The Republican Agenda

[Huntn]

Yes, the Democrats have voter fraud teams equipped and standing by with lists of dead people in every critical precinct...

Some day you guys will grow up and admit what a red herring voter fraud by voters really is. If voter fraud exists, it most likely exists at the voter infrastructure level, software and wireless networks. And as I recall this is why most/all voter election boards, in charge of this equpment are made up of bipartisan members, are they not?

[thewitt]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Yes, the Democrats have voter fraud teams equipped and standing by with lists of dead people in every critical precinct...

Some day you guys will grow up and admit what a red herring voter fraud by voters really is. If voter fraud exists, it most likely exists at the voter infrastructure level, software and wireless networks. And as I recall this is why most/all voter election boards, in charge of this equpment are made up of bipartisan members, are they not?

When the US catches up to the modern world and requires a photo ID to vote, then I'll be satisfied that voter fraud is not playing a role in national elections and not before.

Ah, but that's voter suppression in your world.

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by thewitt

When the US catches up to the modern world and requires a photo ID to vote, then I'll be satisfied that voter fraud is not playing a role in national elections and not before.

Ah, but that's voter suppression in your world.

You are promoting red herring nonsense. If you want to worry, look into voter infrastructure, hardware, software, and network security. I had concerns about these when a voter machine CEO told W he'd help him win his election. Or a demonstrated situation where a hacker could sit outside a polling place and redirect votes after hacking into the voter wireless network. Or no paper record of electronic votes.

My entire voting life, having a voter registration card to vote was just fine and dandy until the GOP decided too many of the wrong kind of voters were voting. In fact, because a Federal Court threw out Texas's Voter ID law, I just used it in this last election. I walked in with my voter registration card (Texas), which btw is renewed every year. They checked it against their master roster in their computer, had me sign my name on a registration list and I voted.

Are you worried about illegals stealing a vote? They are too scared to even show their faces in a polling place.

Some states even allow utility bills as proof of ID. How many people do you actually think would have ready access to other people's bills and be willing to execute wholesale voter fraud? And what happens when you start having duplicate people show up? Red flags would appear in every instance.

And dead people voting? Texas sends out new voter registration cards every year. What are the opportunities for a group of people to get their hands on these cards?

[thekev]

Originally Posted by thewitt

When the US catches up to the modern world and requires a photo ID to vote, then I'll be satisfied that voter fraud is not playing a role in national elections and not before.

Ah, but that's voter suppression in your world.

There's nothing inherently wrong with requiring voter identification. The irritation was related to states rushing through potentially poorly written laws at the last moment prior to an election for partisan reasons. They should concentrate on implementing them properly well in advance of the next election.

[NT1440]

Originally Posted by thekev

There's nothing inherently wrong with requiring voter identification. The irritation was related to states rushing through potentially poorly written laws at the last moment prior to an election for partisan reasons. They should concentrate on implementing them properly well in advance of the next election.

Exactly, provide them at no cost and I have no issues. By no cost I mean you don't have to pay fees for the other identifications required to get a voter ID. Anything less is just a roundabout way of implementing a poll tax.

Frankly in this country I feel that if you're required to have some type ID, the onus is on those pushing for it to provide it. Anything less is a tax, which the courts have ruled for decades is a suppressive act.

[thekev]

Originally Posted by NT1440

Exactly, provide them at no cost and I have no issues. By no cost I mean you don't have to pay fees for the other identifications required to get a voter ID. Anything less is just a roundabout way of implementing a poll tax.

Frankly in this country I feel that if you're required to have some type ID, the onus is on those pushing for it to provide it. Anything less is a tax, which the courts have ruled for decades is a suppressive act.

I can understand your reasoning, and it ties into what I mentioned regarding taking the time to implement something properly. I'd prefer voting were compulsory so that we could at least lose the pandering for voter turnout. Obviously that's also not something that should be enacted right before an election. It was just a last ditch effort in this case under the guise of reducing voter fraud. I really wish we could tone down the rhetoric to a degree. "Marxism" and "socialism" here are buzz words. You can make the case that any kind of government service borrows from socialism. Postal service -> socialism DMV --> socialism Public libraries --> socialism public schooling ---> socialism

We've maintained basic public services for a long time, yet any of them can be construed that way as long as as the audience just maintains a feeling of animosity toward a silly word. Stereotypical (added for clarification) Republicans might see them differently, but they picked that word simply because their voting base doesn't understand its etymology. They just vaguely remember reading about the cold war in 4th grade social studies.

[MadeTheSwitch]

Originally Posted by thewitt

When the US catches up to the modern world and requires a photo ID to vote, then I'll be satisfied that voter fraud is not playing a role in national elections and not before.

Riiiight. It's not like a photo ID can't be forged or anything like that.

[Huntn]

While the GOP Eats Its "Own"

Well, Romney was never really their own, however the comments made this weekend by Lindsay Graham were quite amazing. All the new, we love the 47% is astounding from a recent history prospective. And it appears it's all Romney's fault: "Romney dug our hole deeper." Really? A great example of scapegoat tactics. If you consider Romney's background, backing programs like RomneyCare in Mass, in this election, Romney was bending over backwards to accommodate the views of his party leadership. And since they really did not like him, he has been thrown to the wolves. This does seem to be way in politics by both parties.

I sit in front of my TV wondering if this in any way could be new genuine feelings on the part of the GOP or just crass political hijinks attempting to gain favor with the electorate?

[Huntn]

[samiwas]

hahaha...i love the comic.

[Huntn]

How One Sided Can You Get? Everyone one knows that Fox is Pravda West...

Investors Business Daily: MSNBC Is President Obama's Pravda

Propaganda: The president has rewarded his campaign loyalists from MSNBC with an off-schedule West Wing meeting, where he's given them new talking points to win the next battle over taxes.

Yes, this state-press collusion is happening in your capital, not just Caracas or Havana.

The lovefest between Obama and MSNBC toadies Lawrence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Al Sharpton actually took place on Dec. 4.

[Happybunny]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Image

OMG thank you so very very much for this I could not stop laughing.

[dscuber9000]

One of the scariest things I've ever read. Looks like the country's economy will be held hostage, again, because Republicans don't realize that raising the debt ceiling isn't increasing the debt, it's paying for it like responsible adults. Lindsay Graham also makes the point that Obama "is not king." Because I guess when 70% of the country wants a compromise, and ~60% want higher taxes on the rich, Obama is stepping across the line by proposing what people want.

And Obama is the "divider-in-chief" according to the Fox News sheep.

[leekohler]

Originally Posted by dscuber9000

One of the scariest things I've ever read. Looks like the country's economy will be held hostage, again, because Republicans don't realize that raising the debt ceiling isn't increasing the debt, it's paying for it like responsible adults. Lindsay Graham also makes the point that Obama "is not king." Because I guess when 70% of the country wants a compromise, and ~60% want higher taxes on the rich, Obama is stepping across the line by proposing what people want.

And Obama is the "divider-in-chief" according to the Fox News sheep.

So- because they lost, they're going to work to drive the country further into the ground. These people should not just be voted out, but charged with treason.

[iJohnHenry]

Originally Posted by leekohler

So, because they lost, they're going to work to drive the country further into the ground.

These people should not just be voted out, but charged with treason.

They don't care a wit. They've got theirs.

I thought I had seen petulant children before, but I was wrong.

[WestonHarvey1]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Image

No one ever paid that top rate. There were practically no limits to deductions back then and there were a practically infinite ways to show that you made no actual income.

[ugahairydawgs]

Originally Posted by Huntn

You are promoting red herring nonsense. If you want to worry, look into voter infrastructure, hardware, software, and network security.

Can't we do both?

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by WestonHarvey1

No one ever paid that top rate. There were practically no limits to deductions back then and there were a practically infinite ways to show that you made no actual income.

I guess I'd have to know more about it to agree or disagree with you, but you'd have to provide some date to make any kind of a realistic argument that we are paying higher tax rates now then we were post WWII. They are the lowest in our life times are they not?

Originally Posted by ugahairydawgs

Can't we do both?

We can, but this has not been the Republican focus, which has been to look for roving bands of rogue voters, which is a red herring argument.

[Huntn]

For some giggles, check out Mr. Simpson explaining the fiscal cliff, and note the lightning illuminated sign leading up to his mansion. I love these guys, lol!

http://youtu.be/m4jXG4Bsrmc

[Huntn]

Demorcrats Are More Fiscally Responsible than Republicans

Although this article is about 7 months old, it puts forth a very interesting proposition: Democrats are More Fiscally Responsible than Republicans. Based on the author's premise, I agree.

But I think there’s something deeper going on here, too, and that you can glean most it from the public record. For years and years now, the Democrats have been a much more fiscally responsible party than the Republicans. (Here, fiscally responsible means that they try to pay for the federal programs they support, not fiscally responsible in the way Republicans define it, where social spending programs are “fiscally irresponsible” even if they’re paid for.)

Republicans, by contrast, have intentionally drawn up big deficits with massive tax cuts, so that popular programs they don’t really like will eventually have to be cut. This is more or less the central organizing principle of the conservative movement, and the main way the conservative movement exerts control over the GOP. It’s no coincidence that when Republicans came back to power in 2011, they made deficits a huge legislative priority, and insisted on reducing them by cutting social programs alone.

The GOP is heinous, dishonest, anti-social, class oriented as in my class, and not fit to lead the country...

[Huntn]

I was listening to Hard Ball with Chris Matthews tonight and heard him make a profound comment. He said that in the 50's what the U.S. used to do when we did not like a foreign government in many cases was to subvert it and engineer it's overthrow. Mr. Matthews drew a parallel between then and now and accuses the GOP of not liking our current government and are doing their best to subvert it. Wow...

I think they(GOP) think they are trying to save the government, however when you go to Washington to prevent anything from being done because those are things you don't like, or because you don't want the opposition President to get anything accomplished, even if it is something you normally like, and instead of recognizing all of the parties elected to Congress and dedicating yourself to compromise, the only way a group like this can get anything done, if you don't do the latter (compromise), you are negligent in your duties and should resign.

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

Originally Posted by Huntn

Mr. Matthews drew a parallel between then and now and accuses the GOP of not liking our current government and are doing their best to subvert it. Wow...

I think they(GOP) think they are trying to save the government, however when you go to Washington to prevent anything from being done because those are things you don't like, or because you don't want the opposition President to get anything accomplished, even if it is something you normally like, and instead of recognizing all of the parties elected to Congress and dedicating yourself to compromise, the only way a group like this can get anything done, if you don't do the latter (compromise), you are negligent in your duties and should resign.

Yes, it is shocking that there does seem to be a coalition bent on destroying the Federal Government. But, it really isn't quite like that. It is a coalition of groups with very different agendas but coincident short-term goals. The most irritating (to me) group is the obviously racist faction. They just want to get through this with Obama having the minimum accomplishments possible. Another group is the Political-Authoritarian group of Christians. They want gays back in the closet, but, they really, really want women to go back to being barefoot and pregnant. But, the most sinister group are the wealthy who really know better, but, are selfishly working to destroy Medicare and Social Security so that they can keep buying lots of new toys. The first two groups can only be educated slowly, but, they aren't the real problem, because without the money and brains of the third group, the first two won't go anywhere. The third group of people have convinced themselves that it would be good for the U.S. to go back in history to the Gilded Age. They have been relentless in their pursuit of a complete plutocracy. That is what they think they want, but, if they succeed, the U.S. will turn into a third-world country around them and they won't be happy.

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by jnpy!$4g3cwk

Yes, it is shocking that there does seem to be a coalition bent on destroying the Federal Government. But, it really isn't quite like that. It is a coalition of groups with very different agendas but coincident short-term goals. The most irritating (to me) group is the obviously racist faction. They just want to get through this with Obama having the minimum accomplishments possible. Another group is the Political-Authoritarian group of Christians. They want gays back in the closet, but, they really, really want women to go back to being barefoot and pregnant. But, the most sinister group are the wealthy who really know better, but, are selfishly working to destroy Medicare and Social Security so that they can keep buying lots of new toys. The first two groups can only be educated slowly, but, they aren't the real problem, because without the money and brains of the third group, the first two won't go anywhere. The third group of people have convinced themselves that it would be good for the U.S. to go back in history to the Gilded Age. They have been relentless in their pursuit of a complete plutocracy. That is what they think they want, but, if they succeed, the U.S. will turn into a third-world country around them and they won't be happy.

Great post!

[iMikeT]

This thread is over two years old and nothing has changed on the right. Today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow will be the same as today. No progress made whatsoever.

The party of "No" continues to do what they do best, prevent us from moving forward.

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by iMikeT

This thread is over two years old and nothing has changed on the right. Today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow will be the same as today. No progress made whatsoever.

The party of "No" continues to do what they do best, prevent us from moving forward.

They are acting based on their vision. That vision got them elected. Something to worry about. I'm going to laugh my ass off when Texas becomes a swing state.