http://www.pruningshears.us/pruning-she ... ghter.html

A great piece about the potential disaster awaiting Republicans in Congress in 2008 and why they deserve it.

Republicans held all the levers of power in Washington for six years. They turned budget surpluses into huge deficits, which put pressure on the dollar. The financial industry’s house of cards got blown down and the Federal Reserve cut rates to head off a recession. That put even more pressure on the dollar. Its value sank against other currencies, and investors have taken refuge in commodities, driving those prices up. Republicans’ aggressive, swaggering foreign policy has shot uncertainty through the market, driving (dollar denominated) oil to record highs. Simply put, their policies have put us in a position where we can’t deficit spend, can’t lower prices, can’t cut rates and can’t do much to restore value to our currency. Even simpler, every time you fill up your tank or buy a loaf of bread you pay the Bush Tax.

Tom Delay was described admiringly as “The Hammer” for his ability to get Republicans to approve these policies. It was a fun party while it lasted but the bill has come due. We have structural problems that won’t go away easily or quickly, and voters have reasonably concluded which party bears the most blame. Even after they lost Congress last year they marched in lockstep behind the President as he continued a massively unpopular war. I have been very critical of the Democrats at times for not standing up to bullying from the White House, but the GOP has been far worse. They have pledged fealty to leaders dedicated to profligacy, incompetence and secrecy. They have unstintingly supported the administration’s grotesque streak of sadism (see this week’s illustration(via)), and declared themselves to be Republican before American. None of these issues will be eclipsed by manufactured talking points or trivial narratives. The effects of their governance are plainly and painfully before the country’s eyes on (literally) a daily basis, and that is not going away before November.

*slow clap*

While I agree, I don't think it's going to work out the way we all (well, most of us) hope. Democrats love to steal defeat out of the jaws of victory, as the saying goes. I'm just not confident that it won't happen again. (More in both Houses, not so much in the presidential race.)

There's ample reason not to get our hopes up, that's for sure. But 2006 was a welcome change of pace for Dems in which they actually capitalized on Republican failure and incompetence. And in some ways, I am very disappointed in what the Dems have done in the past year and half, although, as the man says, the Repubs are far worse.

But the indicators are extremely promising.

The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.
Hannah Arendt

Sadly I don't think it'll matter much. One of the sad realities of the 8-years-and-you're-out system of American politics is that it helps give the illusion of change for party supporters every 8 years. Yes, republican rule has buggered the economy and fucked up the country, but that was with Bush! Surely McCain will do a better job - he was a POW for chrissakes!

*rinse and repeat*

And I've got about 200 bridges in the middle of the ocean I'd love to sell you. 24k gold and encrusted with a super-rare unknown mineral.

I think the goal therefore is to tie McCain to his similarities to Bush. McCain wants to have it both ways, to play up his maverick status to independents and play up his loyalty to Bush's agenda to the right-wing base. The easy part is that the worst of McCain's policies all come right from Bush's platform, from the war to tax cuts for the rich.

They actually did little to nothing to take the House and Senate. I'm a registered Democrat, and really thought they would at least get a few things accomplished, but they've done nothing worth mentioning. It's like American voted you guys in to change things, so where's the change? So we now give you a 20% approval rating.

Bush vetoed everything.

He has vetoed eight items since the Democrats retook both houses. Perhaps the Democrats should have tried compromising or shown better leadership. Either way, it makes the Democrats look like they did nothing, as Corpse noted.

True, it doesn't help that Harry Reid has political erectile dysfunction.

I'd love for an Obama win to totally reshape the leadership in Congress. We desperately need new blood in there. The only thing these guys can manage is to pass are Bush's war spending bills.

If anything, an Obama win would lead the Democrats to conclude that current Congressional leadership is strong.

Whether Harry Reid is strong would become irrelevant if Obama indeed ends up as president. Political skills are most important when facing an opposing president.

The key to remember is that the democrats really didn't do anything to deserve any of this; the republicans screwed up so badly that they have no one to blame but themselves when they lose all power.

Not only did they screw up, they're stuck in a time warp. It takes a bit of jiggering before a social conservative like me goes Democratic. We seriously need to expunge the outdated, us-versus-them foreign policy from federal government before it's too late. John McCain and his ilk are singularly unqualified to protect Americans and secure our interests abroad.

Not necessarily. Remember 1994?

1994 is in a category of its own. I can't imagine Obama messing up that badly. Few in modern history have.

Crash course history lesson?

Bush pushed through a lot of stuff before 2006.

We're talking about the so-called Republican Revolution, which was possible due in large part to Democrats over-reaching and mismanaging between 1992-94 after winning both Congress and the White House.

Ah. That's comforting. I'm not dumb; I just misunderstood you two.

Why does the public perceive the Republicans as boobs and reject their failed tactics and policies? Because of shit like this:

John Culberson (R-TX): ...[the war funding bill] contains provisions that have nothing to do with our troop's survival and safety in the field. To burden our troops with pork, with tax increases, with special provisions that have nothing to do with the war, adds to, I think, the obvious misuse of the process and I urge members to vote against the pork and support our troops.

Obey: I yield myself 30 seconds...I'd like the gentleman from Texas to point out a single piece of member pork in this bill.

Culberson: Does the gentleman yield?

Obey: Yes.

Culberson: Mr., Mr. Chairman, there's a number of un-un-unnecessary provisions in this...

Obey: Name one.

Culberson: Well, why are we separating out, sir, why aren't we just passing...

Obey: (nearly yelling) Name one.

Culberson: Why are we...

Obey: (yelling, finger pointing) Can you name one or can't you? The fact is there is not a single piece of member pork in this bill. You ought to...

(pounding gavel, "time expired")

Culberson: (inaudible)...why are we passing provisions in this bill with tax increases?

(pounding gavel)

"The gentlemen will cease their conversation. The time of 30 seconds has expired. All members are asked to address their remarks through the chair."

Obey: I yield myself one additional minute....and through the chair, I would invite the member to name a specific piece of congressional pork in this bill. He cannot because there is none. He's at least had enough time to read the bill to know that.

I used to live in Culberson's district. He's a total bag of vagina wash that almost killed light rail in Houston.