Convince Me We Should Have Another 8 Years of Republican Dominance

[Sam_Stone]

That’s why I don’t want them having a supermajority. Let the Democrats filibuster anything they don’t like.

That said, I’m not sure what the rules are for starting impeachment proceedings. Can those be filibustered.

On the other hand, I’m not sure being able to threaten impeachment for serious misdeeds is such a bad thing.

Tell you what - I’ll amend my theory - what would be best is for alternating Republican and Democratic Presidents, which always have the opposite party controlling the House and Senate. Or perhaps the House and Senate should always be split, with each party having control over one half of the Congress.

[John_Mace]

Impeachment takes place entirely in the House. If the House impeaches, it goes to the Senate where 2/3 vote is needed to remove the president from office.

[Quartz]

@gonzomax

It is about money. We now have the top 1 percent with wealth equal to the bottom 90 percent combined.

Hasn’t this always been the case, more or less?

[gonzomax]

@Quartz

Hasn’t this always been the case, more or less?

No. The Bush tax cuts to the wealthy, who don’t need the damn money, exacerbated it. Then the tax dodging which the government wore blinders to pretend it wasn’t happening added to it too. Bush and the Repubs gutted every watchdog agency and signaled to the rich that the game was on. They showed zero interest in the welfare of the American masses. The spoiled rich kid seized an improbable opportunity and rode it as hard as he could. They were shameless and ruthless. We may never recover from the damage they did.

[Sam_Stone]

We just did a thread on this a while ago, and I showed data from the IRS that the wealth distribution in the U.S. has been relatively constant since at least the 1920’s. In fact, today the top 5% have a total share of wealth that is below the median for the past 80 years. The fluctuation in wealth up or down seems to have more to do with where the stock market is and whether there is a recession than on anything else.

I’m pretty sure gonzomax read that thread, but that’s not stopping him from posting stuff like the above.

[BrainGlutton]

@Sam_Stone

Actually, I don’t think it’s a good idea for either party to have complete dominance of the government. Every time that happens, it turns out badly.

It worked out well enough under FDR.

[BrainGlutton]

@Sam_Stone

That said, I’m not sure what the rules are for starting impeachment proceedings. Can those be filibustered.

No. The proceedings have to start in the House, where unlimited-debate rules do not apply, and Articles of Impeachment can be passed by a simple majority. But conviction in the Senate takes two-thirds.

[Sitnam]

@emacknight

I actually expected that at least one conservative could point to something the Republicans did over the past 8 years that they are proud of, a feather in their cap if you will. Something that would encourage voters to want to do it again. A way for me to gauge what sort of America I would want to live in.

I’m a Democrat and we have no short supply of W haters but I’ll give him a few props:

No Child Left Behind- it isn’t perfect and it isn’t ideal but god damn it we don’t need some public school accountability and I’ve yet to hear another idea.

Aids in Africa- A sorry state of affairs for a sorry continent and we contributed more under W than ever before.

Eastern Europe Missile Shield- I don’t think we ever really intended to go through with the thing, but it was a diplomatic card W gave to Obama and he played it and I think it will turn out to be a net win.
This is of course polishing an 8 year turd.

[gonzomax]

@Sam_Stone

We just did a thread on this a while ago, and I showed data from the IRS that the wealth distribution in the U.S. has been relatively constant since at least the 1920’s. In fact, today the top 5% have a total share of wealth that is below the median for the past 80 years. The fluctuation in wealth up or down seems to have more to do with where the stock market is and whether there is a recession than on anything else.

I’m pretty sure gonzomax read that thread, but that’s not stopping him from posting stuff like the above.

What kind of black hole of wrong statistics do you live in? You constantly cite statistics that are so wrong it is mind blowing. I understand you are able to convince yourself of that crap ,but it remains wrong. I have cite after cite I can give you but you would still remain convinced of your Beckian numbers.

[Sam_Stone]

Yes, that IRS data is SO biased.

You simply don’t know what you’re talking about.

[Scylla]

1. We are one of the two largest parties.

2. We were formed in Wisconsin, and they make great cheese there.

3. We were founded by Abraham Lincoln among others, in order to fight slavery. You don’t want slavery to come back, do you? It’s part of the the Democrat historical agenda. You let the Democrats stay in power and they’ll slip it in when you’re not paying attention.

4. Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican and he invented the “Teddy Bear,” making thousands of children happy. No Democrat has ever equalled this.

5. We have the Elephant as our symbolic animal, because it is strong and wise and never forgets. Democrats chose the Donkey because it is loud obnoxious and stupid. If you had to be ruled by an animal would you rather a Donkey, or an elephant?

6. “GOP” stands for Grand Old Party. Democrats don’t have cool initials.

7. Liberalism question values, which is just a step away from nihilism. Nihilism is a german originated philosophy, that’s says everything you think is important is stupid and worthless.

8. Hitler was German. Due to association this makes Democrats Nazis.

9. Obama was not born in the US. He was born in Germany.

10. The great German artist and Prophet Falco, travelled back in time to warn us of the rise of Obama and the age of darkness it would herald. Unfortunately he did so backwards and in German. To decode his message you have to play “Barack Me Obamadeaus” (which is often misspelled in translation,) backwards.

[gonzomax]

@Sam_Stone

Yes, that IRS data is SO biased.

You simply don’t know what you’re talking about.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-12-01-ism-contsruction_N.htm That is true. he does not.

[Fear_Itself]

Hmmm, dueling cites, what to do?

I gotta go with gonzo on this one Sam. Your record on this sort of thing stinks.

[Euphonious_Polemic]

@gonzomax

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-12-01-ism-contsruction_N.htm That is true. he does not.

What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?

[emacknight]

Okay, I know there are conservatives on this board. And I know there are dopers that have an intense hate for Obama that Nazi-Socialist.

And so I’m asking, what were you most happy about over the past 8 years, that would encourage you to vote for another 4-8 years of it? What did the Republicans do differently than the Democrats that made you happier?

How is it that it took 28 posts until a liberal was able to pull three items (thanks by the way, that’s what I was hoping for more of).

Seriously guys, if you voted Republican in the last election, why? Was it purely ideology? Fear? Habit?

Why should someone new to the country vote for the Republican party?

[Frank]

@Sam_Stone

That said, I’m not sure what the rules are for starting impeachment proceedings. Can those be filibustered.

[hijack]No. Impeachment comes from the House, which does not have a filibuster provision. Of course, it could be sat on in committee.

Once impeached, the Senate must try and convict or acquit an impeachment. Filibuster does not apply.[/hijack]

[hobscrk777]

@Sam_Stone

We just did a thread on this a while ago, and I showed data from the IRS that the wealth distribution in the U.S. has been relatively constant since at least the 1920’s. In fact, today the top 5% have a total share of wealth that is below the median for the past 80 years. The fluctuation in wealth up or down seems to have more to do with where the stock market is and whether there is a recession than on anything else.

I’m pretty sure gonzomax read that thread, but that’s not stopping him from posting stuff like the above.

I’d like to take a look at your cites. The statistics I’m finding show that the top 90% and the top 1% have captured the vast majority of income gains over the last decade.

Poverty Rate Rises; Uninsured Rate Stays Flat - The New York Times (2nd graph on this page)
A Decade With No Income Gains - The New York Times
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2908
On Topic:
Sitnam listed three items above. I can only agree with the second one - AIDS in Africa. That, I think, was commendable. Fraknly, though, I can’t find much to praise about the previous administration or Congress. In principle, I do agree with conservatives’ theoretical commitment to smaller government in certain areas, even if this hasn’t manifested itself in recent years/decades.

I

[emacknight]

@hobscrk777

On Topic:
Sitnam listed three items above. I can only agree with the second one - AIDS in Africa. That, I think, was commendable. Fraknly, though, I can’t find much to praise about the previous administration or Congress. In principle, I do agree with conservatives’ theoretical commitment to smaller government in certain areas, even if this hasn’t manifested itself in recent years/decades.

I

Have they ever taken action to make smaller government? I’m not even sure what that means.

[TV_time]

@Scylla

1. We are one of the two largest parties.

2. We were formed in Wisconsin, and they make great cheese there.

3. We were founded by Abraham Lincoln among others, in order to fight slavery. You don’t want slavery to come back, do you? It’s part of the the Democrat historical agenda. You let the Democrats stay in power and they’ll slip it in when you’re not paying attention.

4. Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican and he invented the “Teddy Bear,” making thousands of children happy. No Democrat has ever equalled this.

5. We have the Elephant as our symbolic animal, because it is strong and wise and never forgets. Democrats chose the Donkey because it is loud obnoxious and stupid. If you had to be ruled by an animal would you rather a Donkey, or an elephant?

6. “GOP” stands for Grand Old Party. Democrats don’t have cool initials.

7. Liberalism question values, which is just a step away from nihilism. Nihilism is a german originated philosophy, that’s says everything you think is important is stupid and worthless.

8. Hitler was German. Due to association this makes Democrats Nazis.

9. Obama was not born in the US. He was born in Germany.

10. The great German artist and Prophet Falco, travelled back in time to warn us of the rise of Obama and the age of darkness it would herald. Unfortunately he did so backwards and in German. To decode his message you have to play “Barack Me Obamadeaus” (which is often misspelled in translation,) backwards.

Good enough for me. I’m voting Republican in the next election (although, truth be told, you had me with the elephant vs. donkey).

[BrainGlutton]

@Sam_Stone

We just did a thread on this a while ago, and I showed data from the IRS that the wealth distribution in the U.S. has been relatively constant since at least the 1920’s. In fact, today the top 5% have a total share of wealth that is below the median for the past 80 years. The fluctuation in wealth up or down seems to have more to do with where the stock market is and whether there is a recession than on anything else.

Could you re-post that link?