February 19, 2012

How would Americans respond to "Greek like" austerity?

a) Demonstrations that approximate #occupy in size and scope.
b) Thousands of arrests, lots of tear gas, hundreds injured, peristent news coverage.
c) Martial Law, curfews, wide spread crime, some attributed loss of life.
d) Full scale civil war (ie. Syria)

Which one is closest?

February 17, 2012

I made a hard choice.

Sorry DU.
I was going to buy a membership and get a little star next to my name.
I sent a hundred bucks to Obama's campaign instead.

I'll get the star soon enough but it still has lower priority to my next contribution to oust Rep Doc Hastings (R), Washington.

I believe he is chair of the House Ethics Committee. He also is being questioned about using federal money to improve infrastructure adjacent to his brother's business. A business he "gave" to his brother so that the constituents wouldn't suggest "conflict of interest". Did I say that he chairs the Ethics committee?

February 14, 2012

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

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?