DC is Broken

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/7/18/10279/6256

DC is Broken

by BooMan
Mon Jul 18th, 2011 at 10:27:09 AM EST


Washington Post reporter Dan Balz was on Chuck Todd's MSNBC show this morning and, among other things, he said that we have already had a default in Washington DC. We've had a default of politics. I think that's about right. There are a lot of shortcomings in our political system that are essentially permanent features that are built in by our Constitution and other laws and by rulings of the Supreme Court. But most of us can live with those shortcomings. We've known them our whole lives, or nearly so. What we can't live with is a politics of perpetual crisis, with gridlock and effective minority control of the Senate. It needs to be understood that the Democrats have only nominal control of the Senate. They can prevent most things from coming to the floor and they have near-total control of the calendar. But only the Republicans can actually pass a bill. Without control of the House, even passing some things by a simple majority under budget reconciliation rules is no longer possible. It didn't used to be this way.

The Senate's 60-vote requirement simply doesn't work when the two parties are completely diametrically opposed to each other on almost every single issue under the Sun. Why would we want a system where the party with less members has to approve everything from the appointment of cabinet members, to the confirmation of judges, to whether or not to adjourn or recess?

Our politics are broken. The only way to fix our politics is for one side of this game to prevail in overwhelming fashion and change the rules so that we can have a government capable of taking decisions and reacting to crises rather than one that is at constant loggerheads and just bounces from one crisis to the next without ever resolving anything.

What we have now is just dysfunctional gov't and the politics of paralysis. You don't want to see gov't by decree by either side.

Dictatorships generally don't have happy endings.

In fact they are going to. We are doing literally nothing to fix things.

The Revolution is Waiting.

Let's not misunderstand the situation. The odds are against us, but aren't they always?

Viva!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCyK_IDqcpU/TVquHhuBQiI/AAAAAAAAAWk/Q-xLGHr16PY/s1600/cuban+posters_jesus.jpg

hope until it's beyond the tipping point, then they will revolt. It wont be pretty and I most likely wont turn out well. But it will happen.

The Revolution is Waiting.

Anyone who thinks you can just swap out President Obama with a "real" Democrat and expect to see a difference is dreaming.

It's pretty simple: R's control the House and have filibuster power in the Senate.

And they're willing to make the most of both of those, even if there's nothing to be gained other than thwarting Democrats.

How can this be solved?

If you think so, you are part of the problem. This is a war between the ruling class and the lower classes and many Democrats support the ruling class. Dont fool yourself.

The Revolution is Waiting

Obama's sweep into office in 08 was such a moment, but instead of using his mandate to ramrod through the policies he campaigned on he took a conciliatory approach that allowed the GOP to regroup and become stronger.

The government is a disaster. DC is broken indeed.

That is true.

easily fooled.

all of the time. And those are the ones I want.

beginning of a session to abolish the filibuster. Neither party is willing to do this because they want to be able to stop the other party when the tables are turned and THEY are in the minority. Which means the Senate will never work again in the way in which it was intended. Sooo...

Abolish the Senate entirely. Of course, that would take either a revolution or a constitutional convention, or maybe the former to make the latter possible. At any rate, the Senate is worthless. Let's get rid of it. And corporate personhood and the corporate veil, too.

Then maybe people will actually be politically engaged because the majority will actually be able to DO things that will impact their lives after every election.

A multi-party congress is needed where various parties form coalitions around specific issues.

I just hope we can snap them out of it before it's too late. It's getting pretty close to too late now. The 60 vote requirement can't work if one group acts like the Republicans and even vote against there own Ideas if they find out they have support from their opposition. Those fools even vote against what the people really want just to try to destroy their opposition. I can't see how that policy can work in the long run. We shall see.