All this talk about Obama. The real issues are about Congress.

[mick063]

In my opinion, we are collectively spending too much time discussing the Presidential race.

Considering Obama will be running against the trendiest driver of the clown car, I expect a comfortable win. Even if under election year economic decline, I believe moderate, independant Americans have heard enough of the GOP vision to understand they can't go back to Bush economic policy for a cure. #Occupy has had more impact than the network pundits would have us believe.

What is disheartening is that many House politicians run unopposed. In the end, it may be about money, but it is also about message. Even if races are lost, sitting House members must be challenged to articulate and defend their ideaology to their constitutents. I personally believe that the Democrats should not let a single GOP House member run unopposed.

How do we do that? How do we, at a minimum, combat the newly added effects of "Citizens United" at the Congressional level?

The Senate has shown us that it is no longer a question of winning a simple majority. Modern politics require "filibuster proof" legislation. The GOP made a pact with the devil. The precedent has been set. Now both partys will abuse the filibuster and bog Congress down into continuous obstructionism by the minority party.

Is it even worth winning anything other than a super majority? Are we eternelly locked into a legislative quagmire? Has the Tea Party permanently damaged the Congressional ability to legislate?

[Phlem]

1. Agreed

I for one would really like to replace the tepid Harry Reid for a non fence rider.

-p

[unblock]

2. we're likely to see similar paralysis for 2 years, followed by different paralysis for 2 more years.

odds are really good obama will win and republicans will keep the house.
the only real question is the senate, where democrats are likely to lose seats.

at this point i think we can feel good about our chances of holding the senate barely, but it's not a lock.

so in all likelihood, republicans will continue to stalemate washington.


two years hence, it's very much against history to expect pickups in congress, certainly not the house.
so again, obama remains in the white house and republicans keep the house.
if republicans haven't already taken the senate in 2012, they're got a very good shot at it in 2014.

assuming they get the senate at that point, we'll still have stalemate, but republicans will be able to get both houses of congress to pass legislation that they know obama will veto. so instead of a do-nothing congress, we'll have a congress that puts show legislation up to set the stage for the presidential race in 2016.

like i said, a different form of paralysis.

[NAO]

3. You don't think Obama might run against the Frothy Sweater?

And if he did you don't think Frothy Sweater could possibly win?

Or you'd be OK with Frothy Sweater signing Executive Orders - end running around Congress - only to have his culture war edicts upheld by the 6 - 9 Catholic Supreme Court?