So how do you think the Tea Baggers did?

[RawAlex]

I personally think they pretty much failed. In an election where you could pretty much run a ham sandwich against a democrat and win, they lost a number of key races that would have given the Republican party control of both houses.

The failures include the poster child for the baggers, Christine O'donnell, who pretty much crashed and burned. Also on the "what the fuck happened" list is Sharon Angle, who went from neck and neck to a 7 point loss in a very short period of time. It also looks like the write in vote for Murkowski in Alaska will stop another bagger from making it to office.

The other question is how this plays in the whole "Palin 2012" situation. It would appear that many of her hand selected candidates didn't do very well, potentially even alienating the Republican base, while giving very little to the middle ground to latch onto. Is Palin really a powerhouse, or just a bunch of smoke and mirrors that the party will now blow away?

Also, what do you think of Rand Paul getting elected? Is this one going to be the wingnut that pisses away any republican advantage?

[Toby]

It's a mixed lot. More questions than answers at this point.

Would a non Tea Bag Republican have won those same seats against the same Democrat opponents?

Would a non Tea Bag Republican fared better in those races they lost?

But the real question is how effective will they be once they're in Washington. Will they actually get any of their agenda before congress or will they simply divide the Republican party into separate factions?

My hunch, they'll be pretty much ineffective.

[softball]

Do the tea baggers actually have any influence near anywhere that people graduate from high school?

[Hell Puppy]

That wasn't an election, it was a restraining order against Obama and the Democrats.

[softball]

Ya know, HP...when GW Bush put you guys deep in debt with no restraining order in sight, their had to be a reckoning. Who do you think is going to pay that deficit? In my family, I borrow money, I have to repay it. My bank won't allow me to borrow more than I can afford. Now its time to pay. That means taxes. Don't even get me going about the total abject failure of trickle down.

[Rcourt64]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

Ya know, HP...when GW Bush put you guys deep in debt with no restraining order in sight, their had to be a reckoning. Who do you think is going to pay that deficit? In my family, I borrow money, I have to repay it. My bank won't allow me to borrow more than I can afford. Now its time to pay. That means taxes. Don't even get me going about the total abject failure of trickle down.

America is so long in debt your child's children will pay for bush's nightmare of today, not you.
You will be long dead & buried by then, ..and I hope your pictures will be also.

[softball]

Originally Posted by Rcourt64

America is so long in debt your child's children will pay for bush's nightmare of today, not you.
You will be long dead & buried by then, ..and I hope your pictures will be also.

My pictures will outlive you because they make money. You don't. Its not my debt, its yours. You pay it.

[Rcourt64]

Originally Posted by rhetorical

My pictures will outlive you because they make money. You don't. Its not my debt, its yours. You pay it.

Don't start with your shit,

[softball]

Originally Posted by Rcourt64

Don't start with your shit, You think you can actually say this this crap sells??? ... ahhh hell no !!!
It's BON FIRE MATERIAL !!!

Back to the truck stop, the greasy food and the greasy boys who love you, dude.

[tony404]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

That wasn't an election, it was a restraining order against Obama and the Democrats.

restraining what? The spending rightwing bs

"Democrats actually reduced the deficit. The U.S. deficit shrank 9% in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010, the fastest one-year deficit reduction since 1984. The budget shortfall of $1.294 trillion was down $122 billion from the previous fiscal year. The deficit’s ratio to economic output fell to 8.9 percent of the gross domestic product, down from an even 10 percent of GDP in fiscal 2009. What you also never hear from Republicans is how there was a budget surplus when George W. Bush took office in 2001."

Also giving 95% percent of Americans a tax cuts, 40 percent of the stimulus was tax cuts.

The problem is the right wing have a much bigger noise machine than the dems.

They want to go back to deregulating everything. Ship them jobs overseas. yep sounds like a good plan and yeah make sure obama is a one termer. No plan for the country. another fucking of the middle class.

[RawAlex]

Tony, you hit one of my favorite topics.

The old refrain from the Republicans is to call the democrats "Tax and Spend Liberals". What they often forget to mention is that the tax increases in the past have often been to pay for the incredibly expensive things the Republicans got the US into, without bothering to fund them, except through debt.

President Clinton left the US with balance budgets. The boy king had 8 years and he managed to get the US into multiple wars, and create all sorts of new government agencies, levels of government, etc. What he didn't do was raise taxes to pay for it all.

At some point, the bill comes due, and it's usually on the Democrat's watch.

So they aren't tax and spend liberals, just the responsible people who have to pay for all your wild trickle down voodoo economics and unwanted wars.

[Hell Puppy]

blah blah blah....debating politics is pointless, waste of energy and no one ever changes their mind.

american elections are no longer about selecting best person to do the job at the national level. it is a never ending cycle of voting the previous party out because nothing ever changes.

both sides spend like drunken sailors. with things now split, we inevitably get gridlock...that might not be a bad thing for a bit.

personally, i'd like to see the 17th amendment repealed and consequently give the 10th amendment some new teeth.

[EmporerEJ]

I'm just curious....which one of you, if any, has ever stood for office?
Have you even voted?
Y'all got all these answers, but what have you done about it?
It's easy to criticize from the cheap seats.

Yea........that's what I thought.

[RawAlex]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I'm just curious....which one of you, if any, has ever stood for office?
Have you even voted?
Y'all got all these answers, but what have you done about it?
It's easy to criticize from the cheap seats.

Yea........that's what I thought.

I vote in every election here in Canada.

I don't run for office, it isn't something that particularly appeals to me.

By your demented logic, nobody except experienced politicians have the right to an opinion. With such narrow minded views, it's surprising you can even see the sun from time to time.

[tony404]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

blah blah blah....debating politics is pointless, waste of energy and no one ever changes their mind.

american elections are no longer about selecting best person to do the job at the national level. it is a never ending cycle of voting the previous party out because nothing ever changes.

both sides spend like drunken sailors. with things now split, we inevitably get gridlock...that might not be a bad thing for a bit.

personally, i'd like to see the 17th amendment repealed and consequently give the 10th amendment some new teeth.

you have a point but you dont want to go down the slope of changing amendments when what you do is protected by the first amendment and also protected because federal law over rides state law.

[Hell Puppy]

Originally Posted by tony404

you have a point but you dont want to go down the slope of changing amendments when what you do is protected by the first amendment and also protected because federal law over rides state law.

Good point, but the rule I've always applied is I don't produce anything that can't also be found at the local video store.

[softball]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I'm just curious....which one of you, if any, has ever stood for office?
Have you even voted?
Y'all got all these answers, but what have you done about it?
It's easy to criticize from the cheap seats.

Yea........that's what I thought.

Yea.....like everyone can run for office. Dude, you have been criticizing from the cheap seats forever. What the fuck have you ever done? Let me guess...mayor of Bumfuck Ohio or whatever metropolis you live in? No wait...maybe you are a failed tea bagger and are pissed because Sara Palin didnt endorse your campaign.
How's that jack off machine doing for you. Still haven't seen one or even heard of anybody selling it. Got a link?

[DannyCox]

Never ran for office, and due to my "Lifestyle Pass Times" I doubt I ever could. But I do come from a family of fools who have held office. My mother was a councilwoman in Edmonton, and also the head of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party for 2 years (The National PCs, not the Provincial). My Brother-in-Law is the ex-leader of the Green Party of Canada (see, a really big fool). My aunt was a Minister of Parliament for many years, then moved on to be a Senator (gave her seat to Stephane Dion in 1996). One cousin is a MPP (Minister of Provincial Parliament) in Ontario, and another was Mayor of Ajax, Ontario.

Let's see, what else. My father's aunt was Jeanne Sauvé, the former Governer-General of Canada. My father's cousin was the Mayor of St. Andrews, Ontario. I know there is a couple more, but I just can't think of them now.

Being in such a damn political family has left me with such a sour taste for politics of any kind. When you hear their "War Stories" it just makes you cringe at the waste of money.

[EmporerEJ]

Well, Danny, I gotta agree on the waste and stupidity.
Having served on the committee to the Pennsylvania General Assembly (PA House of reps,) for the "Digital Excellence Summit," (Decided back in 95-96 the "direction" the commonwealth would take on these "new fangled internet things," I saw massive waste and palm greasing. (Not mine.)

After that, I served as a technical consultant to the general assembly for about 5 years. (Basically took calls from the members and gave them advice how to "fix it" kind of thing. (And then invoiced the commonwealth, of course.)

More recently, I was just re-elected to my seat as Committeeman for Party representative in my town here. (And yes, they know about my "day job.")
I also am a commissioner on the civil service commission, (Interview, and recommend the hiring of all civil service employees, police, that sort of thing.)
And, most recently, appointed to the Comprehensive Planning commission for the city to "redraw" the direction the town will go in the next 15-20 years.

I find very little about politics to be about actually getting things done, and more about individual groups getting paid for doing "consulting work" for one thing or the other.

REALLY tends to annoy me. But the way I see it, you can either stand outside, and throw rocks at the building, or get inside, and fix/change/throw a monkey wrench into, things.

So, that's what I'm doing. I call it "enlightened self interest."

Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.
Most "laws" that affect people on a day to day basis, are not on a national level, they are on a local level.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

........at the local video store.

Now there's a place that is quickly disappearing.....

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by RawAlex

I vote in every election here in Canada.

I don't run for office, it isn't something that particularly appeals to me.

By your demented logic, nobody except experienced politicians have the right to an opinion. With such narrow minded views, it's surprising you can even see the sun from time to time.

Not my logic, pal. By my reckoning, the politician actually has "less" of a "right" to an opinion.....(In a philosophical discussion of the topic...) as they are elected to represent the opinions of their constituents, not their own. At least that's how it works, here in our republic.

Not sure how you work it, there in your monarchy.

[DannyCox]

Unfortunately, just like you guys, we have to deal with Partisan Politics where nothing ever seems to get done. Politicians everyone always toe the Party line, regardless of the wishes of their constituents.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by DannyCox

Unfortunately, just like you guys, we have to deal with Partisan Politics where nothing ever seems to get done. Politicians everyone always toe the Party line, regardless of the wishes of their constituents.

Is it just my own cynicism, or has that actually gotten MUCH worse in the past 10-15 years?

[DannyCox]

I think the Partisanship has gotten much worse amongst everyone over the last number of years, and on both sides of the border. But we don't have the "screaming crazies" that you guys are stuck with down there! Everyone is now "Hitler" and no one seems to even know what their party policies are! They just spout what they are told. It is sickening.

I'm a moderate with both conservative and liberal leanings, depending on the issue at hand. But I haven't had a single leader on either side that I thought should be in charge of our country in over 10 years. They're all just useless losers!

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by DannyCox

I think the Partisanship has gotten much worse amongst everyone over the last number of years, and on both sides of the border. But we don't have the "screaming crazies" that you guys are stuck with down there! Everyone is now "Hitler" and no one seems to even know what their party policies are! They just spout what they are told. It is sickening.

I'm a moderate with both conservative and liberal leanings, depending on the issue at hand. But I haven't had a single leader on either side that I thought should be in charge of our country in over 10 years. They're all just useless losers!

I believe we have found a common ground between us.

[softball]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I believe we have found a common ground between us.

Uh huh...its called the forty ninth parallel.