US Politics VIII

[Annelise]

We proper liberals have been calling for the ouster of Harry Reid as majority leader for quite a long time now, so throwing something he said in our faces doesn't really prove much.

Why are you going puffer fish over that? "We proper liberals.." Hee.

It was an interesting factoid until I read what DG posted about everyone knowing she was unqualified; that's what made it funny. :)

[Shryke]

Age?

That's how most stuff seems to work.

[The Marquis de Leech]

How did he get to Senate minority and now majority leader?

Daschle's loss in 2004 (not that Daschle was particularly inspiring either...)

[Annelise]

I've never understood how Reid became who he is. He's totally uninspiring and as has been said, even traditional Dems don't love the guy. It's not like a Dem from Nevada ought to be all that important. How did he get to Senate minority and now majority leader?

It's true that the Harry Reid fan club seems to hold secret meetings. I found this, from when he was elected minority leader:

Reid has spent the past six years as Daschle’s second-in-command and told reporters he is not an “untested vessel.â€

He takes over as Democrats struggle to adjust to the Nov. 2 elections in which Republicans held the White House and tightened their grip in both houses of Congress.

Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who delivered one of the nominating speeches on Reid’s behalf in the private caucus, told reporters he had said the Nevada lawmaker “will lead this caucus into a new era and oppose where necessary, compromise where possible and avoid the obstructionist label.â€

Reid’s speaking style often includes criticism wrapped in the language of compromise, and his remarks about Bush and Senate Republicans fit the mold.

And this:

The Democrats, obviously still mourning John Kerry’s embarrassing loss to George W. Bush just two weeks prior, have drawn up a new game plan in hopes that it will help them challenge their purported rivals in elections to come.

Well, it isn’t really a new plan, just a fresh spin on an old failing strategy. The Democrats again believe, even after Kerry’s stubborn loss, the only way to beat the neocons is to outflank them to the right. Take on their “values†and surpass their fanaticism.

The saga began to unfold following Democratic Senate minority leader Tom Daschle’s horrific defeat to Republican John Thume in the South Dakotan Senate race on November 2. After Daschle’s loss Democratic National Committee chair, Terry McAuliffe, was on the phone rallying support behind one of his favorite Senators, Nevada’s own, Harry Reid.

Reid, an admitted friend of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, was being tapped for the position well before Daschle’s loss, and quickly gained enough support to assure his appointment and upcoming confirmation. A conservative Mormon, Reid, who was born and raised in Nevada, could just as well have run as a Republican when he chose to do so in 1982.

His positions on trade, abortion, war, civil liberties, and healthcare mirror the Republicans.

In fact, his Republican adversaries adore him for his conservative propensities. Fellow Mormon and right-wing Senator Orrin Hatch, a high-ranking Republican from Utah, says, “We all respect Senator Reid. He is one of the moderate voices around here who tries to get things to work.â€

http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/ful.../frank11142004/

[Tempra]

Yay, the government doing more stupid shit..

WASHINGTON -- Tackling an issue sure to rouse sports fans, lawmakers pressed college football officials Friday on switching the Bowl Championship Series to a playoff, with one Texas Republican likening the current system to communism and joking it should be labeled "BS," not "BCS."

...

Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who has introduced legislation that would prevent the NCAA from labeling a game a national championship unless it is the outcome of a playoff, bluntly warned Swofford: "If we don't see some action in the next two months, on a voluntary switch to a playoff system, then you will see this bill move."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4121294

We're in the midst of the worst economic crisis in three million years, and our government is wasting time with this? Jesus...

[Ser Aardvark]

EHK, the Republicans are doing their damndest to prevent the Democrats from realizing their agenda. If that keeps up, and the Democrats can keep people aware of that, then things getting worse may not be good for the Republicans.

My stars, one might think they were the opposition party!

[EHK for Darwin]

Yay, the government doing more stupid shit..

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4121294

We're in the midst of the worst economic crisis in three million years, and our government is wasting time with this? Jesus...

Dude, fuck off. Seriously. (joking...sort of) I've been craving a playoff system in college football longer than I've had pubic hair. If it takes Congressional involvement, so fucking be it. You say this isn't the job for Congress? I say its not like they're constantly doing productive shit all the time anyway or even most of the time. I would high five Rick Santorum (yeah, I know he got beat) and spoon Michelle Bachman if they were responsible for getting this past. Hell, I'd send a Christmas card to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Anne Coulter if they had a hand in it. I would invite non-crippled George Wallace to dinner if he did something about it.

A college football playoff is of EXTREME national importance.

[Trebla]

Dude, fuck off. Seriously. (joking...sort of) I've been craving a playoff system in college football longer than I've had pubic hair. If it takes Congressional involvement, so fucking be it. You say this isn't the job for Congress? I say its not like they're constantly doing productive shit all the time anyway or even most of the time. I would high five Rick Santorum (yeah, I know he got beat) and spoon Michelle Bachman if they were responsible for getting this past. Hell, I'd send a Christmas card to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Anne Coulter if they had a hand in it. I would invite non-crippled George Wallace to dinner if he did something about it.

A college football playoff is of EXTREME national importance.

indeed, though I would feel better about it's chances if Joe Barton wasn't involved, comparing the BCS to....COMMUNISM!

Sweet Fancy Lenin!!! :bang:

[WarGalley]

I was going to post the playoff thing in the CFB thread. College football is my favorite sport but Congress shouldn't be involved in this shit. What a waste of time given all of the problems that need to be addressed right now.

This reminds me of the "We all have a right to watch honest football" crap some time ago.

[EHK for Darwin]

I was going to post the playoff thing in the CFB thread. College football is my favorite sport but Congress shouldn't be involved in this shit. What a waste of time given all of the problems that need to be addressed right now.

This reminds me of the "We all have a right to watch honest football" crap some time ago.

I would give my vote to the man who fixed college football and boxing. I wouldn't give a damn about any other shit.

However if his opponent fixed smoker's rights, that'd be a slugfest.

This is the same dipshit from Texas who thought he punked Al Gore by saying "I've never met Bernie Madoff."

And I would still elect him over Barack Obama if he fixed boxing and CF.

[Inigima]

Why are you going puffer fish over that? "We proper liberals.." Hee.

Because Harry Reid is a worse-than-useless piece of shit, I'm sick of the supposed major left-wing party propping his wrinkled ass up and I don't care to be associated with him. That wizened little shit doesn't even make the Republicans go to the trouble of actually filibustering -- he just lets them say they'd do it and it's off to the races. And then he has the audacity to complain that people pressuring conservative Democrats "isn't helpful" to him.

[Lord O' Bones]

I'm an independent and Harry Reid fills positions 1-10 on my list of politicians I want to go away forever.

[Starkimus]

I take a day and a half off...due to exams...and you guys post 9 pages worth of new shit.

Obviously..all of you need a life :)

Inigma..

I read your last post. And while I admire your ideals, and wish I had them. The bottom line (to me at least) ...is sometimes, hard times call for hard decisions, and sometimes...you have to choose the lesser of 2 evils. Ironicly, i have been doing this for everytime I have voted for President. Alas...the greater evil won this time...

Hasta

Stark Out!

[White Walker Texas Ranger]

Wasn't Harry Reid the guy who convinced Jeffords to go independent back in 2000?

It makes sense that the Democratic leadership was desperate enough to give the nod to a guy who gave the Dems the majority in the Senate for about five minutes

[Tempra]

I take a day and a half off...due to exams...and you guys post 9 pages worth of new shit.

Obviously..all of you need a life :)

Inigma..

I read your last post. And while I admire your ideals, and wish I had them. The bottom line (to me at least) ...is sometimes, hard times call for hard decisions, and sometimes...you have to choose the lesser of 2 evils. Ironicly, i have been doing this for everytime I have voted for President. Alas...the greater evil won this time...

Hasta

Stark Out!

Stark,

I don't disagree that hard times call for hard decisions. However, I think we get into trouble by instititutionalizing the type of shit that went on in Gitmo. When said hard times come around, I don't doubt that human instinct will kick in and and Jack Bauer will do what Jack Bauer does best. We're better off dealing with this stuff ex post instead of ex ante.

[Piper]

Fair enough. I doubt either Kagan or Sotomayer will cause too much of a fuss. Replacing a liberal judge with another liberal judge isn't really worth the fight anyways. When it comes to replacing Kennedy, that may be a different story all together.

I agree, I don't see Obama lighting any fires with his pick, whomever that will be (unless we get another tax scandal :P )

And I think I'm gonna backtrack a little and say that I guess I can understand the use of the filibuster for judicial nominees particularly far along the ideological spectrum. Were I a liberal senator and a Robert Bork character looked like he would win a tight up or down vote, I can see the temptation to block him by whatever means necessary, so I guess I understand the urge from a conservative to do the same thing to whomever might be the analogue on the other side (Will Brennan come again?)

Still, the most recent precedent was the Alito vote and the so-called "Gang of 14" compromise, so I don't foresee the Republicans having too much ground to stand on trying parliamentary shenanigans.

[Andriy Czarchenko]

When said hard times come around, I don't doubt that human instinct will kick in and and Jack Bauer will do what Jack Bauer does best.

Live in the fantasy world with no basis in reality?

.

.

.

Actually that does sound like a lot of the republicans. :leaving:

[Annelise]

Because Harry Reid is a worse-than-useless piece of shit, I'm sick of the supposed major left-wing party propping his wrinkled ass up and I don't care to be associated with him. That wizened little shit doesn't even make the Republicans go to the trouble of actually filibustering -- he just lets them say they'd do it and it's off to the races. And then he has the audacity to complain that people pressuring conservative Democrats "isn't helpful" to him.

Sore spot, I understand. DG actually gave the reply I was expecting, when he called him a moron. I figured Tracker would get to it if he didn't, heh.

[Annelise]

The bottom line (to me at least) ...is sometimes, hard times call for hard decisions, and sometimes...you have to choose the lesser of 2 evils.

But how does this philosophy translate, with regard to torture? You don't appear to be in favor of legalizing it. Do you favor doing on the quiet, outside public knowledge? Essentially as the Bush admin had it set up? Something else? I believe I understand you on the philosophical side, I just don't quite know how you want it to manifest. Help. :)

[TrackerNeil]

Stark,

I don't disagree that hard times call for hard decisions. However, I think we get into trouble by instititutionalizing the type of shit that went on in Gitmo. When said hard times come around, I don't doubt that human instinct will kick in and and Jack Bauer will do what Jack Bauer does best. We're better off dealing with this stuff ex post instead of ex ante.

Believe it or not, I actually agree with most of this. Although the Jack Bauer situation is a fantasy, in that one-in-a-million chance it actually happens, I am confident that the justice system can make the necessary adjustments to see that the torturer is not unduly punished. In the meantime, we need to draw a bright, flaming, unequivocal line in the sand that says torture is wrong all the time no matter who does it. That's the only way to ensure that a bad apple does not become the whole damned orchard.