# How is all this Republican overreach going to play out in November 2014? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 7, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884 "2013-07-07T18:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/141 "2013-07-14T01:35:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Do you disagree that higher energy prices would do harm to the economy? Not if we use more energy-efficient ways of Moving Things Around. To start with, retrofitting our suburban neighborhoods to make them walkable and mixed-use and not auto-dependent. Also, rail – not just high-speed, but developing a fine-grained multi-tiered rail network that puts most Americans within walking distance of some kind of station or other, be it a train station or a streetcar stop. (And what powers all that rail? Nuclear power plants. Not all liberals are against them.) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/142 "2013-07-14T01:37:54Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I was making an argument, not quoting a fact. Do you disagree that higher energy prices would do harm to the economy? > > All climate change proposals involve increasing the price of energy. About 1% of the economy as Richard Alley reported, of course the price of not doing anything has to include items like the loss of coastal cities or the cost of monumental efforts to contain the bad effects of not doing anything, guess what is the solution offered by the Tea Partiers in government propose? Because there is no problem to begin with? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/143 "2013-07-14T01:45:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Not if we use more energy-efficient ways of Moving Things Around. To start with, retrofitting our suburban neighborhoods to make them walkable and mixed-use and not auto-dependent. Also, rail – not just high-speed, but developing a fine-grained multi-tiered rail network that puts most Americans within walking distance of some kind of station or other, be it a train station or a streetcar stop. (And what powers all that rail? Nuclear power plants. Not all liberals are against them.) There are smallbore things the government can do and has done, and governments around the world have done these things. But an economy cannot be centrally planned. Either the market will save us or it won’t. The other problem with your ideas is that voters won’t accept them. American culture is auto oriented, and as a non-driver, I hate it. But I also recognize that it is what it is. Voters will simply not shell out huge bucks to remake our cities. As for high speed rail, there are no plans to have true high speed rail, only slightly faster rail. In order to make it worth it, we need to have Japanese-style high speed rail between cities that people would normally fly between but don’t need to. I’m not sure why high speed rail has been ruled out, is it regulations of some sort that need to be reformed? But even so, it’s very expensive and taxpayers are always skeptical of paying big bucks for mass transit. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/144 "2013-07-14T01:47:53Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > About 1% of the economy as Richard Alley reported, of course the price of not doing anything has to include items like the loss of coastal cities or the cost of monumental efforts to contain the bad effects of not doing anything, guess what is the solution offered by the Tea Partiers in government propose? Because there is no problem to begin with? What we do know is that nothing the President has proposed would significantly lower emissions, and secondly, that the market has already lowered emissions far better than the various attempts at government control. The left-wing response to this market miracle has been to try to put a stop to it(fracking). Speaking of bad science, the amount of junk science being used to stop fracking is staggering. It’s exposing Democrats as not really the party of science, but merely the party where up until recently, science tended to fall their way more often than not. On fracking, it’s gone against their core beliefs, so the science must be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/145 "2013-07-14T01:56:04Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > What we do know is that nothing the President has proposed would significantly lower emissions, and secondly, that the market has already lowered emissions far better than the various attempts at government control. The left-wing response to this market miracle has been to try to put a stop to it(fracking). > > Speaking of bad science, the amount of junk science being used to stop fracking is staggering. It’s exposing Democrats as not really the party of science, but merely the party where up until recently, science tended to fall their way more often than not. On fracking, it’s gone against their core beliefs, so the science must be wrong. As I pointed before, that is poppycock, the Environmental Defense Fund is not against it. And what I notice is that once again, tea partiers that deny that there is a problem are the main reason for inaction on many government fronts, and as Richard Alley pointed before, you are only repeating the same FUD as the ones that opposed to bring clean water to the cities. Not to mention that pointing at industry as doing more for this shows that what the Tea Partiers are telling others is certifiable bullshit, we would be in a better position if private industry and government would be fully active on this. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/146 "2013-07-14T02:02:53Z")
Even assuming we agree there is a problem, there’s no doubting the fact that the market reduced emissions better than the governments of the world did. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/147 "2013-07-14T02:13:27Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Even assuming we agree there is a problem, there’s no doubting the fact that the market reduced emissions better than the governments of the world did. Missing the point, but not surprising, once again: **if you are correct you are indeed telling us that the Tea Partiers are just spewing bullshit** , and we would be in a better situation if governments would follow and support what has worked in industry so far. And indeed that is what Republicans like Alley are reporting, just think about it, denying that governments can do the right thing with things that benefited all in the past is to actually hate people like Joe The Plumber that came out of the “unjustifiable” government expense to deal with dirty water, change does not means that industry or civilization will not end, and having people like the Tea Partiers that deny that there is a problem is not good for the future. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/148 "2013-07-14T02:15:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Even assuming we agree there is a problem, there’s no doubting the fact that the market reduced emissions better than the governments of the world did. I seem to remember plenty of regulations involving cutting pollution. Care to list a few of those upstanding corporate citizens who cut profits in order to clean up the environment entirely on their own? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/149 "2013-07-14T02:17:20Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > There are smallbore things the government can do and has done, and governments around the world have done these things. But an economy cannot be centrally planned. Either the market will save us or it won’t. > > The other problem with your ideas is that voters won’t accept them. American culture is auto oriented, and as a non-driver, I hate it. But I also recognize that it is what it is. Voters will simply not shell out huge bucks to remake our cities. As for high speed rail, there are no plans to have true high speed rail, only slightly faster rail. In order to make it worth it, we need to have Japanese-style high speed rail between cities that people would normally fly between but don’t need to. I’m not sure why high speed rail has been ruled out, is it regulations of some sort that need to be reformed? But even so, it’s very expensive and taxpayers are always skeptical of paying big bucks for mass transit. I did not rule out HSR, I’m for it, but it’s only part of the solution. HSR substitutes for airliners, conventional rail substitutes for automobiles. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/150 "2013-07-14T02:19:39Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > What we do know is that nothing the President has proposed would significantly lower emissions, and secondly, that the market has already lowered emissions far better than the various attempts at government control. The left-wing response to this market miracle has been to try to put a stop to it(fracking). That’s not a way to **lower** carbon emissions, it is a new way to get hydrocarbons out of the ground to burn them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/151 "2013-07-14T18:44:44Z")
Strictly speaking, fracking can lower carbon emissions, by making natural gas cheaper than coal or oil for various applications. Natural gas releases the least CO[sub]2[/sub] per energy of any fossil fuel. It still releases a fair amount, though, and if there are leaks in the process, it can make the net greenhouse effect even worse (since methane is a much stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/152 "2013-07-17T18:42:29Z")
I also wonder what effect the Zimmerman verdict is going to have in 2014. I don’t think it’s gonna be any good for the Pubs. Not that the parties had anything to do with this, but national opinion on the whole affair did seem to break down along partisan lines, and the D side will hold some bitter grudges. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/153 "2013-07-17T18:45:56Z")
Maybe so, but not exactly for that reason - but because the case has made us all more aware of the true state of race relations in the US, what the right things to do are, and which party is on which side of it. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/154 "2013-07-18T21:05:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Given that Republicans don’t have much power, it’s hard to see how they can truly overreach. > [@adaher](#): > > Republicans control most of the states plus the House. It’s hardly an “illusion” of adequacy. On the contrary, the predictions of imminent Democratic dominance are illusion built on hope as a plan. The country already experienced Democratic dominance and rejected it in record time: twice. Democrats will have to wait a long time for a third opportunity. So which is it, are the Republicans relatively powerless or are they in control? > [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Ignoring your quip, they’ll win. This isn’t like presidential elections. Yeah you can’t gerrymander presidential elections. > [@](#): > > The House has a decided GOP bias because of how Congressional districts play out. Democrats tend to be concentrated heavily in major cities, whereas Republicans are more spread out. I can’t find the explicit right now, but over the past few years there has been a shift among congressional districts. There are now more “decidedly” GOP congressional districts than there are more “decidedly” Democratic districts, and even in “contested” districts, the GOP tends to have a slight advantage. You realize that districts aren’t based on acreage, right? When you have states that vote 60% Democratic and has a house delegation that is 80% Republican, thats not just the effect of urbanization, thats gerrymandering. > [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > You know… This maybe deserves it’s own thread, but let’s say for a moment the U.S. was broken up into fifty countries, with each state being it’s own country, which one would you rather move to on a purely economic basis? > **[Federal taxation and spending by state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_taxation_and_spending_by_state)** > > The ability of the United States government to tax and spend in specific regions has large implications to economic activity and performance. Taxes are indexed to wages and profits and therefore areas of high taxation are correlated with areas of higher per capita income and more economic activity. > Spending is largely focused on areas of poverty, the elderly, and centers of federal employment such as military bases. > The ability of the government to tax and spend in specific regions has large i... > **[List of U.S. states and territories by income](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income)** > > This is a list of U.S. states, territories, and Washington, D.C. by income. Data is given according to the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates, except for the American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for which the data comes from 2010, as ACS does not operate in these areas.\[note 1\] > Data given in inflation-adjusted dollars. Tables do not reflect the margin of error in the values. > .mw-parser-output .hover-highlight tr:hover,.mw-parser-o... Probably Delaware if its just economic but probably Hawaii if I get to take other things into consideration. You notice anything about those charts? Notice anything about who they supported in the 2012 election? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/155 "2013-07-18T22:51:20Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Yeah you can’t gerrymander presidential elections. Oh, no? [Just watch 'em.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=695612) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/156 "2013-07-19T02:15:25Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Gotta admit, that defines my journey. > > Fifteen years ago I was a no party independent who voted for either party depending on the candidate and the positions. But over the 2000s I was so turned off by the republican party and its behavior that I joined the democratic party, became a candidate and worked for the party recruiting candidates and arranging fundraisers. In short, I got pushed not into being a democrat but being a DEMOCRAT. And it’s been a fun transition to watch, bro! ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/157 "2013-07-22T19:07:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Oh, no? [Just watch 'em.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=695612) fuckity fuck fuck. :mad: I forgot about this particular attempt to circumvent democracy. Its one thing to have priotections for minority rights, its another thing to circumvent democracy to allow the minority to impose its will on the majority. ---
**Author:** ![Jay4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f1d935/32.png) [@Jay4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay4)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/158 "2013-07-23T06:13:23Z")
people talking about the zimmerman verdict.its gonna hurt democrats more then republicans,you can thank the stuttering idiot you elected president for that oh,and with all the talk about the wonderful economic collapse thats going to happen this year.yeah,my guess is.your boy obama will be off to whatever country hes gonna go on vacation in instead of doing anything meaningful for a recovery.so yeah,gonna be lots of pissed off obama voters oh and in terms of gerrymanding elections.i guess were just gonna forget about the new black panther party intimidating voters then ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/159 "2013-07-23T13:22:53Z")
> [@Jay4](#): > > people talking about the zimmerman verdict.its gonna hurt democrats more then republicans,you can thank the stuttering idiot you elected president for that As compared to your articulate contribution? > [@](#): > > oh,and with all the talk about the wonderful economic collapse thats going to happen this year. …when the Congressional Republicans yet again deliberately screw up the economy to achieve their agenda. > [@](#): > > yeah,my guess is.your boy obama will be off to whatever country hes gonna go on vacation in instead of doing anything meaningful for a recovery. Another fine RW nonsense talking point. Obama has not spent significantly more time on vacation than other presidents, and a helluva lot less time than the last guy. > [@](#): > > so yeah,gonna be lots of pissed off obama voters Most of the pissed-off Obama voters will be to his **left** and thus unlikely to vote Republican. > [@](#): > > oh and in terms of gerrymanding elections.i guess were just gonna forget about the new black panther party intimidating voters then Right. Because widespread nationwide gerrymandering is the same as a black guy in a beret holding open doors for people at one polling station. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-all-this-republican-overreach-going-to-play-out-in-november-2014/662884/160 "2013-07-23T13:35:36Z")
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