Discussed here. Myth Number 3 deserves to be excerpted, since it will cause the netroots some serious heartburn:
3. Now that they control the White House and Congress, Democrats will usher in a new progressive era.
Not likely. At first glance, the numbers do look encouraging for proponents of a new New Deal era in government: Obama claimed at least 364 electoral votes and more than 52.5 percent of the overall popular vote, while Democrats now control at least 57 seats in the Senate and 255 in the House.
But look more closely, and you see a heavy influx of moderate to conservative members in the incoming freshman Democratic class, particularly in the House. Of the 24 Republican-held districts that Democrats won in 2008, Kerry carried just three in 2004. Democratic victories on Nov. 4 included Alabama’s 2nd district (where Kerry took 33 percent of the vote) and Idaho’s at-large seat (where Kerry won just 30 percent). In fact, according to tabulations by National Journal’s Richard E. Cohen, 81 House Democrats in the 111th Congress will represent districts that Bush carried in 2004.
The fact that roughly a third of the Democratic House majority sits in seats with Republican underpinnings (at least at the presidential level) is almost certain to keep a liberal dream agenda from moving through Congress. The first rule of politics is survival, and if these new arrivals to Washington want to stick around, they are likely to build centrist voting records between now and 2010.
Steve Maley
Moe Lane
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
So it's now a matter of congressional leadership?
Next93 (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 7:33AM EST (link)Even with the members of thier caucus on shaky electoral ground, the Dems could still have a field day if they had strong enough congressional leadership and a DNC chairman with some credibility to keep the troops in line.
Fortunately for us, Pelosi is a pretty sad excuse for a leader, as evinced by her failures to defund the war in Iraq, pass the
McCain-Leiberman-Warner cap and trade bill, or reinstate the ban on offshore drilling. That leaves Reid and Dean as the big question marks.Any thoughts on that, Pejman?
Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.
Look at it from a 2008 perspective, not 2004
Spiral (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 7:43AM EST (link)Some Democrats might look at their district as an Obama district rather than a Bush district, even if their district voted for Bush in 2004 and Obama in 2008.
You might have several Democrats who will (a) be willing to take political risk and vote with the hard Left leadership of their party and/or (b) believe that the country has moved to the Left and the showing of Obama in their district in this most recent election is more significant than the showing of Bush in 2004.
Still, I agree that there’s going to be some heartburn among many Democrats.
What I want to know is, will the GOP have the guts to repeal bad legislation enacted by this Congress and this (Obama’s) administration?
Too often Republicans take a “stare decisis” attitude towards reversing Democrat legislation.
Or they take the McCain view. That the procedural rule of the filibuster is more important than stocking the federal court of appeals with conservatives.
The Obama Bread Lines
Hera
Hera Sunday, November 16th at 8:24AM EST (link)The problem the Dems have is that if they control all branches of government they will have no where to hide. They can no longer blame Republicans or President Bush.They own it all. Any mistakes that are made with the war, with terrorists with the economy can be laid at their feet. That’s why I almost hope they do achieve 60 in the Senate.Let them pass more bailouts, card check and amnesty with no political cover from Republicans.If they do pass this foolish legislation and Obama breaks most of his promises Republican could be back in control of either the House or Senate in 2010.
Democrats will usher in a new "progressive" era
jcheney Sunday, November 16th at 9:30AM EST (link)Progressive = liberal
“Progressive” seems to be the new definition for liberal. I agree that Pelosi has been a poor excuse for a leader, however, she is biding her time, and now seemly giddy at the thought of having control of the House and the Senate. However she couldn’t even control herself when just days after the election she was already sitting down with the automobile industry. It seemed a little presumptuous of her. While watching her and her cronies around that table I thought of her as a woman without an ounce of self control to even wait until Obama took office. That spoke volumes to me at when kind of pressure not only Obama will face but the newly elected House and Senate Democrats.
I'm not so sanguine.
skorrent Sunday, November 16th at 9:51AM EST (link)You will remember that the actions of FDR worsoned and prolonged the depression for years, but “Hoover’s Great Depression” was hung around the GOP’s necks for decades. We have begun what will be described as “Bush’s Economic Crisis” (Recession, Depression, whatever) and blamed on him, and us, for years, even as the Dem’s policies aggrevate the situation.
I’m not counting on Pelosi’s incompetance either. She gave our local Blue Dog enough chances to vote conservative on bills where his vote made no difference. He even introduced conservative bills that were going nowhere. He kept his cover intact, and was re elected.
Blue Dog Democrats
SunDogII Sunday, November 16th at 10:09AM EST (link)are mostly dishonest politicians who run on conservative soundbites to win the election then vote liberal for the next 15 months. Suddenly, 9 months before the next election, a whole bunch of “procedural” votes will allow them to claim conservatism again, until after the election when the cycle starts again.
A democrat is never to be trusted.
New Republicans
newrepublican Sunday, November 16th at 10:10AM EST (link)Would anyone here be willing to subscribe and comment on my blog? We have had over 3,000 visits in the first week alone. Its an open forum about how the Republican party should “reinvent” itself while staying true to its core values. Thanks so much.
http://thenewrepublicans.net/
Bush takes the fall.
jeanedcrusader Sunday, November 16th at 10:12AM EST (link)This prognosis sounds a little more realistic. I hope that Obama and the lib. illuminati administration is held accountable for the restorative campaign promises they made (and will almost certainly fail to keep) but the economic crisis will be blamed on Bush probably forever. It will be a textbook blame game for the next eight years.
I heard the same kind of analysis
ColoKid Sunday, November 16th at 10:15AM EST (link)as that in the WaPo article after the 2006 elections — that many of the new Dems were from conservative districts and wouldn’t follow the leftish party line. I wonder how those new Dems performed versus that analysis.
I think that much of the difficulty that Pelosi and Reid had in passing their agenda in the last two years was that the Dems, liberal and centrist alike, all knew that anything too “progressive” would be vetoed by Bush. So why should a moderate Dem go out on a limb? With no such veto to be feared now, they’ll surely be emboldened.
I, too, am concerned that, even when the Reps make a comeback in the future, they’ll leave the Dems’ new programs in place. That has been their m.o. in the past — oppose their expansion, maybe trim them around the edges and cut some of the funding, but leave them in place. Then when the Dems come back to power, they’re ripe for expansion.
Idaho has 2 representatives, no at-large seat.
acasilaco Sunday, November 16th at 10:16AM EST (link)nt
Glad you weren't
SteveLA (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 10:30AM EST (link)SunDogll
I very glad you weren’t around advising President Reagan back in the day. Reagan won and won big reaching out to Reagan Democrats and governed by peeling off Democrats in Congress based on his appeal to those very same folks back home and the power of Reagan Democrats.
I guess if you can’t explain conservatism, can’t make a cogent argument supporting conservatism, might as well demonize those that disagree with you, it’s worked so well in the last two elections…NOT!
______________________________________
Competency over ideological purity and litmus tests
Conservative Democrats?
johnt Sunday, November 16th at 10:46AM EST (link)Please stop it, better we bet on the Loch Ness monster.
With a Democrat President and the media running full interference for a happily destructive & collectivist agenda, the sort of thing only dreamed about before, the leadership will try for the worst, and get most of it.
The election was to a great extent based on a rejection of Bush and Republicans, from that it is a mistake to assume Dems elected to formerly Republican seats will even approach conservatism. The election over by far most voters will regress to their normal somnambulist condition, to awaken, if at all, only after much damage has been done.
Witness the massive theft known as the “Bailout” and Scarface Pelosi has promised much more.
Besides, this time around Nancy and Harry will have the nut crunchers and brass knuckles out.
Conservative Democrats, try the tooth fairy, you might have better luck.
“a man’s admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him”. Tocqueville
Reagan Democrats
SunDogII Sunday, November 16th at 11:03AM EST (link)and the current “Blue Dog” Democrats are two completely different animals. The Reagan democrats are today either republicans or dead. The current crop of “conservative” democrats are opportunists.
The planets were really in alignment for the Dems in this election.
Steve Maley (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:06AM EST (link)With all that, the Dems electoral advantage was 4 points.
The blogger formerly known as ‘Vladimir’.
Don't Kid Yourself.
wolfgang Sunday, November 16th at 11:11AM EST (link)When demanded these so called ‘conservative’ Democrats will march in lock step with the rest of the pervert enablers, the free spenders, and the income redistributors of the Democratic Party, as they all follow the Pied Piper down to the river.
Not so long ago a learned gentleman did an evaluation of just how long it took, between when the citizens of democracies discovered how to raid the public treasuries for their exclusive comforts and benefits, and when these respective democracies began to fail.
It is beginning to appear as if our number will shortly be up as well, as the Liberals begin rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, currently berthed on the Potomac near Washington DC, as they prepare to set sail.
As the Liberals begin rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic
izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:17AM EST (link)This is one cruise I don’t want to take.
So, should we rescue them from a watery grave?
Or let them go down with the ship?
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
America can't be beaten that easily (nt)
Neil Stevens (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:19AM EST (link)RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules
Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.
“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
With a true conservative President
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:28AM EST (link)who was willing to freely use the veto pen, e.g., Reagan, you could somewhat govern by coalition by peeling off the Ds from more conservative districts. Remember the Southern move from D to R was by no means fully developed during RRs tenure, so many of the Ds were pretty much Rs in all but name.
I don’t see it with a D Congress and a radical D President. I predict they’ll try for the whole Lefty menu in the first hundred days – and get it. America in June ’09 will barely resemble America today, and the masses won’t even know they’ve just witnessed a revolution, or more correctly a coup d’etat.
In Vino Veritas
I tell all my friends to pay attention to the first three years of a Senator's vote....
JadedByPolitics (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:39AM EST (link)and the first year of the Congresscritters vote…..ignore everything after that!
Unified Patriots – How-To:
Activists Taking Action
They didn't want to pass their agenda
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:53AM EST (link)issues; they needed to keep them in play. Defund the Iraq war and you can’t run against “Bush’s War.” Enact cap and trade and you can’t run against “anti-environment Republicans.” And on, and on.
Now they can not only pass all their wish list, they can burn the bridges. They have to burn the bridges because by enacting their wish list, they lose all the issues that hold their warring factions together. Get ready for “100 Days” and shock and awe.
In Vino Veritas
It's already beaten, Neil.
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:56AM EST (link)Get ready for shock and awe and a whole new Country by June.
In Vino Veritas
Unfortunately Art I think you're right.
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:04PM EST (link)Obama, for all his Hope&Change platitudes is a hardball Chicago machine politician. The Democrats are very accomplished at Party discipline when necessary anyway and my guess is that BO will set a new standard for compliance.
I can’t see Republicans either blocking or significantly watering down anything he sends to the Hill. I also think that we’re going to see record number of judges confirmed and there won’t be a “moderate” in the lot. Those confirmations will go through the Senate Judiciary on a fast track and get voted on in record time as well. I won’t be at all surprised to see Republican Senators working hand in hand with Pat Leahy “for the good of the American People”. Specifically, I’m watching Specter, Graham and McCain.
Elections have consequences. Democrats understand this, Republicans don’t.
And finally, FWIW, I don’t see Republicans turning around anything that gets passed in the next four years. We could take the WH, and have 65% majorities in both Houses and utterly gutless, cowardly leadership of Republicans in Congress (unless something REALLY changes) will get us zip.
It sure can.
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:08PM EST (link)Make up a list of New Deal and Great Society programs that the Republican Party has been able to get rid of. Hell, just make up a list of programs that Republicans are willing to campaign against. Hint: none.
The Republicans are “the Party of Government” every bit as much as the Democrats are. They just don’t have the creativity, vision and discipline to get the legislation written and passed. They certainly don’t have creativity, vision, discipline and will to make government smaller and less intrusive, let alone to actually enforce the 10th Amendment.
First of all, don't post comments like this, begging for traffic. You won't get any.
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:12PM EST (link)Do two things…
What needs to REALLY change
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:13PM EST (link)is the Republican interest in nationalized issues and elections. As I’ve said before, we don’t get any votes in NYC, DC, or LA, so why do we do or say anything there?
Republicans are going to have essentially zero power and influence in the NY-DC-LA axis of evil. We need to tend to the states we control and those that are purplish. They are going to be under attack from federal auditors, regulators, and investigators as soon as BHO’s hand comes off whatever book The One chooses to be sworn in on.
In Vino Veritas
We also need a President who will heed your advice
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:19PM EST (link)and fire absolutely every appointee who can be fired on day one, and then appoint solid people and support their efforts to clean house.
The Obamtons will change the ground rules
hunter (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:41PM EST (link)Expect massive criminal investigations, ‘fairness’ censorship and federalization of the campaign finance system into a true incumbent protection plan.
We have just experienced a third world style election- one candidate had massive amounts of very questionable money, effective control of the press, and the ability to stuff ballot boxes and control recounts.
This was the opening round.
hunter
They're only different...
Addison (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:48PM EST (link)…because one group existed in the past — and therefore can safely be approved of — and the other is in power right now and therefore needs to be demonized. Both groups are conservative Democrats who tailored their campaigns to their districts and the zeitgeist.
Our political enemies are always more respectable when they’re dead, yeah, but that’s not history, that’s rhetoric.
it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses
New Deal?
Neil Stevens (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:49PM EST (link)I don’t recall America having been destroyed as the free and special country I’ve always lived in, especially not before I was born.
Look, obviously Obama can cause a great many Americans a great amount of hardship, but let’s try to keep some perspective.
We can recover from and rebuild after anything he does or lets happen. Anything.
RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules
Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.
“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
This paranoia and lack of faith...
Addison (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:51PM EST (link)…in America is really disturbing. It’s long been apparent that the only people who honestly believe that Barack Obama has supernatural powers are those most against him. It’s bizarre. America is not going to enter a dictatorial new world order by mid-2009. If you think that you are no longer having a serious political discussion, but rather a Coast2CoastAM one. Paranoia now — in the formative months of the new Republican party — will not be helpful to the GOP looking forward to 2010.
it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses
Actually let me modify that a bit
Neil Stevens (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:51PM EST (link)Anything relating to economic or foreign policy. Some social things… could be harder to deal with.
Fortunately I think the success of Prop. 8 shows that those social things will be much harder for him to accomplish, and he might just kick the can like Clinton did with don’t ask, don’t tell.
RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules
Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.
“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
Addison
Neil Stevens (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 12:53PM EST (link)I don’t think you meant to accuse Achance of having a mental illness. I suggest you retract and apologize for that.
RS contributing editor, technical administrator, and “a hardy variety of crabgrass.”
Read the RedState Posting Rules
Unlikely Voter: Poll Analysis, Election Projection.
“I rejoice that America has resisted.” – William Pitt, the Elder
No, I didn't accuse him of that...
Addison (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:08PM EST (link)It doesn’t require a mental illness to be paranoid. Or to over-exaggerate what a political enemy will do. I don’t think my comment was a personal attack, I think it just dealt with what is and isn’t useful for a political discussion. And what is and is not a political discussion. And what political discussions can turn into sometimes.
I don’t believe that Achance — or anyone else here — thinks Obama has supernatural powers. I don’t think Achance — or anyone else here — is clinically paranoid in any way. Or has any mental illness whatsoever . Quite the opposite, I wouldn’t talk about the dangers of paranoia to a person I thought was actually paranoid, because what would the point of that be?
For years a minority of idiots at DailyKos have talked about FEMA concentration camps and postponed elections as ways to play up paranoid fears about Bush. It was unhelpful to the country and the Democratic party. And, after fighting with and yelling at those idiots for years, it is a little disturbing to now see the cycle shift over to Obama, where I have no ability to shout at my own side about these theories, because it’s not my own side. But, obviously, just because it’s disturbing doesn’t mean anyone is disturbed.
If there was some confusion about that, or Achance felt insulted, I apologize.
I’m going to the bar to watch football now, so if this is not sufficient please feel free to delete both of my comments, as I won’t be here to respond anymore.
it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses
It's paranoia and a total lack of
c17wife (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:12PM EST (link)faith in Obama. An inexperienced, race-baiting, Chicago street thug. And his blind sheeple.
As for America, life is gonna suck for a good long while now. But, she will thrive again, after Obama.
Duty is ours, outcomes belong to God.~Mike Pence
I like the Titanic analogy
Nelsen (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:18PM EST (link)The people of our country are loading on to the Titanic and it is ready to set sail on January 20th. Expect large, cheering crowds to see it off.
Obama Made 512 Promises and Every Single One is Tracked At:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/
Create Your Own Obama Speech:
http://www.atom.com/spotlights/inauguration_speech_generator/
I know I'm paranoid. I only question if I'm paranoid enough?
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:19PM EST (link)I don’t attribute any supernatural powers or even any powers at all to BHO. He’s simply the empty, charming suit that his handlers propped up and gave some lines to recite.
That said, I spent my whole adult life dealing with Lefty union organizers and political operatives and I understand both their tactics and their goals. I also understand that “hail fellow well met” Republicans haven’t a clue how to deal with them.
There is no reason to beleive that they won’t do what they’ve been saying they want to do now that they have the power to do it and there’s really nobody to stop them.
In Vino Veritas
I don't care about an apology, just consider the source. nt.
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:20PM EST (link)nt
In Vino Veritas
I will be standing at the dock...
izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:25PM EST (link)…flipping the captain the bird.
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
Actually, I heard some very good ideas on how to stop them this week
Dave_in_Fla (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:29PM EST (link)I’ll be getting to them in later installments, but Darcy Olsen at the Goldwater Institute offers some great examples of state level mechanisms that can be used to thwart federal legislative overreach.
For example, they have a 21 word amendment to the Arizona constitution ready to put on the ballot that will guarantee the right to secret ballots in all elections in Arizona, whether public or private.
“If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country.” – Joe McCarthy
I am torn...
izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:33PM EST (link)…between buying guns & ammo and or food supplies…
Just thoughts I have. I really don’t want to have a weapons cache because the thought of actually having to use the weapons turns my stomache. If things get that desperate then having stocks of food would just delay what would happen anyway.
I don’t see the MadMax society happening anytime soon.
I think Obama has delusions of what his America should look like. The old “Things as they are, not as they should be”.
He will start feeling the resistance to his change as his supporters start feeling the change Obama promised them.
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
And they'll run straight into
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:48PM EST (link)the federal pre-emption provisions of the Labor-Management Relations Act.
But I’d be interested in hearing ideas. I know how to deal with Alinsky-style tactics and the rest of the Lefty toolkit, but my experience is that the kind of people who can get elected to office as Republicans don’t have the stomach for conflict and confrontation that it takes to be successful. I don’t think I EVER finished a Republican iniative that got ANY negative press. I got real good at doing stuff under the radar as the result!
In Vino Veritas
Which would produce a constitutional conflict
Dave_in_Fla (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:53PM EST (link)Since the Labor Relations Act is not covered by direct reference within the Constitution, it then becomes a direct conflict with the 10th Amendment.
“If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country.” – Joe McCarthy
I says something though that the Walmart
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 1:56PM EST (link)here is very actively pushing ammo in case lots! This in a town where most everybody is already armed to the teeth in a state where even liberal Democrats are NRA Life members. Now, there isn’t the slightest chance of any social unrest here beyond a hundred or so of the usual suspects singing songs and carrying signs in front of the capital, but it shows how people are feeling.
In Vino Veritas
That, of course, would all depend
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 2:02PM EST (link)on who was on the USSC, wouldn’t it?
In Vino Veritas
Not too much of a myth
Menlo (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 2:24PM EST (link)If it is not too far left for the heads of SeeBS, MessNBC, or the New York Slimes (and I don’t know what is, quite frankly), it’s going to happen.
The media will gloss over it, and it will happen without much fanfare. Because only the non-establishment media will cover it, most people will see any concerns as being limited to a “far right fringe.”
Right now, I can only hope enough people will have enough sense to fight back efforts of the federal government to shut off or unreasonably ration our personal utilities (natural gas, electricity, running water). I know Obama is itching to do just that. It would seem this would be something hard for the media to hide or blame on Bush.
“The ultimate touchstone of constitutionality is the Constitution itself and not what we have said about it.” -Felix Frankfurter
The press will protect moderate dems...
RborisT (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 2:49PM EST (link)Pejman Yousefzadeh writes:
Next93 answers:
There is also this wildcard: With the msm “out” in their full support of the left, they will certainly provide cover for any Dems helping to pass the far-left agenda. The msm will try to tilt the 2010 election as surely as they DID tilt 2008.
Part of the conservative agenda MUST be to break the stranglehold of msm control of information. At least one real idea to do so is posted here. Let me know what you think.
Except
Hera Sunday, November 16th at 2:53PM EST (link)Except you can only hide (or vote present) for so long. Two years from now either Obama will have kept his economic promises and he’ll have worsened the economy or he’ll have broken his promises and those who voted for him will have gotten no tax cut. If there is 10% unemployment two years from now blaming Bush will have gotten real old.Bush also can’t be blamed if Obama lied about tax cuts.
Having no place to hide is why Obama is backing off on Gitmo because any terror attacks in the US he owns. Bush was criticized by Dems for the way he handled the GWOT but he took the war to the terrorists and kept the country safe.
50 state strategy
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 3:14PM EST (link)But that’s how you get fewer and fewer red and purplish states, Achance, because you make no inroads into democrat territories and sooner or later they make inroads into red areas (see Virginia). Dean’s much mocked 50 state strategy has turned out to be darn near genius. As they say, you can;t win if you don’t play.
Actually it looks like it was almost 7%
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 3:20PM EST (link)see here, with the caveat that these totals are still unofficial it’s at 52.7-46.0
I have no idea where the 52-48 stuff came from.
Isn't it ironic?
Menlo (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 3:21PM EST (link)“Progressives” want to stifle the growth and expansion of businesses and industries, and take away incentives for coming up with new ideas and inventions.
“Progressives” want to take away things like cars, electricity, and toilets that have marked our progress in hte past century.
“Progressives” want to go back to the days when science couldn’t tell us when life began, infanticide was commonplace, and children were sacrificed to the gods.
“Progressives” would have us live in the stone age if they could.
Meanwhile, we “conservatives” want business to thrive and expand to create more jobs and wealth for everyone willing to work for it. Those incentives lead to progress. We realize things like cars, electricity, and plumbing are certainly progress over any alternatives in the past or present.
“The ultimate touchstone of constitutionality is the Constitution itself and not what we have said about it.” -Felix Frankfurter
Re: America can't be beaten....
wolfgang Sunday, November 16th at 5:57PM EST (link)That’s what Germans thought about Germany in 1933. Germany was the most progressive, the most enlightened, the most highly cultured state on the continent of Europe. Yet, look what happened.
When they asked captured Nazis after the war HOW they had overcome Christianity’s innate resistance to the wholesale slaughter the Nazis had orchestrated and carried out, the Nazi’s replied it was easy. “We came up with some reports about various clergy engaged in illicit acts with boys or other men, fed them into the German Media, and the Church became silent”. Interesting thoughts for a time seventy years ago, ominous for the United States today.
Even more frightening is the Obambi’s desire to form a civilian national police force that rivals the size and power of the American military. The pivotal moment, the tipping point, the point of inflection that allowed Hitler to begun his unobstructed march toward WWII and the Holocaust was the German Army’s swearing an oath of allegiance to him, Adolph Hitler, rather than as before, to the German State. After that moment, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, France, Yugoslavia, Rumania, Russia, The Einsatzgruppen, Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau, Sobibor, Mauthausen,…. were just unobstructed footsteps on a path to the Greater Germany Hitler envisioned.
The United States Military will never prove truly loyal to the Obambi, and he knows this. He needs this counterforce to our military to weaken the military and provide the necessary balance of power to enable him to carry out his plans for the gutting of our constitution and the destruction of our American way of life that is so repugnant to him and his many friends: ie. the suddenly very vocal William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright.
Art's Right, You're Wrong
IJB Sunday, November 16th at 6:22PM EST (link)No one much remembers what a “sectional” electoral strategy looks like because no one has tried to run one in about 40 years.
But I’ve thought for a while that one part of the GOP’s path back to power is to run such a campaign: the GOP needs to run against CA, NY, MA & IL, and play rural/exurban/suburban against cities. The GOP needs to run on taking back resources that are currently going to (i.e. wasted in) urban areas, and send them back to the large swath of red counties in between them.
A 50-state strategy is a full-time loser for the GOP, and would be a huge waste or resources. Something more along a 40-state strategy is exactly what’s called for.
Sometimes all you can do
Achance (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 6:27PM EST (link)is back away, re-arm, retrain, and re-establish your strength and your lines of communication. As von Clauswitz said, war is politics by other means; the reverse is also true. We simply don’t have the strength to contend with anything other than trying to hold on to our own unless as misstep by the other side gives us some opportunity, for which we should be prepared.
In Vino Veritas
There is one very good reason...
Addison (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 7:36PM EST (link)…and it’s the Congressional session between 1992-1994. Democrats don’t get Liberal things done very often.
it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses
I think that's taking the metaphor too far
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 7:53PM EST (link)There are real differences between physical war and a war of ideas. I think this is one of those areas. Ultimately you don’t win this fight by attacking your enemies but by co-opting them, and you can’t do that if you aren’t trying.
Do you think it is appropriate
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 8:05PM EST (link)for a person to run for president of the United States by specifically demonizing a substantial number of those states?
Besides which your basic argumen (taht big city states consume more resources as compared to large red county states) doesn’t bear up to scrutiny.
Look here here for 2005 numbers and scroll down to “Table 4: Total Expenditures by State.” California ranks #35. New York is #46. The top ten consumers of federal dollars per dollar of tax paid are:
New Mexico
Mississippi
West Virginia
Alaska
North Dakota
Montana
DC
Alabama
Maine
South Dakota
Not exactly a list of who’s who among blue states.
Thoughts
Whitehorse (Diary) Sunday, November 16th at 11:07PM EST (link)I believe the MSM has lost much credibility during this election cycle, something that can be used to our advantage. The MSM is also continuing to lose market share & resulting influence. I don’t think Obama could have beaten a strong conservative candidate able to articulate the 3 pronged message of limited government fiscal responsibility, strong national security, & conservative social views. When the financial crisis struck, this strong conservative would have sided with the American people in saying no.
I remember this time 16 years ago, when Clinton had won. We were pretty down, & many of the same things were said. We have some advantages now that were not available in 1993 & 1994, namely the internet & the ability to communicate worldwide at the click of a button. We should use this to our advantage, to inform & mobilize opposition to bad proposals. I have no doubt that the Dems will over-reach & probably will do so quickly. Many congresscritters who are “on the fence” on these issues will be very succeptible to calls from constituents. We simply cannot give up. We also have to reclaim limited government fiscally responsible conservatism – that was missing this election & would very likely have made the difference. McCain didn’t differentiate himself enough from Obama on the big issues, & made himself a bigger target by supporting the bailout just like Obama, but in a more vocal role.
Tamblin, liars figure and idiots misinterpret
Achance (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 12:10AM EST (link)figures. The salient charateristic of all those states that you denigrate is that they either have lots of federal land, lots of federal wards, e.g., Indians or welfare Blacks, or both.
What you see there is the federal government spending on its own unsolved problems or on maintaining its parks and wilderness areas for rich greenies.
See, just for a month or so, I’d really like to shut off Alaska’s oil spigot; we could afford it and you can’t.
In Vino Veritas
Achance
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 1:52AM EST (link)I didn’t denigrate anyone. All I pointed out is that if you look at where federal dollars are going they are NOT disproportionately going to states like California and New York (as was the other posters thesis above).
I never said it was wrong for states like Alaska to get more federal dollars than they pay in taxes. On the contrary I personally think that’s a big part of why we have a union in the first place- to help, dare I say, redistribute money as needed across the land. That way projects in Alaska, for example, which benefit the whole country can get done.
I understand a lot of people have been sniping at your home state, but I’m just not one of them.
Tamblin, you said:
Achance (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 3:15AM EST (link)“The top ten consumers of federal dollars per dollar of tax paid are: New Mexico Mississippi West Virginia Alaska North Dakota Montana DC Alabama Maine South Dakota Not exactly a list of who’s who among blue states”
Now what am I to think you mean?
Those states are either principally federal territory, contain lots of federal wards, or both. Got another story or were you just spouting stuff out of your a#$?
In Vino Veritas
You should probably take it to mean
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 4:02AM EST (link)exactly what it says. I was stating a fact. Notice that nowhere in there do I say that those states are bad because they get a lot of federal dollars.
The only reason I brought it up was because the previous poster intimated that blue big city states like CA and NY got a big portion of the pie(1), and presumably that was bad(2). I was pointing out that the first part of his argument was wrong, but wasn’t saying anything about the second part.
You forgot that most Congressional Candiates can buy air time.
rmiddle Monday, November 17th at 9:16AM EST (link)Thanks
Robert
Fundamentally wrong!
Achance (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 12:54PM EST (link)There’s NO way we’ll “co-opt” the Left; they are and will remain our intractable foe. You ignore them when you can and defeat them when you must.
There is a place near the middle that we can co-opt politically but only by defeating the Left in its attempt to co-opt the middle to its view.
In Vino Veritas
Achance look at the numbers
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 1:31PM EST (link)Right now dems seriously out number reps in terms of party identification. If you give up on coopting (i.e. convincing) them then you are utterly doomed to minority status. Look at this site. You have Moe and Gamecock, both former Dems who have turned conservative. Obviously you don’t consider them intractable foes.
People change. Ideas change. Adopting a “me against the world” viewpoint is a self fulfilling prophecy.
I'm not talking about the voters;
Achance (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 1:47PM EST (link)I’m talking about activist/operative/junkie level political participants. The mass votes mostly for the last best TV spot they saw or some nebulous “feeling” about a candidate. We don’t really have a population literate and informed enough to be participants in a republican democracy, so the battle is at the operative/activist/candidate level over who puts on the best bread and circuses.
In Vino Veritas
I might be remembering wrong
I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 1:50PM EST (link)but weren’t both of the people I mentioned former dem activists?
So was I.
Achance (Diary) Monday, November 17th at 4:19PM EST (link)It’s the old “if you’re not a radical when you’re twenty thing .. .” However, nothing the Republicans did caused me to come over. There was no Saul on the way to Tarsus moment or anything. Over time, I found myself less and less able to accept the Democrats’ positions and I drifted away into being essentially apolitical except where I could serve a specific self interest.
It was only up close and personal exposure to Democrat bad acts that finally pushed me over into the Republican ranks. And frankly, up close and personal exposure to Republican bad acts has just about pushed me out of the whole game. See my “Why I hate “Republicans”" diary from a few days ago.
In Vino Veritas
Co-opts with the Left.
Chief_Runamok (Diary) Friday, November 21st at 4:19AM EST (link)What about your co-opt with the left? Wasn’t your stategy for keeping the union off of Murkowski’s back basically to take your trousere down around your ankles and bend over for Jim Duncan?
http://whistleblowerak.zoomshare.com/files/DuncanStipulation1.doc
http://whistleblowerak.zoomshare.com/files/DuncanStip2.doc
http://whistleblowerak.zoomshare.com/files/DuncanStipulation3.doc
http://whistleblowerak.zoomshare.com/files/DuncanStip40.doc
http://whistleblowerak.zoomshare.com/files/DuncanStip_5.doc
ArtChance wrote on 11/11/2008 11:12:41 AM:
Alaska’s greatest political irony is that Wiemar was once widely believed to be a major drug dealer. Many thought he was the economic muscle behind the Ad Hoc Democrats of the ’70s, the McGovernite wing that siezed the Party and State government at a vital time in the Pipeline Era. The Palmer paper once branded Wiemar and his then-sidekick Bill Parker as the two most dangerous men in Alaska. There’s a good story in how Wiemar came to run DOCs drug programs, rake in huge sums for halfway houses, and how Parker came to be the Deputy Commissioner of DOC. Since it all involves some very prominent Democrats, I’m confident the ADN won’t touch it. Sarah’s shoes are more interesting, right?
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truthgazer wrote on 11/11/2008 11:45:39 AM:
Artchance, you paint quite a big brush against all Democrats of the 70s. A lot of us like to think of those days as the time when we all meant something to each other, before big oil moved in and took over our political system. Sure, there were those who were on the dark side of BOTH parties. The 60′s and 70′s also brought us Hugh Malone (Democrat) and Jay Hammond (Republican who supported Dem. Fran Ulmer against Rep. Frank Murkowski) who worked together to give Alaskans the PFD. Big oil still believes that they are “giving the little people of Alaska,” what should be all theirs. The corruption continues and it will because legislators who are simpletons continue to be elected and can be bought cheaply, very cheaply.
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mikeswick wrote on 11/11/2008 12:00:45 PM:
Art Chance not let us forget Frank Prewitt and his relationship its not fair to just hit on Bill Parker
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clarity wrote on 11/11/2008 12:05:00 PM:
artchance – since you’re pointing fingers at D’s, care to talk about all those R’s currently holding very high positions within the State that are known past drug dealers/users? It must hurt knowing so many of Alaska’s R’s have been going down and more to come, many ending up in our federal pens. And, Sarah’s, “shoes,” aren’t so interesting any longer, perhaps to you they are. Above all, Weimer will receive his due and rightly so; just another crook among many in Alaska.
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vrlind wrote on 11/11/2008 12:29:49 PM:
I would be surprised if art chance is a Rep. from some of his other posts it did not appear that way
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fsmith wrote on 11/11/2008 12:53:15 PM:
Art Chance was the guy in charge of treating state employees like garbage, in the Murkowski administration. In July 8th ’06 he bragged in the Daily News: “Most state employees are seriously underpaid. I helped make them that way.” Sarah is so bad in this respect, that the people who keep the state running are now wishing for the “good ‘ol Murky days.”
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cgallagher2 wrote on 11/11/2008 01:37:33 PM:
Nickname: a$$h%e@**i.net Location: Juneau, AK USA Birthday: September 3(SavedRemind mePlease RetryPlease Retry) Anniversary: September 22 In My Own Words: I was born and raised in rural Georgia to and old by by then shabby family trying to eke out a living on an old and by then shabby farm. I have always loved learning and hated school, so my education is my own. I was born a Southerner, a Baptist, and a Democrat, then I learned to read. In the early ’70s, I let slip the surly bonds of The South and moved to Alaska where I remain and will probabl… Read more I was born and raised in rural Georgia to and old by by then shabby family trying to eke out a living on an old and by then shabby farm. I have always loved learning and hated school, so my education is my own. I was born a Southerner, a Baptist, and a Democrat, then I learned to read. In the early ’70s, I let slip the surly bonds of The South and moved to Alaska where I remain and will probably die – unless I die in the Winter, in which case it will be Mexico.
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akvinnie wrote on 11/11/2008 02:04:06 PM:
This is a blog about the felony mis-conduct of Bill Weimer. Art Chance is a big bag of wind who sit’s around in smokey bar’s telling Faulkner like tales of how important he is-was- to any and all who will listen. Art Chance was an insider to Juneau and all it’s political sleaze and he never stepped forward once and raised the ethical flag of mis-conduct. Because many times he was the designer and messenger of many bad deeds and he wore those stripes with honor. But let’s get off that garbage truck and get back to Weimer. Bill Weimer white collar criminal shows us with a year in jail or less; that buying politicans and getting millions of state dollars through sole source contracts that crime really does pay.
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cgallagher2 wrote on 11/11/2008 02:23:10 PM:
Thanks Vinnie for bagging the windbag! Weimer is the point and if he lied to the judge about not having a record, he of all people then the truth be out!
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ilovelucy wrote on 11/11/2008 02:51:24 PM:
Art Chance missed a few chapters in Weimar’s life – where he turned into a Republican like Chance and tried to take down his buddies who remained true to the Ad Hoc Democratic principles. Like most corrupt bastards, he let the promise of money lead him to the dark side. And Chance is well-aware of what he’s leaving out – but it’s too tempting to strike out at all the people he dislikes. What an awful human being.
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wildbill3 wrote on 11/11/2008 03:01:02 PM:
Chance pre-dated Murkowski, he also worked in the Knowles administration, and others. He was a director and deputy director for years under a number of governors. He knew the personnel rules better than anyone and seldom lost when he was challenged in arbitration. He had as I remember a low opinion of state employees. I’ll say this though, cgallagher2 you have no business posting the mans email address on this board. That is a bit below the belt. Kind of like when akvinnie posted my last name. I have never reciprocated because it shows a lack of consideration and is low-class. I have no love for the Art Chance either but I would not even do that to akvinnie, and I have his email in my database (I thought we were friends once.) Wiemer is a very, very bad man and it took a lot of work to keep him in check with the many friends he had in Juneau. Wiemer was tied to Sheffield, Barns, Ward, Mulder, Knowles and many, many others. When he and Bill Allen teamed up they where quite the duo.
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wildbill3 wrote on 11/11/2008 03:15:44 PM:
Weimer never turned into a republican, he remains a card carrying democrat today. He bought politicians on both sides of the aisle. He donated money to both parties to open doors. He has no scruples what so ever and worked all parties to achieve his personal goal of acquiring wealth. People on the left and the right voted his way for a number of reasons. Some voted because they thought private prisons were a fine idea, others voted because he held sway over there vote in some way. There were in fact connections to Weimer and drugs early in his career while an Ad-Hock Democrat and lawyer. Supposedly he traded drugs for native art and expensive walrus and whale parts in western Alaska. AST investigated him, but were never able to get enough to prosecute, though they were convinced he was dealing.
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VladimirMPalin wrote on 11/11/2008 04:43:24 PM:
What a finger pointing hypocracrit A Chance has become. Was a thousand hits of LSD for personal consumption? If so it would explain what a Whack-Job was in charge of employee relations for too long. Do you think the Fourth Amendment is going to protect you once the Public integrity Section seizes the webservers at AKLRA and AFSCME? I think that the proof of Mail Fraud can lead to those warrants. I was 19, driving an XKE, and had no visible means of support, which facts raised the ire of the local constabulary when I went home to visit my parants in ’69. There then arose a dispute over the two kilos of pot and thousand hits of acid in the trunk of said XKE. The Deputy Sheriff really should have had probable cause for that stop, and to this day I am the World’s greatest fan of the 4th Am. —
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Voiceofthe_Crimes wrote on 11/11/2008 07:16:34 PM:
It surprises Art Chance to see Bill Weimar like any other convicted. Maybe he should go back to being an annonymous idiot. ~~~~~~ May 31, 2007 – 1:41am | Black3 [ ]Likewise, corruption indictments; a decent prosecutor can, literally, indict a hamburger. And in case nobody has noticed, prosecutor’s motives often have absolutely nothing to do with the pristine pursuit of truth and justice. Most political corruption cases are questions of causation v. correlation. Acme Enterprises gave Rep. Y money, Rep. Y voted for something good for Acme Enterprises. The Sun sets after I eat dinner. Did my eating dinner cause the Sun to set? This board and the News have already convicted everyone indicted and several that haven’t been. When it is over, few if any will be convicted. Frankly, I don’t have any illusions about the ethical challenges some of them have, but proving it beyond a reasonable doubt is another matter.
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cgallagher2 wrote on 11/11/2008 07:29:10 PM:
Sorry Wildbill but I just copied Mr. Chances own autobio off his own post at Amazon. Anyone could google it. I never heard of him before. He wrote it not me.
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akvinnie wrote on 11/11/2008 11:46:12 PM:
The Republican Corrupt Bast. Club really started initially under the Bill Weimer day’s althought they had no gang name or affiliation at the time; just the color of money. They rose to power and dominance under Wally Hickel’s Administration. The Corrupt Weimer contributed to both political parties but only Democrat’s who had a remote chance of winning and where he could peddle his influence on them. If not he loaded his funds to the known Political Party of influence peddleing for hire. The early well rewarded members of Weimers club to privitize Corrections was Representative Ramona Barnes who managed Corrections daily from her office. Senator Jerry Ward the frequent bill for hire legislator. Then, None should forget how clever man the House Finance Chairman Eldon Mulder use to be. YES, All Republicans! There were more paid off Republicans during those days but I think the average reader get’s the picture.
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I posted to the ADN politics blog
Achance September 11th, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. CDT (link)
a week or ten days ago under my full name that were I still there, I’d have told the Investigator to “Go F@#$ himself.” That went over real well with the Lefties that hang there. A couple of the people on his subpoena list are former subordinates and coworkers of mine and I pounded into their heads that if a subpoena didn’t have a judges name on it, you considered it to be an invitation that you had the right to ignore. And even if it did have a judges name on it, you might want to see if another judge agreed. Guess some of that stuck.
In Vino Veritas