Ambassador to Tahiti or something, awesome.
Short term:
Syria: No boots, but at some point a decision must be made
DREAM: GOP might be willing to deal after they see the exits
Voting Rights: Might be able to use the annoyance at long lines
Medium term:
PR/DC statehood: Long shot but a prod at the GOP- "Look what they won't allow!"
SCOTUS: Put together the short list, work with the moderate Dems that could conceivably give you problems and wow them with a brilliant liberal thinker or three
Infrastructure: Roads, bridges, trains. Nation building at home, bring the show on the road and make it more real.
Afghanistan: Bring our troops home
ed
And yes Citizens United Amendment. Universally popular, make conservatives defend.
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Yes.
They've tried it three times in the last year and a half.
I expect a leadership fight in the offing. I'm hoping the Tea Partiers push too hard and get moderate Republicans to tell them to fuck off. We need more recrimination for this election though. Really get that schism going.
I actually think I need to write a letter to my congressman. He's a non-insane republican. Should make the case that he and like 20 like minded people could have enormous power if they'd be willing to work with the Democrats on anything. While simultaneously reducing the insane fuckers to absolute irrelevance.
On the other hand, they have no political capital now to counter a president with no campaign or re-election obligations that can veto everything ever. He has no pet bills in the pipeline that he needs, and complete government inactivity means ACA goes as planned and tax cuts expire. The fact that Obama came back from these unemployment numbers in an unprecedented fashion means that the economy is not the important issue anymore. If they decide to take action, they're gambling with the only thing they have left - a house majority, and you don't do that when there's a danger of climbing out of the recession. That's what starts dynasties.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Inaction on the debt ceiling means the government shuts down. The resulting chaos would require that the dems work with the gop in the house, otherwise nothing would get done. Decisions would need to be made about what programs to cut, and the house would be part of it. In a way, letting the government burn down around them is the best powerplay for the GOP, as long as everything gets fixed relatively quickly, so that people have moved on bu 2014.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
If they do this we will have a depression. World wide.
And the Republicans will be remembered as less responsible versions of Nero.
It depends on how everything shakes out. If they take a hardline and win concessions in exchange for raising it, they have made effective use of this one place where they still have power. If the game of chicken ends with both cars crashing into each other, the Dems will have to agree to work with the house or let the government collapse on their watch. Basically, the GOP has less to lose (especially since a lot of the crazies would probably love to see the whole thing collapse.)
Yeah I can't see how there's a relatively quick fix on the debt ceiling not being raised. The consequences as I understand it would be staggering, if only because the the theoretical political unreliability of the US congress would become a practical reality to it's debtors. The only thing that could be done to fix it would be to get rid of the concept entirely and forever, and even then, in the future you'd see markets tremble when some GOP idiot started talking about bringing it back.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
The difference is now Obama has nothing to lose.
So business as usual then?
America needs to be expanding, not cutting. Austerity isn't the answer here or in the EU. This is especially needed since the vulnerable will need those services now more than ever.
They may get what they want in the short term, but they will bluewash the federal government. Given that all the major ultraconservative players have been defanged, I think it's more likely that they change tactics to something else.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Without question.
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Stuff I want to see progress on over the next two years:
-Voting reform
-Dismantling DOMA
-Halting the downward trend in government employment
-ending the wars: Afghanistan, drugs, women, terror
-Drawing down the TSA and coming up with intelligent security (get Bruce Schneier to run it!)
-Immigration reform--nail down the Hispanic votes as Dems now and they'll stay that way for a generation. Blue Texas here we come.
-Citizens United amendment
-Copyright reform (yeah, I know, not bloody likely)
I hope that the second term has a lot more "release the Biden."
I wouldn't make that bet on intrade
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Step 1: Apologize to the Muslim world and invite Muslims to come to the US
Step 2: Amnesty for illegal immigrants, turning all visiting Muslims into citizens
Step 3: Appoint Islamic qadis to the Supreme Court and federal courts
Step 4: Sharia Law
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
your plan only has 4 points
everyone knows that the best plans have 5
- start picking scotus candidates. the Senate is Democrat though, so short of someone getting shot again, the difficulty is identifying reliable candidates.
Step 5: Outlaw Christianity.
There. Better?
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Already ahead of you - Montana Initiative 166, which passed handily, in part pushes the state to move for and support an anti-corporate personhood amendment.
Yes, we just made "Fuck Citizens United" our official state position.
I totally would!
If you win, you win.
If you lose, the Dollar becomes meaningless so you don't have to pay out!
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