An actual election isn’t necessary, is it? Can’t the beauty queen and the centerfold simply take over as president and vice president? They can decide who gets which office between them, or maybe they’ll rotate on a yet to be determined schedule.
What we do know for absolutely sure at this point is that when Brown won his Senate seat in Massachusetts that win had national importance that went far beyond simply winning a single seat in a single race! 🙂 At least that’s what everyone is telling us, so it must be true!
fnord
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Jon Stewart’s show last night was fun.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
As does everyone, Robert Reich has a ‘take’ on Brown’s win.
http://robertreich.org/
I think we’re putting too much emphasis on Brown winning. I see headlines this a.m. about the Dem’s shrinking the health care bill. Kinda like their cajones.
Boy, do I agree with you! Waaaay too much emphasis. That was the reasoning behind this thread. Poking fun. Jon Stewart started it!
Fight for reconciliation, and a better bill.
I know: it won’t happen, but we have to try. I know Eugene Robinson etc. thinks reconciliation will open a can of worms, but honestly: the can is already open, with not only talk of further crap, but also the existing abortion provisions in both bills.
The only way out is to be accused of “partisanship,” and report a good bill out. The tabloid media will continue to report it as a “liberal revolt” or whatever–they almost never deal in the actual issues–but it needs to be done.
It reminds me of the old Doonesbury cartoon, where college students held a meeting about the Vietnam war. The first proposition: “End the war now!” That, and succeeding versions, got voted down by conservative delegates.
The end resolution?: “War is bad.”
Like I said yesterday, I am waiting to see the fallout from Scott Brown. I have to wonder if maybe Glenn Beck was just warning us of things to come so we won’t be so surprised?
And, then he and others could say – we knew it all the time and then pretend that they and fellow tea baggers did not help put him in.
All we see is another pretty body candidate who is be held up as some moral saint. And haven’t we all been down this road before? And haven’t we all seen these sainted men fall one by one in disgrace?
But, maybe I am wrong.
sarcasm/off
BTW – that GM truck could be just like Fred Thompson’s old truck – remember good ole’ Fred?
It was reported that Fred would have his old truck hauled to the outskirts of the town he was campaigning in and then good ole’ Fred would drive into town in his good old truck and it would look like he was just the every day, common man. Yeah, right. What do you think drove Mr. Fred to meet up with his truck – a limousine!
Yeah, right.
Scott is just a regurgitated Fred?
I think I did a Freudian slip – I mean to write ‘pretty boy’ but wrote ‘pretty body’.
But, in this case, I think both would be appropriate. After all, he must think quite highly of his body or else he would have never posed nude in Cosmos.
Get your mind out of the gutter Lill, there is not enough room for both of us there!
Reich’s dismissive attitude isn’t entirely warranted–health care is important to a lot of people–but he’s basically correct. People with chronic health issues who can’t find work and losing their homes would be more likely directly engaged with those stressful issues–or mercifully zoning out to “Dancing with the Stars”–then pay attention to the minutiae of Washington negotiations. At best, they’ll likely get something like “Blah blah blah Obama healthcare Lieberman Republicans socialism.” Whatever CNN Cliff-notes version of reality get their attention while changing the channel. If that person gets a rescue of any kind–even from a son with a new job–that’s a step up.
There’s a lot of talking about creating jobs in Washington, and delivering by November will be the most important thing. It is indeed the economy, stupid. American is not just a nation of unemployed, but underemployed. Job satisfaction–in America–is at an all-time low.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/01/us-job-satisfaction-falls-to-record-low-of-45/1
Chris Rock recently note difference between “a job” and “a career.” America used to value the idea of Americans having careers. That ideal has been replaced by kowtowing to multinational corporate moguls, so they will create jobs, and indeed they will.
In China, and India.
No wonder foreign car companies tout how they build cars in America (though they apparently have a fondness for anti-union states). I personally think we should push Inbev, the Belgian company that bought Anheiser-Busch, to make their excellent lager–Stella Artois–in the US. It wouldn’t be unprecedented (Guiness Stout is now made in Canada, Foster’s in brewed in Texas).
How’s all this been working out for America on the world markets? Not so good, but it never was about America. Hell, we even have a trade deficit with Sri Lanka. Go through your possession and count up the number of “made in China” labels.
In short, Americans need careers again. The American
lieDream. We need to build things and create things and invent things again. We don’t even have a real service economy anymore–only part of that is onshore, and everyone knows how badly service sucks these days.It’s the Economy, Stupid.
Sri Lanka deficit: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100117/BusinessTimes/bt41.html
P.S. And by the “economy,” I should emphasize I means “Main Street”–small businesses, and the less-befanged large businesses. Nothing wrong with mega-corporations making a buck either–but not at the expense of our economy and democracy.
If these two supposed hotties win simply by being hot, then what does that say about our country?
Will it be just desserts if we truly are that stupid?
Unfortunately, the country is in such a big mess that we cannot afford to take that chance.
My husband was seriously thinking about moving to New Zealand about 10 years ago. He even checked into the regulations for immigration and everything.
Since New Zealand seems to be capable of seeing beyond their noses and using the brain the good Lord gave them (see the New Zealand topic thread) , maybe I was wrong in telling my husband I was not ready to give up on my country 10 years ago?
I still think (as I said yesterday) that it says very few people in our country pay attention, few are informed. All they really know is whether or not they are comfortable and if they aren’t they become angry enough to go out and vote. Whoever is currently in office must be the reason things aren’t OK, so lets change that and vote in the other party.
They don’t have a political philosophy outside ‘vote the bums out’ — and the bum is the party currently in office. When they feel OK they don’t even vote.
If the economy recovers adequately, if the unemployment rate decreases adequately, people are able to pay for their lifestyle and see potential for moving up in their world, we’ll be back to voters being the ones who do pay attention, who do have a political philosophy. Those who are registered as “R” or “D” have figured out who they are, they want to be informed, find it interesting. The ones who say they are “I” include a few who are truly dissatisfied with both parties, but also include many who just have other things they prefer thinking about.
It seems the “I” voters influence elections in times of turmoil and not so much when they perceive things are running on an even keel.
I will disagree with that point, I find far more of those who are “R’ or “D’’ are what you have accused the “I” of being. They are not thinking about the truths or realities, they are simply too busy to be paying attention so they will vote the party line.
Good point. Yeah, I can see that (now that you make me think about it).
OK, so there are some people — and how they are registered and even whether they are registered isn’t the deciding factor — who pay attention and keep up on politics, there are some who don’t. It probably boils down to the interest level. I find politics fascinating and interesting, many people don’t.
I think you have a valid point there, at least some people do only take the time to vote out of emotion.
But do not actually take the time to study or even truly listen to what a candidate is saying.
You did cause me to think with one of your questions, What had Bush done worth noting other then the wars? I have discover a odd thing, often we do not hear of everything a President did until maybe ten years after they are out of office.
It might have been mention on the news during their term, but is not noted because of the fixation on what we think was bad. Like with Bush, I could not think of anything that was a positive and worked out well.
NCLB did not work as it should have, is hated by teachers and thought to be a hindrance to the children who are not learning disabled.
The Prescription drug bill, I have not met any one on Medicare who likes it and it was un-funded.
The only thing and it was overshadowed by Iraq was he was suppose to have done more to fight AIDs in Africa then any other President has done.
Would I accuse the majority of voters of not knowing as much about Politics as I do?
Yes, I watch CSPAN while many consider it to be boring.
I listen and actually search out what some of the Politicians are saying beyond the two second sound byte.
Few if any actually heard about Senator Secession criticize and mocking those who hold Liberty and the Constitution in high regards. I was watching while he did it.
I use to be a single issue voter, I came to find out I did not even know what the reality was about the issue I was basing my vote on.
President Reagan and G.H. Bush passed far more restrictive gun laws then Clinton did!
so much for the thought that Republicans were safe-guarding my second amendment rights.
Certainly not paying too close attention to Politics is the truest meaning of the adage of
“Ignorance is bliss”.
You pay attention and you end up being shocked and dismayed about all the elected officials and the future of the country.
I think you’re right fnord. Sad to say.
This recession and high unemployment has reached higher up into the middle class than any of the previous recessions. Is that why we see so many angry white males?
What I don’t understand is how these same angry white males cannot see while their own jobs are going overseas, their company’s CEO is making a multi-million dollar bonus.
If the company was so strapped to not make a profit in America, then how can it afford to give one CEO all those millions simply by oursourcing jobs?
And, to make matters worse, our own government gives these companies taxpayer subsidies and tax breaks to do the outsourcing!
But yet these same angry white males listen to Rush and his fellow band of Merry Men sit and defend the CEO’s for making those multi-million dollar bonuses. WTF
You just cannot fix stupid.
It isn’t so much stupid, as lack of interest. They really don’t want to pay attention to politics, it isn’t part of their daily lives until the going gets bad. Then they don’t know why, they just know it must be the fault of the bum in office.
Well, yeah, it is stupid when you’re talking about the ditto heads who take their info from rush.
That was what I was referring to – those who refuse to learn.
How many people have you known who shouted “NO INCUMBENTS!” (ahem).
When the challengers are part of the machine, all that does is invert the balance of power, and throws anyone good out as well.
It is one of my Rush stories, my co-workers were dito heads hung on every word and agreed with Rush about the “unwashed masses”.
I after listening almost everyday. came to the conclusion that they his fateful listeners were included in his refers to the unwashed masses.
I told them so and they objected that he is talking about the minorities and those on welfare!
They worked forty hours a week and were White.
THEN THE DAY CAME, Rush expanded on his term and suddenly my co-workers shouted.
“You was right…. That SOB is talking about us too!”
I see Rush as more of an ol’ boys network type of guy. And I’m thinking WalMart workers would not exactly be in that group.
I pointed that out to OKO yesterday when she said throwing out the Political machine.
I said to replace the current political machine with another equally political machine does not good.
Of course, I’m sure OKO was referring to the CONS version of the political machine which means Democrats and that evil Chicago machine.
I’m not here to say Chicago does not have a democratic political machine (after all, I was born and raised in Illinois and know for a fact about the machine).
But to think the Chicago Democrats are worse than the Southern State Republicans Bubba machine is laughable.
While I agree with your point, having made it many times myself, do you have a constructive alternative?
Everyone always asks me, so what are we to do? I have an answer that apparently seems to many to be a) unrealistic; b) irresponsible; c) radical; d) unnecessary; and/or e) all of the above.
What is your answer tstbgop?
What is your answer tstbgop?
Hee, I hate it when I have not been on the blog for some time I kind of lost what is being talked about.
I think this is what you are asking:
It will not be easy, so much is so detailed it is almost impossible to convey the real truth or facts enough to give an understanding of the issue.
In order for me to give you an understanding of the Neo-Conservatives that I developed.
Would take some time and recounting everything I came to learn.
Or to link to information that would take days to read.
That is an example of the monster of the problem, you have an understanding formed for paying attention.
Which would be hard to explain without losing the attention or willingness for some other to learn.
A uphill battle also most already think they are aware but their awareness is coming from either a two second sound byte or the opinion given from someone that already supports their opinion.
I had such a problem with a proud life long Democrat when it came to Iraq and Bush.
He already thought he knew the reasons and the whys, Oil and greed.
Trying to explain that a good part of it was the Neo-cons ideology of spreading Democracy through the use of the U.S. military. was received with “No that can not be it!”.
So I guess it is a matter of giving simply and easy to understand points that will cause them to think.
Kind of like, “ How could it be that the Republicans are so for something that is against their stated beliefs?”.
That is actually the tactic that the White house uses to counter the statement that the health care bill is a benefit to big insurance.
Pointing to the ad against it and the objections coming from insurance.
The real key is getting people to think about it.
Weight the information rather then to accept things on face value.
try to be creditable, don’t hit people with something though true is over the edge to them.
I pointed people in the right direction when talking about the Neo-con agenda but try not to be too detailed as that is too unbelievable.
Most of the real details are just that unbelievable.
tstb, you taught me about neocons, pointed me to never-ending articles that made me sick to my stomach. There they were, hiding in plain sight! And, I think I might not ever forgive you for my loss of innocence on that subject! 🙂
The Neo-Cons have been hiding in plain sight, with the cover of the Religious Right to make it impossible to argue against ‘God’.
Who wants to be known as the person that hates Jesus or God? Especially when I am a Christian and I don’t hate God or Jesus – but I have sure come to hate some of the acts done in the name of my God.