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PoliGAF 2011: Of Weiners, Boehners, Santorum, and Teabags

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Evlar

Banned
'Where's the Uproar?' could be the theme for American progressives in general on everything done the past ten months.
 

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
GhaleonEB said:
If Obama signs that....good lord.

It really would be perfectly in line with every other thing he's done. That's who he is.

He's verbally progressive and makes us feel good about social issues, except what's unpopular and the right thing to do, and he's politically and fiscally retentive, except what's popular and the right thing to do.
 
Oh Texas.

Teaching evolution up for debate again in Texas

By The Associated Press | AP – 1 hr 11 mins ago

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The debate over teaching evolution in public schools is resurfacing at the Texas State Board of Education.
The board is meeting to consider supplemental science materials for the upcoming school year and beyond. The Republican-dominated board drew national attention in 2009 when it adopted science standards encouraging schools to scrutinize "all sides" of scientific theory.
A spokesman for the Texas Freedom Network, which sides with mainstream science teachers on evolution, says the group is comfortable with materials that have been recommended by the Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott.
The board is under the new leadership of Chairwoman Barbara Cargill, a former biology teacher who disputes the theory of evolution. She is considered one of the panel's more conservative members.
Cargill was appointed earlier this month by Republican Gov. Rick Perry
.
http://news.yahoo.com/teaching-evolution-debate-again-texas-090349712.html

What happened to jobs, jobs, jobs? No, we are back to usual GOP fare of abortion, gays, evolution, defunding planned parenthood, etc.
 

Chichikov

Member
Manmademan said:
The republicans might get some spending cuts they wanted, but this is a pyhrric victory at best.

Why?

Because all of them (outside of maybe bachmann) know that the debt ceiling HAS to be raised eventually. it's inevitable.

Unfortunately, the GOP has ran so far to the right with the rhetoric and BS that *ANY* compromise on taxes will get them primaried by tea party candidates or club for growth- hell, some of these groups see raising the debt limit AT ALL as a "betrayal", tax increases or no.

So they're left holding out to the last possible second for reasons that keep seeming more and more unreasonable to the general public, as the poll above is demonstrating. So this "win" is going to come at the cost of a bunch of them getting creamed in the primaries no matter what happens, and the respect of the GOP taking serious, serious hits among moderates which can put the general election firmly in democratic hands for 2012.

If Obama comes out of this looking better to moderates and independents than he looked going in (and this is likely) the GOP loses.
There are things more important than re-election.

Also, enacting dumb policies that are not going to work is not going to help his re-election bid.
For example, look how brilliantly caving for the GOP over the Bush tax cuts worked.
dave is ok said:
Looks like they might be getting the repatriation holiday they've had a hard on for the past few years...


Taibbi: Corporate Tax Holiday in Debt Ceiling Deal: Where's the Uproar?
I so called it.
People don't really understand the issue and there's a giant pool of money at stake here; they'll just dump into the fine print of some omnibus bill.
 
speculawyer said:
I think the Obama administration is desperate for anything that can juice the economy even if it is just for a short term burst but is actually really bad long-term policy.
Which economy? It's parallel to QE--good for the markets and people with money, but no perceptible impact (or arguably, a negative one) on the people who actually need help.
 
speculawyer said:
I think the Obama administration is desperate for anything that can juice the economy even if it is just for a short term burst but is actually really bad long-term policy.

except we've seen in 2004 that corporate tax holidays do absolutely nothing to "juice the economy." in fact they might even damage it by encouraging corporations to keep offshoring profits hoping for another holiday.

I don't mind Obama, but I would kill someone- literally kill someone- for President Franken to happen.
 

DasRaven

Member
Chichikov said:
There are things more important than re-election.

In general, yes. But, at this time, I disagree.
Age 56 - Roberts
Age 61 - Alito
Age 63 - Thomas
Age 75 - Scalia

Age 74 - Kennedy

Age 51 - Kagan
Age 57 - Sotomayor
Age 72 - Breyer
Age 78 - Ginsburg

Age 78 - American Life Expectancy (2011)
 
DasRaven said:
In general, yes. But, at this time, I disagree.
Age 56 - Roberts
Age 61 - Alito
Age 63 - Thomas
Age 75 - Scalia

Age 74 - Kennedy

Age 51 - Kagan
Age 57 - Sotomayor
Age 72 - Breyer
Age 78 - Ginsburg

This also. :( :(

edit: didn't realize scalia was that old. Why do supreme court justices seem to live forever, but our rock icons die so young
 

Evlar

Banned
The Supreme Court argument doesn't float with me anymore. Yes, a bad judiciary is bad. So is bad administration and legislation.
 
Manmademan said:
except we've seen in 2004 that corporate tax holidays do absolutely nothing to "juice the economy." in fact they might even damage it by encouraging corporations to keep offshoring profits hoping for another holiday.
Oh I agree that it is terrible awful shit policy and doesn't do much at all.

But bringing the money into the USA and getting at least some small tax revenues from it is better than just having it remain parked outside the country.
 
DasRaven said:
In general, yes. But, at this time, I disagree.
Age 56 - Roberts
Age 61 - Alito
Age 63 - Thomas
Age 75 - Scalia

Age 74 - Kennedy

Age 51 - Kagan
Age 57 - Sotomayor
Age 72 - Breyer
Age 78 - Ginsburg
It is would be interesting to see what would happen to USA politics if Obama lost, Kennedy died, and abortion became illegal in much of the USA. I dread the prospect of that but it sure would make for interesting times. We would witness an acceleration in the USA's slide from super-power to silly-power.
 

DasRaven

Member
Evlar said:
The Supreme Court argument doesn't float with me anymore. Yes, a bad judiciary is bad. So is bad administration and legislation.

Bad administration is reviewable every 4 years.
Bad legislation is reviewable every 2 years.
Bad judiciary takes decades to change.
 
quadriplegicjon said:
He kind of has to cave if he cares at all about the US and it's citizens. Republicans welcome a default. It's insanity.
Fuck that. He shouldn't cave. Perhaps let the deadline come & go and then order Treasury auctions to continue on a constitutional basis.
 
speculawyer said:
Fuck that. He shouldn't cave. Perhaps let the deadline come & go and then order Treasury auctions to continue on a constitutional basis.

This. Let the world see the Tea Party Republicans for what they truly are. Ahhh hell, who am I kidding. Obama is going to cave, probably already has.
 

Chichikov

Member
DasRaven said:
In general, yes. But, at this time, I disagree.
Age 56 - Roberts
Age 61 - Alito
Age 63 - Thomas
Age 75 - Scalia

Age 74 - Kennedy

Age 51 - Kagan
Age 57 - Sotomayor
Age 72 - Breyer
Age 78 - Ginsburg
That's true, but I think that stuff like raising Medicare eligibility or another tax holiday are even more important than that.
And while the GOP can probably do a tax holiday on their own, there is no way in hell that they're able to touch medicare, they need dems for that.

Also, I don't think picking those dumb policies that don't work is helping his re-election chances.

speculawyer said:
It is would be interesting to see what would happen to USA politics if Obama lost, Kennedy died, and abortion became illegal in much of the USA. I dread the prospect of that but it sure would make for interesting times. We would witness an acceleration in the USA's slide from super-power to silly-power.
They will never ever overturn Roe v. Wade.
It's the main thing that make evangelicals vote for the GOP.

Once that off the table those people might look at what Jesus said about poor people.


DasRaven said:
Bad legislation is reviewable every 2 years.
If we raise Medicare eligibility age, it's not going to come back for a long long long long time.
 

Evlar

Banned
DasRaven said:
Bad administration is reviewable every 4 years.
Bad legislation is reviewable every 2 years.
Bad judiciary takes decades to change.
Which is exactly my point: We ought to review bad administrations every 4 years and not default to the judiciary time table. The argument that we can't punish Obama because of the Supreme Court is the one that denies the urgency and importance of the 4 year Presidential term.
 

DasRaven

Member
Evlar said:
Which is exactly my point: We ought to review bad administrations every 4 years and not default to the judiciary time table. The argument that we can't punish Obama because of the Supreme Court is the one that denies the urgency and importance of the 4 year Presidential term.

I'm with you. How do we "punish" him?
If we do "punish" him, what does that gain us?
What does it gain our opposition?

Also: Huntsman's campaign manager has quit. That's flush #2 I hear (Gingrich being #1). TPAW is probably next.
 
Evlar said:
Which is exactly my point: We ought to review bad administrations every 4 years and not default to the judiciary time table. The argument that we can't punish Obama because of the Supreme Court is the one that denies the urgency and importance of the 4 year Presidential term.

"punishing" Obama and having the Supreme court turn over to neoconservatives for the next 20 years is the exact definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
 

Evlar

Banned
Manmademan said:
"punishing" Obama and having the Supreme court turn over to neoconservatives for the next 20 years is the exact definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face.
And what... Rolling over for a President who is turning more and more conservative by the week is perfectly acceptable? "We got judges, who cares about the economy?" I think you're vastly understating the price we're paying for the possibility of Supreme Court nominations.
 
Evlar said:
And what... Rolling over for a President who is turning more and more conservative by the week is perfectly acceptable? "We got judges, who cares about the economy?" I think you're vastly understating the price we're paying for the possibility of Supreme Court nominations.

So...moderate dem president with conservative leanings is too conservative for you, So Voting in someone even MORE conservative and stacking the supreme court with conservatives for decades is obviously the answer?

How about no.

President Romney/Perry/Bachmann would be pushing policies infinitely worse than anything Obama would implement. Frustrated at the speed don't ask don't tell is being repealed? have fun seeing it re-implemented.

What progressives NEED to do to get their point across is to get themselves organized and heard as much as the Tea Party does- which is the only thing the Tea party is competent at, and the only area in which liberals and progressives have been failures.
 

Evlar

Banned
Manmademan said:
So...moderate dem president with conservative leanings is too conservative for you, So Voting in someone even MORE conservative and stacking the supreme court with conservatives for decades is obviously the answer?

How about no.

President Romney/Perry/Bachmann would be pushing policies infinitely worse than anything Obama would implement. Frustrated at the speed don't ask don't tell is being repealed? have fun seeing it re-implemented.

What progressives NEED to do to get their point across is to get themselves organized and heard as much as the Tea Party does- which is the only thing the Tea party is competent at, and the only area in which liberals and progressives have been failures.
And how do we do any of that without challenging Obama? If you want to emulate the Tea Party let's talk about their most fundamental tactic: supporting challengers against the Republican establishment who they disagreed with ideologically. I'm saddled with the dipshit Governor Rick Scott because he was able to challenge and defeat the Republican incumbent. EDIT: AND, incidentally, the Republican establishment candidate to unseat the Republican incumbent. Two levels of back-bench dissent.

Being concerned isn't enough. Organizing for no purpose is obviously purposeless. If you aren't willing to challenge the structures in the Democratic party that makes this shit possible, challenge the incumbents who keep walking the line between the parties further and further rightward, we'll continue to be ineffective.
 

J.ceaz

Member
speculawyer said:
Fuck that. He shouldn't cave. Perhaps let the deadline come & go and then order Treasury auctions to continue on a constitutional basis.

LovingSteam said:
This. Let the world see the Tea Party Republicans for what they truly are. Ahhh hell, who am I kidding. Obama is going to cave, probably already has.

I guarantee you the reps would try and impeach him over that shit and it's definitely not 100% Obama wins. If he were to get impeached good luck getting a dem elected after they're done painting Obama as a reckless criminal a la Nixon.
 
Much as the idea of Obama sticking it to the Republicans (and the stupid concept of a debt ceiling) via Constitutional option appeals to me, it is worth remembering that the success of such a tactic depends on the willingness of bond markets to accept such debt as legitimate. If they don't, it doesn't really matter what he does.
 
Evlar said:
And how do we do any of that without challenging Obama? If you want to emulate the Tea Party let's talk about their most fundamental tactic: supporting challengers against the Republican establishment who they disagreed with ideologically. I'm saddled with the dipshit Governor Rick Scott because he was able to challenge and defeat the Republican incumbent. EDIT: AND, incidentally, the Republican establishment candidate to unseat the Republican incumbent. Two levels of back-bench dissent.

Being concerned isn't enough. Organizing for no purpose is obviously purposeless. If you aren't willing to challenge the structures in the Democratic party that makes this shit possible, challenge the incumbents who keep walking the line between the parties further and further rightward, we'll continue to be ineffective.

The fact of the matter is midway through the presidency? you can't. You can vote for him, or vote for the opposing party. You don't have the ability to pressure a sitting president via primary elections. Want someone more progressive than Obama? you have to wait until 2016 to make your point.

In the meantime, You CAN put pressure on the democrats in the house and senate- If democratic politicians were as mortally afraid of primary challenges as republicans were, We'd see more pressure on Obama from within the party. as it is, they're content to take the "safe" route and drift rightward like everyone else.
 

lo escondido

Apartheid is, in fact, not institutional racism
Invisible_Insane said:
Much as the idea of Obama sticking it to the Republicans (and the stupid concept of a debt ceiling) via Constitutional option appeals to me, it is worth remembering that the success of such a tactic depends on the willingness of bond markets to accept such debt as legitimate. If they don't, it doesn't really matter what he does.


The only way I can really see this being effective is if it through a supreme court ruling the debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional

And on the reparation. As much as it sucks. What is your solution for getting that money back to the US? They will increasingly stash it overseas (especially since the world is becoming evermore globalized). Its either get nothing or get 5%.
 
lo escondido said:
The only way I can really see this being effective is if it through a supreme court ruling the debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional

And on the reparation. As much as it sucks. What is your solution for getting that money back to the US? They will increasingly stash it overseas (especially since the world is becoming evermore globalized). Its either get nothing or get 5%.

I don't care much about getting 5% - I'm more concerned that no jobs will come of this. It's just a money run.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
empty vessel said:
But who cares? My goal is not to have a certain party in power. My goal is to have certain policies enacted. If Democrats are content to enact Republican policies, then why should anybody care if they win or lose in 2012?


This is crazy talk EV and you know it. You know the DEMs would never enact Republican policies the way the GOP would. If they do it means that the country has probably moved a little to the right.

If the DEMs are passing a republican policy then that means the GOP would have passed a super right/super conservative bill.

It does matter. It's a matter of degrees.
 

Dude Abides

Banned
quadriplegicjon said:
He kind of has to cave if he cares at all about the US and it's citizens. Republicans welcome a default. It's insanity.

Yep. Somebody on some show or podcast said that the best strategy in playing chicken is to remove the steering wheel from your car at the outset, and make sure the other player sees it, which is basically what the GOP has done.
 

Cyan

Banned
Dude Abides said:
Yep. Somebody on some show or podcast said that the best strategy in playing chicken is to remove the steering wheel from your car at the outset, and make sure the other player sees it, which is basically what the GOP has done.
Heh. Was just going to say this. Yeah, precommitment to destruction is the best way to win.
 
speculawyer said:
It is would be interesting to see what would happen to USA politics if Obama lost, Kennedy died, and abortion became illegal in much of the USA. I dread the prospect of that but it sure would make for interesting times. We would witness an acceleration in the USA's slide from super-power to silly-power.

Goes without saying we have to keep abortions going if we want to stay a super-power!
 

Chichikov

Member
lo escondido said:
The only way I can really see this being effective is if it through a supreme court ruling the debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional

And on the reparation. As much as it sucks. What is your solution for getting that money back to the US? They will increasingly stash it overseas (especially since the world is becoming evermore globalized). Its either get nothing or get 5%.
First of all, we can make it harder for them to stash it over seas.
Like, oh, I don't know, stipulate that they need to pay taxes on it when they bring it back?

But more importantly, they need that money back so they can put it on their balance sheets and get those massive bonuses they want.

Why do you think they lobby so hard for another tax holiday?

And finally, if we do it again we'll effectively have a tax corporate tax rate of 5%, as companies would have be crazy (and negligent of its duty to the shareholders) to not try to do it again.
 
Cyan said:
Oh goddamnit.

I have an idea. Elect me as preseident.

I'll tell corporate america this.

"Want to bring that money back? I suggest you do it now while it will be taxed at 35%, because Im about to implement a tax-break holiday. As of August 15, 2011, money brought back into the country will be taxed at 50%. Your move."


That way, money comes back AND we get our taxes AND we break the moral hazard cycle.
 
jamesinclair said:
I have an idea. Elect me as preseident.

I'll tell corporate america this.

"Want to bring that money back? I suggest you do it now while it will be taxed at 35%, because Im about to implement a tax-break holiday. As of August 15, 2011, money brought back into the country will be taxed at 50%. Your move."


That way, money comes back AND we get our taxes AND we break the moral hazard cycle.

You mean they wait 4 years until you're out of office?
 
mckmas8808 said:
This is crazy talk EV and you know it. You know the DEMs would never enact Republican policies the way the GOP would. If they do it means that the country has probably moved a little to the right.

If the DEMs are passing a republican policy then that means the GOP would have passed a super right/super conservative bill.

It does matter. It's a matter of degrees.

At this point I'm starting to wonder how much of a difference there is between getting full fucked and half fucked. Both parties seem content to let the financial sector raid the economy and pave the way to the middle class's death.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Dude Abides said:
Increasingly looks like the GOP has called Obama's bluff and he's gonna cave.
I assume this is what you are referring to.

A Congressional aide briefed on ongoing negotiations between House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama says the two principals may be nearing a "grand bargain" on to raise the debt limit which would contain large, set-in-stone spending cuts but only the possibility of future revenue increases.

"All cuts," the aide said. "Maybe revenues some time in the future."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...ership-on-big-deal-with-boehner.php?ref=fpblg

Doesn't a grand bagain mean people on both sides give up things? If this comes to pass, then yes, they called Obama's bluff, and he folded.
 
jamesinclair said:
I have an idea. Elect me as preseident.

I'll tell corporate america this.

"Want to bring that money back? I suggest you do it now while it will be taxed at 35%, because Im about to implement a tax-break holiday. As of August 15, 2011, money brought back into the country will be taxed at 50%. Your move."


That way, money comes back AND we get our taxes AND we break the moral hazard cycle.
Hope your plan comes with a cooperative Congress.
 
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