Brick Wall? or hope at least something gets done ?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

All this talk about wishing Elizabeth Warren could be president, makes me think about our choice.

If Republicans still have the House and we the Senate in 2017...

If they block every single thing an "Elizabeth Warren" would try to do, just like they have done with President Obama...

What is worse? Having nothing done for another 4 years -- except for living through excruciating budget battles every couple months?

Or, going with someone more moderate who might be able to make some progress toward advancing our society?

[JaneyVee]

1. I'd rather continue playing defense and stopping all RWNJ legislation from

Being enacted. Unless you're considering moderate as someone that will fight for the middle class and reject catering to the rich.

[bluedeathray]

2. Due to the Plutocrats heavily influencing both parties

In terms of business policy, environmental policy, and foreign policy, I think we might hit one of three walls under a moderate leader's administration.

Barring some serious changes in how we do things in America, we're going to have problems with:

Economy (debt/lack of .1% taxation)
Ecology (poisonous contamination)
Energy (non-renewable shortfalls)

But whatever Democrat gets nominated, will get my vote.

[DetlefK]

3. Your premise is that republicans can keep on with their obstructionism indefinitely.

They can't.

Voters love winners. Voters loves parties who project confidence. Voters love politicians who get shit done.
1. Republicans are loosers because this is a democratic administration.
2. Republican infighting demotivates republican voters.
3. Boehner's stated goal for the House is to not get shit done.

By the end of Obama's second term, this will have been 8 years of republican No. Their image is going down the drain, because they don't have ideas out they could sell to the voters. All the republicans have is No.

"We are sorry to announce that the new democratic president also refuses to adopt our policies. This leaves us no choice but to continue to block every bill, budget and nominee they put forward."

The republican moderates know that and they know that something has to be done to fight the image of negativity that the GOP has acquired with their resistance-at-all-costs attitude. They are just too afraid to speak out.
1. If the moderates manage to put the crazy back in the box, they will try to save the image of the GOP. They will realize that in order to do that, they have to actually put forward ideas that people like and pass them as legislation. And for that they need the signature of a democratic president.
2. If the moderates don't get the crazy back in the box, it will be several more years of No, until 2020. Then the gerrymander can no longer save the GOP from their abyssmal approval-numbers and they will tank in a manner that will go down in the history-books.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. The thing is, even when they had fewer Crazies, they still voted as a block. Started, or at least

became noticeable to me with DimSon. Amazing ability, I suppose using blackmail, to keep everyone in line. This
lemming deal has become so ingrained now over, what, at least a decade?

Can you really see this ending? There would have to be a group of non-crazies who break out - but with
big GOP money to to support a coup.

[DetlefK]

6. All the non-crazy republicans are already on the books appeasing the crazy.

There's no republican who comes to my mind who could offer the GOP a fresh start.

The attack-ads write themselves: "Do you want to return to a time when health-insurance cost $1000 a month? Congressman X voted 43 times to make that happen."

Btw, do you remember their "Young Guns" rebranding-effort? Those young guns had a median age of 50.

[n2doc]

5. No 'moderate' will satisfy the republicans

Unless they are a republican also. Even then you'll have the nutjobs pushing for ever nuttier laws.

They will block anything and everything a "Hillary Clinton" would try to do also. They will block anything a democrat tries to do, because they have chosen this path, and if they still retain the house it means this path works for them.

The only solution to this is to either take back the house and force the repubs to face the reality that their tactics don't work, or 2, capitulate and let them run everything, leading to the end of America as we have known it (IMHO).

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. Maybe the key is to somehow (behind the scenes) push moderate Republicans to

run in strong red areas. Even if we don't win back the House - if there are 20-30 free thinking Republican moderates out there it could take us out of stagnancy.

[n2doc]

9. You might as well wish for unicorns

The Repubs voted 100% to defund Obamacare 40+ times. They voted 100% to shut down the government. There are no 'moderate' republicans in the house. What people call 'moderate republicans' now are those who aren't so crazy as to destroy the US economy with a debt ceiling default, but only so long as they can make the democrats do all the heavy lifting, pass only a sequestered, austerity-laden temporary funding bill, and also be able to symbolically vote against said bill once the crisis has ended. Some 'moderates'!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Well, I agree, but I was referring to people who might be out there not in the House now. Like

in the blue states. Surely, surely, there are mod republicans out there not serving now who think their party is crumbling and it has to stop.

[Brigid]

8. Obama tried the "moderate" approach.

We all see where that got him. Even he himself seems to realize it just doesn't work.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. You are right. Guess I mean Dem moderate who they don't hate for zero reason at all. nt

[cthulu2016]

12. Obama is a moderate, and is obstructed.