The Aftershocks Of Cantor's Loss
Every so often, the American political world is turned upside down. Last night was one of those moments, as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was "primaried" out of a job. Nobody (including me) predicted this upset. Today, pundits are falling all over themselves to come up with an appropriate metaphor for the magnitude of Cantor's loss on the political scene. Living in California as I do, I'm going to go with earthquake terminology: this was a massive and cataclysmic temblor for Republicans -- the equivalent of about a 9.0 on the political Richter scale.
Snap judgments abound today in the chattering classes, who are all trying to figure out "what it all means" -- what message the voters in Cantor's district really meant to send in the voting booth. Cantor, according to just a sampling of these quick reactions, was "not conservative enough," or "got beaten by the Tea Party," or "was out of touch with his district" (mostly by "paying too much attention to national politics at the expense of local politics"), or was "just too unlikeable and self-serving," or even "was Jewish." Take your choice -- there are proponents of all of these arguments (and far more) out there in the media right now, vying for position. I guess my favorite storyline so far is the one crediting Ben "Cooter" Jones with orchestrating a movement of Democratic voters to cause mischief in the Republican primary by ousting Cantor (no hard data has either proven or disproven this assertion, to date, I should note).
There is what could be called a "mainstream" opinion, though, which will likely become the accepted reading of Cantor's loss: that it was all due to his perceived support for immigration reform. Cantor's opponent hammered him on the immigration issue, even though Cantor was not exactly leading the charge in Congress for immigration reform -- which the hardcore Republicans insist is nothing short of "amnesty." But whatever you choose to believe was the reason for this political earthquake, it happened. It is more important now to comb the wreckage and try to predict what it will mean for the future than it is to squabble about why it happened where it did.
The aftershocks could be big. The biggest has already happened, as Cantor announced he will be resigning his leadership position in July. The race among House Republicans to replace him has already begun in earnest. The guy who has the seniority, however, is somewhat moderate and hails from the blue state of California. Conservative Republicans have already started pushing for an authentic "red state Republican" to take over -- preferably someone acceptable to the Tea Party. Who wins this struggle may set the direction for the House until 2017. Speaker John Boehner is rumored to be thinking about stepping down from his own leadership post, so whoever wins Cantor's Majority Leader position could be the frontrunner to replace Boehner as early as this Christmas. This should give pause to Democrats who are now reveling in schadenfreude over Cantor's loss (and who would also love to see the last of John Boehner) -- be careful what you wish for, because it might actually be much worse than what you've got now (as hard as that may be for some to believe).
The divisions within the Republican Party are now openly on display for all to see. Some folks (myself included) have been calling it a "civil war" within the party for years now. Yesterday's primary, however, isn't really as clear-cut as some now believe. Dave Brat, the man who defeated Cantor for the Republican nomination, is described as a Tea Partier by just about everyone. But he won his election without any monetary support from the big national Tea Party organizations -- showing how even the Tea Party's ranks are still split between groups like the Tea Party Express and the grassroots that gave birth to the original Tea Party movement. Brat's victory was monumental for a number of reasons, but the biggest is probably the disparity in spending. Cantor outspent Brat by something like 25-to-1, and yet he still lost. This should give pause to everyone who assumes that money automatically wins all political races. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much money was spent, because at times the voters just tune out a candidate's message -- no matter how many times they hear it.
In the grand scheme of things, one House district going from a very conservative Republican to an ultra-conservative Republican shouldn't change the political calculus in Washington all that much. It is, after all, only one seat among 435. Brat has to be seen as the heavy favorite for November, since the district was drawn to be a safe Republican stronghold. Barring any monumental gaffes on the campaign trail (always a possibility, of course), the seat is still likely to be Republican when the next Congress is sworn in. Democrats, while enthusiastic about Cantor's defeat, shouldn't expect to pick up his seat -- meaning that what they are now celebrating could be nothing short of the House becoming even more conservative and Tea Party than it already is.
One of the lessons of Cantor's political demise might revolve around the whole question of gerrymandering. This is the practice (which has existed since the earliest days of American government) of drawing insanely-complicated House districts to assure one party controls as many seats in a given state as possible. The problem with doing so, however, is that when you successfully concentrate one party's voters into a district, those voters may wind up being more rabidly ideological than the politician who represents them. In other words, successful gerrymandering will lead to more career politicians of your party getting primaried out of office.
This lesson won't be germane until 2020 (or even the 2022 election cycle, really), when the next round of redistricting happens. Republicans are pretty much stuck with the maps they drew after the 2010 census. This means that the possibility of Tea Partiers successfully winning primaries against sitting Republican politicians is still a looming threat. This will have ramifications in 2016. The entire civil war between the Tea Party and the Establishment Republicans will still rage on for the next two years -- and Republican House members will be even less likely to cast "impure" votes on issues the Tea Party holds dear. This is a recipe for even more gridlock, right up to the 2016 presidential election.
This is also where some huge aftershocks of Cantor's loss may be felt -- in the Republican field for the 2016 presidential nomination. If I were Jeb Bush, just to pick the easiest example, I would be seriously rethinking the chances of a presidential run right about now. Bush has said some reasonable things about immigration reform -- much more reasonable than anything Cantor ever said, in fact -- which could almost automatically disqualify him from the running in all the 2016 Republican primaries. With the House veering right in a desperate effort to fend off 2016 primary challenges from Tea Partiers, it will be driving the conversation about the direction of the Republican Party as a whole, leading into the 2016 contest. Republican presidential candidates will have to address whatever issues the House votes on, and they will be terrified of being labeled impure by the Tea Partiers. We already saw this in the 2012 race, where Mitt Romney was forced into taking far-right positions he later unsuccessfully tried to walk back (or "Etch-A-Sketch" from everyone's memory) during the general election. This will become more pronounced in the 2016 race, which may make it much easier for a Democrat to win the election. It would be ironic indeed if Cantor's loss were a big contributing factor in Hillary Clinton's victory, to put this another way.
The biggest aftershock, though, will be complete and utter inaction on immigration reform -- for years to come. The chances of the House voting on any meaningful immigration reform this year were already on life support, and they have now completely flatlined. Perception becomes reality in the world of Washington -- it won't matter if political scientists later prove that the voters in Cantor's district didn't really care that much about immigration in the voting booth, because it has already become inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom: Cantor lost because of immigration. Whether this is true or not is really immaterial at this point, because Republicans in Congress already believe it to be true -- and that's what really matters. That's all it takes for them to make the decision not to hold any votes on any immigration reform at all, ever. Democrats could offer up a bill which stated that all immigrants who ever receive citizenship will automatically count as Republican votes in all elections for the rest of their lives, and Republicans would still never allow it to be voted on in the House. Any bill with the word "immigration" in it will automatically become "amnesty" to the Tea Party, and any remaining reasonable Republicans in the House will cower in fear rather than publicly vote on it.
This won't just be for the rest of this year, either. Immigration reform is likely dead until at least 2017. The Republican Party is not going to be forced to address the issue at all until they see the demographic breakdown of the next presidential vote. In 2012, over 70 percent of Latinos voted Democratic. In 2016, that number will likely be even higher. If it tops 80 (or even 90) percent, then Republicans will have the choice of moving on meaningful immigration reform or kissing their hopes of ever taking the White House again a bittersweet goodbye, for the foreseeable future. But it's going to take actually seeing that vote breakdown before the Republican Party is ever going to act on immigration reform -- that's pretty easy to see, at this point.
Eric Cantor is now the first House Majority Leader in history (since the position was created in 1899) to lose his primary election. The message this sends to other Republicans in Congress (both House and Senate) is that this can happen to anyone. The fear this is going to create may become all-encompassing in the House, and possibly even the Senate (if Republicans win control of the chamber this November). The Tea Party sword hanging over their heads is now plain to see. Eric Cantor annoyed the Tea Party not just on immigration, but because he voted a few times to avoid the collapse of the federal budget, too. This does not bode well for the next few years -- especially if John Boehner does retire from leadership after the election is over. If the Tea Party gets one of their own in the Majority Leader spot who then succeeds Boehner as Speaker of the House, then we're going to look back on Boehner's time in office as the last period when anything got done in Washington (as laughable as that may sound, now). Even if Boehner does keep his gavel, he's going to have a much tougher time herding the House Republican cats for the next two years. Because in a House dominated by the fear of Tea Party primary opponents, the word "compromise" is going to completely cease to exist.
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Let me repeat, with typo's corrected..
"Ding Dong! Amnesty's dead.
Which old Amnesty? The Wicked Amnesty!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Amnesty's dead."
Thanx for the attribute assist before, CW.. :D
Yea, illegal immigrant amnesty is DOA.... There can be no doubt about that...
Which makes the issues in the Southwest border so much more damaging for Democrats..
Add to that a resurgence of "decimated" and "on the ropes" Al Qaeda in Iraq and elsewhere...
Democrats' chances of holding onto the Senate are fading and fading fast...
Michale
The divisions within the Republican Party are now openly on display for all to see.
As they are every primary season. Not going to make any more difference this time than it has every even-numbered year since 1856. (I exaggerate, but still ... .)
As they are every primary season. Not going to make any more difference this time than it has every even-numbered year since 1856. (I exaggerate, but still ... .)
Troo...
And, as I am wont to do every time this subject comes up, I hasten to point out that NOTHING to date comes even close to the rancor and hatred of the 2008 Dem primary...
When you have Democrats hurling charges of "racist!!" at the Big Dog hisself, you KNOW things are bad...
Michale
Hay CW,
What do you think the chances are of Cantor pulling a "Murkowski"??
This won't just be for the rest of this year, either. Immigration reform is likely dead until at least 2017. The Republican Party is not going to be forced to address the issue at all until they see the demographic breakdown of the next presidential vote. In 2012, over 70 percent of Latinos voted Democratic. In 2016, that number will likely be even higher. If it tops 80 (or even 90) percent, then Republicans will have the choice of moving on meaningful immigration reform or kissing their hopes of ever taking the White House again a bittersweet goodbye, for the foreseeable future. But it's going to take actually seeing that vote breakdown before the Republican Party is ever going to act on immigration reform -- that's pretty easy to see, at this point.
Here's what I don't get..
You seem to think that the GOP will be forced to provide amnesty to illegals to appease the Latino vote..
Do you HONESTLY believe that Latinos will flock to the GOP if the GOP pushes amnesty???
I cannot come up with ANY reasonable scenario where Latinos will actually forsake the Party Of Free Stuff to vote GOP, regardless of ANYTHING the GOP does...
There really is NOTHING in it for the GOP to push amnesty for illegals... Not one damn thing...
Michale
Hay CW,
What do you think the chances are of Cantor pulling a "Murkowski"??
This won't just be for the rest of this year, either. Immigration reform is likely dead until at least 2017. The Republican Party is not going to be forced to address the issue at all until they see the demographic breakdown of the next presidential vote. In 2012, over 70 percent of Latinos voted Democratic. In 2016, that number will likely be even higher. If it tops 80 (or even 90) percent, then Republicans will have the choice of moving on meaningful immigration reform or kissing their hopes of ever taking the White House again a bittersweet goodbye, for the foreseeable future. But it's going to take actually seeing that vote breakdown before the Republican Party is ever going to act on immigration reform -- that's pretty easy to see, at this point.
Here's what I don't get..
You seem to think that the GOP will be forced to provide amnesty to illegals to appease the Latino vote..
Do you HONESTLY believe that Latinos will flock to the GOP if the GOP pushes amnesty???
I cannot come up with ANY reasonable scenario where Latinos will actually forsake the Party Of Free Stuff to vote GOP, regardless of ANYTHING the GOP does...
There really is NOTHING in it for the GOP to push amnesty for illegals... Not one damn thing...
Michale
No One Was Disciplined After The White House Leaked A CIA Official's Name To The Press
http://www.businessinsider.com/no-one-disciplined-after-white-house-leaked-cia-official-name-2014-6
Remember a long time ago (couple weeks back??: :D)
Hypocrisy, thy name is Democrat
Michale
CW-
Your Aftershock column is the most insightful of all the many "instant analyses" of Cantor's upending that I've seen in the last 24 hr. You make a persuasive case that gerrymandering was the underlying factor, or should I say fault line, in keeping with your earthquake analogy.
My own 2 cent addition.
Overall, VA is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. According to my own rough analysis, VA gerrymandering is designed to create 4 battleground congressional districts and 7 safe districts; 3 Democrat, 4 Republican. The battlegrounds are statistically dead heat races, the safe districts tend to be weighted about 60:40 towards one major party affiliation or the other (statistically a near lock in November), except for one ultra safe Demographic bunker weighted 70:30 Dem (very little added statistical safety). The ultra safe district is the tradeoff the Republicans made to get their one additional safe district. Advantage Republicans at the US House of Reps level.
But, gerrymandering only indirectly affects primary races (money, prestige influence), which are in theory, internal party contests. Virginia, is atypical in that primaries are open, any voter can decide to jump parties at a whim. If an incumbent cheeses off enough voters AT LARGE, they are potentially vulnerable. All the gripes are additive, immigration, not conservative enough, not Christian..... out of touch "what have you done for me in my district lately." I'm betting that no single issue did in Cantor. People enjoy sweeping narratives, but I don't see one here, except that all politics is local, especially primary politics. Mind the store! Cheesed off people are extra motivated to vote and are disproportionately important in low turnout primary contests. Cantor was unperceptive, but mostly unlucky. He bet the farm on money, prestige and influence, accepting some local risk to get more power and prestige. 95% of the time that's a safe political bet.
"Cooter" recognized the geological instability in VA, and made some media snark with it, but I doubt it contributed much organized cross party mischief. Ex rep Cooter is probably as surprised as anybody, but smiling more than most! That said, it will be interesting to see how much cross party voting actually occurred....and whether Virginia power brokers (R and D) decide to wall-off the cross party voting threat.
‘Our Future Rests’ On The Success Of DREAM Kids
-President Barack Obama
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSM7wcVcoOCSIDoZQvf0S-cvYy5FCpoW6B0SMz-Cnt9p4cgcPU3Kw
If true, then this country HAS no future...
Michale
Congratulations to Mr. Brat on a race well run! In some respects, I think Cantor lost touch with his district by focusing more on his own political career and national issues.
I don't buy that Cantor lost because of immigration either.
Gerrymandering did probably hurt him though. Especially in the primary where typically only the most political turn out.
I also think this district will be an interesting race come November because neither candidate is an establishment candidate.
You would think that a conservative would have a decided advantage given the district, but Brat will likely have to move to the center for the general election. (In other words, hide the Ayn Rand and Austrian eco-mumbo-jumbo books).
This might present an opportunity for his opponent.
The other thing I like about this race is that I think there's the possibility for a very clean race. One that actually talks about beliefs and positions rather than goes negative.
The reason for this is that both are professors at the same college.
Here's to an interesting race!
-David
I don't buy that Cantor lost because of immigration either.
Cantor didn't lose JUST because of immigration.
But it was, undeniably, a large factor and the factor that attracted the most attention...
Michale
In the blur of articles yesterday analyzing Cantor's loss, somewhere I read that (was it Ezra Klein at VOX?) the turnout was low in the district -- the rabid types showed up and the other republicans didn't. Cantor's GOTV was phoned in - literally, and there was a misplaced sense of invincibility at work.
I think the issue is that the spittle-flecked-ones are always hyped up and will show up to vote, especially if they can take someone down, while everyone else is lukewarm and unexcited by the alternatives. I don't think the Tea Party is growing but it is motivated and few others are. Whatever remains of "reasonable republicans" have no real options -- they can be morons like their far-right cohort, or they have to go Democrat or something else, if there is a something else option. Will be interesting to see if/how they turn out in November.
What I loved about the whole Democrat Cantor response was everyone on the Left was so gleeful that Cantor lost...
Not realizing that, with Cantor's loss, there ain't a snowball's chance in hell of Immigration "reform" passing and, by logical extension, no millions of freshly minted Dem voters for the upcoming mid-terms..
Which re-enforces what I have always said about Democrats.. They ain't long-term thinkers.. :D
Michale
Which re-enforces what I have always said about Democrats.. They ain't long-term thinkers.. :D
Which is also supported by events in Iraq..
Who knew that, after the US tripped out of Iraq, Al Qaeda forces would move in...
Oh wait..... :D
Michale
Which re-enforces what I have always said about Democrats.. They ain't long-term thinkers.
Here, I couldn't agree with you more, Michale.
The sense of glee that someone further to the right ousted Cantor is seriously misplaced.
The reason, obviously, is that Cantor is a senior Republican and I also believe Democrats think this might open up a chance for them in November.
I think this view is misguided. What the Dems seem to miss is that the country is lurching even further in the wrong direction.
I mean ... another Randian ... it wasn't too long ago that Rand was a fringe cult.
Good call on the Dems, Michale. Sometimes they really do seem to miss the long view.
-David
Good call on the Dems, Michale. Sometimes they really do seem to miss the long view.
Hay now! What a damn minute!! You can't....
Wait, huh..?? Whaaa?? What you say now??? :D
Michale
Don't worry Michale I won't shake your faith by agreeing with you!
You keep pretending that immigration reform, which even if passed today, wouldn't take effect for years, and wouldn't provide citizenship until six or seven years after it goes into effect, would somehow inject new Democratic voters into the next election or two.
Any glee over Republicans coming fully out into the open as hostile to Latinos and Hispanics IS "long-term thinking." Republicans are throwing away influence with GENERATIONS of Latinos and Hispanics, whether immigration reform passes or not.--And it WILL be enacted eventually.
Republicans are the ones suffering a lack of long-term thinking! It comes of their desperate desire to roll back the clock and maintain a solid white majority.--And it ain't ever gonna happen.--Republicans are too terrified of being treated by minorities the way they've always treated minorities, should minorities become the majority, to accept that and respond proactively by addressing immigration reform.
LD,
So, you have a logical and rational reason why the GOP should support illegal immigrant amnesty...
By all means, lets hear it...
Michale
Republicans are too terrified of being treated by minorities the way they've always treated minorities, should minorities become the majority, to accept that and respond proactively by addressing immigration reform.
Republicans have ALWAYS been ready to discuss REAL reform..
But all Obama and the Democrats are interested in is giving amnesty to criminals so they can mint millions of fresh new Dem voters..
That's not reform and the Republicans would be COMPLETE morons to agree to ANY form of amnesty...
The problem is Obama has proven time and time again that he simply cannot be trusted to do right by this country...
With Obama, it's always HIMSELF first, PARTY second and the country a very VERY distant third...
Michale
The problem is Obama has proven time and time again that he simply cannot be trusted to do right by this country...
With Obama, it's always HIMSELF first, PARTY second and the country a very VERY distant third...
What's happening in Iraq is a perfect example of Obama's complete and utter incompetence..
Michale
Do you HONESTLY believe that Latinos will flock to the GOP if the GOP pushes amnesty???
Yes, you seem to forget that both catholic religiosity and family values aren't exactly hard sells to certain groups of Latinos, especially if you throw in negative perceptions of leftist governments, Venezuela for instance is not doing so well popularity wise.
Also read this bit.
http://www.vox.com/2014/6/12/5803062/why-republicans-cant-ignore-the-growing-power-of-latino-voters
Ignore the title, it's just click bait, and actually read the thing. Basically it's saying that the important bloc of latinos is and will be 2nd generation voters. These people CANNOT be deported away as you would so fervently wish Michale. So in essence republicans have a choice, deal with latinos votes as something that must be courted and the best way to do this is not to run on on a campaign of: elect us We'll deport your parents, destroy your family, and tell you to your face that you deserved it.
Also, Cantor lost because he ran a bad campaign, and the thing the tea party hates most is the leadership, which they rightly or wrongly see as the establishment, regardless of voting records. Add in a bit of flip-flopping, a tone deaf campaign, seriously bad internal data, and just plain old bad imagery, holding your "victory" party IN Washington D.C. will not endear you to the republican primary voter. And we get a scenario that looks almost obvious in hindsight.
What's happening in Iraq is a perfect example of Obama's complete and utter incompetence..
U.S. has been gone for four years, and what happens in Iraq is obviously all about Obama, and not, say, the rule of the current prime minister and his policies. Also spill-over from syria, and the fact that it was Bush's invasion that created Al-Qaeda in Iraq, now known as ISIS. I mean it's just soooooo obvious if you ignore every relevant fact and piece of information.
U.S. has been gone for four years, and what happens in Iraq is obviously all about Obama, and not, say, the rule of the current prime minister and his policies. Also spill-over from syria, and the fact that it was Bush's invasion that created Al-Qaeda in Iraq, now known as ISIS. I mean it's just soooooo obvious if you ignore every relevant fact and piece of information.
What did I tell ya, David?? :D
When the Republicans are perceived to be at fault, then it's ALL about the blame.. :D
Newsflash for ya, YoYo.. Democrats are as much at fault for Iraq as Bush is, don'tcha know..
But, like I said.. When it's a GOP POTUS, it's ALL his/her fault..
When it's a DEM POTUS, **NOTHING** is his fault...
Yes, you seem to forget that both catholic religiosity and family values aren't exactly hard sells to certain groups of Latinos, especially if you throw in negative perceptions of leftist governments, Venezuela for instance is not doing so well popularity wise.
Catholicism has very little to do with ILLEGAL immigrants..
By definition, they are criminals. And criminals will ALWAYS flock to the Free Ride Party, the Party Of Free Stuff...
Michale
Yes, you seem to forget that both catholic religiosity and family values aren't exactly hard sells to certain groups of Latinos
Yes, but THOSE certain groups are LEGAL immigrants..
Not criminals...
THAT is my entire point..
Michale
Also spill-over from syria, and the fact that it was Bush's invasion that created Al-Qaeda in Iraq, now known as ISIS.
"I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government."
-Joe Biden, 2010
Iraq is one of OBAMA's greatest achievements...
It's typical of those suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome..
ODS sufferers want to give Obama ALL the credit when things are peachy keen wonderful, but blame BUSH (and to hell with fixing the problem) when it all goes to hell...
Funny how that is, iddn't it? :D
Michale
So, Obama is going to be the POTUS that lost Israel, lost Egypt, lost Syria, lost Afghanistan, lost Pakistan and now loses Iraq...
Why not just make it easier and say Obama is the POTUS that lost the entire Middle East... About the only relationship that the Obama Administration can point to is Jordan.. But that's only because the King is a Trekker.. :D And HE is holding on by the slimmest of threads right now, due to Obama's bungling of Syria..
There isn't ONE SINGLE allied relationship that has gotten better under Obama..
And, considering how low those relationships were under Bush, the fact that those relationships are LOWER under Obama says quite a bit...
Michale
Obama is facing the worst-case scenario in Iraq..
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/209253-white-house-faces-worst-case-scenario-on-iraq
Anyone read EXECUTIVE ORDERS.. Looks like fiction is becoming reality.
Iran is going to swoop in and save the day, leaving America looking utterly incompetent with it's thumb up it's ass...
Hysterical whinings of "It's all Bush's fault!!" won't fly..
Obama OWNs this new crisis...
Michale
It's being reported that National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, has claimed that the insurgents that are dismantling Iraq were driven to this by an anti-Islam video..
Ms Rice further claims that the Iraqi Army served with honor and distinction.
Michale
This debacle is a direct result of the "Lead From Behind" (AKA Coward Of The County) strategy...
Lead From Behind is not leadership..
It's an abdication of leadership...
Michale
Coward Of The County
Good song, btw. Kenny Rogers was so much better before his face lift.
-David
Good song, btw. Kenny Rogers was so much better before his face lift.
Common ground once again... :D
Michale
Michale [17],
Ok. Republicans should support immigration reform because the current policy doesn't work, isn't just, and causes problems instead of solving them.
Republicans only think the law is sacred when it comes to immigration. The same people who cheered Cliven Bundy for "defying the federal government" are the ones who claim people illegally immigrating to feed their kids are inexcusable because THEY'RE breaking the law! But when the la gets in THEIR way suddenly its all THEIR "rights" to do as they please! Once again their hypocrisy demonstrates the issue is prejudice, not ideology.
But they won't tolerate reform. BECAUSE its bigotry and not rational policy considerations. And its that bigotry that's going to cost them votes for generations to come.
Ok. Republicans should support immigration reform because the current policy doesn't work, isn't just, and causes problems instead of solving them.
Agreed...
The current policy doesn't work..
Amnesty will cause a BUTTLOAD more problems. Higher unemployment for minorities.. Ya know.. The people that Democrats CLAIM to care about..
No one is saying that reform isn't needed..
But if the debacle in the SouthWest has proven ANYTHING, it's that amnesty is the WRONG answer..
Border security MUST come first...
THAT is the only reform that is worthy...
But, you see.. Democrats don't CARE about reform..
All Democrats care about is minting millions and millions of fresh new Democrat voters...
Michale
Ooooooooo
Obama hints at action
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2014/0612/Obama-hints-at-military-action-in-Iraq.-Are-airstrikes-the-only-option-video
I feel another "RED LINE" coming on!!!
The idea that Obama thinks that the region actually CARES about anything Obama says is what is so sad about this entire affair...
Michale
The hysterical insistence that Obama is the CAUSE of everything, and anything, that happens in the world--because he's the President. While Bush isn't, and never has been, responsible for ANYTHING. ESPECIALLY not the things that Bush DID as President is typical Michale lying.
Bush's culpability for the results of his actions didn't end when Obama was inaugurated. But the desperate need to discredit and demonize Obama coupled with the futile attempt to erase the fact that Republican rule proved the most incompetent and disastrous in American history, in order to sell the lie that Republican's know how to govern and Democratic rule is "destroying America," is the "big lie" on steroids. And a MASSIVE inversion of reality.--Its also predictably Michale, who never stops trying to sell his rightwing lies.
The hysterical insistence that Obama is the CAUSE of everything, and anything, that happens in the world--because he's the President.
That's funny..
Because when Bush was POTUS, ya'all blamed him for EVERYTHING..
Ahhhhh I get it..
The POTUS is only responsible for everything when it's a REPUBLICAN POTUS...
I get it now.. How silly of me...
Bush's culpability for the results of his actions didn't end when Obama was inaugurated.
But Obama's responsibility STARTED at his inauguration..
At least it did for those not suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome...
Michale
The Middle East is in WORST shape now than it was when Obama took office..
That is SOLELY, COMPLETELY, UNEQUIVOCALLY and 1000% on Obama and the Democrats..
All you have is fixing the blame and ignoring the problem..
Obama is in charge now.
WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO ABOUT IRAQ???
Michale
I guess it's too much to ask for that Obama would... oh I dunno... actually LEAD on this issue...
Yea, I thought that was too much to ask...
I also noticed how you failed to acknowledged Democrats culpability for the 2nd Iraq War...
Michale
Child Immigrant Facility ‘Dog And Pony Show’ Invite Comes With Tons Of Rules
http://dailycaller.com/2014/06/12/child-immigrant-facility-dog-and-pony-show-invite-comes-with-tons-of-rules/
"Most TRANSPARENT Administration EVER!!"
My ass.....
Michale
200 U.S. contractors surrounded by jihadists in Iraq
http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/200-u-s-contractors-surrounded-by-jihadists-in-iraq/
Benghazi all over again..
The Obama Administration is leaving those Americans to die...
Michale
Michale [35],
True. Obam's responsibility to AMERICA started when he was inaugurated. Obama's responsibility to do what he could to CLEAN UP THE DISASTERS BUSH CAUSED started when he was inaugurated.
NONE of that makes Obama responsible for CAUSING what happens ANYWHERE, unless they're a direct result of OBAMA'S actions.
The lie you keep pushing is that blaming Obama JUST because he's President is the same as all the heat Bush EARNED through his DEMONSTRATED DECEIT and INCOMPETENCE.
Bush CHOSE to start a war in Iraq, and WITHOUT CAUSE.
Bush CHOSE to destabilize Iraq and the ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST.
Bush CHOSE to disregard warnings about Al Queda.
Bush CHOSE to start two wars he had no exit strategy for.
Bush CHOSE to run up a deficit and double the debt, threatening to bankrupt the country.
Bush CHOSE not to regulate Wall Street, allowing them to criminally collapse the economy.
Bush CHOSE to sit on his hands and DO NOTHING while people were dying in New Orleans post Katrina, FOR DAYS.
Bush CHOSE to illegally detain prisoners and deny them their constitutional rights compromising any hope of prosecuting them for terrorism.
Bush CHOSE to inflame the situation and AID AL QUEDA by engaging in terrorist tactics HIMSELF, through kidnapping and torture, VALIDATING terrorists accusations and assisting terrorist recruiting.
I could go on.--And on...
Your nonsense about Democrats blaming Bush for EVERYTHING while he was President is a flat out lie. ANOTHER flat out lie! Democrats SUPPORTED Bush. Supported him after 9/11. Supported him when he went to war. Bush simply BETRAYED that trust.
Bush LIED about Iraq possessing WMDs.
Bush LIED about Iraq refusing to cooperate with inspectors.
Bush lied about the budget--year after year! First submitting phony official budget requests. Then submitting "emergency appropriations requests" for the wars, as soon as the budget was approved.
Bush illegally spied on tens of thousands. Then Republicans shut down all inquiries and prevented ANYONE seeking justice by RETROACTIVELY granting full immunity and legalizing Bush's misconduct.
Democrats didn't fight Bush when he said we had to go to war. Democrats didn't blame Bush for 9/11. Democrats didn't fight the war authorization Bush wanted. UNTIL they discovered Bush was lying, mismanaging, incompetent, bankrupting the country, AND GETTING AMERICANS KILLED.
Democrats' legitimate and measured complaints about Bush were NOTHING like the current six year effort by Republicans to delegitimize Obama's Presidency and obstruct ANYTHING he attempts to do in order to MAKE Obama's Presidency a failure which began THE DAY Obama was inaugurated!
Republicans have amply demonstrated that they are perfectly willing to damage America and punish Americans JUST to create incidents they can propagandize to defame Obama.
And you, Michale, have amply demonstrated your eagerness to assist them in that effort. Which is why you just won't stop lying.
True. Obam's responsibility to AMERICA started when he was inaugurated. Obama's responsibility to do what he could to CLEAN UP THE DISASTERS BUSH CAUSED started when he was inaugurated.
And yet Obama has, UNDENIABLY, made things worse...
{massive hysterical Bush Derangement Syndrome snipped}
What does ANY of that have to do with Obama's incompetence??
Americans are DYING in Iraq as we speak!!
What is OBAMA going to do about it??
Just let them die like they did at Benghazi??
OBAMA is in charge now.. Not Bush..
What is OBAMA going to do??!!???
Michale
What is OBAMA going to do??!!???
I can tell you what Obama is going to do about it.
Just sit on his lazy and incompetent ass and blame Bush...
Because Obama doesn't give a rat's ass for this country or it's citizens...
Michale
Because Obama doesn't give a rat's ass for this country or it's citizens...
And the American people are happy to reciprocate...
Obama's approval continues to free-fall... It's down to 42.6 and falling..
Michale
Do you even hear yourself? How you entered this country has literally nothing to do with your religious or political beliefs. Why are latinos flocking democratic? Because racist nonsense like yours is all that spews from republican loudspeakers. We don't even have to do anything and you'll call hard working immigrants criminals and talk proudly about how your going to deport their family.
And yah, until you acknowledge the complete train wreck of the bush administration, you just come off as ignorant and pathetic. I know you don't understand history, context, or basic logic. But sure man keep beating that drum. What's going on in Iraq RIGHT NOW has everything to do with how the current prime minister has completely alienated the Sunni sections of the country. But I know you don't care about the religious and ethnic tensions in the region. Context? It would just get in the way of you projecting all your fear and anger on the black man in oval office.
Do you even hear yourself? How you entered this country has literally nothing to do with your religious or political beliefs.
I HAVE no "religious" or "political" beliefs, save that of common sense and mutual respect...
Why are latinos flocking democratic?
Again with the Straw Man arguments..
We're not talking about Latinos.
We're talking about ILLEGAL immigrants.. Criminals..
And yah, until you acknowledge the complete train wreck of the bush administration, you just come off as ignorant and pathetic.
It's all about fixing the blame and nothing about fixing the problem..
EXACTLY as I said..
Obama is in charge now. NOT BUSH..
WHAT IS OBAMA GOING TO DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM?!!
Michale
It would just get in the way of you projecting all your fear and anger on the black man in oval office.
What IS it with you and LD???
Always playing the race card...
Let you in on a little "secret"...
The ONLY reason Obama is IN the White House is BECAUSE he is black...
A white man of Obama's (lack of) qualifications would never have even made the Primary..
If you are honest, you would acknowledge this as fact..
So, if you want to cry "RACIST!!" maybe you should look to your own Party first..
After all, the Democratic Party was the Party that brought us the KKK...
Such inconvenient facts, eh?? :D
Michale
I am also constrained to point out that the biggest racists on the planet are black..
AND Democrats....
As I am wont to say...
Before ya'all start pointing fingers, maybe ya'all should clean up yer own house first...
Michale
Put another way...
There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE that any of the complaints against Obama are based on racism...
NONE... ZERO.... ZILCH... NADA....
On the other hand, there is a BUTTLOAD, a TON of evidence that the complaints against Obama are based on his incompetence, his stoopidity, his shitty leadership and really REALLY bad decisions he has made...
Michale
And if you don't think it bothers me more than a little to refer to our POTUS as a "moron" or "stoopid" or "incompetent" then you don't know me as well as you think you do...
Michale
Gah Michale, I know you know the history behind the dixie-crats and the Southern Strategy, there's no need to play stupid on that front.
But to belabor a related point, Lew Dan and I do not play the race card. Race, class and gender are FUNDAMENTAL points of our shared history and society. They exist and influence our every day lives in ways that you simply refuse to acknowledge. But what makes it all the sadder is that I can see you operating within this historical context, open your eyes Michale, the past is not dead, it's not even past. (faulkner, I just can't pretend I came up with so good a phrase)
And of course Obama gets opposed simply because he's black. There are of course legitimate policy differences, but the evidence is just a google search away.
Seriously, google image "obama witch doctor" ctrl c ctrl v http://www.google.com . This stuff exists, it pervades all of american society. It has been a part of America since Jamestown and the 1690s, when the first slaves were brought here to work in the fields of colonists too slothful to grow corn to feed themselves. Slavery and the oppression of black peoples pre-dates the USA and has only STARTED to be corrected within the past 50 years.
Furthermore, I would just like to add, this conversation and history IS NOT a threat to you, it is just a fact, like how we breath in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. America is great not because we have always been the land of the free, but because each generation is confronted with the incontrovertible fact that that is simply not true and only through our work will that stone be moved just a bit further up the hill.
I won't get through to you I fear, you are stuck fervently in a loop that constantly requires you to view all facts and news through one the saddest viewpoints in american history. That of the pathetically angry conservative that denies both history, reality and basic common sense.
Gah Michale, I know you know the history behind the dixie-crats and the Southern Strategy, there's no need to play stupid on that front.
Of course I know the history..
The Democratic Party was the Party of the KKK...
That IS the history... Denying it is simply illogical..
And of course Obama gets opposed simply because he's black. There are of course legitimate policy differences, but the evidence is just a google search away.
I am not talking about some lame Anti-Obama video from some redneck in BumFuq, Kentucky...
Sure, there are racist people out there who don't like Obama because he is black. Just like there are bigoted people who don't like Republicans BECAUSE they are Republicans. Sad though it is, bigotry and racism are a fact of life..
I am talking about policy makers.. Our "leaders" in Congress who oppose Obama because he is incompetent. I am talking about the claims that were made, EVEN HERE IN WEIGANTIA that the ONLY POSSIBLE reason to oppose Obama's policies is because he is black..
It doesn't occur to you people (have fun with that one.. :D) that Obama MIGHT be opposed because he is doing wrong by this country and it has nothing to do with his race.. This is indicated by his dropping poll numbers. Which continue to drop, I might add..
Slavery and the oppression of black peoples pre-dates the USA and has only STARTED to be corrected within the past 50 years.
Oh bullshit.. "Started" my ass.. Institutionalized racism against any race but the caucasian race is dead... It died the day we elected a black president..
Equality is a two way street, my friend.. One cannot preach equality then demand special treatment for past sins committed by long dead ancestors.
I won't get through to you I fear, you are stuck fervently in a loop that constantly requires you to view all facts and news through one the saddest viewpoints in american history.
Actually, if you look at it, it is you who views EVERYTHING thru the prism of that saddest viewpoint in American history.. It is you who is bound to a past long dead...
I acknowledge the past, acknowledge that it IS the past and move on..
People like you and LD live in that past and it colors everything you say, do and believe..
What is so ironic is that, if you were to travel back to that past and actually LIVE it, the hand that would be holding that whip or that rope would be a DEMOCRAT's hand. Not a Republican's hand..
Which makes your current Political Party choices more than a little strange...
If you DID travel back to that past, YOU would actually be a REPUBLICAN!!!
Howz THAT for a mind-frak, eh? :D
Michale
This is indicated by his dropping poll numbers. Which continue to drop, I might add..
Obama's approval rating has dropped more than 2 points and is continuing to fall...
Is that ALL because of racism??
Of course not... THAT is the point ya'all simply CAN'T acknowledge..
In ya'alls mind, it simply CAN'T be possible that Americans have real and *LEGITIMATE* beefs with Obama and his policies..
Obama is god and if anyone opposes him, it MUST be because of racism...
So who is stuck in the past??
The people who believe that racism colors EVERYTHING??
Or the people who IGNORE race and concentrate on character???
Think about it...
Michale
I mean, seriously.
Think about it..
Isn't supporting a POTUS SOLELY because he is black as much racism and NOT supporting a POTUS solely because he is black??
Michale
We don't even have to do anything and you'll call hard working immigrants criminals and talk proudly about how your going to deport their family.
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJdT_0bDn3cHmYpEk3elccLw_oegQvkAJF3SMv6LAwEypNHqevCg
Yea...
Hard working immigrants..
Sure.... Gotcha....
Michale