Republicans Have Taken the House!

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

It's going to be pleasant to see the Republican base go after immigrants, minorities, and the poor now. I loves me a good lynching.

That reminds me of a Southpark episode, where the poor, white, established residents "defended" their town against the rich, black, new residents.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

It's going to be pleasant to see the Republican base go after immigrants, minorities, and the poor now. I loves me a good lynching.

That's exactly what they're saying.

I heard a Republican talking this morning about changing the law so that children born to illegal immigrants on US soil are not US citizens. Now that would be impossible to do, but war has been declared. And they think that they have a mandate from the American people to cut spending and limit government which means cutting programs for the poor and minorities and situtating big business to exploit them even further.

 

[YmirGF]

Yes, definitely get the popcorn out, and get ready to watch the Obama-vs-Boener fireworks fly.

If Obama's wise, he'll let Congress propose most of the legislation next term, only standing by to sign or veto as necessary. Once the conservative base starts to see that the GOP, including the Tea Party, makes little if any headway in terms of cutting government spending, then their emotion- and fear-based movement is going to lose a lot of steam, well in time for 2012.

Personally, I think that Obama will temper some of his policies to be mildly acceptable to the Republicans, but not quite acceptable enough. He can then use their denial of his policies as proof of their obstructionism. Think of it as a well baited hook. Or... defying all odds... you could see him steal a page from Monica Lewinsky's boy toy.

 

[YmirGF]

I heard a Republican talking this morning about changing the law so that children born to illegal immigrants on US soil are not US citizens.

This is one of those things that I can't quite wrap my head around. Why WOULD you let the children of illegal aliens automatically be American citizens? I don't think I have ever heard a good reason why. (Other than the fact that that is how your laws are written for some peculiar reason.)

 

[Requia]

Because they tried to deny black people citizenship during reconstruction. The solution was to make everybody born here a citizen.

 

[Magic Man]

This is one of those things that I can't quite wrap my head around. Why WOULD you let the children of illegal aliens automatically be American citizens? I don't think I have ever heard a good reason why. (Other than the fact that that is how your laws are written for some peculiar reason.)

How would you suggest differentiating? It seems to me the only good way to do it. If you're born here, you're a citizen.

 

[Mister Emu]

The Republicans vowed not to help Obama with anything - despite the fact that the overwhemling majority of Americans voted for him. So they refused to give the American people what they wanted, and criticised Obama for not being able to do that.

This is what lost the Democrats the election... not the Republicans being obstructionist, but the idea that the American people actually wanted the stuff they, Democrats, were selling.

They never had a mandate for action, they had a "we're just glad the old guys are gone" victory.

Particularly, the healthcare bill cost the Democrats, with 50% of the electorate wanting to repeal it.

 

[Skeptisch]

This is what lost the Democrats the election... not the Republicans being obstructionist, but the idea that the American people actually wanted the stuff they, Democrats, were selling.

As long as there are more people in the most powerful nation on earth believing in authority, tradition and revelation rather than in expertise, knowledge and reason we are in deep trouble. We believe we can borrow ourselves out of deficit and debt by keeping taxes low and give tax cuts to the rich.

"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge — even to ourselves — that we've been so credulous. So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise." Carl Sagan

 

[LuisDantas]

How would you suggest differentiating? It seems to me the only good way to do it. If you're born here, you're a citizen.

Or maybe we could begin to phase out nationalities altogether. They were never a particularly useful concept, after all.

 

[ninerbuff]

So do you think most christians are Republican or Democrat? Because obviously views of religion do have an impact on the vote.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

This is what lost the Democrats the election... not the Republicans being obstructionist, but the idea that the American people actually wanted the stuff they, Democrats, were selling.

They never had a mandate for action, they had a "we're just glad the old guys are gone" victory.

Particularly, the healthcare bill cost the Democrats, with 50% of the electorate wanting to repeal it.

If the economy was ok and the unemployment rate was low. The Dems would have kept power. This is a fact. The American voters are all about their pocket book.

It is true that 50% of electorate want it repealed because they have no idea what its about.

In polls about many parts of this bill, Americans love it! The GOP will have a hell of a time repealing stuff like taking your kids off your insurance before 26 and Insurance companies being able to kick people off there rolls because they are sick. The health bill is here to stay.

 

[Engyo]

The health bill is here to stay.

I'll take that bet. The Republicans will repeal it to show that they can, and then their corporate masters will prevent them from re-legislating the parts of the law that would help the average american and cost the corporations.

 

[Magic Man]

This is what lost the Democrats the election... not the Republicans being obstructionist, but the idea that the American people actually wanted the stuff they, Democrats, were selling.

They never had a mandate for action, they had a "we're just glad the old guys are gone" victory.

Particularly, the healthcare bill cost the Democrats, with 50% of the electorate wanting to repeal it.

The problem here is assuming the American people don't want things like the healthcare reform. The main reason people would tell you at this point that they don't want the bill is because they don't know what's in it. The things that stick out in their minds are the things republicans have said about it. It goes back to my comments about republicans being very good at negative ad campaigns.

If people actually understood the situation and the bill that was passed, they wouldn't be against it in the numbers they are now.

 

[Magic Man]

I'll take that bet. The Republicans will repeal it to show that they can, and then their corporate masters will prevent them from re-legislating the parts of the law that would help the average american and cost the corporations.

I highly doubt that. I just don't see them actually repealing it.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

This is what lost the Democrats the election... not the Republicans being obstructionist, but the idea that the American people actually wanted the stuff they, Democrats, were selling.

They never had a mandate for action, they had a "we're just glad the old guys are gone" victory.

Particularly, the healthcare bill cost the Democrats, with 50% of the electorate wanting to repeal it.

Even I thought this was true, until I read these statistics.

I highly doubt that. I just don't see them actually repealing it.

The Republicans won't repeal healthcare reform. They're just blowing smoke out of their a**--something we had better get used to them doing nonstop for the next two years.

Really, I think the Republicans' taking the House may have been the least damaging way for people to see that, hey, the Democrats really AREN'T that bad, and wow, the Republicans really ARE that bad. Thank god this wasn't 2008 in reverse...had the Republicans taken all of Congress plus the presidency...

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

I'll take that bet. The Republicans will repeal it to show that they can, and then their corporate masters will prevent them from re-legislating the parts of the law that would help the average american and cost the corporations.

How? they need 60 votes in the senate and Obama will Veto it.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

I dunno. I don't think that Obama would have lost support if his supporters were better informed about what he was accomplishing.

Here's the insanity:

The Republicans vowed not to help Obama with anything - despite the fact that the overwhemling majority of Americans voted for him. So they refused to give the American people what they wanted, and criticised Obama for not being able to do that.

The Republicans were obstrutionists, after they destroyed everything in the Bush years. They worked against everything Obama wanted to do, and despite this, he was able to accomplish major points on every aspect of his platform.

But Americans were unhappy with that and voted Republican - or refused to vote - as if the Republicans can somehow save the day. The same Republicans - or much worse - that obstructed everything that Americans wanted from Obama.

GET A GRIP

I completely agree. One man can't do it all. When he proposes...it gets shot down then the Repubs say...('See, I told you he's not a good president....Obama said this or that or he would do this or that...now look..nothing')...

Why should Repubs change anything ("for the people")...? It was working out so well during the 8 years of bush...

Everyone seems to be expecting a quick fix by the president but it took us 8 years to get like this and it may take that or longer to get out of it.

IMO....

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This is one of those things that I can't quite wrap my head around. Why WOULD you let the children of illegal aliens automatically be American citizens? I don't think I have ever heard a good reason why. (Other than the fact that that is how your laws are written for some peculiar reason.)

Four big reasons come to mind:

- the long-standing legal tradition that citizenship is a birthright.

- the principle under international law (e.g. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) that all people are entitled to a nationality, coupled with the fact that a person born in one country has no standing to claim the nationality of another country.

- if you change the rules so that natural-born citizenship is based on something other than where the person was born, you open the door to an unknown number of foreign-born people suddenly having claims to US citizenship under whatever new rules you come up with.

- if you go back far enough, everybody hits a wall where they either have no documentation of their ancestors' citizenship or their ancestors actually were illegal. If you set up a system where one person's citizenship depends on their parents having valid citizenship, then we quickly get to a point where nobody can demonstrate their citizenship at all.

 

[Mister Emu]

The problem here is assuming the American people don't want things like the healthcare reform.

Who said that?

The main reason people would tell you at this point that they don't want the bill is because they don't know what's in it. The things that stick out in their minds are the things republicans have said about it. It goes back to my comments about republicans being very good at negative ad campaigns.

If people actually understood the situation and the bill that was passed, they wouldn't be against it in the numbers they are now.

Then perhaps the Democrats should have waited until it was understood what the bill would and would not do. People fear the unknown, and there is a lot of unknown in this bill.

Even I thought this was true, until I read these statistics.

41% of voters wanting to repeal the healthcare bill and voting Republican is significant. I did not say it was the only factor, but it was one, and one that hurt.

Really, I think the Republicans' taking the House may have been the least damaging way for people to see that, hey, the Democrats really AREN'T that bad, and wow, the Republicans really ARE that bad.

That was 2008. 2000-06 showed how bad Republicans could be, so in 08 they turned to the Democrats and said "It can't be worse can it?" Now they are giving Republicans a second chance which will lead to:

Thank god this wasn't 2008 in reverse...had the Republicans taken all of Congress plus the presidency...

If the GOP can see lower goverment expenditure and debt over the next two years then 2012 will see it.

 

[Smoke]

The writing is on the wall but most won't know how screwed we are until the republican agenda is in full swing.

The Democrats still have the White House and the Senate, so whatever happens in the next two years, you can't blame it on the Republicans. It will be a bipartisan circus. (And it's unfair to call it a circus, because a circus is organized. But the first five words I thought of would never clear the automatic censor.)

It just goes to show you that the Democratic party cannot get the business of the day completed even when they have the tools to do the job. It is akin to herding cats IMHO.

I don't blame people for staying home. What is the point? Insanity is when you do the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.

The Democrats have been giving Liberals lip service and promising to help the little guy for decades. How has that worked out?

Just go out and vote one more time, it will be different this time, I promise!

The Democrats are useless. For years now, the only thing they've had to say in their own defense is that they're not as bad as the Republicans. I may never vote again. Given a choice between the bumbling incompetence and craven, two-faced degeneracy of the Democrats, and the obscene treachery and criminality of the Republicans, it might be better to let the Republicans have it. Better to bring the temple down upon our heads like Samson than to die the Democrats' death by a thousand cuts. Just get it over with.

What really gets under my skin is their rhetoric about limited government and fiscal responsibility. That's something that Republicans haven't lived by in a long, long time.

Exactly. And frankly, the fact that Americans will come out in droves to vote for the Republicans because they want limited government and fiscal responsibility is the surest possible indicator that this country is too damned stupid to be saved.

Sorry to use such a tired cliche, but the U.S. is almost literally a case of the lunatics running the asylum. In such a situation, is a solution even possible?