U.S. Electile Dysfunction 2016

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by Primeinator

Is it as polarized as it is in the USA?

I think a great solution is to have the two parties play full-contact football or hockey. Oh, and with no pads or helmets. I think inherently the two parties want what is best for America but they (often) have different ideas on how to achieve that goal. Perhaps a few concussions and splinted limbs would make them more agreeable to being compromising.

Edit: I also like the idea of putting them in a giant Hunger Games type arena filled wild and hungry predators. Cooperate or become bear food. Yep, it is time to wake up now... cooperation will never happen in an environment where putting your foot in the "demilitarized zone" between the left and right will get you crucified/stoned by your own party.

The polarisation varies of course from one European country to another, and some of Europe might be just as divided as the USA is. But a lot of Europe has the huge advantage that there are more than two electable parties. The poles are there and dominating (in Poland and elsewhere, and I meant poles with a small 'p'), but there is quite often sufficient in-between to allow just one pole plus fillers in the resulting coalition. But the coalition does still keep swapping its pole from one election to the next, meaning that the work of one coalition gets undone by the next one. The two poles certainly don't co-operate with each other now that they are further apart than ever.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by Primeinator

Is it as polarized as it is in the USA?

As Brian says, it depends. For a very long time the UK has been essentially a two-party state with a small admixture of minor parties. Whigs & Tories, then Conservatives and Liberals, then Conservatives and Labour.

Hmm, I wonder where the US got their ideas from.

[davar55]

Originally Posted by xilman

As Brian says, it depends. For a very long time the UK has been essentially a two-party state with a small admixture of minor parties. Whigs & Tories, then Conservatives and Liberals, then Conservatives and Labour.

Hmm, I wonder where the US got their ideas from.

From men like Shakespeare, Locke, Newton, many others in our common ancient history.

[only_human]

Good riddance to the worst Congress ever

The 113th Congress this week went the way of the dodo — literally.

The lawmakers of the 2013-2014 legislative session finally put themselves out of their misery but not before Harry Reid’s Senate passed one final piece of legislation: S. Res. 564, marking “the centennial of the passenger pigeon extinction.”

The 113th Congress was responsible for the 16-day government shutdown in 2013, preceded and inspired by the “Green Eggs and Ham” filibuster by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.).

According to a tally by the Library of Congress, 296 bills were presented to the president by this Congress — nearly the same as the 284 presented by the previous Congress, the fewest of any Congress since the counts began in the 1940s. (The “do nothing” Congress of 1948 passed about 900.) More than 10 percent of the bills presented were about naming or renaming things and awarding medals.

House Speaker John Boehner said last year that Congress should be judged not by laws passed but by “how many laws we repeal.” To calculate that, you add the ones column, the tens and the hundreds, and you get — let’s see here — zero.

The gushing sewer of money into politics — some $4 billion spent on this year’s midterm elections, a record — further undermined Americans’ trust. Gallup found that Americans’ approval of Congress averaged 15 percent in 2014 and a record low 14 percent in 2013. Disdain was shared equally by Republican, Democratic and independent respondents.

[ewmayer]

Jeb Bush: The Forrest Gump of Financial Improprieties? | Naked Capitalism

[kladner]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Jeb Bush: The Forrest Gump of Financial Improprieties? | Naked Capitalism

From the article, regarding Tiny Turbo Tim-

It is remarkable that Turbo Timmy not only failed to clean up his non-reporting of IMF income prior to his nomination to the Treasury Secretary post, but then was cheeky enough to not pay back the underpayment that was past the statute of limitations. Played like the banker he is.

Another great mind, like that of Clarence Thomas, which could not figure out forms encompassed by its purported area of expertise. Also, someone high and mighty, like Clarence, who got away with years-late tax amendments without penalty.

[only_human]

The Kochs put a price on 2016: $889 million - politico.com

Told of the $889 million goal, Mark McKinnon, a veteran GOP operative who has worked to rally Republican support to reduce the role of money in politics, quipped: “For that kind of money, you could buy yourself a president. Oh, right. That’s the point.”

[tha]

Placeholder.

(or teaser)

[R.D. Silverman]

Originally Posted by tha

Placeholder.

(or teaser)

I will start.

We need a law that limits how long pre-election campaigning/publicity/debate/etc. can be conducted.

A modest proposal:

No one is allowed to announce that they are running until 6 months before the election date. (yes; this is in conflict
with free speech)

I want to suggest that this entire thread be deleted until next year.

[Xyzzy]

We struggled to find as thread to post this in. Hopefully this one is okay:

http://www.chron.com/news/politics/t...am-6048881.php

Earlier in the morning, Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, commented on the gathering.

"I did leave an Israeli flag on the reception desk in my office with instructions to staff to ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws. We will see how long they stay in my office," she wrote on Facebook.

[schickel]

Well, that was quick: Mitt Romney Says No to 2016 Presidential Run.

For Mitt Romney, it appears that the third time is not the charm.

On a conference call with supporters on Friday, Romney said he was taking a pass on another White House bid.