Comments on: Easiest. Prediction. Ever.

By: Calvin

Calvin — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:42:55 +0000

Sent this memo to Howard Dean:
Why should I send you money??? You don’t need me to send money till the Dems already in power start supporting each other. Howard Dean and the Dems couldn’t help a real Texan – Rodriquez beat a fake Dem Bush kisser Cuellar. How sorry is that? Did Pelosi or Hillary show up to help? NO!!! Also, Houston/Galveston had voting problems AGAIN, in the Republicans favor – AGAIN!!! Imagine that. You fake Dems are just Millionaires ripping off poor people for money. You couldn’t win a high school election against a tenth grader who isn’t eligle to vote. Oh yeah, why should I vote for Dems who sold us out on war, bankruptcy, health care, veterans benefits, wire tapping, Katrina, port security, outsourcing, insourcing, immigration, pensions, Supreme Court, and the un-patriot act? And you had the gaul to vote yourself a pay raise. Vote yourself fundraising while you’re at it, why don’t you?!? You sure you Dems aren’t closet Republicans? Karl Rove kicks your sorry asses every election. No amount of money is gonna stop that. Get a job like the rest of us.

Signed,

Disgusted in Texas

By: expatUSA_Indonesia

expatUSA_Indonesia — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 06:11:24 +0000

#59 – Sounds very American but while we are at it, let’s burn the American media to the ground and if the fire reaches the corporations that own them, let corporate political power burn to the ground as well.

Specific elements of the unAmerican neo-fascist cult currently governing from the sewers of the American political, business, religious, and media communities should be arrested, tried, and if found guilty, lined up and shot for crimes committed against the American people.

By: RightPunch

RightPunch — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 02:26:36 +0000

“Elections are the citizens voting on politicians. In a pure democracy we the people would instead vote directly on issues. No politicians. Comment by Seth II”

That’s a half truth sweetie. Greece had a true democracy and politicians. The politicians were responsible for running the operations that were dictated by the democracy, they were also elected by the democracy. They also brought forth legislation for the democracy to vote on, in addition to executing the requested legislation.

A democracy doesn’t mean no politician, it simply means a direct vote on all critical matters of state or political and state decisions.

Unfortunately it’s not very scalable in a complex society, as the issues are as complex is the state is. That’s why our politicians are so swamped, and are so busy they never bother actually reading the legislation they vote on. It’s the like the worst case scenario of voter referendum. Our Democracy is so complex, and our politicians are so busy ‘raising money’, that they now face the same problem that democracy does. Not enough time for those who must vote to actually be informed enough to vote. Perhaps the republic isn’t scalable either, or just maybe we need a different campaign finance strategy since that’s where most of the problems seem to stem from currently.

I don’t really fault either party for this, although the republicans seem more resistent to a public finance scheme to offload the drain of campaign fundraising. Perhaps you can talk some sense into your fellow republicans SethII, or are you one of those who prefers to have our politicians beholding to special interests?

By: Cyra Brown

Cyra Brown — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 02:21:50 +0000

#74- What state do you live in?!? In Washington State we vote on many things, not just politicians. But we have an initiative process in our state. If you can gather enough valid signatures, by the deadline, you can have virtually any issue placed on the ballot, and then let the voters decide. What do they have in your state? We even have an occasional “special election”. Works for us.

By: Seth II

Seth II — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 01:18:37 +0000

Cyra – #66:

Elections are the citizens voting on politicians. In a pure democracy we the people would instead vote directly on issues. No politicians.

By: lpt

lpt — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 00:52:40 +0000

I don’t care if the Democratic party doesn’t have a plan, a message, a slogan, a catchphrase, a secret handshake, a secret bunker, a theme song or anything else. But I do care that they have goals.This is all stuff we know about and have heard before: Health care for every citizen, a quality educational system where every child is valued, fair and affordable housing, fair and livable wages with benefits that won’t insult us, a government that works for ALL of us and not us bowing and scraping to them, and a president that is at least as articulate and diplomatic than I am when I am drunk. Say what you want about the Democrats but they say the same things over and over because they will put the needs of ordinary citizens on their agenda if we give them a chance.

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 22:35:36 +0000

Isn’t it curious — Bush&Co has the press in their back pocket, yet they claim that the press provides mostly bad news on Iraq. What would be in the news if the press wasn’t bought and paid for?
We have already seen that unless there is a huge story in Iraq, we don’t get daily news on Iraq – yet Rummy claims that ain’t so.
Oh, if only the press were populated by real journalists — what would we know.

By: Al

Al — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 22:29:40 +0000

#17
Bush first gained office by a SCOTUS effect, and retained that office by a DIEBOLD effect. The only solution is to turn out all incumbents, Democrat AND Republicans. That will trash the lobbyists game, and maybe our Congress will be responsive to their constituents the way they should be.

By: muckdog

muckdog — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 22:17:22 +0000

#59, “Hating Bush” is not an election theme…

By: WaltTheMan

WaltTheMan — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:57:43 +0000

Itâ€™s time for a deep breath and a bit of anger management!
No, it was the â€œbutterfly ballot effectâ€ that moved about 2800 votes from the Gore column to the Buchanan column in Floridaâ€™s Palm Beach county. There have been innumerable papers on this phenomenon. An example:
http://macht.arts.cornell.edu/wrm1/butterfly.pdf

By: WaltTheMan

WaltTheMan — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:48:34 +0000

I’ll try that again:
No, it was the â€œbutterfly ballot effectâ€ that moved about 2800 votes fron the Gore column the the Buchanan column in Floridaâ€™s Palm Beach county. There have been inumerable papers on this phenominum. An example:
http://macht.arts.cornell.edu/wrm1/butterfly.pdf

By: WaltTheMan

WaltTheMan — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:43:30 +0000

No, it was the “butterfly ballot effect” that moved about 2800 votes fron the Gore column the the Buchanan column in Florida’s Palm Beach county. There have been inumerable papers on this phenominum. An example:
.

By: Cyra Brown

Cyra Brown — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:31:33 +0000

#17- The “Nader Effect”? I suppose that’s how GWB made it too?

#46- You said, if we had pure democracy, we wouldn’t need elections. Then you followed it by saying, we the people would vote… voter turnout would be even lower… So, if we wouldn’t need elections, we the people wouldn’t have any reason to vote, or anything to “turnout” for. Care to clairify?

By: Marie

Marie — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 20:10:12 +0000

I didn’t know TP had a thread on this — I have already sent Babington and Murray an Email.

By: Zookeeper

Zookeeper — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:58:19 +0000

#63 – “impaechemnt”
*snort* I do that too — all the right letters, just not in the right order! Details…

By: Spudge_Boy

Spudge_Boy — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:17:14 +0000

#2 JOHN CONNERS

Coreesa,

John Conners is the guy the terminator was after. John Conyers is the one pushing for Bush’s impaechemnt.

By: Dem02020

Dem02020 — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:09:13 +0000

#2 #6 #9 #35 #48 #49 #50 #51 #55 (and to a lesser extent #41; now watch the removal of a comment change all those numbers)

AT PRESENT, THE MINORITY PARTY IN THE CONGRESS, which stands as a People’s ‘last hope’ against the Corruption and Evil that makes for a Majority in that Congress, and holds the Administration of Government…

That Minority Party, I say, acts as though they are waiting for the ‘Great Compass Needle of Public Opinion’ to gradually come about, and point at them, and sweep them into office this fall, as the answer to all Prayers; as the response to the above-mentioned ‘last hope’.

Waiting I say, they seem to be, that Minority Party; as though there were nothing to do in the face of Corruption and Evil, but simply stand about, and become the ‘default selection’ of the People, once that Corruption and Evil has consumed it’s own reputation at making Law and Administering Government (in addition to consuming all else it can)…

Doing nothing I say, the Minority Party, and waiting to be the ‘default selection’ of the People this fall; as though doing nothing were a qualification to Leadership.

Guess what? If that’s what they think, then they may have another think coming.

Because unless they get out of this idiotic ‘we are the party of default selection’ way of thinking; unless they find at the least a voice (and at the most a body) to start opposing this Corruption and Evil that now inhabits the Congress and the Administration; unless they start doing something…

Then I say, that this doing nothing they seem to be so fond of, will fast become the reason that the People will not make them selection to anything; not by default or any other way; because doing nothing and standing around was never a qualification to leadership anywhere I know of.

Least of all in America, in the face of Corruption and Evil.

Least of all to the American People.

(And #41, the thing you allude to, but do not name, is otherwise called ‘money’; as in Lobbyist-provided, to stand around and be lame, in the face of the Corruption and Evil that takes so much money, from the very same Lobbyists.)

By: Robert Jung

Robert Jung — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 19:02:21 +0000

William: “I’m sure we can pull together, sir.”
Vetinari: “Oh, I do hope not, I really do hope not. Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions. It’s the only way to make progress.”

–Terry Pratchett, The Truth

By: TennesseeDem

TennesseeDem — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 18:46:34 +0000

Agreed #58. Howard Dean needs to understand that we are all aware of the problems. He’s got to understand that the Dems need to be in the solution business.

By: Hardy Haberman

Hardy Haberman — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 18:41:58 +0000

Here is the plan:

1. Regain Congress.
2. Impeach Bush.
3. Impeach Cheney.
4. Criminal Indictments for Bush/Cheney & Cabinet Members.
5. Imprisonment for convicted criminals.
6. Restore Constitutional rights.
7. Repeal billionaire tax breaks.
8. Balance the Budget

Hows that for a plan?