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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
You mean the democrats, or the liberal democrats?
Also, there is an old cliche in the detective genre, "follow the money". If you see where the funding for the democratic party comes from, and where the funding for the GOP comes from, you will see that there is not much difference.
I think the difference between Republicans and Democrats, its that Republicans run on awefull promises, put a pretty sounding name to them and sell them about being all about personal responsability, and then get elected and do what they say they where gonna do, and Democrats get elected on a bunch of good ideas, and then go to congress and then "compromise", so we end up having the republicans calling the shots even when they are in the minority.
I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.Could I just point out that calling any mainstream right-wing European political party 'nationalist socialist' will not end well.
It's a term very strongly associated with fascism.
Looking at it from the European side, we find the US insistence on referring to Europe as 'socialist' a bit puzzling. The term 'socialist' over here pretty well refers to social ownership of the means of production. Most of Europe would see itself as a 'mixed economy' rather than 'socialist', with some areas (like healthcare) socially owned, some not.
US politics is seen as having become very right wing. Back in Regan's day, he and the British Tories agreed on many things. Nowadays, the Republicans are seen as distinctly extreme and the Tories would probably get on quite well with most Democrats.
It ain't over 'till the ring hits the lava.![]()
Liberal democrats. You know, the thing you don't think exists but actually makes up the majority of democrats.
Or, democrats (even liberal democrats) know how to play the game by offering concessions to corporations in the short-term so they can get elected (which they probably wouldn't have to if, again, people like you had some patience by being practical in their voting rather than ideological) and start working on the long-term issues. You know, politics.
And liberal democrats (i.e. the majority of democrats) have never had the near absolute power they need to actually enact leftist policies within our lifetimes, so again, your argument doesn't work.
@Ekuran - You really have a lot of faith in the democrats, don't you? To you, everything is the republican's fault, even what democrats do.
Anyways, we wouldn't have that problem if we used approval voting
.
Faith is for children who like to make-believe. Center-left policies are the best policies, and liberal democrats want to enact center-left policies but can't do so as long as they have have republicans and blue dogs stopping them, so I will support them. Faith has nothing to do with this, merely practicality.
Of course, you somehow have faith in Austrian economic thinking even though it utterly fails when applied to real life, so this a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, except the kettle isn't even black.
@ Baff: 1. we are talking obmacare as it is now, not for different proposed components of it
2. a idea proposed in 1989 was then changed over the course of two decades into what is now called the "individual mandate" that's a pretty thin connection.
3.The article itself noted there wasn't any sort of consensus universally among conservatives. Conservatives are just like Liberals. Any major group will have differences of opinion on anything even if there are several things they do agree on.
@ deathpideon: What about unemployment benefits being extended, and extended, and extended? Also, a lot of the "big business" money is being sent to the democrats pet projects like Solyndra, as opposed to the republicans for their own pet projects when they are in power. I don't agree with either.
On economic mobility I admit not knowing that much about that subject. But part of the problem is many social policies and problems, as well as "poor" in America is equivalent to "rich" in many other countries.
And what are you defining as rich and poor?
but for a whole year? If people keep hoping for something better they will never get it. Its not like the job you get at Mc Donald's is going to last the rest of your life. And if it pays the bills and not that new Iphone then get over it. And I say that as one who has a fast food job.
edited 3rd Jan '13 2:24:40 PM by SecretLink
“ I am not insane… What I am saying is most true and reasonable”Unemployment benefits being extended is a good idea during periods of high unemployment, because it prevents people from racing to the bottom, where they accept job offers that don't make use of their skills.
Right now, our economy has a demand problem. If everyone panicked and decided to work at Mc Donalds, you can bet we'd have a supply problem as well.
@ Blue:
Quite. Socialism is more connected to what happened in the Soviet Union and the Old European Left. In fact, there's more of a move towards privatisation in Europe, even in Germany.
Keep Rolling OnI think that the American tendency to refer to Europe as a socialist place has more to do with the long Republican campaign to conflate socialism with liberalism so as to discourage the latter. Europe is a Liberal place, broadly speaking; sitting mainly on the centre-right. Old-style socialism has been absent from the scene since the 90s at the latest.
And let us pray that come it may (As come it will for a' that)^^
Aye, old-style Socialism didn't survive The Great Politics Mess Up. It's now stuck on the fringes, on both the left and right.
edited 3rd Jan '13 2:46:48 PM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling OnTreasurer Tim Geithner to leave by end of month
Who do you think Obama will try to replace him with?
edited 3rd Jan '13 3:10:52 PM by DeviantBraeburn
Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016Whimsically, I would hope that Paul Krugman gets a nod. Practically, Krugman has made the mistake of speaking the truth too much to ever be considered for an executive post by this administration.
edited 3rd Jan '13 3:26:24 PM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"Not sure. We do know she tweeted right away.
At noon today, I introduced the first bill of the 113th Congress to repeal Obamacare in its entirety.
— Michele Bachmann (@Michele Bachmann) January 3, 2013

@baff: I will not be civil when you accuse democrats of being a slightly less evil conspiracy than republicans by claiming they're virtually all bought out by rich corporate assholes, when many, if not most, are actually liberals that have been hamstringed by political bullshit that you've never experienced.
It's exactly because of your line of thought that we get ultimately get fucked over, since people who think like you often don't vote for democrats (by either not voting at all or voting for no chance parties like the greens) out of some ideological stance, and then act as though you're somehow better than liberal democratic politicians when they can't do anything due to conservative democrats and republicans being voted in because their more liberal opponents lost.