Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was intrigued by this opinion article today that says the President would be better off with a Republican Congress because there would be some things that were non-starters. It says if the GOP wins in 2010, during his re-election run he could pull the debate to the left "appealing to independents and keeping his Democratic supporters happy" but with a Democrat Congress he's going to be "forced to fight his own party by tugging the debate toward the right -- not a formula for Democratic unity."
GOP thinks the unthinkable: Victory in 2010 | Washington Examiner (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/GOP-thinks-the-unthinkable-Victory-in-2010-8103193-53174842.html - broken link)
What do you think?
If there were less chances to fail with the unpopular stuff the Democrat Congress is putting out there, because a Republican Congress wouldn't let it get started in the first place, would that help Obama get re-elected because he could campaign on his own agenda?
The country is normally better off if the Executive and Legislative branches are in enough opposition to create an atmosphere where compromise has to take place. That is what has been missing, is a climate in which We, the People, can talk about our differences without demonizing each other. It is only when we talk that we make progress. All the infighting in the world will never provide any solution for anything, and if one side wins a total victory, the other side feels slighted and hides itself away to sulk and plot. This can never engender a healthy atmosphere in which to conduct the business of Our Country.
We saw the dangers of one-party government from 2001-2006, and are currently reaping the harvest that it sowed.
That said, if we had a republican congress at this point, a lot of issues that have been long overdue for attention would be, as you say, non-starters. The mix we have now is necesary to balance the last few years, and eventually America will decide to adjust again at the ballot box.
We had a GOP Congress for most of Bush's two terms and they spent like mad so a GOP Congress is not inherently better. To the extent a GOP Congress would act as a check on this administration's plans to remake the country in to some unattainable utopian ideal that gets left wingers moist then yes, a GOP congress would be great. It worked well under Clinton and was the only reason he ended his term with a surplus: they kept him from spending and the domestic policy successes he claimed were GOP driven, e.g. welfare reform.
Single party rule always leads to over reaching. The party in power consistently misreads their 'mandate' resulting in a in a tyranny of the majority. Trite little phrases like 'elections have consequences' are used to disregard very large numbers of people that did not vote for them. This was also true under Bush: 'I have political capital and I'm going to spend it' and off he went trying to privatize social security and that bombed. Again, over reaching.
The American electorate is essentially centrist, IMO, and doesn't like huge swings of the pendulum in either direction. This is why the GOP, only six months after the shellacking it took in the general election, can foresee real gains in Congress and Governorships: the Obama administration has over reached and the electorate, especially the independents, want things more in balance so the GOP stands to benefit. And for what? They've done nothing to deserve this second look by the electorate. Now would be a good time for the GOP to present their plans and explain why they're better because simply riding the wave of voter anger and depending on the fickleness of the voters is not a realistic plan.
To any GOP strategist that may be lurking on the C-D forums, here's a hint: reject social conservatism. There's nothing conservative about insinuating the government in to people's private lives.
Conservatism is not a rigidly defined policial philosophy. There is no dogma. There is no Das Kapital to provide direction. Rather it is a body of principles and sentiments. It is adaptable. Thus Conservatism is uniquely suited to respond to the issues of the day. Applied to the GOP, what was successful in electing 'conservatives' in the past no longer applies. The GOP needs to leverage the inherent adaptability of Conservatism to fashion a platform that resonates with people today, not yesterday.
I was intrigued by this opinion article today that says the President would be better off with a Republican Congress because there would be some things that were non-starters. It says if the GOP wins in 2010, during his re-election run he could pull the debate to the left "appealing to independents and keeping his Democratic supporters happy" but with a Democrat Congress he's going to be "forced to fight his own party by tugging the debate toward the right -- not a formula for Democratic unity."
GOP thinks the unthinkable: Victory in 2010 | Washington Examiner (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/GOP-thinks-the-unthinkable-Victory-in-2010-8103193-53174842.html - broken link)
What do you think?
If there were less chances to fail with the unpopular stuff the Democrat Congress is putting out there, because a Republican Congress wouldn't let it get started in the first place, would that help Obama get re-elected because he could campaign on his own agenda?
I believe in a more balanced government, had hoped the Repubs could hold the Senate in the elections, but the People disagreed, so there we have it. Speculating what could have been is pointless, President Obama has both Houses under Democratic control and it looks to remain that way through his tour of duty. It is time for the Demos to do their thing, thank the lack of progress on the issues by the Repubs when they had power. If the Demos fail to due right they will lose the next, or following, elections, but right now the majority approve of what has been done so far and no amount of whining from the right is going to change that. What I will give the Demos credit for at this early point in their rule, at least they are trying to address the issues, something the Repubs failed to do and something that is way overdue.
Casper
I was intrigued by this opinion article today that says the President would be better off with a Republican Congress because there would be some things that were non-starters. It says if the GOP wins in 2010, during his re-election run he could pull the debate to the left "appealing to independents and keeping his Democratic supporters happy" but with a Democrat Congress he's going to be "forced to fight his own party by tugging the debate toward the right -- not a formula for Democratic unity."
GOP thinks the unthinkable: Victory in 2010 | Washington Examiner (http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/GOP-thinks-the-unthinkable-Victory-in-2010-8103193-53174842.html - broken link)
What do you think?
If there were less chances to fail with the unpopular stuff the Democrat Congress is putting out there, because a Republican Congress wouldn't let it get started in the first place, would that help Obama get re-elected because he could campaign on his own agenda?
I agree the president would do much better under a GOP congress, because it would act like a check and balance on his power. The other point is that anything that he was not able to get through that the people wanted, the blame is now shared by two parties instead of one. However, there should always be enough strong opposition, so people have to compromise. I highly doubt Clinton would have done well under a congress run by the majority of his peers. We are able to get balanced budgets when we have a balance of power in the legislative branch and the executive branch. This is exactly why the founder put it in the constitution and why we have election every 6 years etc and a rotation every 2 years during a Presidents 4 year term in office. If we did not we would have excessive spending by both parties whenever they were in power.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
