• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

PoliGAF 2015 |OT2| Pls print

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
pigeon said:
So Vox (and Mischiefs of Faction) pointed out something very interesting this morning in Boehner's resignation letter:



http://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2015/10/9/9484575/mccarthy-gone-bombshell

In other words, Boehner's resignation is contingent on the ability of the House of Representatives to elect a new Speaker of the House.

It is at least possible that this is the ultimate Boehner play. Boehner's strategy when dealing with the hard right has always been to give the kid some whiskey* -- if somebody irrationally wants something that will be bad for them, you can give them a little, point out how bad it was, and do the smart thing while they're trying to grapple with this. This is how he handled the fiscal cliff, the government shutdown, multiple debt ceilings, etc. The Tea Party wants to fight? Give them the fight, let everybody suffer, and then make peace.

This time the Tea Party wants John Boehner out. So what does he do? He says, "Sure, I'll quit -- as soon as you guys can choose a new Speaker to replace me." And what do you know, it turns out that the GOP can't choose a new Speaker. What are the consequences? Boehner stays in as Speaker, and the Tea Party can't force him to quit because he already did. He's free to pass clean bills without any threats hanging over him.



* This metaphor chosen in honor of John Boehner.
Click to expand...

If this is the case then it's pretty goddamned clever on his part.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
I think to fully buy the idea that this is just some elaborate Frank Underwood-esque power play by Boehner, you have to buy that Boehner knew that McCarthy's candidacy for the speakership would flame out.

And that's where the theory loses me.
 
C

Coriolanus

Banned
BertramCooper said:
I think to fully buy the idea that this is just some elaborate Frank Underwood-esque power play by Boehner, you have to buy that Boehner knew that McCarthy's candidacy for the speakership would flame out.

And that's where the theory loses me.
Click to expand...

Not entirely. All you need is consider that he put a safety clause in his announcement, and would be more than happy to accept either result.

Of course, the problem there is considering the man That Capable.
 
C

Crisco

Banned
Ryan doesn't want to go near the national spotlight anymore. His facade as the "ideas guy" quickly falls aways as soon as you force him in front of a microphone. What I'm saying is that he's an idiot, and being able to conceal that fact is the only thing keeping him in office.
 
B

bodyofanamerican

Member
Crisco said:
Ryan doesn't want to go near the national spotlight anymore. His facade as the "ideas guy" quickly falls aways as soon as you force him in front of a microphone. What I'm saying is that he's an idiot, and being able to conceal that fact is the only thing keeping him in office.
Click to expand...

While I wouldn't call him an idiot, right now he gets to vote against mandatory legislation and just keep writing budgets that no one has to worry about taking a hard vote for or against. If he ascends to Speaker, that's all out the window.
 
P

pigeon

Banned
Crisco said:
Ryan doesn't want to go near the national spotlight anymore. His facade as the "ideas guy" quickly falls aways as soon as you force him in front of a microphone. What I'm saying is that he's an idiot, and being able to conceal that fact is the only thing keeping him in office.
Click to expand...

I actually think the opposite is true. Ryan wants to be President -- he's always wanted to be President. The lesson he learned from being veep on the ticket is that you need to stay in a safe, less visible position until you're actually ready to run. Speaker of the House is basically the pure opposite of a safe, less visible position, so of course Ryan wants to stay away from it.

Also, is anybody in PoliGAF looking for work?

CQ0sAwYWoAETIgY.png


https://twitter.com/RepMarkTakano/status/652225913317421056

I think what really makes this ad is the requirement for Office proficiency.
 
P

PlayALLtheGames

Banned
SourShoes said:
His head will roll for that gaffe/ignorance.
Click to expand...

Thing is, his supporters don't give a shit. If you asked them all right now, "Is it troubling to you that Carson doesn't seem to know what the debt limit is?" they'd just claim he understands it and the media is trying to make him look bad. If you showed them the transcript, they'd argue he is answering the question properly.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
Seems like there's too much smoke to this fire. Issa is saying Ryan will think it over during the weekend. I understand why he doesn't want the job, and agree with him: it's a thankless end of the road job that would destroy his reputation as a "serious" wonk. But at this point who does the establishment have to turn to?
 
C

Coriolanus

Banned
pigeon said:
I actually think the opposite is true. Ryan wants to be President -- he's always wanted to be President. The lesson he learned from being veep on the ticket is that you need to stay in a safe, less visible position until you're actually ready to run. Speaker of the House is basically the pure opposite of a safe, less visible position, so of course Ryan wants to stay away from it.

Also, is anybody in PoliGAF looking for work?

I think what really makes this ad is the requirement for Office proficiency.
Click to expand...

e-mail address slew me.
 
R

RustyNails

Member
PlayALLtheGames said:
Thing is, his supporters don't give a shit. If you asked them all right now, "Is it troubling to you that Carson doesn't seem to know what the debt limit is?" they'd just claim he understands it and the media is trying to make him look bad. If you showed them the transcript, they'd argue he is answering the question properly.
Click to expand...
The debt ceiling question is not a good catch to trip Carson. It is a relatively complicated topic to understand for majority of people. Lot of ignorant people think it's like a credit card limit, including some in the media, so you cant fault anyone for the relatively minor impact of this blunder by Carson. If however Carson forgets which 3 departments he would like to eliminate, then yeah. Time to leave.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
I don't believe Ryan wants to be president, or have any actual responsibilities. He's a behind the scenes guy. If anything he wants to be a senator.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
pigeon said:
I actually think the opposite is true. Ryan wants to be President -- he's always wanted to be President. The lesson he learned from being veep on the ticket is that you need to stay in a safe, less visible position until you're actually ready to run. Speaker of the House is basically the pure opposite of a safe, less visible position, so of course Ryan wants to stay away from it.

Also, is anybody in PoliGAF looking for work?

CQ0sAwYWoAETIgY.png


https://twitter.com/RepMarkTakano/status/652225913317421056

I think what really makes this ad is the requirement for Office proficiency.
Click to expand...

Part of me is tempted to send a reply. Should I?
 
P

PlayALLtheGames

Banned
RustyNails said:
The debt ceiling question is not a good catch to trip Carson. It is a relatively complicated topic to understand for majority of people. Lot of ignorant people think it's like a credit card limit, including some in the media, so you cant fault anyone for the relatively minor impact of this blunder by Carson. If however Carson forgets which 3 departments he would like to eliminate, then yeah. Time to leave.
Click to expand...

That's not the issue here. He doesn't understand the difference between the budget and the debt limit. I mean, he doesn't know what the debt limit is, as you can see from the transcript, because he keeps saying he would just tell congress to make cuts.

The interviewer basically explained it to him and he still didn't get it.
 
M

Makai

Member
Do we know who the interim speakers are? Didn't Boehner have to make a list of replacements when he was elected?
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
I love how the party leadership doesn't even seem to care if Ryan would be any good at the job. (And there's very little to suggest that he would be.)

They just care about getting someone elected.

What a fucking mess.
 
T

thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
PlayALLtheGames said:
Thing is, his supporters don't give a shit. If you asked them all right now, "Is it troubling to you that Carson doesn't seem to know what the debt limit is?" they'd just claim he understands it and the media is trying to make him look bad. If you showed them the transcript, they'd argue he is answering the question properly.
Click to expand...

The transcript does seem like he's answering the question properly to me. The interviewer is trying to force him into saying he'll force a default or raise the debt limit and Carson's saying neither because he'll get spending under control.

The better follow up would be to ask him if he thinks it's realistic to completely end the deficit in one year, when even things like the Ryan budget took years before ending the deficit.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
I'm annoyed that Jim Jordan's stupid face isn't being plastered all over this news coverage about the Speaker's race.

Dude is one of the biggest cancers in Congress and doesn't get nearly enough shit for it.
 
J

Jack Remington

Banned
BertramCooper said:
Soooooo...

That latest Hillary thread is something else.
Click to expand...

I don't really see the issue. Private investment can do a better job rebuilding certain parts of the country's infrastructure and economy better than a military effort can.

I also know that Republicans have zero room to criticize her on this. Plenty of them have called for us to outright take their oil as payment for all our hard work.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
ivysaur12 said:
I missed this, but it sort of makes me worry about the rise of a hysterical left that mirrors the take-no-prisoners approach of the Tea Party.
Click to expand...

Even if this were to happen, a left-wing version of the Tea Party would probably pale in comparison to the right-wing version when it comes to voter turnout.

So, yay?
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
The Freedom Caucus is probably going to end up destroying itself over this.

A couple of people have already dropped out, and I'd imagine more will follow.
 
B

bodyofanamerican

Member
BertramCooper said:
The Freedom Caucus is probably going to end up destroying itself over this.

A couple of people have already dropped out, and I'd imagine more will follow.
Click to expand...

It was always an amorphous thing, with no official member list right?

Ugh, I'm ashamed that Garrett from NJ is a founding member. At least it's not my district.
 
C

Coriolanus

Banned
ivysaur12 said:
I missed this, but it sort of makes me worry about the rise of a hysterical left that mirrors the take-no-prisoners approach of the Tea Party.
Click to expand...

I do wonder if this would necessarily be a negative. Republicans have certainly (mostly) failed as far as social issues are concerned, but the same cannot be said as far as their economic agenda is concerned. If the presence of a radical left could cause stronger pushback against crap like antagonizing unions and like...hm...

There should be some elected radicals on either side of the spectrum. Alas, there are no radicals whatsoever on the (elected) american left. Same can't be said of the right.
 
B

Bam Bam Baklava

Member
Coriolanus said:
I do wonder if this would necessarily be a negative. Republicans have certainly (mostly) failed as far as social issues are concerned, but the same cannot be said as far as their economic agenda is concerned. If the presence of a radical left could cause stronger pushback against crap like antagonizing unions and like...hm...

There should be some radicals on either side of the spectrum. Alas, there are no radicals whatsoever on the (elected) american left. Same can't be said of the right.
Click to expand...

Yeah man, more dogmatic ideologues, that's what we need to get this government working again.
 
N

NYCmetsfan

Banned
Coriolanus said:
I do wonder if this would necessarily be a negative. Republicans have certainly (mostly) failed as far as social issues are concerned, but the same cannot be said as far as their economic agenda is concerned. If the presence of a radical left could cause stronger pushback against crap like antagonizing unions and like...hm...

There should be some elected radicals on either side of the spectrum. Alas, there are no radicals whatsoever on the (elected) american left. Same can't be said of the right.
Click to expand...
It would do no such thing. It would just further make it impossible to do anything.
 
B

BertramCooper

Banned
Coriolanus said:
There should be some elected radicals on either side of the spectrum. Alas, there are no radicals whatsoever on the (elected) american left. Same can't be said of the right.
Click to expand...

Folks like Kucinich got purged in the Great Republican Gerrymandering of 2011.

And by Kucinich, I mean President Kucinich, who is totally our president right now, as predicted by one particularly prescient GAFer.
 
N

NeoXChaos

Member
Coriolanus said:
I do wonder if this would necessarily be a negative. Republicans have certainly (mostly) failed as far as social issues are concerned, but the same cannot be said as far as their economic agenda is concerned. If the presence of a radical left could cause stronger pushback against crap like antagonizing unions and like...hm...

There should be some elected radicals on either side of the spectrum. Alas, there are no radicals whatsoever on the (elected) american left. Same can't be said of the right.
Click to expand...

Would make government even more dysfunctional.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Locked
PoliGAF 2017 |OT6| Made this thread during Harvey because the ratings would be higher
338 339 340 341 342
17K
2M
UselessNapkin replied
GAF Museum - The Greatest OTs of All Time (or at least, some of the great ones)
|OT|
4
2K
Komatsu replied
  • Locked
PoliGAF 2017 |OT5| The Man In the High Chair
395 396 397 398 399
20K
2M
RDreamer replied
  • Locked
PoliGAF 2017 |OT4| The leaks are coming from inside the white house
396 397 398 399 400
20K
2M
ShironRedshift replied
  • Locked
PoliGAF 2017 |OT3| 13 Treasons Why
393 394 395 396 397
20K
2M
Zaraki_Kenpachi replied
Top Bottom