# If the Next President is A Democrat... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 25, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045 "2007-07-25T03:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/21 "2007-07-25T21:33:32Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Compared to the flavor of the month merry-go-round the Republicans have fielded? First, John McCain was the frontrunner, then Giuliani was the the one to beat, and now the Pubs are crossing their fingers that Fred Thompson will emerge as the new Reagan so they won’t have to hold their nose and vote for Mitt Romney. Hillary is a slam dunk against that lineup. [/QUOTE] Granted, you have a point there. And I suppose JFK seemed a little jejune when he got nominated, to say nothing of his brother. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/22 "2007-07-26T02:16:17Z")
What leads you to believe the Dems have interests in civil liberties as a general rule? Yesterday it was communism, then drugs, and now it’s those evil terrorists. There’s always an excuse. Does anyone except radical online liberals even care about this? I’d like to see an approval poll of the PATRIOT act. If anyone has a cite I’d be very interested. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/23 "2007-07-26T02:50:10Z")
> [@](#): > > But probably will for the next term at least. Republicans must be rubbing their hands in glee over the way the Democratic side is shaking up. I am not at all convinced that either Clinton or Obama is electable. Given the hair’s-breadth margin on which recent elections have been decided, I believe that there will definitely be a half-percent of disenchanted Republican swing voters, who while they would otherwise vote for the Democrat, will not this time around vote for Mrs. Slick Willie or a junior Senator from Illinois with a funny name. It’s still a long way to go until the election (is it just me or is this the longest campaign ever?) but I doubt any informed Republicans are rubbing their hands in glee at the moment. The most recent poll I saw (two weeks ago) matched up every combination of the three main Democratic candidates (Clinton, Edwards, Obama) against the four main Republican candidates (Guiliani, McCain, Romney, Thompson). Every one of the twelve combinations led to a Democratic victory (the closest was Edwards beating Guiliani by only a two percent margin). ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/24 "2007-07-27T01:40:48Z")
[QUOTE=ITR champion] In recent times, Democratic presidents have not committed serious crimes or abuses of power. Carter was not known as a criminal mastermind, and Clinton’s most serious “crime” was to lie about whether he had sex. Given this history, why exactly should the Republicans worry about a Democrat in the White House with extensive secrecy and powers? They know that no Democrat would do anything seriously harmful with those powers. [/QUOTE] Absolute power currupts absolutely. **Marley** is right. That’s precisely why someone needs to mention it to create space between them and the rest of the pack. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/25 "2007-07-27T04:15:01Z")
When was the last time any President voluntarily gave up power? I don’t see any President rushing to do so under any conditions, Democrat **or** Republican. The people will have to force this issue before any action is taken by any branch of the government. To the barricades! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/26 "2007-07-28T02:34:47Z")
Someone should ask them in a town hall type debate setting. The YouTube debate would have been perfect for it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/27 "2007-07-28T02:39:36Z")
[QUOTE=Least Original User Name Ever] How would you feel if the Patriot Act weren’t repealed in the first day or, at wors, week? [/QUOTE] :mad: The **PATRIOT ACT?!** That abomination of tyranny?! That poisonous threat to civil liberties?! That layer of shit befouling our precious Constitution?! Why if they don’t trash it within **24 hours** of the inaugural . . . Oh, wait. You said we’re to assume a **Democrat** president. Starting out with the full measure of extraordinary unaccountable “unitary executive” powers Bush has gathered unto the White House since 2001. Wait . . . I see possibilities here . . . 😃 (There’s still some space open in Gitmo, right?) ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/28 "2007-07-28T02:43:22Z")
I assume there’s still space there. Doesn’t matter, we’ll start layering and stacking detainees if need be. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/29 "2007-07-28T02:59:17Z")
I personally don’t think it’s high on their list. All the Senate candidates save Obama voted for the damn thing. Everyone had their ideas of how the Dem Congress was going to save the country once elected and next to nothing of the sort has really been done or even attempted. Plenty of folks wanted a kegger and got a baby shower, and I don’t see how it’s going to be any different if a Dem President is elected. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045/30 "2007-07-29T07:18:39Z")
Unsurprised. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-next-president-is-a-democrat/413045.md?page=1)