Dems and Reps differ in what they want to control, but both parties spend significant effort making others bend to their will. Honestly, I’d rather they spend more time leaving us alone than trying to “fix” us.

As for Republicans being accused of insisting on my way or the highway: sometimes saying “absolutely not” is the proper answer. Meeting in the middle is reckless when ideas from the other side are so far removed from sanity that compromise still results in the stuff of Socialist’s wet dreams.
Total Comments by wuzafuzz: 7

The Dems might choose to give some concession in an alliance with the Kosmopolitan party out of fear that the Kosmopolitans would instead ally themselves with the Republicans. A compromise that they have a hand in may be much better than a compromise that excludes their input.

Three parties with equal reprentation simply couldn’t choose utter division if they intended to pass ANY legislation – because they wouldn’t have any power without an ally.
Total Comments by kosmo: 589

Until next time…

“Your article though is exactly the reason things are divided and things do not get done. It’s conservatives way or the highway, there is no compromising with your side…”

I contend that there is no pointing that stick at the right any more than the wrong…I mean left. When you have Nancy Pelosi saying that she doesn’t care how they do it but they’re going to ram socialized medicine down our throats if they have to walk, run, leap, jump, parachute, poll vault, sky dive or any other method needed to pass it….that my friend is Non-Negotiable.

You can try to put the blame all on the right, but you’d be way off base. Think of Cap and Trade, offshore drilling, health care, TARP, etc and you’ll see that there is no negotiating with the current administration, house/senate majority and the liberals as-a-whole.

I couldn’t forget to say that Republicans didn’t drag the country into a war on 9/12. Every Patriot stood up that day for America, for the sanctity of life and for our future. Some however wanted out before the troops were finished. We’re now in the same boat with the Afghan war which Obama has declared to be “his war”.

A final thought, it would be interesting to see how Kosmo’s idea of several parties worked out. Currently the 3rd party works as a spoiler and not much else. I think it could work with multiple parties, but only if it completely broke up the Republicans and Dems. If one party split and the other didn’t it would just act as another spoiler.

Some good spirited discussion today boys. I will look forward to this again!

Squeaky…
Total Comments by Squeaky: 187

If you want to get very technical, there were never 60 Democrats in the Senate.

Martin says “… impeachment process that was developed to get Nixon was written at least parcially by Hillary Clinton”

huh. That’s interesting. I would have guessed she wasn’t old enough for that. Looking at her Wikipedia entry, it’s showing a stint as a congressional legal counsel after graduation from law school in 1973 and before moving to Arkansas in 1974. I wonder how much actual input she had as a brand new lawyer?

Anyway, interesting trivia that I was not aware of.
Total Comments by kosmo: 589

There however were 40 votes against almost anything, so just one democrat not voting the same way which would have happened in most instances, especially when one “Democrat” Lieberman sides with the Republicans more these days especially on any issue that gets media attention. That vote alone lost loses a 60th vote.

As for now with 41 Republicans in the Senate. I’d say there are probably about 45 votes that are a lock, 5 that are almost a certainty, 8 that are going to be the quesiton marks, and then Lieberman’s vote that if it is a piece of legislation getting media attention than he sides with Republicans these days and if it doesn’t get media attention he sides with democrats. However there are now 41 votes that are a lock for no and not open to debate, so in reality the Republicans are more a part of the problem than the solution as well.

This whole 60 vote thing in the Senate is a legacy of when the liberals were in the minority. Both sides have to remember, that anything they do today will come back to haunt them in the future. (i.e. the impeachment process that was developed to get Nixon was written at least parcially by Hillary Clinton, and it was used against Clinton when he was under fire.)

We need to all step back, calm down and reduce the victriol. It serves no purpose to declare someone unpatriotic, unconsionalbe, unamerican, etc. That does not mean that when you disagree, you can’t say you disagree, just be polite about it.
Total Comments by Martin Kelly: 184

However there are plenty of offensive and slimy dirtbags on the conservative side of the spectrum as well as many more nutcases that should be institutionalized on that side of the spectrum as well.

Also the time we actually came together after 9/11 was squdered by conservatives by dragging us into a war that had absolutley nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11 as well as creating an atmosphere that you must be for everything the administration says in does or you are label as unAmerican, unpatirotic, etc.

Your article though is exactly the reason things are divided and things do not get done. It’s conservatives way or the highway, there is no compromising with your side, and actually even when it is something that historically is an issue of yours, because a “liberal” President is proposing them you are suddenly against them. Also your article seems to lay the sole reason for division today as being caused by liberals, there is plenty of reason for divisiveness on every side of the spectrum, but if you want might want to look in the mirror and see why things are divisive as well.