The Aftermath
It's either the morning after, or the mourning after -- take your choice.
Last night, Democrats got well and truly shellacked once again in a midterm election. It was so bad, it's pretty hard for Democrats to even attempt to gild the lily or spot that elusive silver lining. Republicans are consumed with glee, which they've well earned this year.
Because this was a rather momentous election with a power shift in the Senate, there is a lot to talk about when contemplating the aftermath. I'm just going to dive in and present my snap reactions to the new political situation, in no particular order. I will likely return to each of these subjects later on (in future columns) in far more detail, I should mention. For now, here are my disjointed thoughts on the aftermath of the 2014 midterm elections. Oh, and I should also state up front that I called at least three (and possibly even five or six) Senate elections wrong in my pre-election prediction column, but I think my House predictions will be less than ten seats off (possibly only five), when all the results are in. So I didn't do so hot in the crystal ball department this time around. So it goes.
Democrats' silver linings (such as they are)
Congratulations, Senator Shaheen. Well done. Scott Brown would have been truly annoying to have endured in the Senate.
Hiking the minimum wage won everywhere it was on the ballot, including four deep red states. Democrats, if they had had their act together, would have tried to nationalize this election on this one issue -- Democrats want a minimum wage increase, Republicans want to freeze it forever (or even abolish it). Look at the overwhelming poll numbers to see just how potent and non-partisan this issue is, and how popular it is pretty much everywhere in America:
Alaska - won (with 69 percent of the vote)
Arkansas -- won (66)
Illinois -- won (67)
Nebraska -- won (59)
South Dakota -- won (55)
Again -- four of those states are deep red states. Why Democrats don't make this a bigger issue is a mystery. This should be Item Number One on the Democratic campaign agenda from now on, in fact. It's an issue which cuts across party lines and has overwhelming support from the public. One party champions it, one party fights it -- it's pretty easy to draw the contrast.
The other good news from ballot measures last night -- and another one that more Democrats need to get out in front of -- was on marijuana reform. Medical marijuana passed in Guam (one of the earliest stories of Election Night). It failed in Florida, but got almost 58 percent of the vote (Florida sets a higher bar of 60 percent for such a ballot measure to pass) -- which is still a clear majority. But the biggest news of the night is that America will now have four states where adults can legally purchase and recreationally use cannabis. Voters in Oregon and Alaska followed the lead of Colorado and Washington, and more states are almost guaranteed to follow in the 2016 election -- it's really only a question of how many will do so, at this point.
This is the future -- a future where the War On Weed has been consigned to the history books. Democrats need to realize this and stop fighting their own base over the issue. Smart Democrats will realize the public appeal of getting out in front of legalization earlier, not later. Democrats will be able to easily draw a partisan line on this issue, too, since the other referendum on legalizing possession of recreational marijuana was in Washington D.C. itself. My guess is this is going to lead to an enormous fight in Congress (who holds the ultimate power in the District), with Republicans spouting fire. There will be ample opportunity to stand on the other side -- the side of the will of the voters.
The fever has not broken
After every election -- no matter which party does better, it seems -- there is an outbreak of rosy-tinted optimism from the inside-the-Beltway punditocracy. These are the people who were absolutely convinced that Jon Huntsman was going to win the Republican nomination for president, mind you, because he was so gosh-darned impressively centrist to the denizens of Washington cocktail parties.
Last time around, the talk was of "the fever having been broken." Who knows what metaphor they'll settle on this time? The one I've heard most (so far) is that "Republicans are now going to show they can actually govern," but it's not all that catchy, so there'll probably be a better one before the week is out.
These people, to be blunt, are dreaming. This is Fantasyland, folks. The fever has not broken, it is running rampant. There will be no singalongs of "Kumbaya" breaking out on Capitol Hill. It just ain't gonna happen.
Now, I'm not doubting the good intentions of Mitch McConnell. But you know what they say about good intentions and where they lead. McConnell is going to have the same problem John Boehner's had since 2010, except it will be even more acute. Think about it -- the Republicans have been operating under the agenda of "maximum obstruction" since 2010 in the House. The most prominent GOP senator is not McConnell but rather Ted Cruz, who is going to spend every waking moment positioning himself for his 2016 presidential run from this point onward. Maximum obstruction just worked wonders for Republicans at the polls, so they will draw the lesson that to win in 2016 they will need to move their obstruction into overdrive. Cruz will likely put together a bloc of five or six other Republican senators, and they will bluntly dictate terms to McConnell.
The Utopia of Republicans and Obama working together in a field of sunshine is a fantasy indeed. Will congressional Republicans strive to put bills on Obama's desk which he can actually sign -- and by doing so, score political victories and add to his legacy? No, they will not. Instead, just like in the House for the past four years, the Tea Party will be in control, and they are never in a mood to compromise one tiny little inch. That will be the dynamic for the next two years, and not the pundit's dream of grand bargains and the like. The only real open question is how many times the Senate tries to kill Obamacare (which you just know will happen).
Obama must move on immigration and appointments
The term "lame duck" is often tossed about in situations beyond its actual definition in American politics. We are now in a true lame-duck session of Congress -- the period between an election and the next Congress being sworn in. For Democrats in the Senate, this is their last hurrah for at least two years. This means spending all their time confirming any Obama appointees that are still in the pipeline, because my guess is that nobody will be confirmed for any appointment for the next two years.
President Obama has also painted himself into a corner on immigration, but he has already signaled today in his press conference that he will be moving forward on immigration reform by executive action alone, before the lame-duck period is over.
Barack Obama promised to move on his own on immigration reform earlier this year. Then he pushed the deadline for his action back from summer to "after the election." That's where we are now. There are valid arguments -- from the Democratic point of view, even -- both for and against Obama acting as he promised (twice) to do. The argument against acting is that Obama will "poison the well" with the incoming Congress (Republicans in particular) and they'll be so enraged that they won't work with him on anything else.
This is a ridiculous argument. To follow the metaphor to its skeletal end, this is not currently a well filled with sweet, thirst-quenching springwater. It has not been for some time. So much toxic waste has already been heaped into it that it is now one of those "bad water" springs you see in Western cartoons, with animal skulls heaped around it. In other words, the water is already undrinkable, and in fact lethal. Tossing a little more poison in isn't going to change that one way or another.
Hearing Republicans talk about relations with Obama it is like hearing a five-year-old talking about hating someone: "I hate you a million times! I hate you a million, billion times!! I hate you a million, billion, gazillion times!!!" Once you've reached full hatred, there's nowhere else to go, to put this another way. Superlatives cannot really be topped.
Republicans -- Tea Partiers in particular -- are going to fight everything Obama does, tooth and nail. Period. That's not going to change in any way if Obama follows through on his promises on immigration. If Obama does not act, does any sane person think Congress will pass any sort of comprehensive immigration reform in the next two years? So what, exactly, would change?
President Obama seems to have already figured this out. The only question is the timing of his action. My guess would be either close to Thanksgiving or close to Christmas.
It's time to go, Harry
Harry Reid needs to go. There, I said it.
Reid has already announced he'll be the next Senate Minority Leader, and it appears none of his lieutenants will mount a campaign to replace him. This is an enormous mistake. Reid will be facing re-election in 2016, and doesn't want to appear powerless if he decides to run for another term.
To be blunt, this is nothing more than putting personal ambition before party. Reid stands a good chance of losing in 2016, if Nevada's popular Republican governor decides to challenge him. He won't be running against a Tea Party fanatic, in other words, the way he did last time around.
Democrats will need someone with the skills Reid has of keeping his caucus united, but they will also require a forceful spokesperson for their party's position in the Senate. Reid used to be a boxer, but that was quite some time ago. These days, he resembles more of a Caspar Milquetoast when publicly speaking. Listening to Reid speak is a better way to fall asleep than Ambien, to put it another way.
Democrats will be in the opposition in the Senate for two years, until the election map heavily favors their retaking the chamber. But to retake the chamber, you've got to have a forceful and winning message for the voters. You've also got to inspire confidence. Would Democratic chances be better with Reid in control or perhaps Dick Durbin or Chuck Schumer? Who would you want making your case in an interview with the press? Reid's record of electing other Democrats to the Senate is now pretty dismal. With the loss of so many seats last night, Democrats need someone with less baggage. Harry Reid should not only step down from his leadership position, he should also announce he's not going to run again in 2016. That's a bit harsh, but that's how I see it.
What to expect next
And finally, there is one big piece of business left for Congress and the president to accomplish before year's-end. The federal budget was, earlier in the year, punted to the lame-duck session (since both Republicans and Democrats were scared of a big fight in the midst of a campaign). Something will need to be passed before Congress dissolves for good. But while there may be some partisan bickering, what is likely to happen is that Congress will punt once again, for a very short period of time. The rationale will be that the new Congress should really have some input, so a measure will pass to move the deadline maybe three months out, to March.
This will allow Congress to go home for the holidays, but it just sets up a gigantic fight next February. Since it'll be a budget bill, the Tea Party Republicans will move to attach every single one of their heartfelt desires to the bill under reconciliation rules (which allow no filibustering and can pass with only 51 votes). They will lard up the budget with so many odious things that Obama will almost assuredly veto the first bill that appears. What happens next is anyone's guess, but you'll probably start hearing about "fiscal cliffs" and "government shutdowns," unless someone comes up with a better metaphor this time around. Forecast for early Spring: stormy.
Mitch McConnell may actually pass a few things very early on next year that Obama can indeed sign. Most of these will be awfully "small ball" (to use an out-of-season baseball metaphor), however. They'll be largely symbolic nibbles around the edges of America's problems, and not fundamental change. By the time they get through the first budget crisis, there will not be much left for McConnell and Obama to even talk about, because the possibility of compromise will evaporate precisely when the mainstream media begins obsessing over the 2016 presidential race.
There will be talk of a "grand bargain" on lowering corporate tax rates later in the year, but it's hard to see a compromise hammered out. Then again, this is the biggest item on Wall Street's agenda, and many Democrats dance to that particular tune, so this one might actually come to pass.
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
as promised, michale:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6TTLKfkdI2WbFVjV1FGempyOXJycEhRVGZiYVhqU2NTelZv/view?usp=sharing
Joshua,
Forgive me but I still see Wolverine there!! :D
But, credit where credit is due...
You sir, are a man of honor..
CW,
President Obama has also painted himself into a corner on immigration, but he has already signaled today in his press conference that he will be moving forward on immigration reform by executive action alone, before the lame-duck period is over.
How many times do the American people have to say, "HELL NO!!" before the Left listens??
The American people DO NOT WANT THIS...
Why do you think they handed the Democrats their asses on a platter???
There comes a point in time when people of belief have to take a step back and say, "Maybe we should re-think this..."
Don't ya'all think that time has come???
Michale
Another silver lining: the Republicans did not take over the legislature in KY (they thought they would). This was especially important to Rant Paul (R) because, in KY, your name can only appear on the ballot once. He had asked the legislature to change that law just for him and Greg Stumbo laughed at him. Now he has to go all in if he wants to run for president. He doesn't get to fake it like his daddy. I suspect that he'll choose gadfly over president.
Additionally, Churchill Downs is finding out that payback is a bitch. CD is really more of a casino company these days than a race track company. They want a casino at the track, but the Republicans have blocked that here in KY. Inexplicably, CD created a PAC this year to help the GOP take over the KY legislature. Greg Stumbo made it clear that the Dems no longer have any enthusiasm for CD's pet project.
As Mopshell so eloquently put it yesterday...
"The People Have Spoken"
Why can't ya'all accept the fact that the American people do not want amnesty for immigrant criminals???
Don't want TrainWreckCare??
Is it that the American people are only important when they say what ya'all want to hear??
I mean, honestly? What do ya'all have to have happen before you realize that the Democrat Party agenda is not good for the country???
The American people have said so!
TWICE!!!
Michale
Another silver lining: the Republicans did not take over the legislature in KY (they thought they would).
THAT's a silver lining?? :D
Well, who am I to begrudge you whatever allows you to get up in the morning.. :D
Michale
Obama Isn't Listening to Voters He Claims to Hear. 'I hear you,' the president says. But he doesn't.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/white-house/obama-isn-t-listening-to-voters-he-claims-to-hear-20141105
I asked this yesterday, but *thought* I was talking just to Obama..
But I guess I am talking to every Weigantian as well...
What part of "NO!!" don't ya'all understand???
It's over. Obama lost. Democrats lost.. The Obama Era is over.. The people have said so...
It's time for everyone on the Left to lick their wounds and accept the will of the American people..
Michale
As usual, Krauthammer says it best..
"Obama played as the puzzled observer. He was asked about the meaning of the election, and he said 'I’ll leave to others the reading of tea leaves.'
Was this really a subtle result? Was this sort of complicated and nuanced? This was the worst wall-to-wall, national, unmistakable, unequivocal shellacking that you will ever see in a midterm election, and it happened on just about every level. You’ve got in the House the Republicans now have the largest majority since 1929.
In the Senate, the Democrats have lost seven, probably nine, and by huge margins, McConnell is supposed to be neck-and-neck, he won by 15 points, Arkansas 18 points. And then the — the one excuse the Democrats have is 'well this election was played on their home turf, on red turf.' Well, you know, Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois are not exactly red states. All of them elected, shockingly, Republican governors. THE ECONOMIST called this a massacre and Obama says, 'I don’t read tea leaves'. And remember, what he said about the election. It’s about his policies, everywhere, every single one. Of course it was about him, of course it was his ideology and the execution of his leadership. This was a wall-to-wall rejection of Obama-ism and he pretended that this was an election that didn’t have a lot of meaning because two-thirds of the electorate didn’t show up.
The race I liked the most was the one in Maryland, where I live, where the Lt. Governor Anthony Brown was considered such a shoe-in, no one spoke about the Maryland race. No one. You didn’t hear a word, and the Republican, Larry Hogan, came out of nowhere. He won by 8 points. This tells you — the reason I like it, it shows the extent of this political event into the bluest of the blue, Maryland.
It wasn’t a tea leaf election. It was a nuclear explosion."
-Charles Krauthammer
This is what elections are for, people.. For the American people to tell our leaders what is what...
And the American people spoke loud and clear Tuesday. Louder and clearer than they spoke in 2010...
It's time for all Weigantians to admit what is blatantly obvious.
The American people have rejected the agenda of the Democrat Party.
This isn't gloating. This isn't bravado.. This isn't neener, neener neener....
This is simply stating a cold, hard, objective fact...
Michale
If anyone needs any help in figuring out what happened on Tuesday night....
http://cdn-media.nationaljournal.com/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=42726
I mean, I shouldn't have to draw ya'all a picture, but.... There it is...
Michale
If anyone needs any help in figuring out what happened on Tuesday night....
http://cdn-media.nationaljournal.com/?controllerName=image&action=get&id=42726
I mean, I shouldn't have to draw ya'all a picture, but.... There it is...
Michale
There's a lot of talk among frightened Democrats of immigrating to other countries. Articles on where to get immigration information and which countries are most likely to accept US immigrants, are popping up everywhere. This will further reduce the number of Democratic votes in 2016. Not that it makes much difference. Very very few Democrats will be voting in 2016 anyway.
Mopshell,
Two years ago, Republicans were threatening to move to Canada to escape The Socialism. Unfortunately, they're still here. Nothing much has really changed. The 1% will be well served regardless. Just remember that the GOP was utterly unconcerned with what the voters wanted when the votes were counted in 2008 and 2012. Obama should, and probably will, ignore their ISIS/Ebola "mandate".
Bienvenido a los Estados Unidos de América!
This isn't gloating. This isn't bravado.. This isn't neener, neener neener....
OK, it's not ALL that.. :D
But seriously, consider this...
In 2010, the American people spoke loudly, telling the Democrat Party to change their ways. That the agenda was not what Americans want..
Democrats didn't listen..
In 2014, the American people said it even louder, more insistent, more "shellacky"...
If Democrats ignore the American people again, how loud will the American people be in 2016???
Bush found out the folly of the STAY THE COURSE mentality...
Apparently, Democrats didn't learn a damn thing from Bush's error..
Michale
Two years ago, Republicans were threatening to move to Canada to escape The Socialism.
"Really!!! That's great!!! And, of course, you can PROVE that, right??? Oh yea, that's right. I forgot. You were absent the day they taught LAW at Law School."
-Tom Cruise, A FEW GOOD MEN
:D
JFC, you have been wrong at every single turn...
But I admire a man who can ignore his past errors and still plug away with the same old tired and factually inaccurate BS..
It's uplifting in a sad and pathetic sort of way.. :D
Michale
Every plank of the Democrat Party platform lost this election..
Environmental candidates lost...
Gun Control candidates lost...
Hollywood's candidates lost...
Women deserted the Democrats and went GOP...
Black and Women and black women are GOP'ers are in Congress...
Now, seriously...
Do ya'all need a couple tons of bricks to fall on yer heads to stop and think, "Hmmmmmmm Maybe it's not our messaging... Maybe it's our message..."
What's the definition of insanity??
Trying the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result...
Why not try something new, Democrats???
Why not try putting the country before your agenda??
It's just crazy enough to work...
Michale
Just remember that the GOP was utterly unconcerned with what the voters wanted when the votes were counted in 2008 and 2012
A LOT has changed since 2012.. Back then terrorists were "on the ropes".. Now, terrorists are thumbing their noses and cutting off American's heads...
As far as 2008 goes, *I* voted Democrat in 2008... And Obama and the Democrats took my trust and my faith and squashed it utterly and completely..
But, unlike everyone, I voted Dem because I honestly thought they were good for the country, not due to ideological enslavement...
Obama and Democrats have PROVEN beyond any doubt that they simply are incapable of competency in governing... Our Golfer-In-Chief has played more golf in 6 years than Tiger Woods has played his entire life..
Ya'all said it yourselves.. Democrats are not "effective" when it comes to governing, even with a clear and unequivocal majority in BOTH sides of Congress...
Again, I am gabberflasted that ya'all seem to think that the problem is with the American people and NOT with ya'all's Democrats...
When circumstances are CLEARLY showing that it's the wrong thing to do, STAY THE COURSE is stoopid and moronic...
Michale
I am also constrained to point out that Republicans gained 33 seats in the House in the election of 2012...
So, even then the people were telling Democrats to change their ways...
If Democrats don't take heed, even after the Nuclear Shellacking Of 2014, they will have no one to blame but themselves in 2016...
Michale
If Democrats don't take heed, even after the Nuclear Shellacking Of 2014, they will have no one to blame but themselves in 2016...
I like that...
Nuclear Shellacking
nuclearshellacking.com
I think I will register that domain and give it as a gift to Charles Krauthammer :D
Michale
Mopshell,
There's a lot of talk among frightened Democrats of immigrating to other countries. Articles on where to get immigration information and which countries are most likely to accept US immigrants, are popping up everywhere. This will further reduce the number of Democratic votes in 2016. Not that it makes much difference. Very very few Democrats will be voting in 2016 anyway.
It's worse than you think...
Democrats have no A-List stars to field in 2016.. Grimes, Nunn, Davis, Michaud, Brown.... All were being positioned to be A-List stars to lead the election charge in 2016...
Add to this, the fact that Democrats recruiting drives are decimated by the challenges they face to ramp up talent in 2016...
It's likely that Democrats will not recover from the Nuclear Shellacking Of 2014 until the 2018 midterms, at the earliest...
No matter how one looks at it, no matter what silver-ish lining one tries to find, Democrats have been completely, utterly and unequivocally destroyed by the '14 mid-terms..
I would almost feel sorry for them if I didn't know that they brought it upon themselves...
One can only ignore the will of the people for so long before they rise up and take a huge chunk out of the ass...
Michale
Chris,
Again -- four of those states are deep red states. Why Democrats don't make [raising the minimum wage] a bigger issue is a mystery. This should be Item Number One on the Democratic campaign agenda from now on, in fact. It's an issue which cuts across party lines and has overwhelming support from the public. One party champions it, one party fights it -- it's pretty easy to draw the contrast.
Isn't it a bigger mystery why voters would support raising the minimum wage - by large margins - and then vote for Republicans who strongly oppose such a measure?
And, that's just one issue. What about the mystery of why people who support any number of issues and initiatives in such large numbers would vote for politicians who do not share their views and who will act to oppose any progress toward implementing policies they support?
And, that's just one issue. What about the mystery of why people who support any number of issues and initiatives in such large numbers would vote for politicians who do not share their views and who will act to oppose any progress toward implementing policies they support?
I think it has to do with the fact that people want things to get done... Even if things are done that they don't necessarily support, they still see it as progress...
Democrats have proven that they can't get things done, even when they have overwhelming majorities...
So, the American people decided to give the Republicans a chance to get things done, even if what gets done is not everything the American people support...
It's the old military axiom....
LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY
The American people just told the Democrat Party, in no uncertain terms, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY...
IMNSHO, it's really that simple...
Michale
Michale,
What you say would make a lot of sense if it were the Democrats who had been in the way and preventing progress.
Unfortunately, people seem to have a hard time figuring out who and what the problem is.
But, I think this can be overcome. There are ways to make people see what is in their own best interests and what is not. Such a sea change won't happen overnight but, now is as good a time as ever to begin that process.
... of course, Mopshell may well be beyond any semblance of hope in that regard ... :)
18-Year-Old Freshman Elected To W.Va. House Of Delegates, Becomes Youngest State Lawmaker In US
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/11/05/18-year-old-freshman-elected-to-w-va-house-of-delegates-becomes-youngest-state-lawmaker-in-us/
A double-whammy....
Democrats lost in youth AND gender... :D
Michale
Liz,
Thomas Frank's "What's the matter with Kansas?" is still pretty instructional on that point. The Right has played an outstanding long game, controlling message and media in the heartland. The Left, meanwhile, has waffled, fragmented and caved to any interest with money or media. When it comes to ballot measures, people even in conservative strongholds overwhelmingly support policies that Dems say they support. however, people at the moment seem not to trust Dems to have the backbone to fight for the policies they say they want. A Dem vote may in fact be more likely to forward the policies that the people agree with, but the perception is more complicated.
JL
What you say would make a lot of sense if it were the Democrats who had been in the way and preventing progress.
But Democrats HAVE been in the way and preventing Congress..
The House passed HUNDREDS of bi-partisan bills that would have helped the American people, helped the middle class and helped the economy...
But Democrat so-called "leadership" in Congress refused to schedule those bills in the Senate to protect Democrats in the Senate.. And that worked out SO well, didn't it???
I am not saying anything that Democrats in Senate haven't said...
Unfortunately, people seem to have a hard time figuring out who and what the problem is.
No, the people responsible have an impossible time ADMITTING that they are part of the problem and not part of the solution..
But, I think this can be overcome. There are ways to make people see what is in their own best interests and what is not. Such a sea change won't happen overnight but, now is as good a time as ever to begin that process.
I couldn't agree more..
Now that we have political leadership that CAN be effective, NOW is an excellent time to begin the process...
Democrats had 6 years to turn this country around...
They blew it...
The American people now demand EFFECTIVE governing...
And THAT is why Republicans were voted in, in EVERY facet imaginable..
I mean, a GOP won as Illinois governor! As MARYLAND Governor.. GOP'ers won in bluest of the blue California...
How else can this be explained, except by an American electorate who is fed up with Party pushing their agenda at the expense of the country???
Michale
JL,
Yes, that book still sits on my shelf - have only just read bits and parts of it.
In the same vein, and more instructional still, is Chris's How Democrats Can Take Back Congress. In fact, the essential elements of this invaluable book can form the basis for any serious effort to begin to change the dynamics of American politics and lead the way to a more functional democracy.
Thomas Frank's "What's the matter with Kansas?" is still pretty instructional on that point. The Right has played an outstanding long game, controlling message and media in the heartland.
OR.....
The American people are fed up with incompetence...
Employing Occam's Razor, the latter is more likely of the two explanations...
The Left, meanwhile, has waffled, fragmented and caved to any interest with money or media.
Hmmmmmm Didn't ya'all describe the GOP in exactly the same way mere months ago???
What ya'all seem to be saying is that the American people overwhelmingly support the Democrat Party, but they are just too stoopid to know it..
Isn't it possible that the people ARE capable of speaking for themselves and ARE aware of what their best interests are and don't need anyone to tell them what their best interests are??
Isn't that slightly possible??
Michale
In the same vein, and more instructional still, is Chris's How Democrats Can Take Back Congress. In fact, the essential elements of this invaluable book can form the basis for any serious effort to begin to change the dynamics of American politics and lead the way to a more functional democracy.
You have that book too!! :D It's a great read...
But here's the thing...
Democrats DID take back Congress using MANY of the ideas in CW's book...
But it did NOT lead to a more functional democracy.. It lead to a LESS FUNCTIONAL democracy..
What else would you call a Senate Democrat leadership who refused to bring legislation to the floor because it would make Democrats look bad..
That is about as NON-FUNCTIONAL as it gets...
"These facts are not in dispute, Mr President!!!"
-Klingon Ambassador, STAR TREK VI, THE FINAL FRONTIER
Michale
Michale,
The biggest crisis arguably that the Obama/Biden administration has had to deal with was the most destructive financial crisis since the Great Depression.
It was the congressional Republicans - in the Bush and Obama administrations - who put their party ideology and their own ambitions ahead of what was in the best interests of the country. I have never seen such irresponsible behavior during such a perilous time for Americans and for the rest of us out in the world.
Michale,
What ya'all seem to be saying is that the American people overwhelmingly support the Democrat Party, but they are just too stoopid to know it..
I would never say that. Ahem.
Isn't it possible that the people ARE capable of speaking for themselves and ARE aware of what their best interests are and don't need anyone to tell them what their best interests are??
Well, let's just stipulate that there is a lot of hard work to be done to increase that awareness, shall we? :)
liz,
there's a reason why CW sometimes refers to his "Most Impressive" award as the golden backbone.
michale,
the american people have been fed up with incompetence in our government for the last 14 years, and probably even longer than that. it's been our habit to blame whichever party seems more in-charge, but really it's a systemic problem. republicans in the aughts were so incompetent that many reliable republican voters stayed home for three straight elections.
the obama administration certainly played a part in bringing those righty voters back, but those voters have also been mobilized by a combination of amnesia about how poorly republicans ran things and new, more moderate-seeming republican candidates.
JL
Michale,
We should think of how we might increase circulation of that important book - perhaps tie it in somehow with the upcoming fund-raising drive?
... and now is a very good time to purchase How Democrats Can Take Back Congress ... at under $14,000.00, it's a veritable steal!!!
Heh.
9 out of the 10 richest districts in the country are represented by Democrats..
While middle class incomes and poor class incomes have plummeted, the top 10% have gotten richer under Democrats...
Face the facts, people.
The Democrat Party that you believe in simply doesn't exist anymore...
Michale
90% of the richest districts in the country are represented by Democrats..
Under Obama and the Democrats, the income of the top 10% in this has sky-rocketed while the incomes of the lower and middle class have plumented...
The Democrat Party that ya'all believe in simply doesn't exist anymore..
It was the congressional Republicans - in the Bush and Obama administrations - who put their party ideology and their own ambitions ahead of what was in the best interests of the country.
Really???
So, it was Republicans who pushed thru TrainWreckCare by hook or by crook??
It was Republicans who issued a "YA'ALL COME" to Mexicans and OTMs???
I have never seen such irresponsible behavior during such a perilous time for Americans and for the rest of us out in the world.
Do the words "Red Line" mean anything???
The biggest crisis arguably that the Obama/Biden administration has had to deal with was the most destructive financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Arguably... :D
But things would be a LOT better if not for the bumbling and incompetence of the Democrats..
Remember "Shovel Ready"???
JL,
the obama administration certainly played a part in bringing those righty voters back, but those voters have also been mobilized by a combination of amnesia about how poorly republicans ran things and new, more moderate-seeming republican candidates.
So, you believe that it's the messaging, not the message..
Despite all the evidence to the contrary...
Ask yourself something.. If the policies of the Democrat Party are so good for this country, why did Obama have to delay a buttload of them til after the election??
... and now is a very good time to purchase How Democrats Can Take Back Congress ... at under $14,000.00, it's a veritable steal!!!
hehehehehehehe
Michale
It was the congressional Republicans - in the Bush and Obama administrations - who put their party ideology and their own ambitions ahead of what was in the best interests of the country.
Really???
So, it was Republicans who pushed thru TrainWreckCare by hook or by crook??
It was Republicans who issued a "YA'ALL COME" to Mexicans and OTMs???
I have never seen such irresponsible behavior during such a perilous time for Americans and for the rest of us out in the world.
Do the words "Red Line" mean anything???
The biggest crisis arguably that the Obama/Biden administration has had to deal with was the most destructive financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Arguably... :D
But things would be a LOT better if not for the bumbling and incompetence of the Democrats..
Remember "Shovel Ready"???
JL,
the obama administration certainly played a part in bringing those righty voters back, but those voters have also been mobilized by a combination of amnesia about how poorly republicans ran things and new, more moderate-seeming republican candidates.
So, you believe that it's the messaging, not the message..
Despite all the evidence to the contrary...
Ask yourself something.. If the policies of the Democrat Party are so good for this country, why did Obama have to delay a buttload of them til after the election??
... and now is a very good time to purchase How Democrats Can Take Back Congress ... at under $14,000.00, it's a veritable steal!!!
hehehehehehehe
Michale
CW,
Can you check the NNL filters..
Wordpress doesn't like me to prove that it's the Democrat Party who is the Party of The Rich..
That the Democrat Party ya'all believe in no longer exists..
Michale
What would it take for ya'all to concede that the American people do NOT want the Democrat Party agenda for this country??
I mean, if this Nuclear Shellacking doesn't convince ya'all, if the fact that Obama has to wait til AFTER elections to implement that agenda doesn't convince ya, what would?
Michale
I mean, let's face the facts people..
You can say that you do not LIKE the will of the people..
But you simply cannot deny that it IS the will of the people..
You cannot deny that the people HAVE spoken, loudly and unequivocally...
You may not like what they have to say..
But they DID say it...
That is indisputable..
Michale
JFC,
The End is near. Civilization as we know it is in jeopardy.
You mean, civilization as you Democrats WANT it is in jeopardy...
Thank the gods for that!!! :D
Michale
Heh..."the people have spoken", eh?
You know what the people really said?
I don't care, stop fucking bothering me!
No, really. Voter turnout was at the lowest level since the 40's. In most states the turnout was in the 40% or lower range. In some cases in the twenties. Which means about, what? 21-22% on average support Republicans over 18-19% support Democrats. I would not call that much of a mandate when the vast majority of Americans could not care enough to even vote...
No, really. Voter turnout was at the lowest level since the 40's.
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"
-RUSH
A decision NOT to vote for your candidate is a de-facto vote for the other candidate..
I would not call that much of a mandate when the vast majority of Americans could not care enough to even vote...
Of course you wouldn't...
Because it is the GOP that is the beneficiary of lack of caring.. :D
But the people who DID speak, spoke overwhelmingly against the Democrat Party agenda..
This is fact...
Michale
Michale
Pizza!
Pizza!!
:D
Michale
If the situation were reversed, ya'all would be as giddy as schoolboys.. :D
"Who?? Attila The Professor?? He was never giddy, even when he was a schoolboy."
-Indiana Jones, THE LAST CRUSADE
:D
Michale
Al Sharpton says that this Mid Term Nuclear Shellacking was a defeat for the Clintons..
Obama is blameless...
It's all the Clinton's fault... Get that??? It's a "defeat for the Clintons"...
And ya know the funny thing.. Obamabots actually BELIEVE that!
They actually BELIEVE that it's not Obama's fault...
Michale
So, you believe that it's the messaging, not the message...
it's neither the messaging nor the message. it's the candidates, plain and simple. republicans picked better candidates than before, and democratic candidates faltered.
based on the success of lefty ballot initiatives (marijuana, minimum wage, business regulation) and the failure of righty ballot initiatives (personhood/abortion) both the message and the messaging are doing quite well. what's been remarkably unsuccessful for democrats is the same thing that's been unsuccessful for them for the past twenty-plus years. namely, they are malleable and often come off as phony or weak-spined. catching bin-laden insulated obama himself from that perception for awhile, but his job ratings are based essentially on the same problem.
if a candidate appears weak, people will ignore both what they say and how they say it.
JL
So, it has nothing to do with the Democrat Party Agenda??
I don't buy it... If the agenda is all fired up right for this country, then Americans would overlook the character deficiency of the candidates.. Gods know we have done so many MANY times in the past..
Obama's election is a PERFECT example...
The simple fact that Obama had to postpone, delay and obfuscate so SO many policies until after the people voted PROVES that even HE knows that the American people are against the agenda..
It's like CW said with regards to a war vote... Democrats didn't want to go on record BEFORE the people had their say...
Just like Obama forced insurance companies to wait until after the election to post the health insurance rate hikes..
Just like Obama postponed his Amnesty for criminals program.
Just like Obama postponed many MANY components of TrainWreckCare.
Obama KNOWS that the American people don't want these things and so much more..
THAT is why he delayed things until after the election..
I saids it befores and I'll says it agains..
With the exception of national security or public safety, the will of the American people is priority one...
Michale
Let me put it this way..
In 2008, a huge wave swept Democrats into power..
None of ya'all had ANY problem believing that it was a "new era" that "America Had Become A Center Left" country, the the American people had "embraced liberalism and progressiveism with a vengeance"....
So, why do ya'all have such a problem believing it when the opposite happens?? Especially when the wave that swept away Democrats is so much larger than the wave that swept them into power...
When the American people discard Democrats and turns right..
Why is it so hard to believe now that the American people have changed again??
Michale
In 2008, a huge wave swept Democrats into power..
None of ya'all had ANY problem believing that it was a "new era" that "America Had Become A Center Left" country, the the American people had "embraced liberalism and progressiveism with a vengeance"....
i know i wasn't saying that. as CW has stated many times (and for which he has provided ample evidence), we have always been extremely divided. these divisions exist regardless of which way the electoral math happens to go on any particular occasion.
The simple fact that Obama had to postpone, delay and obfuscate so SO many policies until after the people voted PROVES that even HE knows that the American people are against the agenda...
in my view, you have your causes and effects reversed. i would hypothesize that obama's ratings have dropped BECAUSE he is seen as wavering and waffling.
JL
i know i wasn't saying that. as CW has stated many times (and for which he has provided ample evidence), we have always been extremely divided. these divisions exist regardless of which way the electoral math happens to go on any particular occasion.
perhaps you, specifically wasn't saying that.
But that WAS the prevailing opinion amongst the entire Left and the vast majority of Weigantians who were here at the time.
Hell, even *I* was saying it, remember???
Obama elected is a "heady and exciting time to be an American"...
But the difference is I recognize the facts for what they are..
And, in this case, in the here and now, the facts CLEARLY show that Obama's policies are not wanted by the majority of Americans..
Obama himself said so...
in my view, you have your causes and effects reversed. i would hypothesize that obama's ratings have dropped BECAUSE he is seen as wavering and waffling.
We're not talking about Obama's poll numbers..
We're talking about the fact that Obama had to postpone policies and initiatives til AFTER the election to protect Democrats.. This is documented fact..
If those policies and initiatives are good for the country as ya'all claim, then they shouldn't have to be postponed and delayed until after people vote..
Based on the facts, Obama knows that those policies are not good for the country and that the American people are against those policies..
QED
If Colonel Jessup gave an order and his orders are always followed, then Santiago shouldn't have been in any danger. It shouldn't have been necessary to transfer him off the base.
The fact is, there was no transfer. Santiago wasn't going anywhere.. Lt Kendrick ordered the code red because that is what Colonel Jessup ordered Kendrick to do. And when it went bad, Jessup cut Dawson and Downey loose. He coerced the doctor and had Colonel Markinson sign the phoney transfer order.
The fact is, the American people are against amnesty for criminals and against TrainWreckCare and THAT is why Obama had to postpone and delay that and so much more until after people voted..
So, the American people overwhelmingly and decisively put Republicans in a position where they could stop Obama, thereby stopping the things that the American people are overwhelmingly against....
This is what the facts show..
Michale
Again, let me put it another way..
If the election had gone the same way it did except favoring Democrats as it favored Republicans, ya'all would be giddy with excitement and ya'all would take it as a total affirmation of Obama's policies...
True???
So, if a huge tsunami in FAVOR of Democrats is an affirmation of the Democrat Party and it's agenda, why isn't a huge tsunami in favor of Republicans a repudiation of the Democrat Party and it's agenda???
It seems logical that it would be, right??
Michale
Basically, you are telling me that the huge Nuclear Shellacking (PatentPending) that the Democrats received has absolutely no bearing on the policies of Obama and the Democrat Party.
I don't buy it... especially when there is no evidence to support such a claim and overwhelming evidence that refutes the claim..
Michale
So, if a huge tsunami in FAVOR of Democrats is an affirmation of the Democrat Party and it's agenda, why isn't a huge tsunami in favor of Republicans a repudiation of the Democrat Party and it's agenda???
You got a choice..
Either the huge Great Republican Tsunami Of 2014 is an affirmation of the policies and agenda of the Republican Party or it's a repudiation of the policies and agenda of the Democratic Party...
Take your pick...
Personally, the facts and evidence overwhelmingly show it's a repudiation of Democrats, but if you want to claim it's an affirmation of Republicans....
"Yea... I can live with that.."
-Keannu Reeves, THE REPLACEMENTS
:D
Michale
Hiking the minimum wage won everywhere it was on the ballot, including four deep red states. Democrats, if they had had their act together, would have tried to nationalize this election on this one issue -- Democrats want a minimum wage increase, Republicans want to freeze it forever (or even abolish it).
Oh bull-donkeys...
Republicans are against hiking the minimum wage to obscene heights, paying people who flip burgers more than our military and more than our police officers..
If Democrats had been happy with a quarter or a 50cent hike in the minimum wage (as those ballot measures did), the GOP would have been happy to go along..
But Democrats were talking $10 per hour min wage or $20 per hour min wage and that's just ridiculous... Moronic and ridiculous...
The other good news from ballot measures last night -- and another one that more Democrats need to get out in front of -- was on marijuana reform. Medical marijuana passed in Guam (one of the earliest stories of Election Night). It failed in Florida, but got almost 58 percent of the vote (Florida sets a higher bar of 60 percent for such a ballot measure to pass) -- which is still a clear majority. But the biggest news of the night is that America will now have four states where adults can legally purchase and recreationally use cannabis. Voters in Oregon and Alaska followed the lead of Colorado and Washington, and more states are almost guaranteed to follow in the 2016 election -- it's really only a question of how many will do so, at this point.
I am going to let you have your marijuana dance.. :D Only because for family reasons, I am coming around to your way of thinking at least as far as medicinal marijuana goes..
Strictly from a PR standpoint, if they could "market" it by the actual components name, rather than marijuana, it would be a LOT easier for us law and order types to accept...
I know, it's silly. But there it is...
Now, I'm not doubting the good intentions of Mitch McConnell.
Mind if I remind you of that over the coming 2 years?? :D
Michale
Based on the facts, Obama knows that those policies are not good for the country and that the American people are against those policies...
as CW and others have pointed out and provided evidence many times, the majority of the policies from ACA and immigration, minimum wage, legalization and regulation are all quite popular among the public. whether said policies are ultimately helpful or harmful (which is where you're jumping to) is a tougher question, but the overall popularity of the policies is not in doubt.
you've posited one possible conclusion that can be reached based on the facts you presented. another is that in crafting the legislation the democrats were uncertain about the impact and hedging their bets. it's just as simple an explanation, and much more in character.
in the near term i think that was successful because it built up excitement and anticipation rather than getting the public bogged down in details.
in the long term i think it did damage two ways: first of all, it created an anticlimax when the policies went into effect. second, it exacerbated the image the public already have of democrats as timid and wavering. voters got yet another dose of democrats being weak, regardless of the public's attitudes toward the policies, much less the true impact of those policies.
JL
as CW and others have pointed out and provided evidence many times, the majority of the policies from ACA and immigration, minimum wage, legalization and regulation are all quite popular among the public.
the majority of the policies from ACA and immigration,
With the utmost respect.... Bullshit... :D
TrainWreckCare has NEVER, NOT ONCE, enjoyed majority approval...
If it's so popular, why are most of the provisions not in play until AFTER the election??
As far as amnesty for criminals?? Yea, the criminals LOVE the amnesty program.. The vast majority of Americans do not...
Amnesty for criminal immigrants ONLY helps the Democrat Party.. And does great harm to the American people.
As has been readily proven..
legalization and regulation are all quite popular among the public.
Again, legalization is quite popular. Amongst a very small group of Americans who enjoy getting high..
Regulation popular?? In Colorado, 70% of pot income goes to taxes for the government.. You call that popular??
another is that in crafting the legislation the democrats were uncertain about the impact and hedging their bets.
So, how can they claim the legislation is good for the country when they aren't even sure???
If they were just "hedging their bets" they would go on the record and show they BELIEVE in their own legislation..
If they have to "hedge their bets" then they don't even trust the outcome. Why should the American people trust them??
second, it exacerbated the image the public already have of democrats as timid and wavering.
You mean conniving and unscrupulous, looking out for Party first and Country last...
Regardless of all that, you simply cannot make the case that the Nuclear Shellacking experienced by Obama and the Democrats have absolutely nothing to do with the policies of Obama and the Democrats..
Obama himself said that each and every one of his policies is on the ballot..
Was Obama lying???
Michale
as CW and others have pointed out and provided evidence many times, the majority of the policies from ACA and immigration, minimum wage, legalization and regulation are all quite popular among the public.
the majority of the policies from ACA and immigration,
With the utmost respect.... Bullshit... :D
TrainWreckCare has NEVER, NOT ONCE, enjoyed majority approval...
If it's so popular, why are most of the provisions not in play until AFTER the election??
As far as amnesty for criminals?? Yea, the criminals LOVE the amnesty program.. The vast majority of Americans do not...
Amnesty for criminal immigrants ONLY helps the Democrat Party.. And does great harm to the American people.
As has been readily proven..
Michale
legalization and regulation are all quite popular among the public.
Again, legalization is quite popular. Amongst a very small group of Americans who enjoy getting high..
Regulation popular?? In Colorado, 70% of pot income goes to taxes for the government.. You call that popular??
another is that in crafting the legislation the democrats were uncertain about the impact and hedging their bets.
So, how can they claim the legislation is good for the country when they aren't even sure???
If they were just "hedging their bets" they would go on the record and show they BELIEVE in their own legislation..
If they have to "hedge their bets" then they don't even trust the outcome. Why should the American people trust them??
second, it exacerbated the image the public already have of democrats as timid and wavering.
You mean conniving and unscrupulous, looking out for Party first and Country last...
Regardless of all that, you simply cannot make the case that the Nuclear Shellacking experienced by Obama and the Democrats have absolutely nothing to do with the policies of Obama and the Democrats..
Obama himself said that each and every one of his policies is on the ballot..
Was Obama lying???
Michale
second, it exacerbated the image the public already have of democrats as timid and wavering.
You mean conniving and unscrupulous, looking out for Party first and Country last...
Regardless of all that, you simply cannot make the case that the Nuclear Shellacking experienced by Obama and the Democrats have absolutely nothing to do with the policies of Obama and the Democrats..
Obama himself said that each and every one of his policies is on the ballot..
Was Obama lying???
Michale
The legalization and regulation point seems to be caught in the NNL filters...
Suffice it to say that the only people who care about recreational legalization is the people who want to get high..
Sorry, I can't muster up much ooommmfffpphhhh to care....
Regulation?? The vast majority of pot income goes to taxes and the governments..
Popular?? I think not...
Ya'all make it sound like Obama and Democrats have absolutely no responsibility for the Nuclear Shellacking whatsoever.. That it was all just a series of C.A.R.E. isssues..
What can't you concede that thepossibility exists that the American people simply don't like what the Demcorats are pushing??
That explains things a lot more fully and rationally than a bunch of C.A.R.E. incidents...
Michale
The legalization and regulation points seem to be caught in the NNL filters...
Ya'all make it sound like Obama and Democrats have absolutely no responsibility for the Nuclear Shellacking whatsoever.. That it was all just a series of C.A.R.E. isssues..
What can't you concede that the possibility exists that the American people simply don't like what the Demcorats are pushing??
That explains things a lot more fully and rationally than a bunch of C.A.R.E. incidents...
Michale
There is simply no way that ANYONE can make the case that what occurred is anything but the nuclear powered repudiation of Obama and the Demcorat agenda...
Like the editor of HuffPoop said...
"The Obama Era is over."
Michale
OK, folks, sorry for the filter snafu.
A bunch of comments got filtered out as spam, I will attend to fixing this in a moment, but I'm busy putting today's column up (Obama Poll Watch day) so it'll have to wait a bit.
Patience, please...
-CW
Once we all agree that the Obama Era is over, THEN we can get to discussing how badly the GOP fraks everything up!! :D
I predict a wild and fun two years here in Weigantia... :D
Michale
Filter problems solved (for now, at least).
My apologies for the confusion. I deleted a few comments that were nothing more than retrys, but I approved at least one copy of all of them. There may be a few duplicates left, sorry about that.
I'll get to answering these in a bit, just wanted to fix the problem first.
-CW
i was referring to business regulation, sorry for the confusion.
TrainWreckCare has NEVER, NOT ONCE, enjoyed majority approval...
yet most specific provisions of the ACA have absolutely had majority approval. as i recall, CW ran a column that gave a laundry list of provisions and their approval ratings. but lump it all together and slap obama's name on it, and suddenly it's the devil. you're making my point for me, it's the people that are losing, not the policies.
As far as amnesty for criminals?? Yea, the criminals LOVE the amnesty program.
calling immigrants criminals for crossing a forbidden border is ridiculous. i think i jaywalked today, want the government to come and arrest me?
Regardless of all that, you simply cannot make the case that the Nuclear Shellacking experienced by Obama and the Democrats have absolutely nothing to do with the policies of Obama and the Democrats..
i'll go you one better: the losses experienced by the democrats this week are IN SPITE of widespread approval of most of the policies they claim to support.
JL
calling immigrants criminals for crossing a forbidden border is ridiculous. i think i jaywalked today, want the government to come and arrest me?
You might call it ridiculous, but it's still a fact..
YOU jaywalking isn't a big deal.. But if you have tens of thousands of jay walkers who, in the process of jaywalking many rape and murder and kill innocent people and who also causes millions of dollars in damage and lost revenue and use up resources that COULD go to Americans??
Well, then you can see how jaywalking might be a problem..
i'll go you one better: the losses experienced by the democrats this week are IN SPITE of widespread approval of most of the policies they claim to support.
And yet, you have NO FACTS to back up any of that..
Michale
yet most specific provisions of the ACA have absolutely had majority approval. as i recall, CW ran a column that gave a laundry list of provisions and their approval ratings. but lump it all together and slap obama's name on it, and suddenly it's the devil. you're making my point for me, it's the people that are losing, not the policies.
No, it's not the people.. It's the few policies that are really really REALLY bad that the American people don't like that drag down the whole law in the eyes of same American people..
Ironically enough, it's those same policies that Obama HAD to postpone to try and win the election..
You are not hearing me...
If these things are so good for the country, amnesty for criminals, TrainWreckCare, etc etc etc, then they should have been implemented BEFORE the election. So Democrats could reap the benefits of these totally awesome for America programs..
But these programs AREN'T good for the country, which is why they were delayed and postponed til after the election.
And it's those programs that formed the basis of the Nuclear Shellacking against Democrats...
i'll go you one better: the losses experienced by the democrats this week are IN SPITE of widespread approval of most of the policies they claim to support.
I just re-read this.. I am a little slow, literally just woke up...
You are saying that the American people overwhelmingly approve of all the Democrat's and Obama's policies and programs yet STILL totally decimated their ranks and gave power to Republicans, power unseen by the GOP in a hundred years..
Is THAT what you are saying???
I would REALLY love to see the facts that back up this claim...
"Would you like me to explain?"
"I would LOVE to hear this!!"
"So would I..."
-My Cousin Vinny
:D
Michale
The Democrats got totally and utterly decimated.. There can be no denying this...
The American people, in a tsunami, overwhelmingly put Republicans in control completely across local, state and federal levels...
And ya'all are trying to say that such a thorough rout, such a total and complete decimation, such a overwhelmingly cataclysmic annihilation of the Democrat Party had absolutely NOTHING to do with the policies and programs of Obama and the Democrats???
Who are you trying to convince??
Me??
Or yourselves??
That's EXACTLY the same thing as saying that Bush's inept handling of the Iraq War and the Economic Conflagration Of 2007 had absolutely NOTHING to do with the Democrats' rise to power in 2008...
So, which is it??
Either Republican policies and programs had NOTHING to do with the Republican rout in 2008...
Or Democrat policies had EVERYTHING to do with the Great Democrat Nuclear Shellacking Of 2014...
You can't have it both ways, people... It's against the rules.. :D
Michale
The defeat — “a massacre,” the Economist called it — marks the final collapse of Obamaism, a species of left liberalism so intrusive, so incompetently executed and ultimately so unpopular that it will be seen as a parenthesis in American political history. Notwithstanding Obama’s awkward denials at his next-day news conference, he himself defined the election when he insisted just last month that “these [i.e. his] policies are on the ballot — every single one of them.”
-Charles Krauthammer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-seize-the-day-control-the-agenda/2014/11/06/35af2aa6-65f9-11e4-bb14-4cfea1e742d5_story.html
There is simply no denying the accuracy and the logic of Chuck's statement..
I invite everyone to read the link in full. Krauthammer sets up an agenda that I bet, once ya'all can get past the political bigotry that we ALL have, that ya'all will actually AGREE with many of the agenda items...
Michale
And let me put to rest the idea that this Nuclear Shellacking was NOT about policy...
It was not in the least a charisma election, a sweeping expression of support for a character or personality or movement. It was a message election. Sweeps like this come down to policy and governance. America on Tuesday told one party no, you’re not doing it right, we don’t like what we’re seeing, and your preoccupations (birth control, “War on Women”) are not our priorities.
The president said he was not on the ballot but his policies were.
Those policies were resoundingly repudiated.
-Peggy Noonan
http://online.wsj.com/articles/peggy-noonan-a-message-sent-to-a-grudging-president-1415320458
To deny the logic is to deny reality...
Quit denying reality!!
:D
Michale
As far as the "It was a turnout issue, nothing more" claim??
In Colorado, turnout was much higher in 2014 than it was in previous midterms..
And the Republican won with a large cushion to spare...
Looks like ya'all are all out of excuses..
It wasn't a turnout issue..
It WAS a policy issue...
Like I said..
Quit denying reality...
Michale
WH Press LOLs at Earnest’s Refusal to Admit Dems ‘Lost' - Or That Losing Is 'Bad'
http://www.mrctv.org/blog/wh-press-lols-earnest-s-refusal-admit-dems-lost-or-losing-bad
Well, I guess it's not just here in Weigantia that people have a problem with accepting and acknowledging reality...
Maybe it's a Democrat thing....
No, that can't be it, because Bubba expressed reality perfectly after the 1994 drubbing...
And it can't be a politician thing because Bush expressed reality perfectly after the 2006 thumpin'....
So, that only leaves that it's an ObamaBot thing....
Thank the gods that the Obama Era is over...
Michale
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/11/06/the-insiders-let-the-payback-begin/
Ya know, all the talk of the Republican Civil War, it looks like the REAL UN-Civil War was being fought on the Democrat side of the line....
Michale
michale,
You are saying that the American people overwhelmingly approve of all the Democrat's and Obama's policies and programs yet STILL totally decimated their ranks and gave power to Republicans, power unseen by the GOP in a hundred years..
Is THAT what you are saying???
perhaps not all, but certainly minimum wage, birth control, mj legalization, business regulation and that a fetus should not be afforded the rights and status of a person. that's evidenced by the ballot initiatives. opinion on the ACA has hovered around 40% for, 40% against and 20% undecided, with a dramatic partisan divide and very little overall deviation for the past four years. the individual mandate with no public option is the only part of it that's deeply unpopular on both sides; pretty much all the other provisions poll quite well independently of any candidate.
admittedly, those are not the only policies that democrats support (or claim to support). however, elections for office have rarely if ever been about policy, and nearly always been about personality and discipline. republicans did not forget this, and ran with outstanding discipline and more stable personalities. if it takes a shellacking for dems to remember this basic tenet, so be it.
JL
The only way that the Democrat Party is going to survive to actually be a force to worry about in 2016 is to develop some humility and some sense of responsibility.
But from what I am seeing here in Weigantia and what I am seeing out in the blogosphere, it doesn't seem like the Left is inclined to do either of those things...
It's all "circumstances" and "bad luck" and "turnout"...
The Great Nuclear Shellacking had absolutely NOTHING to do with Democrat policies are agenda..
Keep thinking that way..
Such thinking will insure a Right Wing government in 2016 and beyond...
Michale
perhaps not all, but certainly minimum wage,
I have already addressed this.. Democrats wanted an min wage increase of $10 or more...
The American people allowed an increase of a quarter and 50 cents.. If you want to call that a "victory"... well, that is the epitome of digging deep for a silver lining...
birth control, a fetus should not be afforded the rights and status of a person.
If women's issues were such a big win for Democrats this election, how come Wendy Davis lost and lost big?? Hell, she even lost AMONGST WOMEN!!!
Look, I get it.. You are trying to salvage ANY good news, any shred of (what you would think is) shining lights amongst all the despair and decimation...
I am not trying to begrudge you that..
Yes.. There is a minor point of light here and there...
But, to point to those VERY few microscopic points of light and say, "SEE!! *THAT* is what this election was about!!!".....
Well, that's just ridiculous...
Yes... It's not ALL, 1000% bad news for Democrats... I'll give you that..
But you simply cannot argue that those minor scintilla of silver linings have any real bearing on the totality of the Nuclear Shellacking that decimated the Democrat Party..
Such an argument simply cannot be supported by the facts of the here and now......
No way, no how...
Michale
if it takes a shellacking for dems to remember this basic tenet, so be it.
Now, we're coming around to common ground..
But, the problem is rank and file Democrats don't see it that way...
The White House blames rank and file Democrats for running away from Obama..
Rank and file Democrats in the House and Senate blame a fickle, narcissistic Obama for being such an incompetent moron..
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/11/06/the-insiders-let-the-payback-begin/
No one, not one single Democrat is willing to look in the mirror and say, "Ya know, maybe *I* am part of the problem.."
And ya know what??
It's THAT unwillingness to take responsibility that is going to doom Democrats in 2016...
I have been saying for months that, if Democrats don't start listening to the will of the American people, 2014 will make 2010 look like a family picnic by comparison...
And, as events have shown, I was prophetically dead on ballz accurate....
The same warning applies...
If Democrats don't start putting the country ahead of their agenda, the same thing or worse is going to happen in 2016.....
"It happened before. It WILL happen again"
-Charleton Heston, ARMAGEDDON
Michale
JL,
Here ya go, Joshua...
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/05/liberal-hangover-2014-democrats
I have a feeling that this is what you are trying to say... :D
Michale
It's all "circumstances" and "bad luck" and "turnout"...
um, no. it's about disciplined campaigning and candidates that seem genuine. republicans did both and democrats did neither. the issues matter in terms of who to vote for and how they govern, but they've never been all that important to who wins an election. winning has a habit of making candidates (and pundits) mistakenly think that people agree with one policy point or another. but it's usually not the case.
let me give a counter-example: Multiple states have in the past passed ballot measures that the left hates, like bans on gay marriage. does the fact that a state elected mostly democrats mean that the state is overwhelmingly in support of marriage equality? no, because the issues and the candidates are two different things.
people don't vote for the candidate they agree with, they vote for the candidate they trust.
therefore, my read on this is NOT that the country doesn't AGREE with democrats, it's that they don't TRUST democrats. is that clear enough for you?
JL
therefore, my read on this is NOT that the country doesn't AGREE with democrats, it's that they don't TRUST democrats. is that clear enough for you?
Yes it is... I was operating under a misconception of your argument and I apologize for that...
But, with the utmost respect, your argument is wrong and here's why...
"Make no mistake. I may not be on the ballot this election but my policies, each and every one of them, ARE on the ballot"
-President Obama
The American people voted against the policies... Overwhelmingly...
This was as pure of a PROTEST election as we are likely to see in our lifetimes..
Time will tell if the Democrats (AND the Republicans) learned anything new....
Michale
Cory Gardner beat Udall in part because he learned the very basic lesson that you can win over women as a Republican by not sounding completely fucking insane.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/05/liberal-hangover-2014-democrats
Now THAT was funny!! :D
Michale
therefore, my read on this is NOT that the country doesn't AGREE with democrats, it's that they don't TRUST democrats. is that clear enough for you?
So, you would agree that, in 2008, it wasn't that the American people DISAGREED with Bush and Republicans, it's just that they didn't TRUST Bush and Republicans...
You and I BOTH know that this is simply not a factual statement...
Michale
So, you would agree that, in 2008, it wasn't that the American people DISAGREED with Bush and Republicans, it's just that they didn't TRUST Bush and Republicans...
I know, I know.. I am annoying as hell....
But what I am doing is taking your own argument and putting it into a context where you can see it from a different perspective and thereby judge the validity of the argument..
Michale
"Make no mistake. I may not be on the ballot this election but my policies, each and every one of them, ARE on the ballot"
-President Obama
neither the first nor the last thing he's been wrong about.
So, you would agree that, in 2008, it wasn't that the American people DISAGREED with Bush and Republicans, it's just that they didn't TRUST Bush and Republicans...
i would say that people both disagreed AND didn't trust bush and republicans in 2008. but the lack of trust was the only one of those factors germane to the election.
JL
neither the first nor the last thing he's been wrong about.
But that's just it...
Every indication says that he WAS right... A handful of ballot measures that we're a mere micro-fraction of what Democrats really wanted does not negate the overwhelming showing of Republicans in races all across the country at EVERY LEVEL of government, Federal, State and Local...
Republicans won in the bluest of blue areas in Maryland, Illinois and California...
A few ballot measures nationwide simply cannot negate the facts...
i would say that people both disagreed AND didn't trust bush and republicans in 2008. but the lack of trust was the only one of those factors germane to the election.
Don't you see the untenable position you are in??
Oh, the American people disagreed with Republicans and shellacked their asses out of office..
But the American people AGREE with Democrats but still shellacked their asses out of office...
It's completely and utterly illogical..
Michale
“You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. "
-President Obama, October 2013
That's JUST what the American people did...
But it doesn't do any good to win an election when the narcissistic powers that be refuse to acknowledge the loss and refuse to recognize the WHY of the loss...
Michale
I asked this before but I guess it got lost in all the shuffle and celebration...
What would it take to convince ya'all that the American people don't want many of the items that are on the agenda of the Democrat Party???
Obviously, a Nuclear Shellacking with those very policies on the ballot won't do it..
Obviously polls that show overwhelming rejection of this agenda won't do it..
So, what would it take to convince ya'all that the American people don't want TrainWreckCare...
Don't want Amnesty for immigrant criminals...
Don't want Carbon taxes...
Don't want "skyrocketing utility bills"...
Don't want forced Union membership...
What would it take to convince ya'all that the American people don't want these things???
Michale
Oh, the American people disagreed with Republicans and shellacked their asses out of office..
But the American people AGREE with Democrats but still shellacked their asses out of office...
It's completely and utterly illogical...
the behavior of the electorate IS illogical. issues matter most on ballot initiatives, and even then a strong campaign can trump issue agreement. when we elect a candidate, personality and trusting a candidate are much stronger predictors of voting behavior. read anything by drew westen. in 2004 bush's poll numbers on issues were terrible and kerry's weren't terrible, but at the core people just trusted bush more, and that (along with a bit of sketchy electioneering in ohio) is what decided the election.
your logic only works if one pre-supposes that people care about issues as much as other factors. take into account the fact that overall they don't, and it makes perfect sens.
JL
that is, perfect sense.
your logic only works if one pre-supposes that people care about issues as much as other factors. take into account the fact that overall they don't, and it makes perfect sens.
We'll just have to agree to disagree...
I find it impossible to believe that the American people like the Democrat Party agenda but overwhelmingly voted Republicans into office up and down the political spectrum...
Especially when the polls also show that the American people don't agree with the majority of the Democrat Party agenda...
But, like I said.. I honestly hope that the Democrats continue pushing this agenda, operating under the assumption that it's just the messaging and not the message..
That means that 2016 will make 2014 look like a family picnic by comparison...
So... KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON.... :D
Michale
So, where has David been??? YoYo?? JFC???
Drinking binges??? :D
Michale
the behavior of the electorate IS illogical.
There is "illogical" and then there is bat-shit crazy...
And the American People approving of the Democrat Party agenda but then overwhelmingly decimating that same Democrat Party in election all up and done the governmental spectrum??
THAT is bat-shit crazy...
And the American electorate simply does not do bat-shit crazy...
I know I am right. Do you know how I know I am right??
Because ya'all would be making the EXACT SAME arguments that I am making if the election had gone the same way, but favored Demcorats instead of Republicans..
So, how can my arguments be wrong if it's YA'ALL'S arguments??
Michale
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/11/07/the_shrinkage_of_the_obama_majority_124599.html
Says it better than I have....
Michale