riiiiiiiight. With SS, medicare, and medicaid combined costing us more than a TRILLION a year, you are going to blame expenditures costing less than 200b a year for "bankrupting" the nation? give me a break

10/19/2008 8:17:02 PM

But wait, McCain has been railing against earmarks the entire campaign...

10/19/2008 8:37:08 PM

so they are both fucktards. your point?

10/19/2008 8:41:49 PM

vote Ron Paul

10/19/2008 8:45:13 PM

The result of a liberal supermajority will be the same as a conservative supermajority: a flood of ill-conceived and destructive laws which sacrifice both our future and present to special interests in the name of government power.

Did I get it right?

10/19/2008 8:51:18 PM

we'll see

10/19/2008 9:05:28 PM

^^ Yes. I prefer it when government is deadlocked and as little legislation gets passed as possible.

10/19/2008 9:45:49 PM

^^^ if it wasn't for Pelosi, I'd say you did not.

If they could just get rid of her...

10/19/2008 9:47:26 PM

^^I'd like a chance to swing back towards the left a little before we get a good deadlock going though.

10/19/2008 11:31:34 PM

The problem with America is that moderation is considered weak and spineless. You have to be one extreme or the other. I suppose you could say that for politics in almost any country.

Regardless, nothing the full right republican Executive/legislative combination has done has been good for the country. Indeed, nothing a fully left government can do might be good for this country either. One thing is for certain though, we'll probably stop declaring war on abstract concepts.

10/20/2008 12:41:26 PM

Quote :

"The problem with America is that moderation is considered weak and spineless."

I don't think that this is the case with the majority of the populace. I think as our population becomes more and more educated they shift from the extremes to more central (moderate) positions. Sure, there will always be outliers but I think the general rule is for moderation.

That being said, I think the politicians do a great job of playing to those extremities and feeding on the fear of the people. The way I see it is, America doesn't have an entrenched far left force, though you could argue that the poor, who would most benefit from drastic liberalization, are considered to be this far left force, though they are largely unorganized. America's right mostly manifests itself in the rural religious type, which has been a strong force since it's founding. Many of these people are more religious than the 'urban left' and it is much easier to energize them (something the Republicans have been awesome at doing for the past 20-30 years).

My main point is, and it's based on anecdotal evidence (so take it as you will), America is a strong capitalist nation with center-right tenancies. As urban areas, and the poor grow, so does the tendency for the growth of a welfare state. That doesn't make us socialist, it makes us reactive to the situation. The far end reaction of the welfare state is to just cover for the poor with no responsibility at all, but the far more reasonable approach is to rehabilitate them into normal society while trying to make sure that the pitfalls of capitalism don't screw over too many of the nations citizens.

This rant could go on for a while, but my cold medicine is begging me to go.

10/20/2008 1:02:01 PM

"I think as our population becomes more and more educated they shift from the extremes to more central (moderate) positions."

What hasn't happened in the last 80 years isn't going to happen now or in the future.

If anything, politicians will continue to become more extreme.

10/20/2008 1:03:07 PM

I wouldn't call either Obama or McCain anything like extreme.

10/20/2008 1:05:21 PM

Right, and I'm not. I'm not even commenting on the original thread. I'm responding the retarded arguments thats sprouted from the previous page about 'successful guerrilla campaigns'

10/20/2008 1:06:19 PM

Quote :

"One thing is for certain though, we'll probably stop declaring war on abstract concepts."

"War on Poverty."

End of debate.

10/20/2008 1:56:36 PM

i will admit, there are some things frightening about a liberal supermajority

10/20/2008 1:58:47 PM

I said probably stop declaring.

I mean the War on Poverty started before I was born.

10/20/2008 2:02:12 PM

^I'm simply making the argument that each side has its abstract concepts it is more than willing to declare war upon. Nobody is particularly exempt from that metaphorical sin.

10/20/2008 2:04:16 PM

Yes but if we compare the financial cost of the War on Poverty vs those on Drugs and Terrorffffffffffffffffffffffffff

10/20/2008 2:07:06 PM

Quote :

"One thing is for certain though, we'll probably stop declaring war on abstract concepts."

yeah, but only after Terror is wiped out!

10/20/2008 2:08:35 PM

Quote :

"Yes but if we compare the financial cost of the War on Poverty vs those on Drugs and Terrorffffffffffffffffffffffffff"

Call me when you hear any Democrat in Washington campaign to actually end the War on Drugs, I will happily sign up and volunteer to help.

Until then, they're pretty much active accomplices in the matter, and have no moral high ground to speak of.

10/20/2008 2:20:47 PM

The campaign to end the War on Drugs probably won't happen outright if ever.

However, I'm pretty sure over time politicians like Barney Frank(D-MA) will continue chipping away at that failed policy.

Of course you're more likely to get drug law reform with Democrats then with the 'morale right.' Until the party moves further right, of course.

10/20/2008 4:51:20 PM

Quote :

"I wouldn't call either Obama or McCain anything like extreme"

10/20/2008 4:52:55 PM

You realize that McCain wants to buy out bad mortgages right.

That actually is Socialism as well.

Though I suppose we can apply the classic Conservative dichotomy of applying idealogical complaints only to the other sides actions.

10/20/2008 5:02:52 PM

he was damned if he did, and damned if he didnt


but if you want to talk about mortgages .. look at your candidate's history... ive explained this before and im not again

10/20/2008 5:08:36 PM

Quote :

"However, I'm pretty sure over time politicians like Barney Frank(D-MA) will continue chipping away at that failed policy. "

Him and Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Maurice Hinchley (D-NY). And I salute them for it. But he is not exactly what I would call representative of his party, however.

And until he is, my point stands - the Democrats are equally complicit, if only to look like internet Congressional toughguys on crime.

[Edited on October 20, 2008 at 5:21 PM. Reason : .]

10/20/2008 5:20:39 PM

I'm not going to praise the DP here, but I will say they're more likely then Republicans to ease drug laws.

10/20/2008 5:44:59 PM

im not reading this thread but i already know the results

they are both opposite sides of the same coin

nothing is going to change

10/20/2008 6:27:24 PM

Hey remember that time someone who favored one candidate posted an article from an accordingly slanted news source and then everyone argued about it, mainly just regurgitating whatever their favored political parties latest lines were

10/21/2008 10:41:16 PM