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Rant about America's broken political system
#1
Rant about America's broken political system
These days, we have two political parties: the crazy fascists and the milquetoast moderates.

The crazy fascists run our country into the ground and until voters elect milquetoast moderates into positions of power. After we fight to get them into office, the moderates fold up into the fetal position at the slightest hint of controversy. Now the milquetoasters are about to be defeated in November and they'll probably conclude that they weren't milquetoasty enough. Tighter fetal positions will be called for. Meanwhile, the corporatist jackboots will try to financially shut down the government and waste time and taxpayer money with numerous frivolous investigations of the White House.

Our three-branch, two-party system used to work quite well when we had a liberal and conservative party. That all changed over the last 30 years when each party pursued a different strategy.

The Republicans began to walk base, talk center. They realized the futility of pursuing moderate voters because moderates don't vote. The new strategy became "fire up the base to get to 50+1". The rhetoric was to accuse the Democrats of being "out of touch" and "extreme" in order to create the appearance of centrism.

The Democrats began to talk base, walk center. Use the liberals for donations and volunteers, promise them whatever you need to, but always run to the center to try to capture the mythical centrist voters. "Bipartisanship" and "moderation" became guiding principles. The net result was to become the Republican-lite or "just like them but not quite so loopy".

The net result is that the Republicans have drifted further and further to the right, to the point now where Reagan looks liberal and W. Bush seems like a centrist. The Dems, meanwhile, have been running after them, to the point that "socialist" Obama is now to the right of Reagan on some issues.

And the Democrats can't figure out why progressives like me are so demoralized. Sad

No doubt, if they lose as big as people are projecting, they'll conclude they weren't milquetoasty enough and the drift to the far right will continue.
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...       -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
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#2
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
(September 7, 2010 at 3:46 pm)DeistPaladin Wrote: The net result is that the Republicans have drifted further and further to the right, to the point now where Reagan looks liberal and W. Bush seems like a centrist. The Dems, meanwhile, have been running after them, to the point that "socialist" Obama is now to the right of Reagan on some issues.

All you need to know: the Overton window (no, not Glenn Beck's bullshit book)

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“Society is not a disease, it is a disaster. What a stupid miracle that one can live in it.” ~ E.M. Cioran
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#3
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
Quote:The net result is that the Republicans have drifted further and further to the right


The Republicanazis are RACING to the right...not drifting.
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#4
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
(September 7, 2010 at 4:11 pm)Minimalist Wrote:
Quote:The net result is that the Republicans have drifted further and further to the right


The Republicanazis are RACING to the right...not drifting.
With Nasa bought rockets
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#5
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
Unless something is done to get ALL special interest, corporate and union money out of all elections, we will get nowhere. And give the recent Supreme Court decision, that's not bloody likely any time soon. The only other possible option would be a viable third party, and again, fat chance.
The one thing everybody needs to remember is that I never claimed to be sane!
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#6
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
Yes, PiPar. We need the money out and we also need some intelligence in. We'll have more luck with the former.
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#7
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
(September 7, 2010 at 11:52 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Yes, PiPar. We need the money out and we also need some intelligence in. We'll have more luck with the former.

If I were president:

Do what we did with cigarette advertising. Ban it completely. All political advertising, off the airwaves. Instead, we'll have weekly debates on the issues. Free speech is still free but more can't be purchased, so the rich and special interests don't get more speech than the rest of us.

Additionally, whenever a politician participates in a debate or an address to the nation, it will be under oath. Lies can be prosecuted as perjury.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
...      -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
...       -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
Reply
#8
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
Quote:Ban it completely.

The Supreme Court routinely maintains that it is a free speech issue. They have enshrined the right to lie with constitutional protection.
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#9
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
Alan Grayson increases our chances.
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#10
RE: Rant about America's broken political system
(September 7, 2010 at 3:46 pm)DeistPaladin Wrote: These days, we have two political parties: the crazy fascists and the milquetoast moderates.

The crazy fascists run our country into the ground and until voters elect milquetoast moderates into positions of power. ...

Quite a maddening cycle, no doubt. And the majority of the American people are dumb enough to fall for it yet again. Clinton screwed up, and we got Bush. Bush was great until people realized he was going to have us in Iraq forever, while ignoring bin Laden and the gang in Pakistan or whatever cave he was in. People are getting disgruntled with Obama because he can't turn Bush's colossal screw-ups around in the blink of an eye, and whatever right-wing politicians use the words "god" and "freedom" enough times (like Bush 1 and 2) will when the day once again in November. And people will vote for them, no matter qualified or intelligent they are. Beck has built his whole career on people like that, which says all we need to know.

Off-topic: "milquetoast" is my new favorite word. Smile
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We have lingered in the chambers of the sea | By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown | Till human voices wake us, and we drown. — T.S. Eliot

"... man always has to decide for himself in the darkness, that he must want beyond what he knows. ..." — Simone de Beauvoir

"As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again." — Albert Camus, "The Stranger"
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