Author Topic: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..  (Read 3798 times)

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ToxicAdam

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Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« on: October 03, 2006, 02:09:38 PM »
.... at destroying government.  :'(


Perversion


The Moose comments on how far the elephant has fallen.

The Moose witnessed the Republican Revolution of '94. He remembers the fervent calls for reform and renewal. Now, the House GOP is rightly staring into the abyss. The Foley revelation is the latest representation of the perversion of power.

It took the Republicans a little more than a decade to achieve what forty years of Democratic rule accomplished - the institutionalization of corruption. The major difference is that the elephant masqueraded as a reformist, moral revolutionary. Hypocrisy is truly the tribute vice pays to virtue. These guys give Elmer Gantry a bad name.

How can fiscal conservatives continue to endorse Republican rule? How can social conservatives embrace a House leadership that neglected to expel a child predator from their ranks? How can reformists applaud the Abramoff Congress?

House Republicans are neither the responsible custodians of the taxpayer dollars nor of teenage pages. The Foley episode will depress the social conservative turnout. They did not exactly elect a Republican Congress so it could go soft on child predators. And how do Republicans scare social conservatives about the prospects of a Democratic Congress - suggest that they will coddle perverts? Even the Washington Times has gone south on Hastert.

Whichever party prevails in November, cynicism will be the big winner. It is fair to say that Republicans cannot clean house. If Democrats gain control of the House or the Senate, triumpalism is not in order. Rather, it is imperative that triumphant Democrats begin the task of restoring confidence in government. That will not be easy.

While it far from a certainty that Democrats will gain control over Congress, it is increasingly likely, and thoughtful donkeys should begin examining how they would govern. In view of the latest revelations about the Bush Administration, there may be an extraordinary pressure from the base of the party for the Democrats to move to impeachment hearings by next spring. That would be a disaster for the country. America is looking for thoughtful solutions, not more partisan warfare.

How will the donkey begin the process of vanquishing cynicism?



MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2006, 02:10:46 PM »
BY GOLLY AT LEAST THEY'RE GOOD AT SOMETHING!

I dont even know what it means to be a democrat anymore.
o_0

TVC15

  • Laugh when you can, it’s cheap medicine -LB
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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2006, 02:12:27 PM »
Republicans rock because they're all down with you fucking children and then sending them off to get killed when they're too old to easily be corrupted anymore.
serge

MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2006, 02:13:33 PM »
We should create a new political party called 'RepubliCANTS' haha get it? We could do what RepubliCANTS lol jesus
o_0

Van Cruncheon

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2006, 02:23:35 PM »
So I vote for PURE EVIL or PURE PUSSIES. What a choice.
duc

MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2006, 02:24:28 PM »
Pure Evil seems pretty ProActive tho ya know lolz. Go places, meet new people, conquer them...wait what?!
o_0

Flannel Boy

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2006, 02:26:26 PM »
Deleted by user
« Last Edit: March 15, 2008, 05:00:36 PM by Malek: King of Kings »

MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2006, 02:28:08 PM »
OCP To the Rescue!

o_0

Van Cruncheon

  • live mas or die trying
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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #8 on: October 03, 2006, 02:29:20 PM »
I'm malek's opposite: I WANT UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE AND GUNS GUNS GUNS.

Let's make our own two-party system:

CAPITALIST PIGDOGS versus VIOLENT POTHEADS

RANDROIDS VERSUS GUEVARATARDS
duc

MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2006, 02:29:41 PM »
vs FURRIES
o_0

Flannel Boy

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #10 on: October 03, 2006, 02:33:10 PM »
Deleted by user
« Last Edit: March 15, 2008, 05:00:56 PM by Malek: King of Kings »

MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #11 on: October 03, 2006, 02:34:02 PM »
I bet you could, College.
o_0

Van Cruncheon

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2006, 02:42:06 PM »
Free-market capitalists covet nothing but the illusion of a free market. They're hopeless idealists who want to believe that society can be run by numbers and equations, and that "surival of the fittest" is an applicable notion. They believe that morality exists in the intersection of economics and social theory. They're pie-eyed teenaged dorks that play too much D&D and listen to too much early Rush (the band). They're scared of a world that values interpersonal skills as much or more than it does the ability to solve math problems.

Democratic Socialists are moral relativists who want you to get the fuck out of the moralizing and social engineering business, and get down to making sure that there's a baseline for the start of a decent life. They recognize that no man is an island and that overall wealth increases in a society that is reasonably stable and comfortable, even as the Darwinian moral code of the Randroid is offended by dirty poors buying the occasional color TV or latte or bag of weed. They also realize that sometimes they hafta shoot people to get them off their case; especially in the case of folks like Randroids and Jesus Freaks who can't recognize their self-aggrandizing sense of elitism.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2006, 02:44:05 PM by Drinky Crow »
duc

demi

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2006, 03:54:04 PM »
I wonder what Phoenix Dark's stance on this very important matter is.

Phoenix? Input?
fat

Van Cruncheon

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2006, 05:28:56 PM »
Just take a Randi Rhodes ad hoc rant from an Air America transcript and stick "not" in it every two sentences -- that's about the depth I expect from a PhoenixDark political response.
duc

APF

  • Senior Member
Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #15 on: October 03, 2006, 05:36:36 PM »
Whichever party prevails in November, cynicism will be the big winner.

I agree with The Bull Moose on this; along these lines, does anyone here seriously foresee a huge turnout next month?  The public seems to translate all of these governmental scandals to skepticism towards government in general...
***

The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #16 on: October 03, 2006, 05:54:00 PM »
Just take a Randi Rhodes ad hoc rant from an Air America transcript and stick "not" in it every two sentences -- that's about the depth I expect from a PhoenixDark political response.

Yeah, pretty much.
BKO

demi

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #17 on: October 03, 2006, 06:05:24 PM »
Just take a Randi Rhodes ad hoc rant from an Air America transcript and stick "not" in it every two sentences -- that's about the depth I expect from a PhoenixDark political response.

Yeah, pretty much.

You have no idea what he just said, Phoenix.
fat

The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment

  • Can he only eat just one?
  • The Walking Dead
Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #18 on: October 03, 2006, 06:06:27 PM »
huh
BKO

Saint Cornelius

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #19 on: October 03, 2006, 06:10:06 PM »
lolz, so many Darkies in this joint, hard to tell 'em apart
dap

The Miles Trahan Burger Experiment

  • Can he only eat just one?
  • The Walking Dead
Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2006, 06:11:00 PM »
MISSUH, IMA SORRY I'S IS MAKING TINGS HARD FO' YOOU :-\
BKO

Flannel Boy

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2006, 06:47:35 PM »
Deleted by user
« Last Edit: March 15, 2008, 05:01:54 PM by Malek: King of Kings »

Van Cruncheon

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2006, 07:39:21 PM »
Really? I'm simply for de-emphasizing wealth as a positive characteristic and an overriding goal. I'd like a society where status DOESN'T revolve around the accumulation of capital and wealth, but instead emphasizes education and character. The free market suggests that wealth is the single most important personal validator among all others, and that its pursuit should be the overriding benchmark for personal success -- and it rewards those who are in the business of compromising all other characteristics in that pursuit. You don't build a strong society if the accumulation of capital is the driving motivator for participation. Innovation? Innovation for consumers, perhaps; that's why we have DirectX 10 video features and Splenda but no cure for AIDS or legitimate alternative fuel sources.

Ultimately, I'd like to see the pursuit of wealth considered uninteresting and a waste of time by society at large. It won't happen due to the basic human need to climb the social hierarchy, but if my actions can move it in that direction, so be it.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2006, 07:42:04 PM by Drinky Crow »
duc

Flannel Boy

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2006, 08:03:30 PM »
Deleted by user
« Last Edit: March 15, 2008, 05:02:02 PM by Malek: King of Kings »

Mandark

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2006, 11:13:36 PM »
MARKETS:  Markets work pretty well for certain things, since they give people incentives to do things other people want.  People are going to want material comforts, and it's a nifty system to force people to benefit others to get those things.  Unfortunately, there are a billion ways for markets to go wrong, especially when capital accumulates among a small part of society.  Letting markets run wild gives very bad real-life results, which is why you'll always get popular support for regulation and social programs.


CORRUPTION:  Running against corruption is silly on a number of levels.  No political party ever ran in favor of corruption.  No political party is inherently immune to corruption, especially if it establishes a long-term majority.  The only serious anti-corruption platform is one that changes the system in ways that make corruption difficult.

A party running against corrupt insiders isn't really winning people over to its ideology.  That's part of the reason the GOP hasn't been able to accomplish much since 1994: they have been much more successful in political organization to idealogical persuasion.  Congressional districts, the big racial shift, the K-Street project, etc. give them a pretty good structural advantage in winning elections, but it doesn't change the way people feel about Social Security, or stop the gradual acceptance of gay people.

The current GOP is more apt to corruption than the current Democratic Party, because a corporate donor base is easier to organize into a top-down distribution of power than a distributed donor base of net-hippies.  On the same token, lefty socialist candidates are less apt to be corrupt than pro-business neoliberals.


FISCAL CONSERVATISM: Sort of a crock.  Nobody vocally supports spending a lot of money on things they think won't work or don't matter.  "We're spending too much" is intuitively appealing, but you can't really argue for the tax rate to be a certain percent of GDP without some serious discussion of what services the government should or shouldn't provide, and what the consequences will be.


IMPEACHMENT:  Less likely than a ground war against Iran, barring live boy or dead girl.


MARSHALL WHITMAN:  Has a weird consensus-fetish.  "We need thoughtful solutions" presumes everyone agrees on the problems, and what would constitute a desireable result.  Partisanship is useful.  It's people who believe the same thing getting together and using the political process to influence government.  I don't begrudge apathetic people wanting to drown out the noise.  People who think politics are important and who make their living in it should know better, though.

ToxicAdam

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #25 on: October 04, 2006, 12:05:12 AM »
Nice post, Mandark. You get a gold star.


APF

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #26 on: October 04, 2006, 08:17:31 AM »
Partisanship is useful.  It's people who believe the same thing getting together and using the political process to influence government

...to do absolutely nothing.  Even when there's one party you need some sort of consensus or dictate from within that party in order to move even a part of your agenda.  So much more so with more-or-less evenly-matched groups.  That's what unapologetic partisans like you Just Don't Get about the positions of thoughtful moderates like me.  It's about rolling up your sleeves and making difficult decisions in order to get shit done, rather than crossing your arms and pouting like a little bitch.
***

Mondain

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #27 on: October 04, 2006, 08:28:10 AM »
everything and everyone is shit, incompetent, clumsy, corrupt and untrushworthy, and only grows gradually worser and worser-- and exponentially moreso when being among a band of suits and having any form of executive powers upon their fellow human comrades

fuck them all

so seeing as no one here is in the highest of social castes, why do you fool yourselves thinking you have any impact on them or means to avoid their abusals, and why depress your short existences over this shit? stop following the same eternally gloomy real-life news, play your games, take care of your relatives, get out, get the goods you like in any way you can to get a comfortable existence and ignore all the rest
« Last Edit: October 04, 2006, 08:39:55 AM by Mondain »

MrAngryFace

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #28 on: October 04, 2006, 10:45:10 AM »
I just stay in WA State! Best state in the 'union' lolz
o_0

Mandark

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Re: Republicans 4 times more effective than Democrats..
« Reply #29 on: October 05, 2006, 12:43:16 AM »
Compromise can be a useful tool, but it's not inherently good, or more effective than taking a hard line.  It's just a political tactic, not a philosophy, so praising it for its own sake like Whitman does is putting the cart before the horse.

If getting shit done means producing more legislation, that's not necessarily a goal.  If getting shit done means producing the most favorable result, sometimes compromise is good and sometimes it isn't.  The Democratic goal for the SS debate last year was to maintain the status quo, and they acheived it by enforcing a party line.