Why Congress has become so dysfunctional, discredited
“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
— Mark Twain
Voters have rarely held Congress in high regard. In fact, over the 38 years in which Gallup has asked the question, only 34 percent of Americans typically say they approve of its performance. These days, however, public disgust has never been deeper. In its most recent poll, Gallup found that just 10 percent of Americans approve of how Congress is operating.
Personally, I don’t know what that 10 percent is thinking, because Congress is by any measure a broken institution. While never a paragon of efficiency, in recent years it has lost the ability to function at almost any level. It produces nothing, it solves nothing, it does nothing. It serves solely as a stage upon which political actors strut and prance.
The question of why has many answers, most of them traceable back to the very beginning, to the days in which the Founding Fathers were designing the structure of government that we still retain today.
Given their ties to Great Britain, it would have been natural for the founders to model the American system after the British parliamentary system they knew so well. They didn’t. Instead, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and their colleagues consciously rejected the parliamentary model, and they did so for very American reasons.
First, they had seen enough to recognize that a parliamentary system was a “winner-take-all” system. The party that controls the majority of votes in a parliamentary system also wins the right to name the prime minister, giving it control of both the legislative and executive branches. Our founders distrusted the untrammeled power that produced, so they built a system that conspired against it.
The founders also understood that under a parliamentary system, voters cast their ballots less for individual lawmakers than for the party they represent. Moreover, once in office, members of Parliament owe more loyalty to their party leaders and platform than to the folks back home who elected them. Those were all evils that Madison, Hamilton and others wanted to minimize, even if they could not avoid them altogether.
As a result, the American system of government diffused authority and undercut party loyalty. Individual politicians could be more independent, able to vote their own conscience and the interests of their own district. And with neither party able to dictate to the other, and with the legislative and executive branches acting as competitors, compromise across party lines would be required to get anything done.
For most of our history, that system functioned more than adequately. So what has changed?
I would argue that over the past two decades, our political parties have gravitated toward a mindset in which elections have been nationalized, party discipline takes precedence over personal conscience and compromise is considered losing. It is in essence a parliamentary mindset, which is precisely what the founding fathers had hoped to discourage. And when you take that parliamentary, winner-take-all mindset and graft it onto a political system designed specifically to frustrate that mindset, you get what we’ve got: No movement.
Put another way, if you take a system that is designed to run on compromise, and you deny it access to compromise, it cannot operate.
Historically speaking, the party most responsible for that transformation is the Republican Party, and the single individual most responsible is Newt Gingrich. That observation is not intended as criticism, because from their point of view it made perfect sense. By the early ’90s, they had served as the minority party for most of the preceding 60 years, and they had grown frustrated. They could and did compromise, thus allowing the system to function, but as they compromised they saw the arc of history bending against them. They saw compromise as a way to lose slowly, and they no longer wanted to play that way.
The result, however, is a system in which two things are true: 1) With no compromise, change can now occur only when one party holds absolute dominance and 2) The pursuit of absolute dominance is hopeless, particularly in a country as evenly divided as this one.
The result, sadly, is a system of governance rapidly losing credibility with its people.
– Jay Bookman
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818 comments Add your comment
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
7:03 pm
$4/gal
It matters …
For me, not as much as people pretend. Regardless to the price of gas, I still have to go to work every day. Because of my shift and where I live, the only option I have other than driving my car is riding a bike 30+ miles one way to work, and that’s not gonna happen at 5 in the morning.
If I had other options available, I might fret over gas prices a bit more. As it stands now, my only choice is to pay the price.
getalife
August 28th, 2012
7:05 pm
cnn has their gop spokesman at the convention.
wolf blitzer.
They should fire him and cafferty.
Common Freaking Sense isn't very Common
August 28th, 2012
7:05 pm
josef
might have set the whole nation back if she was elected.
can’t have them wimmen folks working at a mans work of legislatin.
F. Sinkwich
August 28th, 2012
7:06 pm
“$4/gal
It matters …”
Yep. Drove past my local Kroger Fuel Center today. Sign said $3.94.
Of course Jay’s choir here will insist that O’bozo has absolutely, unequivocally nothing to do with gas prices.
But then again they’re the same maroons who insisted that Bush (Bush!) diabolically manipulated oil price to enrich his oil buddies.
Go figure.
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:06 pm
josef
Even though as Jamvet has pointed out, the debates are really more like interviews, they are still better then the party pep rallies.
What exactly is Romney and Obama going to say that the electorate doesn’t already know in terms of their positions on the issues?
Not too hard to preach to the choir or throw red meat to the crowd to get a positive response.
Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (aka "Knuckle-Dragger")
August 28th, 2012
7:08 pm
I blame the Democrats, and present as much evidence as you have.
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:09 pm
Common Sense…
I sure would’ve like to have seen HER cabinet!
That Black Guy
August 28th, 2012
7:09 pm
A couple more “sell outs” for your race card deck.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-republican-national-convention-2012-day-2/2012/08/28/efa65930-f11f-11e1-892d-bc92fee603a7_gallery.html#photo=1
F. Sinkwich
August 28th, 2012
7:11 pm
“If I had other options available, I might fret over gas prices a bit more. As it stands now, my only choice is to pay the price.”
Uh, you could vote for someone who understands and will promote our energy sector instead of killing it like O’bozo.
O’bozo wants you to pay European prices for fuel. Makes him feel good. If you vote for that anti-American, you should feel good about the high prices too.
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:11 pm
Common Sense…
@ 7:06
Exactly.
Common Freaking Sense isn't very Common
August 28th, 2012
7:11 pm
may have included Lincoln in it LOL
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:12 pm
I blame the Ragpickers.
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:13 pm
Fish Sandwich: high gas prices = hurricane + Israel
Get used to it! You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:14 pm
Common Sense
I doubt that! She didn’t cotton too much to him… now Seward? Given the dirt she had on him, she’d've had a yes man for real…
JamVet
August 28th, 2012
7:14 pm
Just saw a Joseph McCarthy 2012 poster at the Polka Convention.
Maybe one of the neocons knows, what night do George and Dickie speak to the dozens there?
You Lawrence Welk geezers are wasting my prime time…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLxRU8-vwH8
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:15 pm
Oh, dear…here comes the Protocols of the Elders of Zion…
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:16 pm
TBG
I would not call them sell outs by any means, but if we are talking card decks, is there going to be enough cards to make a full deck? I know there won’t be enough if the deck must also have the jokers in them.
That Black Guy
August 28th, 2012
7:17 pm
josef
August 28th, 2012
6:58 pm
FORMAL BLACK GUY
They’re not really Black…and neither or you…don’t you know that!
___________________________________________________
I was when I voted FOR Obama. Now, not so much.
BTW, you grab that per-fesser hat any ol’ time. I with Paul on that, I like it when I learn something.
getalife
August 28th, 2012
7:17 pm
Sling that poo filky.
Blind partisans crack me up.
They have a 10% approval rating and that 10% includes filky.
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
7:19 pm
Uh, you could vote for someone who understands and will promote our energy sector instead of killing it like O’bozo.
If there were such a candidate, you’d have a point. The GOP missed that sailing ship by nominating Joe Isuzu.
JKL2
August 28th, 2012
7:21 pm
-Why Congress has become so dysfunctional, discredited
The 17th amendment is a good place to start. Hard to blame the founding fathers when you change their system.
Not to worry as I’m sure obama has a solution all worked out…
Paul
August 28th, 2012
7:21 pm
Sinkwich
“Of course Jay’s choir here will insist that O’bozo has absolutely, unequivocally nothing to do with gas prices.”
Refresh my memory, please… did you post the same when gas prices declined?
“O’bozo wants you to pay European prices for fuel. ”
We already are.
Difference is in the taxes. And as far as I know, he hasn’t put thu an increase in the gas tax.
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:21 pm
what, josef, no smiley face?
I personally am looking forward to Israel bombing (or attempting to bomb) Iran.
All those giant SUVs will turn into museum pieces.
Who can’t love $30.99/gallon gas?
I’m with them all the way!
Who needs the Persian Gulf anyway?
Bebe all the way! Give ‘em hell, Bebe!
kayaker 71
August 28th, 2012
7:22 pm
Face it, the electorate doesn’t approve of Congress, no matter who is in power. It has little to do with whether or not they are D or R, they still don’t like them, hence the approval ratings. Figuring that out shouldn’t be too hard, even to the most contentious liberal.
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
7:22 pm
That Black Guy,
This:
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
6:18 pm
The RNC was actually able to get a picture of one lone black guy amongst hundreds of whites around him at their conference. I’m surprised they did that well. Then again, he could have been paid to sit there.
is what I posted. What part of that did you have the most difficulty with?
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
7:22 pm
Paul
Be careful, you don’t want to overload that one working brain cell.
F. Sinkwich
August 28th, 2012
7:23 pm
“Get used to it! You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
I know. If O’bozo gets re-elected, we’re looking at 10 bucks per.
I know you luv that, but me and the rest of America don’t.
That Black Guy
August 28th, 2012
7:24 pm
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:16 pm
TBG
I would not call them sell outs by any means, – Just trying to help Bernie with his future rant
but if we are talking card decks, is there going to be enough cards to make a full deck? – Well, if they’re there you know they are not playing with a full deck. Honestly, NO ONE who supports either of these parties are.
I know there won’t be enough if the deck must also have the jokers in them. – Might be a little short then.
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
7:25 pm
Face it, the electorate doesn’t approve of Congress, no matter who is in power. It has little to do with whether or not they are D or R, they still don’t like them, hence the approval ratings.
Nah, the electorate doesn’t approve of most of Congress except for their own Congressional representatives. If that were not the case, re-election rates wouldn’t be 80%-85% historically. IT doesn’t matter whether (D) nor (R) as they’re both pretty much the same.
marko
August 28th, 2012
7:26 pm
As a child , I was compelled to go school. It was some kind of conspiracy between my parents and evil government bureaucrats. As if that wasn’t bad enough, on Sunday’s I was forced to wear a bowtie, go to Sunday school.
That’s where I learned about This King Solomon dude. King Solomon defined Marriage as the union of seven hundred wives , and three hundred concubines. In addition to having an active sex life, he was known for being being something of a wise guy. The most famous example of how wise he was involved two women fighting over a baby. Both women claimed to be the babies mother. Since long form birth certificates hadn’t been invented yet, Old Solomon couldn’t tell which one of these crazy bitches was lying. He told his soldiers to cut the baby in half , and divide it between the two women. At this point one of the two belligerent bimbos insisted that she wasn’t the kids mother, and asked Solomon to give the kid to the other woman. Solomon smiled. Though he still didn’t know for sure who the real mother was, he’d discovered who really loved it.
In order to save the thing ,she loved the most, the woman was willing to give it up. The old Sunday school teacher called it a compromise. He made it sound like a good thing, but then what the hell did he know?
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:26 pm
FORMAL BLACK GUY
I may just wind up voting for my Profile in Courage man, this go round…even if Pretty Boy Closet Case IS the veep choice of the other side…
See, we don’t always vote for “our own,” eh?
Thanks for the per-fesser vote…Labor Day is pow wow time in Indian country and this household does get a little introspective. It is at times such as this, though, that I get a little bent out of shape by the race card players…ain’t there no red cards in that deck?
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:27 pm
Fish Sandwich: if you drive a giant SUV, I hope that it costs you $1,000.00 to fill it up! That’s how much I detest them. They are emblematic of what’s wrong with America.
That Black Guy
August 28th, 2012
7:28 pm
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
7:22 pm
That Black Guy,
This:
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
6:18 pm
The RNC was actually able to get a picture of one lone black guy amongst hundreds of whites around him at their conference. I’m surprised they did that well. Then again, he could have been paid to sit there.
is what I posted. What part of that did you have the most difficulty with?
______________________________________________________
Can you please post that picture of the “lone” Black guy that the RNC has?
Seems strange that it would be difficult for them to find a Black face since they have at least 4 speaking.
Also, what is it with you and race?
If they had 10,000 Black people there would you dislike the republicans any less? (2nd time asking)
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:28 pm
SOOTH
Nope. No smiley. I’m serious as a heart attack…
Paul
August 28th, 2012
7:29 pm
marko
Your Sunday School teacher didn’t know the difference between a compromise and a decision.
Neither did the person who made up that story.
F. Sinkwich
August 28th, 2012
7:29 pm
“If there were such a candidate, you’d have a point. The GOP missed that sailing ship by nominating Joe Isuzu.”
Who’s that?
If you mean the Mittster, didn’t you hear his energy speech a few days ago?
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:30 pm
josef
There a lot of cards in the deck, however it depends on who is playing the game and dealing the cards at any given time
kayaker 71
August 28th, 2012
7:30 pm
And why is it so important for the Republican convention to have a lot of blacks in attendance? Most blacks don’t want to be there. They don’t even like conservatives, so why should they even show up? They have been brainwashed into thinking that the liberals have their best interests at heart. Most whites don’t show up at meetings of the Congressional Black Caucus either or meetings of the NAACP. Get over it.
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
7:30 pm
That Black Guy:
Why does race matter so much to you?
I believe it was Boehner who said the other day that his party needed to reach out to the minorities. I’d say a head count of blacks in that sea of whites might be a crude indicator of his party’s success or failure.
If there were 10,000 Blacks there would you dislike republicans any less?
What sort of stupid question is that. Do you think my dislike of Republican policies is magically linked to the number of blacks in the party? Really? I’d be more prone to believe that the blacks’s dislike of the Republican Party is evident from the noted lack. Wouldn’t you.
Paul
August 28th, 2012
7:30 pm
Soothsayer
Time to update the ire. Some SUVs get the same or better mileage than some coupes and sedans.
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:31 pm
marko
@ 7:26
Wit and wisdom. Thanks. A rare and welcome combination…
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:31 pm
Hmmmmm . . . let’s look at this objectively, shall we? What if, say, Israel were to bomb Iran? Iran, in retaliation decides to destroy each and every ship even attempting to transit the Persian Gulf.
What would that do to World oil supplies? What would that do to the price of oil?
Would that cause a Worldwide backlash against Israel and, by extension, Jews?
Would there be rioting and killings in the streets? I don’t know, do you?
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:32 pm
BOTH
@ 7:30
Just depends on who’s calling trumps, eh?
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:34 pm
josef
I think so. Sometimes it is just and other times it is merely for attention sake.
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
7:34 pm
Who’s that?
If you mean the Mittster, didn’t you hear his energy speech a few days ago?
Well, the GOP sure ain’t nominating Newt Gingrich, are they? And, No, I didn’t listen to his energy speech. I’ve gone over his website and didn’t come away impressed with what he had there. I’ve listened to some of his campaign ads, and I am not impressed with the blatant lies. So why would I subject myself to even more torture and listen to him speak?
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:34 pm
“…Israel and, by extension, Jews?”
Protocols of the Elders of Zion, 2011 edition
That Black Guy
August 28th, 2012
7:35 pm
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:26 pm
FORMAL BLACK GUY
I may just wind up voting for my Profile in Courage man, this go round…even if Pretty Boy Closet Case IS the veep choice of the other side…
*****************************************************************
I feel you josef, I’m NOT voting for Romney, but I don’t feel right voting for Obama again. This crap makes my head hurt.
_________________________________________________________________
See, we don’t always vote for “our own,” eh?
Thanks for the per-fesser vote…Labor Day is pow wow time in Indian country and this household does get a little introspective. It is at times such as this, though, that I get a little bent out of shape by the race card players…ain’t there no red cards in that deck?
*****************************************************************************
True dat, josef, true dat. And they don’t have time for the yellow or brown cards either (doesn’t fit the narrative).
G Mare
August 28th, 2012
7:35 pm
TBS@5:35, I have been voting against Isakson & Chamblis & Gingry for YEARS and will continue to do so!!! Not that it makes any difference. SIGH!
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:35 pm
“Some SUVs get the same or better mileage than some coupes and sedans.”
Paul, notice the qualifier “giant.” I’m talking kayaker’s Suburban. I’m talking about Escalades. I’m talking about Sequoias. I’m talking about Yukons. And, yes, I’m talking about 5,500 lbs monster pickup trucks!
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:36 pm
BROSEPHUS
What? You mean you got a problem with the white man’s burden and a MAJOR historian’s expostulation thereon? You a communiss or sumpin?
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:37 pm
TBG
Since you added the yellow and brown cards, there just might be enough to complete the deck. Maybe even with the jokers
kayaker 71
August 28th, 2012
7:38 pm
Sooth, 7:35,
Nope. Just a 2003 Toyota pickup. 200,000 miles and still going strong.
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:38 pm
“Protocols of the Elders of Zion, 2011 edition”
josef, I have no idea what that nebulous statement means or even how it pertains to me. I just know that you always direct it towards me. Maybe you could explain it now.
Towncrier
August 28th, 2012
7:38 pm
“If that doesn’t prove that voters have the power to determine things without any extra legislation, I don’t think there’s any other election that would prove as such.”
The problem for me, and likely for a number of voters, is that we have such polarized choices these days. There are no more conservative Democrats to speak of and there are few liberal Republicans either. And, on some issues, it boils down to a matter of conscience. The only place for someone like me to practically vote someone out is in the primaries. But incumbents have such an advantage there it seems. So I am for term limits. I guess some people here think I am a fanboy of people like Chambliss. I am not. But he’s the best choice I have as a social conservative. Give me a conservative Democrat and I may well vote differently.
F. Sinkwich
August 28th, 2012
7:39 pm
“Fish Sandwich: if you drive a giant SUV, I hope that it costs you $1,000.00 to fill it up! That’s how much I detest them. They are emblematic of what’s wrong with America.”
The family truckster is a Suburban, thank you very much.
I know you want everyone to drive that crappy Smart Car or that POS Volt, but that ain’t America. It’s your ideal society, Europe.
You sound like you grew up in Indonesia, were raised by a commie family, then vowed to fundamentally change this great country into a Marxist basket case.
Now where did I hear that story before?
Hmmmmmmmmm.
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:39 pm
Sorry, kayaker, I think I got you mixed up with F. Sinkwich.
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:39 pm
Gmare
Good for you. Our “term limit” folks, just can’t seem to limit those guy’s terms when it comes time to do so, but they are for it. They said so
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:41 pm
FORMAL BLACK GUY
Yep. Gotta keep that black-white dichotomy alive. Too many with too much invested in it. ‘Sides, who wants to hear what “those people” have to say…might learn something about the real nature of the phenomenon and have to rewrite the Sharia approved script and we wouldn’t want that, now, would we?
Recon 0311 2533
August 28th, 2012
7:41 pm
K-71, Intelligent Blacks who’ve resisted hard-left brainwashing and think for themselves have become Conservative Americans. They don’t buy into the lefts stupidity.
Paul
August 28th, 2012
7:44 pm
Soothsayer
“Would there be rioting and killings in the streets? I don’t know, do you?”
Remember all the ridicule heaped upon Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld when he said
“There are known knowns; there are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that, we now know we don’t know.
But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know, we don’t know.”
Unlike the critics, he knew what he was saying.
Same statement applies to the consequences of an Israeli strike on Iran.
Towncrier
August 28th, 2012
7:44 pm
“You are not alone. I’m sure there are many liberals in blue states would say the same thing. They want terms limits but social issues “trumps all”. And those words would also ring hallow in regards to term limits.”
Why don’t you stop trying to force your independent viewpoint down my throat? You are demanding I violate my conscience in order to implement a change in policy I’d like to see and then accusing me of hypocrisy – all the time while refusing to answer the question I have put to you scores of times. You create a false dichotomy (one that you yourself don’t even subscribe to in your own decision making) and then charge me with being two faced. What is amazing is that you see utterly oblivious to this fact or else you are just a nasty person.
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
7:44 pm
And why is it so important for the Republican convention to have a lot of blacks in attendance? Most blacks don’t want to be there. They don’t even like conservatives, so why should they even show up? They have been brainwashed into thinking that the liberals have their best interests at heart. Most whites don’t show up at meetings of the Congressional Black Caucus either or meetings of the NAACP. Get over it.
kayaker,
Why do you claim that most blacks don’t like conservatives. In what way have blacks been brainwashed into thinking that liberals have their best interests at heart. And this is a meeting that is supposed to be representative of the entire party so what does a comparison to the NAACP have to do with the matter. The NAACP is not a party.
You libs
August 28th, 2012
7:45 pm
Frank Sinkwich:
I built a deck many years ago for the real Frank. It’s rare to meet someone who is so true to himself.
That said, do an internet search sometime about how the petroleum market works. It would really do you some good.
The Cliff Notes version is that there is an international market for oil. The U.S. buys all of its oil from the same exchange that everyone else does. Every drop of oil we produce goes onto that market and is sold for whatever the price is at that time.
And keep in mind that the petroleum geologists estimate that the United States sits on about 3% of the world’s oil that is commercially feasible to exploit. I, for one, don’t think that we should be burning through what little leverage we have left, the petroleum industry disagrees.
The U. S. president has two tools that he can use:
1. He can release oil from our strategic reserve to burn speculators who drive the prices up.
2. He can sic the Justice Department on speculators who use tactics that artificially and illegally drive the prices up. He has used both of those tools effectively when things were getting out of hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if he used them again before the election to defend himself this time as much as he has used them to defend the citizens in the past.
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:45 pm
SOOTH
For somebody who claims he doesn’t know what it is, you sure can quote from it virtually verbatim, and given your penchant for conspiracy theories, I assumed you had a copy on the nightstand. However, google is your friend, along with Henry Ford…
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:45 pm
kayaker: I feel you, man! My little car (I’m not going to tell you what kind it is) has 200,000+ and runs great! Changed the oil every 3,000 mi, changed the ignition (wires, plugs) every 40,000 mi. As it may become collectible, I’m considering having the engine rebuilt (when it needs it!).
Paul
August 28th, 2012
7:45 pm
Sooth
REAL SUVs. Not crossovers.
Got it. Lots of people lump them all together.
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:46 pm
I guess that black couple I know where the wife is a VP of a Fortune 500 company based here in Atlanta and her husband who owns several business are not “intelligent”.
I will remind them when I go over to their house this weekend and see that Obama sign in their front yard.
That Black Guy
August 28th, 2012
7:46 pm
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
7:30 pm
That Black Guy:
Why does race matter so much to you?
I believe it was Boehner who said the other day that his party needed to reach out to the minorities. I’d say a head count of blacks in that sea of whites might be a crude indicator of his party’s success or failure. — he said it the other day and you expect there to be a sea of Black faces? After a couple days?!?! REALLY???
If there were 10,000 Blacks there would you dislike republicans any less?
What sort of stupid question is that. Do you think my dislike of Republican policies is magically linked to the number of blacks in the party? — Do you think that ALL the Blacks that support the republician party are at the convention?
Really? I’d be more prone to believe that the blacks’s dislike of the Republican Party is evident from the noted lack. Wouldn’t you. — Wouldn’t it be better to as *us* why we have problems with the republican party (or the democrat party for that matter)?
I asked the question because you brought up the lack of melanin at the event. I was just wondering why. Were you using “coded words”?
bman
August 28th, 2012
7:47 pm
Soothsayer.. .. What kind of future collectible do you have?
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
7:48 pm
TC
Unless you can post where I demanded you do anything, I am calling a liar.
You keep touting term limits then come up with reasons as to why you do not practice term limits.
Again that is your choice and based on what you mentioned regarding social issues, I can see why that is the choice you are making. With that said, that choice is far far from term limits.
Towncrier
August 28th, 2012
7:48 pm
“If they had 10,000 Black people there would you dislike the republicans any less? (2nd time asking)”
He would not, because at root he dislikes the values of conservatives and (like all of us from time to time or perhaps almost always) attacks the manifestations of those values (in the guise of politicians or a party) rather than the values themselves.
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
7:49 pm
See, we don’t always vote for “our own,” eh?
Damn right!!!
—————-
What? You mean you got a problem with the white man’s burden and a MAJOR historian’s expostulation thereon? You a communiss or sumpin?
Damn right!!!
kayaker 71
August 28th, 2012
7:49 pm
Recon, 7:41,
Yeah, there are a few. When Artur Davis defected and joined the Republicans, the cries of Uncle Tom were thunderous. The Congressional Black Caucus called him everything but a black man. And the heat that many get from members of their race is unbelievable. When JC Watts called the CBC a bunch of race pimps, he was forever banned from anything black and went to (excuse the pun) to the dark side in their opinion. There is some mystical edict that proclaims that any black person who is a conservative must have a screw loose and is not fit to be called anything but names and vilified. I personally don’t care whether or not they attend the Republican convention or not. I don’t think that most conservatives do either.
marko
August 28th, 2012
7:51 pm
Thanks, josef, Paul@7:29 that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. By the way , I hear old Newt’s got half a baby mounted on his wall.
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:51 pm
Well, as we know, there won’t be no riots in the streets of Lubbock…
Besides, they got more important bidness…
http://haysfreepress.com/2012/04/26/getting-down-to-the-nekkid-truth/
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:52 pm
josef: I have told you over and over again that I am not anti-semitic, and that I am not anti-Zionist.
As you know, though, I am passionate about the criminal treatment of the Palestinians by the Israeli Jews. Herded off their land. Receiving no compensation. Herded into a tiny ghetto — Gaza — by Israelis.
Thank goodness we Americans don’t have to see their lives on a daily basis. We’re insulated by our media from showing the lives they lead.
But, what the heck, if someone’s got to win, then it follows, that someone’s got to lose.
Most caring Americans would be appalled if they knew the conditions the Palestinians live under.
But, for josef, Israel — and by extension — World Jewry, can simply do no wrong. Wake up!
Paul
August 28th, 2012
7:53 pm
kayaker 71
“200,000 miles and still going strong.”
A darn good reason for buying a Toyota.
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
7:54 pm
b-man: I dont’ give out any personal information.
kayaker 71
August 28th, 2012
7:57 pm
Paul, 7:53,
Yeah, it is. Bought it with 25K miles on it and with oil changes and proper service checks, it has served me well. I can afford a new one but don’t want to part with it. We have shared a lot of miles together.
bman
August 28th, 2012
7:58 pm
Soothsayer .. .. Okay. No problem at all.
Recon 0311 2533
August 28th, 2012
7:59 pm
Blacks who have succeeded in building personal wealth by and large know that they built their success and it wasn’t a result of federal government involvement. Such people terrify Democrats with their success as it goes against their plantation strategy of holding people subservient to government programs.
Common Freaking Sense isn't very Common
August 28th, 2012
8:01 pm
Congress has put the (not) fun in Dysfunctional.
So we went from Congressscrewing up to blacks voting? Hell I thought we got screwed when they allowed women to vote.
J/K
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
8:01 pm
There are no more conservative Democrats to speak of and there are few liberal Republicans either.
Chalk it up to the unintended consequences of polarization. That was my point the other day with Doom in regards to Huntsman. He’s labeled RINO, but he’s more of a true conservative than Romney. The GOP primary voters decided to listen to the talking heads instead of researching on their own.
As long as even one party seeks to find ideological purity, you’ll never see the parties as they used to be. Instead of looking for a Conservative Democrat to replace Chambliss with, why not just simply replace him first? Move him out of the way, and you may have another candidate step forward in the next election who’s your ideal candidate. That person may not want to run against Chambliss in a primary, but is ready to jump into an open primary. We never know these things until it happens. Sometimes, you just have to step out on faith. As a voter who doesn’t think either party has my best interests in mind, that’s all I have to cling to these days.
josef
August 28th, 2012
8:02 pm
SOOTH
And I’ve told you over and over that I’m the Queen of England…
marko
That’s a mistranslation BTW…it was 300 porcupines…
Fred ™
August 28th, 2012
8:04 pm
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
August 28th, 2012
5:03 pm
3. The miners asserted that ownership made it clear they were to attend the rally and that there would be a sign-in sheet there.
Owners can FOAD. My time off is mine, not theirs. They wanna tell me what to do, show me the $$.
++++++++++++++++++++
Things are a little different in mine Country Kam. While it’s sad, it’s true.The owners own virtually EVERYTHING. ” !6 tons is still a valid song today. My mother WAS a coal miners daughter. I have faily still in West Virginia dying a little more every day. She escaped. Her older brother escaped. Her younger brother didn’t.
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIfu2A0ezq0
kayaker 71
August 28th, 2012
8:04 pm
I personally could care less if blacks join the Republican party or not. Just as Bozo has written off white working America, the conservative movement has pretty well written off the black vote. At 92% for Democrats, why would you want to chase that segment of the electorate. No one’s mind is going to change, at least for the next generation or two. It’s a waste of time.
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
8:04 pm
Recon
You might want to tell that to the Urban League of Atlanta.
Numerous successful corporate folks and entrepreneurs there. Not all by any means, but most are not working for the election of Republican candidates.
Never heard any of them tell me that any Democrat chided them for working to assist people in starting business, networking, etc, etc.
just saying
Fred ™
August 28th, 2012
8:05 pm
Recon 0311 2533
August 28th, 2012
7:59 pm
Blacks who have succeeded in building personal wealth by and large know that they built their success and it wasn’t a result of federal government involvement. Such people terrify Democrats with their success as it goes against their plantation strategy of holding people subservient to government programs.
++++++++++++++++++++
Do you actually believe this crap/ Do you even KNOW and interact with any Black people? Most Southern Baptists I know think Jesus had blonde hair and blue eyes……….
Soothsayer
August 28th, 2012
8:05 pm
“And I’ve told you over and over that I’m the Queen of England…”
That’s OK, josef. I understand. No argument, no reply, withdrawal into silliness.
Brosephus™
August 28th, 2012
8:05 pm
Intelligent Blacks who’ve resisted hard-left brainwashing, hard-right brainwashing, and think for themselves have become
ConservativeAmericans. They don’t buy into the left[']s or right’s stupidity.That sounds a bit more like reality.
Towncrier
August 28th, 2012
8:06 pm
“Unless you can post where I demanded you do anything, I am calling a liar.”
Frankly, I don’t know what to make of someone who either cannot or will not understand a simple explanation (where I think someone like Brosephus likely got what I was saying the very first time) I have given and then keeps accusing me of hypocrisy. What was your motive? To persuade? To aggravate? To annoy? I don’t have a problem conceding a logical point. Your is not logical.
“You keep touting term limits then come up with reasons as to why you do not practice term limits.”
And you keep ignoring, not the “reasons” you claim I “come up with” (please provide a list of them as evidence of your assertion), but the explanation I have given over and over again. After doing so, you proceed headlong into the same old spiel. And then you also ignore those statements wherein I have said I not be opposed to voting for a conservative Democrat. But you seem to think I MUST give up my conservative principles if I am going to argue for legal term limits. That is, if I don’t vote for a non-conservative candidate, I am not for legal term limits. What I think is really at play here is you just don’t like the fact that I am tied to socially conservative values and you are engaging in an illogical attack in order to express that aversion.
getalife
August 28th, 2012
8:06 pm
willie’s energy policy is the same as our President’s energy policy.
You can thank our President for higher gas mileage standards and other changes in the auto industry.
Fred ™
August 28th, 2012
8:07 pm
josef
August 28th, 2012
7:45 pm
SOOTH
For somebody who claims he doesn’t know what it is, you sure can quote from it virtually verbatim, and given your penchant for conspiracy theories, I assumed you had a copy on the nightstand. However, google is your friend, along with Henry Ford…
+++++++++++++++++++++++
LOL Just like all those republican talk show radio Rushbots that claim they never listen to talk radio yet each day are spouting the topic of the days show. It’s just “coincidence”
Jay
August 28th, 2012
8:07 pm
and again, Recon has no concept of how insulting that notion can be to many black Americans.
You know, if some 95 percent of black Americans dislike the Republican Party, it might behoove the Republicans to own at least some of the blame for that phenomenon, and to ask what THEY might do to change it. Dismissing it as evidence of a plantation mentality and lack of intelligence among black voters allows you to shrug off any responsibility, but it isn’t going to help change the reality.
In a new piece at National Journal, Ron Brownstein writes about the changing demographics and the efforts of both Obama and the Republicans to milk as much support as they can from each group. But he concludes with this:
Republican strategists clearly feel the weight of trying to assemble a national majority with so little support among minorities that they must win three in five whites. “This is the last time anyone will try to do this,” one said. A GOP coalition that relies almost entirely on whites could squeeze out one more narrow victory in November. But if Republicans can’t find more effective ways to bridge the priorities of their conservative core and the diversifying Next America, that weight will grow more daunting every year.
I honestly do not understand how the Republican Party is going to pivot after this election to do the things necessary to attract minority support.
Fred ™
August 28th, 2012
8:09 pm
josef
August 28th, 2012
8:02 pm
SOOTH
And I’ve told you over and over that I’m the Queen of England…
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well then josef, just for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2M_hpoPwk
JamVet
August 28th, 2012
8:09 pm
They have been brainwashed…
So they really are that damn dumb, huh 71?
Considering that according to your own written words here they have only recently come down out of the trees, it does seem very strange to me that they want nothing to do with you. And that philospohy hat runs like a pandemic throughout the embarrassing Republican
mafiaParty…But hye! maybe I’m just crazy!
TaxPayer
August 28th, 2012
8:10 pm
That Black Guy:
I asked the question because you brought up the lack of melanin at the event. I was just wondering why. Were you using “coded words”?
Coded words! Do you think there is some hidden meaning in my use of the word “black”? Is there some hidden meaning to your use of it.
They BOTH suck
August 28th, 2012
8:11 pm
TC
Again, never said you had to give up anything an certainly didn’t demand you do anything. That was a lie, plain and simple
I have stated that your term limit stance seems only to apply when it fits your narrative. Or has stated by another blogger, as long as you have an abundance of candidates with the same ideology lined up.
Your choice, but it really is a far cry from reality when speaking of term limits.
getalife
August 28th, 2012
8:11 pm
kay,
We know you are a racist.
Of course, you don’t care.
Common Freaking Sense isn't very Common
August 28th, 2012
8:12 pm
Bro
leap of faith?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFntFdEGgws&feature=related