I think it’s intrinsically valuable. If 49% of the country thinks one way and 51% thinks another it’s ridiculous to push that 49% down and declare your majority has a ‘mandate’ to rule how it wants. That’s the kind of bullshit that has ruined American for 8 years now. On the majority of the issues facing the country I think the best answer usually lies between the traditional ‘left’ and ‘right’ lines of thought. Nobody is right all the time and very very few people are wrong 100% of the time. Telling them to shut up and mind their place isn’t what a Democracy should be about.
The only thing I regret is how childish the Republican party is being right now. I’ve gone from being pretty middle of the road to a left-winger solely on the basis of how corrupt and quasi-evil that party has become. They’re the Eric Cartman of politics taking their ball and going home because they can’t get their way on every little thing. I just hope that something comes along and shakes them up before more Democrats come around to your way of thinking and simply freezes them out when they come back to the table.
If I’m reading that right there were only “roughly a dozen” Democrats in the room, so the “roughly half a dozen” Republicans that came isn’t necessarily that bad.
I’m not sure if a $700 billion ceiling counts as demanding “radical changes” to the bill, either.
Well, the Democrats aren’t complaining that they weren’t consulted and that they had a bill shoved down their throats. They’re happy with the among of input they had into the bills.
The Republicans aren’t happy about it, however it appears that at least one opportunity to sit at the table and talk about it was thinnly received to start with. Whether it was 5 or 6 or 7 is not really important since the swift end result was just Snowe, Collins & Specter remaining to have themselves heard.
It was around a 23% reduction to the $900 billion Senate starting place. If you don’t like “radical”, use some other word. I think cutting out a fourth of the bill counts.
And pretty much all the liberal Republicans in the Senate sat down and negotiated. The ones in the Northeast in the House are pretty much extinct. In the old days, with a spread of ideologies in both parties, there was a lot more real negotiation and voting blocs created on a per issue basis. Now the Republicans are looking more like a party in a Parliamentary democracy, where total loyalty is required.
Not only are they cowards, but they’re liars to boot. Bond has been touring Missouri touting his contribution to the Recovery Plan, nevermind that he voted against it.
That’s a ridiculous complaint. His belief that $2 billion for low-income housing will be an effective use of government funds doesn’t mean he is obligated to feel the same way about the other $785 billion of spending just because it’s part of the same package.