WTF is Wrong with America???

[TwinTownBisonFan]

your ignorance is showing - the Blue Dog caucus is very strong. they won a lot of seats in 06&08 (and gave quite a lot back in 10...) they aren't the most popular with the base always... but guys like Colin Peterson still have a home with the Dems...

Mm hmm.

I am not Mr. Operative like you, but I certainly see some of them quitting, like Webb. There are also plenty of moderate Republicans out there who are perfectly safe, like Graham (who also has a home with the Reps). They all take flack from the nuts on both sides.

1. Webb didn't leave the party - he just opted not to run for re-election. The only one run-off in the last decade was Lieberman - and that was something altogether different (as it is, he still caucuses with the Dems)

2. If Lindsay Graham is how you are going to define "moderate" then the mindset of the modern GOP is in stark focus... that man is no moderate. the GOP has one kinda moderate left in the Senate: Dick Lugar. That's it.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

while the deficit will have salience with a pocket of voters... it will never be the defining issue of a Presidential campaign... rank-and-file voters just don't care enough... and it appears nothing can make them care.

the kinds of issues that become sweeping and national often come from places you don't expect and speak to voters fears (generally) about something. The hostages (loss of American prestige), 1968 in general (lack of "law and order"), etc

2012 (the collapse of our country).

[AZGrizFan]

2012 (the collapse of our country).

That's ok. You keep your head buried firmly up your ass and watch your party get it's collective ass handed to it again in 2012.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

That's ok. You keep your head buried firmly up your ass and watch your party get it's collective ass handed to it again in 2012.

i roll my eyes because i now see a perfect portrait of hysterical dems in 03-04... only now in goper.

[AZGrizFan]

That's ok. You keep your head buried firmly up your ass and watch your party get it's collective ass handed to it again in 2012.

i roll my eyes because i now see a perfect portrait of hysterical dems in 03-04... only now in goper.

In '03 you weren't even old enough to drink.

[FargoBison]

2. If Lindsay Graham is how you are going to define "moderate" then the mindset of the modern GOP is in stark focus... that man is no moderate. the GOP has one kinda moderate left in the Senate: Dick Lugar. That's it.

Olympia Snowe? Scott Brown? Mark Kirk? Susan Collins?

John Hoeven is fairly moderate, especially for a Republican from ND.

[ASUG8]

Interesting. We may have a candidate catch one issue (the deficit) and ride it all the way home. Obama may face a credible challenge from someone within his own party given their dissatisfaction with his performance, and I voted for John Anderson in 1980.

while the deficit will have salience with a pocket of voters... it will never be the defining issue of a Presidential campaign... rank-and-file voters just don't care enough... and it appears nothing can make them care.

the kinds of issues that become sweeping and national often come from places you don't expect and speak to voters fears (generally) about something. The hostages (loss of American prestige), 1968 in general (lack of "law and order"), etc

If Obama can look into the prompter and deliver "things are way better than they were" with a straight face AND he's reelected we have no one to blame but ourselves.

[LeadBolt]

A big part of the problem is the electronic fishbowl that the President lives in and the media treatment which scares away anyone with a brain and/or pride, who does not have a narcissistic personality disorder.

I also feel that when the parties realigned along idealogical lines in the 70's +/-, the drift to the extremes in both parties began in earnest, to the detriment of the country. In general, moderates are disdained in both parties.

Democrats were more moderate to keep their conservative Southern leg of the three legged stool in place as well as the Republicans modified their beliefs to keep the moderate regions of New England and the Midwest from bolting.

The days of Moderate Midwestern and New England Republicans compromising with Southern Conservative Democrats to reach a compromise moderate governing solutions were much preferred to continual rhetoric without compromise to effectively govern that we have endured in the recent past.

Could we please find people more interested in governing for the common good than continually campaigning and only rewarding their followers?

[ASUG8]

A big part of the problem is the electronic fishbowl that the President lives in and the media treatment which scares away anyone with a brain and/or pride, who does not have a narcissistic personality disorder.

I also feel that when the parties realigned along idealogical lines in the 70's +/-, the drift to the extremes in both parties began in earnest, to the detriment of the country. In general, moderates are disdained in both parties.

Democrats were more moderate to keep their conservative Southern leg of the three legged stool in place as well as the Republicans modified their beliefs to keep the moderate regions of New England and the Midwest from bolting.

The days of Moderate Midwestern and New England Republicans compromising with Southern Conservative Democrats to reach a compromise moderate governing solutions were much preferred to continual rhetoric without compromise to effectively govern that we have endured in the recent past.

Could we please find people more interested in governing for the common good than continually campaigning and only rewarding their followers?

+1
Plus, who wants to have every skeleton you've ever accumulated get thrown out for the world to see? I would think the vetting process would be akin to surviving a dive into a wood chipper.

[native]

...who wants to have every skeleton you've ever accumulated get thrown out for the world to see? I would think the vetting process would be akin to surviving a dive into a wood chipper.

[native]

A big part of the problem is the electronic fishbowl that the President lives in and the media treatment which scares away anyone with a brain and/or pride, who does not have a narcissistic personality disorder.

I also feel that when the parties realigned along idealogical lines in the 70's +/-, the drift to the extremes in both parties began in earnest, to the detriment of the country. In general, moderates are disdained in both parties.

Democrats were more moderate to keep their conservative Southern leg of the three legged stool in place as well as the Republicans modified their beliefs to keep the moderate regions of New England and the Midwest from bolting.

The days of Moderate Midwestern and New England Republicans compromising with Southern Conservative Democrats to reach a compromise moderate governing solutions were much preferred to continual rhetoric without compromise to effectively govern that we have endured in the recent past.

Could we please find people more interested in governing for the common good than continually campaigning and only rewarding their followers?

Your point is well taken, but sometimes the mushy middle does not result in the common good.

[native]

That's ok. You keep your head buried firmly up your ass and watch your party get it's collective ass handed to it again in 2012.

i roll my eyes because i now see a perfect portrait of hysterical dems in 03-04... only now in goper.

Your point is well taken, ttbf, but Obama keeps doing gratuitously stupid things to keep possession of the nut-ball in his own court. For example, exempting his own czars from the pay reductions he negotiated and signed with Republicans.

Perhaps you will take this as an insult at this point, but I hold out great hope that you are only a dedicated and well meaning ideologue and not a dedicated and purposeful Alinskyite. If you are as sincere and genuine as I perceive you to be, I am confident you will become more conservative and clear-headed as you get older and gain experience - especially if you get out of politics for a while get a productive job in the private sector . This is what happens in the same fashion that the vast majority of non-sociopath, not-celebrity productive humans who transform themselves over the course of their lives.

[LeadBolt]

A big part of the problem is the electronic fishbowl that the President lives in and the media treatment which scares away anyone with a brain and/or pride, who does not have a narcissistic personality disorder.

I also feel that when the parties realigned along idealogical lines in the 70's +/-, the drift to the extremes in both parties began in earnest, to the detriment of the country. In general, moderates are disdained in both parties.

Democrats were more moderate to keep their conservative Southern leg of the three legged stool in place as well as the Republicans modified their beliefs to keep the moderate regions of New England and the Midwest from bolting.

The days of Moderate Midwestern and New England Republicans compromising with Southern Conservative Democrats to reach a compromise moderate governing solutions were much preferred to continual rhetoric without compromise to effectively govern that we have endured in the recent past.

Could we please find people more interested in governing for the common good than continually campaigning and only rewarding their followers?

Your point is well taken, but sometimes the mushy middle does not result in the common good.

You are correct, sometimes it isn't, but much of the time it is.

My point is not that the middle is always correct, but that in governing effectively, a wide range of voices need to be heard and considered when taking action, not just continuing to spew rhetoric that is idealogically pure for your party's movers and shakers, or only governing for the benefit of your supporters.

[native]

Your point is well taken, but sometimes the mushy middle does not result in the common good.

You are correct, sometimes it isn't, but much of the time it is.

My point is not that the middle is always correct, but that in governing effectively, a wide range of voices need to be heard and considered when taking action, not just continuing to spew rhetoric that is idealogically pure for your party's movers and shakers, or only governing for the benefit of your supporters.

We certainly agree!

[LeadBolt]

You are correct, sometimes it isn't, but much of the time it is.

My point is not that the middle is always correct, but that in governing effectively, a wide range of voices need to be heard and considered when taking action, not just continuing to spew rhetoric that is idealogically pure for your party's movers and shakers, or only governing for the benefit of your supporters.

We certainly agree!

I suspect more times than not. Given the state of the country, it is inconceivable to me that our president still has a 46% job approval rating. Then again that is roughly equivalent to the % of people that don't pay federal income tax...

[native]

...Given the state of the country, it is inconceivable to me that our president still has a 46% job approval rating.

AND
tragic...
heartbreaking...
disappointing...
discouraging...
frustrating...
unacceptable...

[blueballs]

]

I suspect more times than not. Given the state of the country, it is inconceivable to me that our president still has a 46% job approval rating. Then again that is roughly equivalent to the % of people that don't pay federal income tax...

Nail meet head... coincidence not.

[Ivytalk]

Maybe I will run for President after all, and hire TTBF as my campaign director. In this "cult of celebrity" America, a little political cross-dressing might actually be refreshing.

[AZGrizFan]

Maybe I will run for President after all, and hire TTBF as my campaign director. In this "cult of celebrity" America, a little political cross-dressing might actually be refreshing.

Well, you're one of the few among us who has the right pedigree.

[GannonFan]

That's ok. You keep your head buried firmly up your ass and watch your party get it's collective ass handed to it again in 2012.

i roll my eyes because i now see a perfect portrait of hysterical dems in 03-04... only now in goper.

Of course, the one difference being that the GOP was not throttled in the '02 election like the Dems were in the '10 election. I agree, I don't see the GOP having a prayer to win the WH, but the numbers aren't really favoring the Dems to reverse losses in the legislature.

[bluehenbillk]

There's at most only a handful of GOP people on that list that mildly interest me. Personally I wish Chris Christie would run.

Rick Santorum? Please. Why waste the time, move on to your next career pal......

[93henfan]

Rick Santorum? Please. Why waste the time, move on to your next career pal......

Oh c'mon. Anyone who takes pictures of his wife's miscarried fetus and forces his family to spend the night with it is the sort of average joe this country needs.

[TwinTownBisonFan]

i roll my eyes because i now see a perfect portrait of hysterical dems in 03-04... only now in goper.

Of course, the one difference being that the GOP was not throttled in the '02 election like the Dems were in the '10 election. I agree, I don't see the GOP having a prayer to win the WH, but the numbers aren't really favoring the Dems to reverse losses in the legislature.

oh - i agree... especially in the senate - where we have to defend gains made in 06... not happening...

[BDKJMU]

Interesting. We may have a candidate catch one issue (the deficit) and ride it all the way home. Obama may face a credible challenge from someone within his own party given their dissatisfaction with his performance, and I voted for John Anderson in 1980.

while the deficit will have salience with a pocket of voters... it will never be the defining issue of a Presidential campaign... rank-and-file voters just don't care enough... and it appears nothing can make them care.

the kinds of issues that become sweeping and national often come from places you don't expect and speak to voters fears (generally) about something. The hostages (loss of American prestige), 1968 in general (lack of "law and order"), etc

BS. The country hasn't faced a financial armageddon before like we do now, at least not in a LONG time. More and more people are waking up to the fact that we are approaching (or maybe already past) the point of no return.

[AZGrizFan]

while the deficit will have salience with a pocket of voters... it will never be the defining issue of a Presidential campaign... rank-and-file voters just don't care enough... and it appears nothing can make them care.

the kinds of issues that become sweeping and national often come from places you don't expect and speak to voters fears (generally) about something. The hostages (loss of American prestige), 1968 in general (lack of "law and order"), etc

BS. The country hasn't faced a financial armageddon before like we do now, at least not in a LONG time. More and more people are waking up to the fact that we are approaching (or maybe already past) the point of no return.

Shhhhh...nothing to see here....move along....The all-knowing, all-seeing TTBF has stated unequivocally that the deficit is NOT a political issue of concern to American voters. So it is written. So it shall be done.