RINOs and Elephants, oh my

[BrentAllen]

Yep, be careful what you ask for. I was pulling for Obama to win the Democrat nomination, thinking there was no way that empty suit could win the presidency. If his winning resulted in the birth of the Tea Party, it is a high price, but one I'm willing to pay. He will be gone in 2012, and the Tea Party will be even stronger.

 

I love how the Democrats claim to be the big tent party, but I now read that many are happy most of the moderate Dems lost this past election. The liberals blame them for not having that real socialistic health care program, with single payer. I wish the Democrats much success in purging their party of all but pure liberals.

 

"...Arlen Specter, who in my opinion is one of the best lawmakers this country has had for more than 25 years."

Are you kidding?? He is the epitome of the spineless politician willing to do anything to keep his seat in Washington with all the perks. Very glad to see him gone, along with that loser Alan Grayson. Luckily Grayson's 15 minutes are just about up.

[John-in-KC]

Something I say elsewhere on the interwebs...

 

218+51+1.

 

Every bill, every time.

[sherminator505]

"I was pulling for Obama to win the Democrat nomination, thinking there was no way that empty suit could win the presidency."

 

Given what happened in this country from 2001 through 2008, am I the only one who sees the irony in this statement?! And why are we seeing so much loathing for someone who is supposedly an "empty suit" who is simultaneously a communist, a socialist, radical Black Christian, a secret Muslim, and a child born in Kenya whose grandparents had the incredible insight to post a fake birth notice in a Honolulu newspaper when he was six days old and who is bent on destroying America? Why, for an "empty suit" he appears to be so many things to so many people!(This message has been edited by sherminator505)

[OldGreyEagle]

Well, after that protocol gaffe in Indonesia, I think we can conclude the Obama's are not Islamic, otherwise she wouldnt have shaken hands with Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring. Unless of course you beleive that Michelle doesn't know her husband is a Muslim. I guess that would work

 

Anyway, the biggest concern I take away from Tea Partiers is the abject passion they have, they just are "as mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore", the issue is, when you fly on pure emotion you tend to make logic errors and may sound silly to those who are not as enraged as yourself, but that does not make you any less enraged.

 

The Tea Partiers represent a disaffected segment of the population that doesnt like where we are now and wants to know what happened and when the hear patronizing answers and comments they just go off on emotion. It will take real communication, on both sides, to understand the issues and I am not sure that can happen.

 

Yeah, Sarah Palin,,, the best thing about being a front runner for a presidential nomination is they never get nominated. Wasn't Hillary the presumed nominee up to the time Obama qualified for it?

 

Palin and Obama pretty much have the same background, little experience and speak in platitudes and generalities and never really say anything. And oh yeas, they both have supporters who will rip your lungs out if you say anything bad about them.

 

There used to be a saying that any boy born in the United States could grow up to be president, do we face the Prospect in 2012 that this won't happen ?(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[packsaddle]

Wasn't there something along these lines in a commencement address a couple of years ago?

"To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be President of the United States.

 

A Yale degree is worth a lot, as I often remind Dick Cheney who studied here, but left a little early.

 

So now we know, if you graduate from Yale, you become president. If you drop out, you get to be vice president."

[Gunny2862]

Out here in Flyover country where all the Hillbillies hangout (It's okay, I can call them that - I are one. ) It is entirely likely that absent a strong Republican Candidate who is committed to a smaller role for the Federal Government that Sarah Palin could run and draw enough votes to either win it or wreck it for another possibly Republican Party preferred Candidate.

 

As some have said there is some strong emotion out there. It's true. But I am locally hearing that there are those who WOULD sacrifice for the changes they see need to be made - but they want assurances that their sacrifice/s won't simply equal more money in other people pockets with no substantive change. Because mostly from Washington - they believe in very little that's being said right now. Some of what they see as positive (and others may see as regressive) action may change their view - but we shall see.

[Tokala]

I would prefer less adherence to political party rhetoric and more governing by common sense and the well-being of the electorate. I just don't see that happening any time soon. As long as the legislature oscillates between "cut taxes and spend Rebublicans" and "tax and spend Democrats" we're going nowhere fast.

[John-in-KC]

What both Gunny and Tokala said.

[Gunny2862]

Ditto! John and Tokala

What would happen if any of us were overspending and tried to assure our creditors - "Hey don't worry, I'm getting new loans without new income to pay my loan to you." I assure you it wouldn't slow down the bankruptcy procedure for the common man. And yet, Givernment(actually a misspelling I'm going to leave) seems to think theres an open check book with an unlimited supply of funds.

John, Hows that go? 218+51+1? "Hey, it's all good as long as I can add something to it?"

[John-in-KC]

Gunny,

 

Sadly. It's called earmarking.

[Beavah]

Nah, for all the blather about earmarking (and all of the other pork-barrel practices), earmarking doesn't amount to much in the way of real dollars compared to the deficit. Earmarking is mostly an obnoxious practice, like no-debate filibustering or one-member holds on nominations, but it's not a real contributor to the deficit.

 

It's entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, veterans benefits & other retirement), defense, and the social safety net that are the essential components of cost-side of the structural deficit. Add to that the ballooned cost from unfunded wartime expenses and unfunded private sector bailouts.

 

So if we're goin' to balance our books, yeh have to do it by cuts to Social Security, Medicare, veteran benefits, defense, and welfare/unemployment/etc. If we're going to keep da Bush tax cuts, then we have to cut Social Security, Medicare, veteran benefits, defense, etc. even more.

 

That's why I think da Tea Party folks are denser than lead. A vote for tax cuts and smaller government must be accompanied by serious cuts to Social Security, Medicare, defense, etc.

 

Either that, or yeh devalue the dollar and tax the middle class indirectly while also cutting programs just by reducing what the dollar can buy.

 

Either that, or yeh end up like Greece, and bankrupt the nation.

 

 

[packsaddle]

What Beavah said. Yeah, ditto Beavah.

 

...h'mmmm....I'd make the comparison to depleted uranium.

 

Actually if a deadbeat owed me money, yes, I WOULD like to get paid back with money the deadbeat borrowed from some chump...as long as it wasn't ME again. And if the deadbeat had a legal printing press, I'd gladly take the first run off it so I could invest in something substantial BEFORE the inflation took effect. It's only good business.

[Gunny2862]

Or, we could also look at the combination of earmarks, unNECCESARY spending, i.e. NPR, funding for some of the Arts, a lot of Foreign aid (especially that to countries that consistently go against our interests), close the border and quit funding the entitlements we seem to be giving to our illegal immigrants, move to a better tax system i.e. Fair Tax, consider defense pull backs where the threat has been significantly reduced, pretty much everyone sees that Social Security is going to die so how about we just sit down and honestly discuss what we can do about either a new rational program and implement it.

And while I would personally be unhappy about cuts to Veterans Benefits (or will be unhappy in about 10-15 more years) as I stated above there are those of us who would sacrifice for legitimate meaningful change.

Would any of you be willing to take a hit also?

[scoutingagain]

Earmarks represent less than 1% of the national budget. Eliminating them I think is a good thing because the practice has become so corrupt over the last 10 years it has eroded faith in the government, rightfully so. Already were seeing some whining and rationalization from some of our elected officials on why eliminating them is a bad idea from both sides of the aisle. Balony. Get rid of them but it won't do much to balance the budget.

 

NPR gets $16.4 million from federal grants. Or approximately 0.0004% of the national budget. Ok get rid of it.

 

Illegal immigrants do not get federal entitlements. They have to prove they are entitled to them to get them and they can't. There may be state and local aid that they get, but they don't impact the federal budget much. In fact most that are here are working, pay into soc. security under false id's and won't collect it. Getting rid of them will put Soc. Security deeper into the Red sooner.

 

Anyone that tells you we can balance the budget without the kinds of cuts and sacrifices outlined by Beavah is a liar. Any one who believes the budget can be balanced without those kinds of sacrifices is "denser than lead".

 

I suggest folks read the link to the David Stockman editorial posted in another thread. Read the Deficit Commission recommendations. Elect respresentation that is willing to give us the hard truth and lead us out of this mess.

 

It's not the politicians that vacillate, it's us.

 

SA

 

[Eagledad]

>>That's why I think da Tea Party folks are denser than lead. A vote for tax cuts and smaller government must be accompanied by serious cuts to Social Security, Medicare, defense, etc.>That's why I think da Tea Party folks are denser than lead. A vote for tax cuts and smaller government must be accompanied by serious cuts to Social Security, Medicare, defense, etc.