Did the GOP really understand the last election?

Did the GOP really understand the last election? (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Dungeon of Political and Religious Discussion

Message

tazzygirl -> Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 4:47:39 AM)
A group of House Republicans said Tuesday that a bill to fund the federal government should include provisions targeting the contraception mandate in President Obama's healthcare law. GOP lawmakers reintroduced a bill Tuesday to repeal the contraception mandate. They also pressed their party's leaders to roll back the provision as part of a continuing resolution later this month to keep the federal government operating. "This attack on religious freedom demands immediate congressional action," the 14 lawmakers wrote. "Nothing short of a full exemption for both nonprofit and for-profit entities will satisfy the demands of the Constitution and common sense." The continuing resolution that House appropriators released Monday would not cut off funding for the Affordable Care Act, despite years of conservative pressure to defund the healthcare law. But Tuesday's letter, led by Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), indicates that fights over the health law could still roil the funding debate. Black declined to say whether she would vote against the continuing resolution if it does not include provisions aimed at rolling back the contraception mandate. "Congress cannot ignore the relentless assault on the First Amendment right to religious freedom, and must act before the (Affordable Care Act) provisions are fully enacted in August of this year," the lawmakers wrote to GOP leaders and appropriators in both chambers. http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/abortion/286217-gop-lawmakers-say-spending-bill-should-target-contraception-mandate#ixzz2MlNDfeyU Considering how the last election was decided .... WTF? I am really confused as to what is going through some of their minds.

DarkSteven -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 5:32:11 AM)
That's it. The sequester is gonna get locked in stone. Both parties are less interested in working through it, than in using their stance to publicly score points against the other party. They've forsaken governance entirely. As far as what they're thinking... the GOP knows that Obamacare (ACA) will be implemented. Period. The SCOTUS ruled on it. They're looking for issues to score points on, and figure the contraceptive part of ACA is one of them. Right now, the Dems are planning to point their finger at the GOP for the pain caused by the sequester. The GOP will likely try to state that they held firm and blocked the Dems from a tax increase.

DesideriScuri -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 5:52:31 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DarkSteven That's it. The sequester is gonna get locked in stone. Both parties are less interested in working through it, than in using their stance to publicly score points against the other party. They've forsaken governance entirely. As far as what they're thinking... the GOP knows that Obamacare (ACA) will be implemented. Period. The SCOTUS ruled on it. They're looking for issues to score points on, and figure the contraceptive part of ACA is one of them. Right now, the Dems are planning to point their finger at the GOP for the pain caused by the sequester. The GOP will likely try to state that they held firm and blocked the Dems from a tax increase. IMO, they had forsaken governance a long time ago. Clinton may be the last President/Administration where the Federal Government actually governed.

LizDeluxe -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 7:14:13 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl Considering how the last election was decided .... What exactly is this supposed to mean?

JeffBC -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 7:28:11 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl I am really confused as to what is going through some of their minds. I used to say things like that until I got my tinfoil hat on. I had to ask myself, "Are these people really that stupid?" The answer is no, they are not. I know how people with an IQ of 80-90 talk and it's not what I see from most of these guys. So I ruled out stupidity. That means it's deliberate. So in my opinion, if you want to know what's going on you need to answer this question: "Why would the Republican party take an obviously unwinnable and unpopular platform that can only get worse over time as demographics continue to shift?"

Zonie63 -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 8:06:58 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: JeffBC That means it's deliberate. So in my opinion, if you want to know what's going on you need to answer this question: "Why would the Republican party take an obviously unwinnable and unpopular platform that can only get worse over time as demographics continue to shift?" There seems to be a method to their madness, although we'd have to determine exactly what issues motivated the voters the most in the last election. I recall that in 2008, many minority voters were mobilized in California to vote for Obama, but on the same ballot, they rejected the gay marriage amendment in that state. This is something the Democrats will have to come to terms with eventually, since many voters who are not white are also religious and socially conservative. Many observers have noted that demographic shifts were also a factor in this election, saying that the party of "old white men" has fallen out of favor with the voters and that this trend will continue in future elections. This does not necessarily translate as an endorsement for social liberalism, so the issues important to "old white liberals" may also be revisited. Republican economics is also not very popular at the moment either, so if there aren't enough whites and billionaires to keep Republicans in office, where else can they go? Their only real hope at this time is to deemphasize their positions on immigration, culture, and economics - while putting most of their eggs in the basket of religious/social conservatism.

JeffBC -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 8:38:13 AM)
Once I decided that these people could not possibly be as stupid as they seemed I had to acknowledge they are not stupid so there is a reason. For me, I think I'll just go with "follow the money" as a strategy for understanding the reason. Let's note that no matter which party wins or loses in these elections both get richer and richer. Campaign spending has doubled over the last 10 years... the spending we know about. That's lining a lot of people's wallets quite nicely. Oh... my leading contender for why they are executing their current strategy? I'm going with "good cop, bad cop". In order to distract us from "the greatest heist in history" (as one economist called it) they are presenting a party that is SO awful that we are relieved to vote for the other party. That's just a guess but it's my leading contender. What I absolutely understand is that what seems to be going on cannot be the truth.

tazzygirl -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 10:05:12 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LizDeluxe quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl Considering how the last election was decided .... What exactly is this supposed to mean? Look it up.

tazzygirl -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 10:06:30 AM)
quote: IMO, they had forsaken governance a long time ago. Clinton may be the last President/Administration where the Federal Government actually governed. That I agree with.

tazzygirl -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 10:10:43 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: JeffBC quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl I am really confused as to what is going through some of their minds. I used to say things like that until I got my tinfoil hat on. I had to ask myself, "Are these people really that stupid?" The answer is no, they are not. I know how people with an IQ of 80-90 talk and it's not what I see from most of these guys. So I ruled out stupidity. That means it's deliberate. So in my opinion, if you want to know what's going on you need to answer this question: "Why would the Republican party take an obviously unwinnable and unpopular platform that can only get worse over time as demographics continue to shift?" Just seems to me they have taken this stance for a long while now. Back when Palin first spoke (admittedly the thought of the first woman VP was exciting, even for my moderate heart, then she spoke) I immediately thought, "They are throwing this election" And it seems, to me at least, like they still are. quote: Oh... my leading contender for why they are executing their current strategy? I'm going with "good cop, bad cop". In order to distract us from "the greatest heist in history" (as one economist called it) they are presenting a party that is SO awful that we are relieved to vote for the other party. That's just a guess but it's my leading contender. What I absolutely understand is that what seems to be going on cannot be the truth. Bingo... because, if it IS the truth... what does that say about us?

JeffBC -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 11:24:17 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl Bingo... because, if it IS the truth... what does that say about us? No, it cannot be the truth. I gave it some thought and I just don't believe that folks like Obama & Romney have an IQ below 90 or so... which is what I'd need to believe if I thought they actually believed themselves. I just can't believe EVERYONE in fucking DC is below average IQ. The rest of their behavior and their measurable success belies that.

tazzygirl -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 11:52:26 AM)
And yet we know some are below that line. "Everyone rises to their own level of inadequacy" certainly applies to politicians. So, lets go with the assumption that this is all a smokes and mirror act... what is the end result?

JeffBC -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 11:55:43 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl So, lets go with the assumption that this is all a smokes and mirror act... what is the end result? In my mind? The end result is that the powers which be pat themselves on the back believing that Occupy Wallstreet, The Tea Party, and similar groups have gone away or been co-opted. While they do that I find myself as a democrat & liberal in more and more conversations with staunch republican conservatives where we find a great deal of common agreement. In other words, the sheeple are waking up a bit at a time.

DaNewAgeViking -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 1:24:39 PM)
True, governance ended long ago. The reason, however, is that the Radicals in politics and out have decided to sweep the Democrats away once and for all, and are willing to put up with just about any fringe nutcase to get results. It is fashionable to accuse the Dems of being as bad as the Radicals, but when you look closely, they are simply clinging desperately to what has been gained over the last one hundred and fifty years, trying to prevent all our social institutions from being utterly trashed. They have had to become hard core in the process, to the detriment of their reputation. The critical thing to remember is that the Dems are at least trying to solve our problems of trade, jobs, economics, education, etc. They radicals won't even talk about them. [sm=soapbox.gif]

GoddessManko -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 1:48:48 PM)
I think many people are not understanding where the real problem belies. A president has term limits, the geriatric souls in Congress don't.

SadistDave -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 5:55:44 PM)
I would argue that it's the Democrats who do not understand what happened during the last election. Maobama won the election by a pretty slim margin. The popular vote was actually pretty close. He only won by 3 1/2 percent of the popular vote. It was the EC votes that swept him into office. This mandate nonsense the Democrats are always talking does not exist. Republicans are doing their job. Like any politician on either side of the aisle, they are following the mandate of their constituents, and their constituents represent 47% of the popular vote from the last election. It's a little foolish and disingenuous to keep pretending that the Republicans should just roll over and do what the Democrats want. When the situation has been reversed in the past did you ever write your Democratic Congressmen and tell them quote: "Oh, and you know all that stuff you campaigned on that got you into office? You should forget all that and march in lockstep with those guys who won. We all need to follow their vision of the future from now on" I bet you never did... -SD-

tazzygirl -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 7:32:01 PM)
quote: Maobama won the election by a pretty slim margin. The popular vote was actually pretty close. He only won by 3 1/2 percent of the popular vote. It was the EC votes that swept him into office. This mandate nonsense the Democrats are always talking does not exist. Who said anything about a mandate? I didnt. I was referring to the vote that carried him into office. That 12 point lead in.. what demographic was that again?

GotSteel -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 7:35:59 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: JeffBC I used to say things like that until I got my tinfoil hat on. I had to ask myself, "Are these people really that stupid?" The answer is no, they are not. I know how people with an IQ of 80-90 talk and it's not what I see from most of these guys. So I ruled out stupidity. The ability to come to conclusions that aren't really stupid isn't just a matter of intelligence it also requires that ones premises aren't really stupid. An ideology that pressures one to adhere to idiotic religious premises can make morons out of what would otherwise be smart people. For example it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out not to back ideas so unpopular that we had a massive civil uprising (known as the 60's) to get rid of them and yet there are Republicans who are still trying to return us to the 50's.

muhly22222 -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 7:49:42 PM)
I don't know what to take away from the election, honestly. It's not like either of the presidential candidates had a sparkling new vision or was/is a transformative personality. A lot of people who voted didn't vote because they were in love with either candidate, they voted the way they did because they viewed that candidate as the lesser of two evils. Besides, there really wasn't a change in the government at all. The President stayed the same, the Senate kept basically the same composition, and so did the House. It's not like Republicans were completely blown away at the ballots. There are very few elections in American history that stand out as being remarkable. 1800, the first time an opposition party triumphed (and the world didn't end!); 1828, the onset of the Jacksonian era; 1860, Lincoln's election as an anti-slavery candidate; 1932, the beginning of the New Deal...and that's probably it. You could make an argument for JFK or Reagan's elections coming to that level, if you like, but JFK didn't have a chance to make the changes that he could have made, and Reagan's legacy is (in my opinion) still being determined.

DomKen -> RE: Did the GOP really understand the last election? (3/6/2013 8:34:51 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: SadistDave I would argue that it's the Democrats who do not understand what happened during the last election. Maobama won the election by a pretty slim margin. The popular vote was actually pretty close. He only won by 3 1/2 percent of the popular vote. It was the EC votes that swept him into office. This mandate nonsense the Democrats are always talking does not exist. Actually it was closer to a 4% win (5 million vote margin out of just under 127M cast). That is definitely a mandate. W claimed a mandate in 2004 with a victory of of 2.5% (3 million votes out of 121M cast). He claimed that mandate was sufficient to let him try and privatize Social Security. By that standard Obama has a mandate to do pretty much anything. Further taking into account that the Democrats gained seats in both houses of Congress and that the majority of voters cast ballots for Democratic Senators and Representatives it seems the President has a sweeping mandate.

Page: [1] 2 3 4 5 next > >>

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.046875