Democratic Sen. Harry Reid won re-election yesterday in Nevada, and he'll have a Senate majority to preside over -- barely. The GOP is on track for as many as 48 Senate seats, paring the dwindling Democratic majority yet more. Across the Capitol, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, with gains coming on the order of 65 seats (and hey, at one point last night, Nate Silver said it could 75).
From the perspective of actually getting anything done in the next two years, there was perhaps no worse outcome. Republicans don't fully control Congress, so they don't have enough power to be blamed for legislative outcomes. But Democrats don't control the House and they don't have a near-filibuster proof majority in the Senate, so they can't pass legislation. Republicans, in other words, are not left with the burden of governance, and Democrats are not left with the power to govern. Republicans don't have to be responsible, and Democrats can't do it for them.
The good news for Democrats is that gridlock will preserve the reforms made by President Obama and the 111th Congress. Also, America gets to watch the Rand Paul circus for a while.
(Photo sent from Pahrump, Nevada, by Jeanette Anderson)
Leave a Comment:
Okay, now that the elections are over, let's go back to the Citizens United case. Now that the Supreme Court has said that corporations are people, can't we force them to register for the draft when they are 18 years old????
A wonderful thought, but I don't want anymore Blackwaters/Xes "over there" than there are now!!
Yes, let's get the Citizens United ruling reversed and get some sensible campaign spending legislation through Congress. I don't think gridlock will be impermeable...we can actually get legislation completed when the margins are slimmer.
Let's also allow Rand Paul enough rope to hang himself and Michele Bachmann her sideshow so everyone in the country can see what embarrassments they are. Their creepy acceptance speeches and interviews last night (also Christine O'Donnell's 'concession' speech) didn't follow any formula for such things. These people are in love with their own celebrity and don't know the first thing about the political profession. They don't know when to get out of the spotlight.
Since corporations are now people, can we get them to pay the TAXES that people pay? They seem to be wiggling out of that little piece of citizenship thus far.
Unfortunately, we've been watching the Michele Bachman sideshow for quite a while now, and apparently her consituents are just peachy with having the laughingstock of the Republican party as their representative. Which reminds me, did the guy who called our President a LIAR during the State of the Union address get reelected, I'll be dollars to donuts he did. It's the NoConsequences Republican party
The Supreme Court hasn't said that corporations are people. Stop it. The guys that developed this talking point should be beaten up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood
Read that. The lead sentence captures it well.
As several progressive lawyers (at DailyKos for example) have explained, it doesn't even depend on corporate personhood alone (First Amendment does limit Congress to restrict, not the other way round). And corporate personhood isn't new and isn't not evil per se. It also doesn't really necessitate the Citizens United ruling.
The Democrats could have still done quite a bit, but of course the Conservadems and the Republicans didn't support it.
interesting thought, BUT... what does that make Women? unless I have not kept up, I do not think Women are YET supposed to register for the draft????
I hope the democrats left in the senate have good memories about the gross obstructionism of the republicans the past 22 months, and grow enough of a spine to use the filibuster as effectively to stop any right wing legislation. I want to see the republicans accomplish, in 22 months, all they claim they can do with NO cooperation.
I see your point, but I'm so tired of the bickering... I would more so love to see them actually working together to get something more acceptable to us all accomplished... Though I am a Democrat, I care more about this country than I do the Democratic Party, and I think our country can't take much more of this bickering... I actually hope that the Democrats can work with the Republicans and show that we can be more mature than they were for the last two years....
You said it Nancy--it's hard to resist that temptation but we are the better party and will work together..we know they brought us to this deeply disappointing point in our history; but we have to work together to get moving forward....
Dems already tried that. During the Bush administration. Worked out...not so well. Party of No, remember? I, too, am tired of the bickering. It's petty and pointless. What I want is to see Dems FIGHTING.
The problem is that Democratic discipline is not comparable to the one that Republicans show.
Unless the democrats show that they have heard the American people, there will not be an Obama second term. Gridlock will ensure that Republicans gain the Presidency next election.
That's a nonsensical talking point. The Democrats can't hear the American people because they are far from being unified and you don't have to give your reasons when voting.
It's a bit hard to understand why people actually stay home.
i'm really disgusted that DEMS DID NOT GET OUT THE VOTE! If I didnt disagree with what the GOP stood for, I'd switch. Not certain if it's better to be connected to irrational, self -serving racists, or lazy asses that do not support their country. well done people!
This election was not about Dems or Repubs it was about race. The Supreme Court ruling just lost us country...we were bought and paid for.
Republicans are racist? What? This election was about jobs and healthcare and the Chicago politics in Washington. The race card is so 80s.
Katy, why did the Republicans then use racist ads?
You just spew stupid talking points, hm? Obama's politics are quite obviously far from what is called "Chicago politics".
We more liberal folk need to organize an answer to the Tea Party because it's fair to say we don't much like the tone of DC any more than the next person.
You mean like The Coffee Party? Google it. Join it.
No, not like the Coffee Party. Their stated goal is a return to civility in civil discourse. That's a laudable goal, and one I support. But it is *not* a liberal analog to the Tea Party. It's not a liberal thing at all, in fact. So yes, Google it, join it if you're so inclined. But don't look there for something to revitalize the progressive movement. You won't find it there.
I'm a proud Liberal and we need to stand behind our President.
I know there's several umbrella orgs out there that are meant to organize all the little progressive orgs, but I don't know what they are--obviously they haven't gained any prominence or much effectiveness.
and, SERIOUSLY, WE MUST ORGANIZE A BOYCOTT OF THE COMPANIES THAT GAVE TONS OF MONEY THROUGH THE CITIZENS UNITED CASE. It is laughable that some want to ask those companies, pretty please, to not contribute.
The question now is , who will step up?
Unfortunately that would involve boycotting nearly every company in America. Given the way our economy is structured I don't think and effective boycott is possible. Which is very frustrating. I don't like feeling this powerless.
Problem here...exactly WHICH corporations? They don't HAVE to disclose because of the Citizens United case. We really DO have to get this one reversed.
The question is who has the right to "speak". Do the people, Unions, trade groups, companies, church groups, one issue groups, progressives, liberals, conservatives, lobbies? I believe anyone who has a stake in the outcome of legislation should have a right to express their views, concerns, & expertise on the issue at hand. The more ideas expressed the better!
The question becomes, why do some groups get to speak louder and more often than others? Today, money=free speech; the more money you have, the more likely your views will be heard. A corporation that pours a hundred million bucks into a campaign is more likely to get the attention of a candidate than the average Joe who donates 5 bucks.
If the people got together & formed voting blocks, their views would be paid attention to. The corporations CAN NOT vote. They do not elect anyone. A great deal of the problem is that people do not pay attention to the process. A lot of voters are ignorant of the issues, their candidates views and the true consequences of the laws which are passed. The old saying that you get what you deserve is in a lot of ways true. Until the voters truely get involved we are destined to get the same from both sides. Inapt, selfserving politians who can not be trusted. As Nancy said, "we have to pass the bill to find out what is in it". Now that is a truely remarkable statement, think about it, they passed a law which affects every person in the country but have no idea what is says. The sad fact is that it's true for almost all the people in DC; Dem - Rep - Right & Left
One more item
If the politians we elect can be swayed to do the wrong thing for money, maybe we are electing the wrong people!!!!!!!!!
I'm not sure where exactly to post this comment, but Rachel's analysis was spot-on all night. She is amazing, and anyone who can keep pace with Chris Matthews is a master in my books. Thanks Rachel.
Outside of Rachel, MSNBC coverage was pretty bad last night. Not than anybody else was any better, just lots of BS by the anchors and not a lot of good just reporitng the results.
Thanks for staying professional last night Rachel. Can't say the same for some of your colleagues. Wish you would have had more time to speak last night. Your voice of reason was much needed and help us feel a bit better.
You are right and she was was the younger one in that crowd, I wonder if it is a generational thing.
No, I think it was a gender issue.
It's a gender and age issue. Loved her time machine comment, and man oh man it was great how Keith made her laugh all evening (I love her laugh), and I like the relationship between Rachel and Keith. (Lawrence did a great job last night too). It's just that with all the screaming and spitting Matthews was doing, it got a little weird.
I congratulate Rachel for staying cool when that crazy jerk Matthews gave her the hand. I hope he realizes he looked like a total good old white boy politics as usual creep when he did that. He was absolutely out of control last night and needs to be booted from that center seat.
I too enjoyed Rachel's commentary last night, as always her observations were spot on and she does so very well in unscripted discussion.
I only wished that she could have gotten a few more words in edgewise. There were times when she was still talking but drowned out by Matthews bellowing out his points or O'Donnell trying to take the reins. I also would like to see MSNBC acknowledge Rachel's talent more and have her be the MC instead of KO.
The "universal solvent" bit was a hoot.
Elections can be bought....It's a sad day to realize that. I can't wait to see what they will do now, will they help the American people, create jobs what kind of a show will they play for us now. When John Boehner cried it made me sick because I know he lies to the people. I fact check.
Like Clinton? "I did not have sexual relations with that woman!" . LIAR!
I love how the open minded liberals collapse my comments! Can't handle the truth and when you don't have an answer you bury your head in the sand and pretend it wasn't there.
You guys brought up the liars on the Republican side, but no answer or comdemnation for the ones on your own side. That is why you can't be taken seriously because it is all about what YOU want and not about the truth!
The very first steps that need to be taken should occur when Congress reconvenes for the lame duck session. First on the agenda - extend unemployment benefits, and tie them to the unemployment rate. In other words, the benefits are not limited to a number of weeks, but continue indefinitely until the rate goes below 7.5%. Then if the GOP is really serious about "fiscal responsibility" they can start by creating enough jobs to bring that rate down as fast as possible to end the unemployment spending.
During the same lame duck session, the Dems should also repeal both DADT and DOMA, and if possible, finalize immigration reform including an amnesty program. Then pass an amendment to the health reform bill that either opens up Medicare to EVERYONE or provides for that public option they talked about for a year. After all - what have they got to lose now?
Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, they need to repeal the filibuster rule completely. No more 60 vote requirement to get anything done - just a simple majority. Since we still have that majority, we can still prevent any GOP legislation we don't like from passing, but we also prevent them from being able to use the filibuster as a weapon against the American people ever again.
Once the new Congress is sworn in, the first item on the agenda should be investigations. We already know the GOP is going to try and tie up time and money on investigating and trying to impeach Obama. But that works both ways. Time to start investigating the GOP - especially those who benefitted from the hundreds of millions in corporate funding of attack ads (and why those corporations were so willing to spend money on that when they could have used it to hire more workers instead). Tear their lives, their finances and their friendships apart and put it all under a microscope. If we're going to have legislative gridlock, we may as well use the time finding ways to prosecute the crooks.
That would be a good start....
http://uppitywis.org/blogarticle/wow-only-journalist-get-it-right-about-ron-johnsons-business-suc
Feingold, not a millionaire, lost to a millionaire. The Millionaire is against government job incentives (unless it helps him become a millionaire) and against keeping jobs in the state. The Millionaire also didn't start his own company - why are so many journalists not doing journalism? The Millionaire is also against disclosing and even condemning secret funds (because, hey, it's money to him!). Oh yeah. The Millionaire Ron Johnson is also a Pedophile Abettor and has a long standing protecting the Catholic Church from investigations or even disclosing the names of Abuser-Priests.
This is who was elected to the United State Senate. It was not a bland, even toss-up race between an Incumbent and a New Guy.
And I partly blame the national media for making it seem so. Other than Rand Paul, Christine O'Donnell and Sharon Angle - who were tightly-watched races, lost. Why? Because it was shown, nationally, how crazy they were. Now instead of someone who has done the state of Wisconsin well, as well the rest of the Country (Feingold-McCain, anyone? Before it was corrupted into Citizens United by a corrupt Supreme Court) we have someone who is just as crazy as Angle or O'Donnel or Boehner.
Love your comment.. Maybe I can sleep better tonight..
I like your thinking... I've pleaded for the last 2-years for the Dems to grow some backbone, why not now? I fear that as a group they are too fearful. The program represted in this post just might build enthusiasm among Dems who, for many reasons, are simply disgusted with the "nice guy" attitude. We lost here, big time.
Drew, then why didn't democrates in your state go out and vote? We had the same thing here in California: Billionaire Meg Whitman running against people-with-small-contributions-funded Jerry Brown. Millionaire Carly Fiorina, supported by outside, big corporation money, against Barbara Boxer, funded by "we, the people". Brown and Boxer won, because they had the support of the people. And because we got so fed up over all their negative attack ads.
Yes. Ensure that the dems are completely voted out next time and the Presidency goes with it! I love it!
Hilde - heck if I know. Everyone I've personally talked to about politics leading up to this election, I voiced my concern. The day before and the day of, I texted everyone I knew to go out and vote, same thing with Facebook. Truth be told my attitude is/was, "I'll tell you to vote, but I won't force you to vote for my candidate".
A friend of mine didn't vote and her district went Red. My district went Blue for the Representative, but overall lost the Senate seat. When I asked why she didn't vote her response was, "It's too hard" and "I didn't really like any of the candidates". And yes, I am angry with her as I am with the other friends of mine who chose not to vote (or even get registered).
In hindsight a phone-tree of actual phonecalls to people would have been better - probably not a game-changer, though. Did I try? Yes, I did. Could I have done more? Of course I should have.
Maureen,
You must get a grip. You're living, well I don't know where. Government to guarentee a pay for everyone? I think food is more important, should we not guarentee a good meal. What about housing? A computer is important now, maybe we should buy everyone a computer. Transportation? Clothing?
Dems/Progressives could not get most of the things you propose when they controlled both houses. How will they ever now? The filibuster rules were originally higher, I believe 75. What happens if the other side gets over 50%, are you willing to give them a blank check without a way to "be the party of no" yourself.
Knee jerk reactions are usually always wrong. Maybe you should start a movement, all the rich Progressives can give whatever they have over say $100,000/year & fund all these great ideas.
If you think the Republicans are going to do anything in Washington with their new numbers think again. The Republicans care about getting elected and nothing else. This last election has proved that they can get elected with abundant media propaganda and abundant corporate money and they need nothing else.
I mean, the party of George Bush running as the party of Good Government? The people who paid $75 a load of laundry to Halliburtian running as the party to "Stop Government Waste"? Pure meaningless slogans sold with endless political propaganda.
What does what you do matter when some anonymous entity can send out complete lies 100,000 times and there is nothing to be done?You can't even blame the candidate the lie benefits, they had nothing to do with it.
And if you think you would have to be stupid to believe some of this stuff that was put out during this election, remember half the population has below average intelligence and even 5% can turn an election.
The Republicans have no plans, only campaign slogans to sell. The only thing they consider important to do in Washington is to continue to get up in front of the House or Senate and give campaign./attack speeches that will be broadcast free in front of a nifty background.
WOw - I thought Obama ran only on campaign slogans. Interesting thought!
Edward, which half of the population's intelligence do you place yourself in? I would have to say the "below average intelligence" half with a comment like that.
America's Election Laws need to be Changed. No Corporate Funding. No Self Funding. No TV ADS... (Especially since they do not have to be Factual or at all truthful) ... No TV Ads will bring the cost down as well. Only Citizen contributions,not to exceed 1000 Dollars. The Electoral College, needs to go as well. We do not need a Representative to ride Horseback to cast our votes! And While we are on this subject. . Lobbyists should only present their side at Committee..Nothing more nothing less... Until these Changes take place we will continue to see Elections of I Am against DC...
Agree with everything you say excpet: "The Electoral College, needs to go as well. We do not need a Representative to ride Horseback to cast our votes"
The people who wrote our constitution did what they did for a reason. You could carry raw results on horseback quite well. The Electorial College, two Senators from each state, several other things were designed so the country would not be governend for and by a few large population centers. Get rid of the Electorial College and you could put together a government that leaves most of the country out of the plan as simply not needed.
In order to maintain but not necessarily restore my sanity, watched MSNBC all day yesterday, especially during the actual "election" returns. Thanks Rachel, Keith, Eugene and Lawrence for not only your thoughtful and truthful comments and analysis, but for even bringing some levity to a serious but not completely dire situation. And Rachel, hope you continue with a segment you had on the other day, recounting (no pun intended) Pres. Obama's actual accomplishments in a more than hostile environment. Hey...certainly not the whole ball of wax, but an opportunity missed by a lot of the more mainstream or flip flopping Dems.
Well, the ball is now in the likes of Boehner's court, and they are really in more of a bind than steering the ship. My guess is, those more on the periphery of their Stone Age base will take their cues from Bachmann, and just robotically repeat, over and over, their mantra.
Sorry to be so petty but have to say was glad Keith (who I love like Rachel) tried to rein Chris M.'s in last night, e.g. "That question was directed at Rachel, not you." Chris Matthews has got to start to get over himself as even for us die-hard MSNBC fans--fans who tune in to your shows to get some real and factual analysis, C.M. starts to sound like the MSNBC version of Glenn Beck.
So the mid-term elections were in part a debacle, but not completely. As with it all, la lucha continua, como siempre. And I am confident that you will continua with such fine reporting, exposès, et al.
I couldn't have said it better, Miss Linda. I did love the levity of the Universal Solvent and Laurence pursuing the debt ceiling issue with the deficit hawks who couldn't possibly answer him without ruining their whole schtick. Brilliant.
That said, the ball IS now in the GOP court and while they're not the best governors in the world, we do have some past history that indicates the most legislation gets passed by Congresses with slim majorities rather than big ones -- forcing parties to work together to get anything done at all (including the debt ceiling).
I mentioned earlier that we can allow Rand and Michele their sideshows. I think the public will come to see they are simply in love with the celebrity of spotlight, have nothing with which to back up their stupidities and no knowledge of how to work with others to govern. They will wash out -- in 2012, I sincerely hope.
BTW, in case y'all wondered, NC-8 voted on the side of righteousness and kept our Democratic Blue Dog, Larry Kissell, in office -- despite the rising red tide ;-)
We got stuck with Bachmann again, in the most expensive congressional race in the nation. We also lost all the dem state representatives in my district, thanks to lots of outside money. I had a live person call me from Virginia Beach to urge me to vote for the repub that won.
I guess the best thing here is that the legislature will be controlled by repubs for the first time since 1962. Pawlently created a $5.8 billion deficit that this repub legislature will have to deal with when they convene, and unless they decide to go against all their campaign rhetoric and raise taxes, there will be massive cuts to little things like education, infrastructure and healthcare. In two years, they'll be tossed out on their ears, forced to take the blame for the mess that they themselves created with TPaw in the past. That is going to help trash him on the primary circuit in 2011, as even here in MN, a large majority of people polled say they will not support him for president.
Uffie! Are you in Bachmann's district!?! Oh man, sucks to be you! My condolences.
I think your analysis is right on RE: the next 2 years in the MN state legislature. It might also hold somewhat true for Speaker Boehner and ilk, assuming he actually is elected Speaker. We can only keep hope alive right now.
I not only live in her district, I live in her neighborhood!
As far as here in MN, I think the repubs will stop celebrating the moment they realize what they have done to themselves. Their usual ploy locally and nationally is to create a massive mess, then leave it to dems to clean up and take the blame for the harsh measures required to do the clean up. They then waltz into office in the next election cycle riding voter anger at the measures, ready to start the vicious cycle all over again. This time, they will be hoist on their own petard, as they have control of the legislature for the first time in half a century, and will be staring at a $5.8 billion deficit. They have already promised the standard "no new taxes" and "we'll cut taxes" routine, so if they are going to leave income the same or decrease it, they have only one solution if they want to balance the budget: cut spending mercilessly. Since the biggest chunk of any state's budget is education, they will have to gut it if they want to have any chance of winning the balancing act. They will also have to fire state workers and reduce highway maintenance. Apparently that is what the dem governor in WI did during his term, and voters rewarded him by tossing him out of office last night. The repub party here is setting itself up to be eliminated in 2012, because if they don't balance the budget as promised, they will be gone. If they do it by making massive cuts to services like education and infrastructure, they will also be gone.
Nationally, the repubs have more of a fig leaf they can use. They have the House, so they can pass anything they want there, and it will go to the Senate to die, just as it did for the past 4 years. They can then blame the obstructionist Senate, (oh ironies of ironies, considering their total obstruction in that same body since 2008), they can blame Obama. In other words, they can play the same game they always play, shift blame for failure to anyone but themselves, while hoping that voters don't see the hypocrisy and sheer cowardice in their actions. I predict that between internecine fighting between the old guard repubs and the Tea Party, and their inability to live up to their promises to cut the budget and create jobs, they will be swept from office in spectacular manner in2012, as Obama coasts to an easy re-election.
All the major Tea Party crazies that Sarah Palin endorsed LOST -- no Carly Fiorna, no Meg Whitman, no Joe Miller, no Christine O'Donnell, no Linda McMahon, no Carl Paladino, no Sharon Angle. So no matter how much Mystery Money the Tea Party throws at their candidates, any of them that got National Attention, lost. The only Tea Baggers who won, that were endorsed by SP, were the little candidates that no one heard of outside of their own state. See any strategy here?
One small correction. Nicky Healy won the governorship of South Carolina. Our gentle neighbors to the south absolutely adore the Sarrahcuda.
Let's see if she stays in office. The guy who claimed to have had an affair with her isn't going anywhere, and she promised to quit if the story was proved true. Of course, SC doesn't seem to worry about indiscretions like that, as Mark Sanford proved.
Holy cow, I'm so proud of Nevada for doing this! I really thought he was sunk and it was awesome to check results and find that, thank God, he made it! Nevada needs his voice.
Boycotting only hurts the workers and not the company they are meant to spurn. Sad, huh?
There were some real positives last night. First of all, Americans seemed to regain enough sanity to send almost every Tea Party candidate packing, and usually by pretty substantial margins. Of course, there is Rand Paul, but Kentuckians apparently have a fondness for the mentally ill, as they replaced one mentally ill senator, Bunning, with a younger mentally ill man, Paul. In general though, it seems most Americans stepped back from the abyss and realized that it's not wise to put far right extremists in any position of power.
We also learned that Americans don't like candidates who try to buy an office with their personal wealth, hence Whitman and Fiorina and McMahon got trounced. On the other hand, they don't seem to mind that corporations can buy candidates, as the Citizens United ruling helped elect a lot of repubs, despite the fact that polls showed that repubs actually have a lower approval rating than dems. Yet, they voted overwhelmingly for repubs because the tons of money from corporations allowed them to craft the message that dems are to blame for out of control spending and stealing our freedoms, blithely ignoring the fact that out of control spending has been a hallmark of repub administrations and congresses for at least the past 3 decades.
So, what next? Two years of absolute gridlock, and at the end, repubs will once again try to complain that it's the fault of the dems, despite the fact that the Party of No obstructed legislation for the past two years. They now have to put forward actual ideas instead of whining from the sidelines, and since repubs historically have been far better at whining than governing, expect to see more of the same.
The American political process has evolved into a reality show/contest. At each move the political pundits judge and comment. We slather as we listen in on a private conversation and we love to watch the candidates' unscripted moments. The political pundits discuss gaffes and off-color remarks -- no longer are the issues front and center. The backgrounds and graphics on television news shows are in competition for the most nauseating patriotic sea of red, white and blue.
Americans have demanded a shallow, easy to understand and glitzy political process to make them feel good while our country goes down in flames.
@ Edward Bruce Williams, which half of the population's intelligence do you place yourself in? I would have to say the "below average intelligence" half with a comment like that.
@ all the other comments, This Us and Them attitude is why this country is in the shape that it's in. We are called the United States of America for a reason. Our Founding Father's worked together for the better of the people of this country in spite of the disagreements I'm sure they had. The Democrats/Republicans.... that have been voted in office are there because the People have spoken and want their country back. They're there in hopes that they can set aside their personal feelings and do what is best for the People not the self serving politicians that were just voted out. If they can do their jobs with open minds and hearts regardless of label then this country will be all the better for of it.
Wanting me marginalized or dead is not a disagreement I can work with, sorry.
MechTrek, what are you talking about? Did you to respond to someone elses post?
As Corporations are *people*, can we have them going to jail when they kill other people?
When do we go on the look out for the Sharon Angle Second Amendment Remedies Militia to retaliate?
I watched MSNBC and it's coverage of the elections last night. I have to take issue with ODonnell and Maddow with their poo- pooing of Matthews posit that the Dems lost the midwest over jobs. I am the person he was talking about.
I am a left leaning Independant and I live and work with a large number of like minded individuals in Pennsylvania. I know the Dems didn't create this condition, but they lost translation in their message. Matthews was right its about jobs in this region. I see it everyday. Maybe trying to spin it into something else is part of why the problem exists. The Republicans had something on their minds when they recruited "rednecks."
I also take issue with ODonnell stating the Republicans have nobody for pres in 2012. They will have somebody. Their spin machine will create someone. After all we just witnessed probably the most crazy group of politicians ever, some almost succeeding. To make this assumption now is rather presumptuous.
Rachel was the voice of sanity last night. I agree now during the lame duck congress, move the ball forward as everyone is famous for saying. We have nothing to lose. Get things done. You waited to long to focus. Start investigations on the Supreme court. Making corportations people for buying seats is wrong. Start investigations on the US Chamber. Secret donations is wrong. Put a limit on campaign spending. The money that was spent does not make it a level playing field of all Americans. Seats were bought last night. Can we see the receipts please?
The republicians will be in charge, they will set the agenda. They will not investigate themselves, priorities will be dems and the president. Most if not all legislation passed will be repealed and or not funded- healthcare, college loans,etc. Will equal wages for women, abortion, min. wage and dept. education suffer the same fate? Will the 20 billion from BP be repealed? Morality? Religion? Look for total grid-lock, the 2012 election starts now.
Enough is enough. The time is now to take back our country and limit the corporations manipulating our democracy. When I go home from work today I am going to send a letter to my representatives demanding they introduce a bill to redefine corporations as a legal person for tax and liability purposes only. It must explicitly prohibit them from being recognized in any other manor as having the rights of a human citizen of this country thereby revoking any rights they have in our political process. Even if this bill should fail, if they introduce it, that will show me that they are serious about getting the government moving again and they they will truly represent the needs of the human beings that elected them into their positions
There's no doubt in my mind that after making sure no one got hired for the last 2 years (companies have plenty of money, they are holding on to it rather than hiring), the CRTP (conservative republican tea party) will put the word out that it's okay now to open those coffers and hire....that way they can say their way works where the other guys didn't. When I hear one of the CRTP say they "want the best for America" I want to hurl.
We're in for a 2 year slump. We'll end up like Japan, another generation of students form college with no jobs, middle class out of work, you're 55 and white, forget being hired.
Thing is, there are a lot of people who listen to Rush, Bachmann, Glenn and all those bozos. They're stupid, uneducated, and they vote. My state is full of them. They dominate the commentary in the letters.
Wish we could all be just like you, Frank! In case you haven't noticed we have already been in a 2-year slump!!
Wrong, Katy. Apparently you conveniently forgot the nearly 1 million people who lost there jobs in the fall of 2008 under George W. Bush. You apparently also conveniently forgot the fact that he ran up more debt in his 8 years than all other previous presidents combined. This was a feat of galactic proportions, considering he inherited a huge surplus from Clinton, and he also had to surpass the massive deficits run up by his dad and Reagan, both of them being record holders for largest deficits up until that time.
It must be nice to have selective amnesia.
And who control Congress and the purse string during those years? In fact when Republicans control the Legislative Branch regardless of the President, we do well.
Katy, apparently you slept through 1994-2006, when repubs controlled congress. You will note that REPUB George W. Bush was president from 2001-2006, during which time he, and the repub-controlled congress, ran up more debt than all previous presidents in US history COMBINED. So explain to me how that proves that "when Republicans control the Legislative Branch regardless of the President, we do well". Don't hurt yourself turning yourself into a pretzel explaining this clear and spectacular contradiction of your point.