A while back, my esteemed colleague and fellow Babeler, Greg Molyneux, warned us about the Democratic super majority only moments before the November Presidential and Congressional Elections.
Well, this is the result of a Democratic super majority in the house.
Republicans, after being blocked from any participation in the writing of the economic stimulus bill, were given the bill at 11 PM the night before the vote. Listen to the liberal response to the Republicans requesting more than 12 hours to read an 1,100 page bill loaded with Democratic earmarks and pet projects. Notice the time in the upper right hand corner of the video.
I guess this is the Democrat’s idea of “reaching across the aisle.” You would think when spending nearly $1 Trillion Congress would at least take the time to READ what they are voting on. I hate to say I told you so.
~Man Overboard
I’m glad you brought this up because it has really been bothering me. How is it that representatives can sanction, sign-off on and support an unfathomable sum of money without any real possibility to read over the contents?
And let’s be honest the 12 hour extension still would not have come close to being adequate to properly study and analyze the stimulus. I understand that many people think we “must act quickly” but it is much more important for us to act wisely. Our economy is in dire straits such that we can not simply blow a quarter trillion dollars.
How come Obama had so much more time to review and sign it than the congress had? I heard that senators and house representatives were rushed and practically dragged away from their private lives while Obama sat on it for days. Is this true?
This has nothing to do with being a Democrat or your favorite ambiguous catchphrase…a liberal.
It has to do with being a politician.
I could just as easily slander the entire Repuclican party by citing when they lied about WMD’s to advance their political agenda.
But that had nothing to do with being Republican. It had to do with politicians trying to advance their political agenda.
Politicians…not conservatives, not liberals, not democrats, not republicans. Politics is dirty all around. Don’t tell me you actually believe Republicans stand on some sort of higher ground?
Andrew, playing by your logic then why are you a liberal? Since at its fundamental core the liberal agenda is to grow government, which of course only creates more politicians.
While liberals have tremendous heart, their good intentions become gobbled up by career politicians who only seek to execute their own agenda.
Keep in mind, all government programs that are created are inefficient bureaucracies that are used as political handouts to buy votes. You need to go further than your home state of New Jersey to see where that kind of policy has gotten us.
Big government is good for no one. While it might sound good on paper, it historically fails in execution.
I’ve been labeled a Liberal on this site by Jack and Jon because I refuse to acknowledge that invading Iraq was a good idea. This is ironic to me, because I think invading Iraq was a liberal use of our military during a time when we should have been more conservative with our spending and with our military engagements.
It’s easy to deal with people by labeling them and assuming you know where they stand on every single issue. I’ve met some die-hard liberals who I agree with on particular issues, and I’ve met some die-hard conservatives who I agree with on particular issues.
In the end I will always refuse to follow along with Jack’s reductionist thinking that divides people up in to two camps – with one forever more right than the other. It’s utter nonsense, and misses the diversity of viewpoints that are out there.
Come on Jack,
You love to say “I told you so.”
Andrew, given the fact that Saddam Hussein did in fact possess WMDs in the past, and the fact that he had a lot of time to sell, destroy, and/or hide them…. Can you seriously make the statement beyond reasonable doubt that we were lied to about their existence during the invasion?
You are not a liberal because Jack and I label you as one. Res ipsa loquitur…. the situation speaks for itself. You can play the “I disagree with Democrats also” card as much as you want to..you are not fooling anyone. Where do you stand on the Iraq war? choice? the new Democratic bill? NCLB? tax cuts for the rich?…etc?
One of the funniest things to me in this world is the category/label of people who do not want to label themselves. They make up an interesting category in their own.
I am friends with many liberals. People of various political spectrum can get along as long as they can get past their own denial of what label they belong to.
Jon,
Something in your previous statement caught my eye. Do you actually think No Child Left Behind is a good piece of legislation?
I was just throwing issues out there. If you oppose the ones I listed, chances are you’re a liberal.
I do not like all aspects of NCLB, however, I do favor maximum amounts of technology, mathematics, and science in education.
The greater the technology…. the greater the capability for instructional technology… the greater the capability for instructional technology… the greater the ability to learn anything (arts, humanities, etc. you name it!)
Keeks,
You’re right of course, I most certainly do love to say I told you so. But definately not in the context of a trillion dollars of my taxes wasted on kickbacks and earmarks.
Well I did some research and found an awesome test that identifies where you lie on a “political compass”.
I discovered that most political scientists agree with me that the use of the terms “liberal” and “conservative”, or “left” and “right” are archane and outdated.
So the results of my test…
It turns out I’m a Libertarian.
Here’s my political compass graph results. Everyone should take this test.
Jack, I also love to say I told you so.
How much more proof do you need that there is no such thing as a “Liberal” or a “Conservative”. The political spectrum is way more complicated than any of those two terms can ever begin to encompass.
The only reason to use those terms is to create division and to feel superior to other people. Beyond that they are meaningless and outdated.
Just out of curiosity, who did all the Libertarians vote for in the last election? A Democrat.
By the way Andrew, your statement about both sides acting like this is complete BS.
You and I both know that if Bush or the Republicans carried on in the manner shown in that video there would be riots on the streets.
I don’t hear anyone comparing Obama and Pelosi to Hitler.
Jack,
I think you might be jumping the gun on the wasted money comment. Unless you were expecting the bill to fix the economy in a few days.
Jon,
Technology is important and so is math and science obviously. However, having a bill that stressed those three areas is one thing passing NCLB is another. I do see your point on why it was brought up. However, no one liberal, conservative or non conformist should support that worthless bill.
I don’t think I know a single teacher that likes the bill.
No Keeker, I’m not. The government can only make this worse. Income redistribution is not good for the economy no matter what you call it.
Jack, there were riots in the streets in the form of organized protests that drew thousands of people in a display of public angst against Bush policies. Mind you, millions of people across the entire globe also protested, and some rioted.
While protest certainly don’t achieve any quick or tangible results, they certainly influence public opinion.
I’d lay money down that Obama would be impressed if the Republicans managed to organize a march on Washington.
My dot on the compass is in the exact same place as Gandhi. This makes me suspicious. Can this quiz be trusted?
Claire, the Political Compass is one of three currently popular ways of measuring where you lie on the political spectrum.
The other two are The Nolan Chart and The Pournelle Chart.
Nolan Chart also says I’m a Libertarian with conservative leaning.
Jack & Jon, if I’m a “liberal” how can I lean conservatively? (Input makes no sense…machine…breaking…down…)
Andrew,
Liberals protesting is not a new phenomenon and neither is Muslims rioting.
Oh yea jack well….like that is your opinion …man.
I have to give you credit you are passionate about politics and due to this you do your research. However, your arguments tend to lose validity when you state opinions as if they are facts.
Jon,
Yea it’s sore subject with most teachers but I’ll spare you the noise and just leave it at that.
Side effect of being right all the time
That test says I am a left-authoritarian.