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GOP Won on Economy, So Focus on It

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by KenH, Nov 3, 2010.

  1. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    GOP Won on Economy, So Focus on It

    by David Boaz


    David Boaz is executive vice president of the Cato Institute. He is a co-author, with David Kirby, of the study "The Libertarian Vote in the Age of Obama".

    This article appeared on Politico.com on November 3, 2010.

    It always feels great to win an election. But the real job for fiscal conservatives and smaller-government advocates starts now.

    The usual pattern is that after the election, voters and the activists go back to their normal lives, but organized interests redouble their efforts to influence policymakers. The people who want something from government hire lobbyists, make political contributions and otherwise do all they can to get their hands on taxpayers' money. Meanwhile, the average taxpayer cannot be expected to exert influence on each particular spending bill.

    Tea partiers must change that pattern. They must keep up the pressure on Congress and state legislators.

    ...

    - rest at www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=12529
     
  2. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    OK. (say) In two years unemployment will still be around 10%. Will this election help or hurt Obama?
     
  3. Thousand Hills

    Thousand Hills Active Member

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    It will help Obama, cause he will do what he does best, blame the republicans. "See you all elected these folks, I've tried to work with them, but they won't cooperate" It will be the same ol blame Bush, blah, blah, blah. He's had two years to "effect change" and he has. Only its the kind of change we don't need - wasteful spending, bailouts, etc.
     
  4. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
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    The Republicans won on the economy and is that good for the US? After all we were doing quite well economically until 2000 when the GOP captured the White House to go along with the control of Congress. Look at what happened, the budget surplus turned into a huge deficit, the economy was in a shambles when the 2008 election was held and the party of "NO" did nothing to help the last two years. It is pas time for both parties to stop being obstructionist and begin working together for the good of the country.

    One day I was told that the difference between a Russian optimist and a Russian pessimist goes as follows:

    A Russian optimist will say, "Things can't get any worse."
    A Russian pessimist will reply, "Oh yes they can."

    On this one I am a pessimist in the sense of the two sentences above, things can get worse, much worse. Will they? I hope and pray not.
     
    #4 Crabtownboy, Nov 4, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 4, 2010
  5. RAdam

    RAdam New Member

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    Isn't it funny that this working together stuff comes out once the Democrats have basically no choice but to work with the Republicans.

    Yes, the Republicans made a mess of things. The establishment became corrupt, greedy, and power hungry and they started acting like, well, Democrats, only a poor man's version. I still blame Republicans for the past two years of Obama/Reid/Pelosi. If they had done as they should have, we wouldn't have had this trio shoving terrible legislation down our throats.

    That being said, the Republicans didn't win as much as the Democrats lost. Really, this is the best case scenario. One party controls the house, the other the Senate. They won't likely work together extremely well. Obama is still Obama and Reid is still Reid and the Republican establishment is still the Republican establishment. But, that's all great for us. Why? The past few years of Congressional action has been terrible for the average American. If they can't get much done, that means they won't be putting out crippling legislation on a regular basis, which is great for us.

    The best part of all of this is the American people are more involved and more angry than they have been in a while. If these jackals think they are going to go back to business as usual, they can forget it. Americans are going to hold them accountable. That's what this election was all about. Americans told Congress to stop. Stop passing bill like Obamacare. Stop doing things we are telling you not to do. The Democrats ignored that and it cost them.
     
  6. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    I see the (Republican) Fed is going to make another half trillion disappear into Swiss banks.
     
  7. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Amazing how you leave stuff out.

    More intellectual dishonesty.

    Here's some truth to add to the half-truths you print:

    The Republicans made drunken sailors look thrifty. The surplus evaporated to some degree under them.

    But there were other factors. Big ones.

    Remember that thing called 9/11? Oh yeah, that one. Had an impact on economy, spending, etc. Most of that spending was bipartisan. (No, I didn't agree with quite a bit of it, and I was critical of Bush, the Republican leadership, and the like for much of it).

    Remember the wars? With the exception of a couple folks those were bipartisan. And since we didn't have any coupons, we've been paying full price for them.

    Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Remember Barney Frank and Chris Dodd? Remember the push to loan to everyone--particularly certain groups of folks--for political points (don't worry about little issues like "creditworthiness")? There was the genesis of the housing collapse.

    Oh, and did you happen to remember that in 2006, Democrats took control, and promised the days of crazy deficits were over? (Pelosi's words!) And were you aware that the House is who comes up with appropriations? The Democratic house?

    And were you aware that one of the biggest boondoggles in US history was passed without any Republican input? A lie that has been repeated (by you and others) is that the R's offered no input on healthcare. Wrong...they did; it was simply ignored:

    And finally, were you aware that since the GOP was shut out of any leadership or helping role--they couldn't obstruct as you suggest--since for a significant portion of the time the Dems had a filibuster-proof majority.

    Oh, so now that R's have been put back in front, it's "we" again? Amazing.

    And one other thing: Since Obama's veto will stop any meaningful change (such as the repeal of the unconstitutional, economy-wrecking, anti-freedom Obamacare)--obstruction is all that can be done, sometimes. Give me a stalemate any day over evil legislation!
     
    #7 rbell, Nov 4, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2010
  8. Andy T.

    Andy T. Active Member

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    From everything I've heard and read, I think the down economy was secondary to the GOP gains this election. The number one reason bar none was Obamacare (and didn't you support Obamacare at one point, Ken?) Think about it, if we do not have Obamacare, the GOP may have picked up some seats, but not 60+. People woke up an realized it was the most destructive piece of legislation since the SCOTUS legislated Roe v. Wade from the bench.
     
  9. Bro. Curtis

    Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>
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    This is a lie. The dems still control the Fed, and will even after the lame duck session is over. But I doubt ole' Union Bill will say a bad thing about them.

    Nice try.
     
  10. KenH

    KenH Well-Known Member

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    I turned my back on the Democratic Party and the Republican Party about 18 months ago and came back home electorally where I have been philosophically since about 1980.

    I'm libertarian 'til I die,
    I'm libertarian 'til I die,
    I think I am, I know I am,
    I'm libertarian 'til I die.

    :)
     
  11. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Actually, you've turned more than a barbecue rotisserie.


     
  12. poncho

    poncho Well-Known Member

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    http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=68540

    http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=68539

    Both parties have become rather used to ignoring "we the people". We're going to toggle back and forth between feeding the warfare state and feeding the welfare state until we're to broke to even pay attention.
     
    #12 poncho, Nov 4, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 4, 2010
  13. Andy T.

    Andy T. Active Member

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    Since 1980? Except for that time when you supported the stimulus bill and health care, which made you philosophically a liberal, not libertarian. So you can't say you've been libertarian (philosophically or practically) since 1980 when you unapolgetically supported such measures. You flipped-flopped, plain and simple. And such a drastic change back and forth like that indicates mental instability if you ask me.
     
  14. FR7 Baptist

    FR7 Baptist Active Member

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    Andy, do you think Ken needs mental help?
     
  15. John Toppass

    John Toppass Active Member
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    Actually, it seems that the republicans won not only on the economy but because of the Obamacare bill that was passed. Obamacare may have even been more responsible than the economy for the "shellacking" Obama and his pro-murder party took
     
  16. AresMan

    AresMan Active Member
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    It depends on what they do.
    Actually, the dot-com bubble was just beginning to burst. It was the same type of situation as the housing bubble: the illusion of prosperity.
    Agreed.
    Actually, they did too much before. President Bush and some Republicans went along with bailouts, which frosted me, proving that they do not really understand the free market economics that they allege to believe.
    The "working together" almost always means the so-called "compromise" of statism.

    It is past time for both parties to get their grubby hands off the economy and let it rebalance and restructure itself instead of trying to inflate more bubbles that burst and cause depressions.
    Things will get worse as long as elitists from either party continue to believe that they have to "do something" to "help the economy." Things will get worse as long as the Fed continues to believe that "quantitative easing" (aka inflation) helps the economy.
     
  17. Andy T.

    Andy T. Active Member

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    I don't know the extent of his problems, so I can't comment on that. Not all mental instability requires professional help. But I do know that such wild/quick/drastic fluctuations back and forth in one's professed worldview is abnormal.
     
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