The approaching federal government shutdown

[Hauldren Collider]

Right, big bad Pelosi instilled the same party discipline that has been a hallmark of the GOP since I was a gamete.

I'm pretty sure the GOP's ability to run lockstep is mostly because they are more idealogically united, rather than a coalition of sometimes competing interests like the Democrats. (African-Americans, social liberals, unions, environmentalists...)

Also that's a good point DD makes about reconciliation. The Democrats only seem to use it where it ISN'T appropriate.

[giblets]

I like how Republicans are whining about how the Democrats didn't take the opportunity to pass a budget that the Republicans would have hated anyway.

[giblets]

How are the Republicans not a coalition of sometimes competing interests? (rich people, dumb rednecks, gun lovers, christian dominionists...)

Aren't there supposed to be Republicans who aren't bigoted against homosexuals or something, they just hate taxes?

[Jon Miller]

A good point from the Economist:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/04/climate_policy?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/loomingcrisis

JM

[giblets]

Ciimate change is pretty much inevitable because of the stupid rednecks who think the greenhouse effect is just a massive conspiracy involving hundreds of scientists.

[DinoDoc]

I like how Republicans are whining about how the Democrats didn't take the opportunity to pass a budget that the Republicans would have hated anyway.

Why do you care what the GOP would have thought?

[Dinner]

Boy that don't sound like Pelosi one bit now does it? They really aren't so different.

Actually no. I wish it was but the truth is trying to get a big tent party like the Dems to vote in lock step is like trying to herd cats. That's always been the problem with the Democrats.

[giblets]

Why do you care what the GOP would have thought?

Who said I care?

[DinoDoc]

That's always been the problem with the Democrats.

I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers

[Hauldren Collider]

I like how Republicans are whining about how the Democrats didn't take the opportunity to pass a budget that the Republicans would have hated anyway.

The point is that the democrats passed up an opportunity to make their own budget while they had the chance, but instead decided to open up the possibility for this precise controversy either because they wanted to be able to point fingers at the obstructionists or because they couldn't get their **** together. Either way, sloppy governance.

[Barnabas]

I'm pretty sure the GOP's ability to run lockstep is mostly because they are more idealogically united, rather than a coalition of sometimes competing interests like the Democrats. (African-Americans, social liberals, unions, environmentalists...)

Also that's a good point DD makes about reconciliation. The Democrats only seem to use it where it ISN'T appropriate.

It is funny, it is generally the Dems who are see as the homogenous ones, all those things you mentioned, unions, enviromentalism, pro racial minorities, social liberals, are all leftists, and there are plenty of leftists who support all of that.

The republicans are instead seen as an alliance of people who want to pay low taxes with people who think the world is 6000 years old and dinosours roamed all over earth before Noahs flood. And that the two halfs, the economic right and the religious right have little in common.

[Hauldren Collider]

It is funny, it is generally the Dems who are see as the homogenous ones, all those things you mentioned, unions, enviromentalism, pro racial minorities, social liberals, are all leftists, and there are plenty of leftists who support all of that.

The republicans are instead seen as an alliance of people who want to pay low taxes with people who think the world is 6000 years old and dinosours roamed all over earth before Noahs flood. And that the two halfs, the economic right and the religious right have little in common.

Well that's not the way it actually is. The Democrats have more factions than the Republicans. Unions hate the environmentalists, african americans tend to be way more religions (and therefore socially conservative), etc.

[Dinner]

I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. - Will Rogers

Which just goes to show how far back the disunity in the Democratic Party goes and why HC's claim that Pelosi could get Dems to vote in lock step (as the Republicans do) was so laughable.

[DaShi]

I think we've been through this twice already. Why didn't the democrats pass a budget when they had the chance?

Because they can win political points fighting for it now.

[Guynemer]

You know, if we're going to have a so-called "government shutdown," let's have an honest-to-goodness mother****ing government shutdown. No mail. No air-traffic controllers. No Medicare. No border guards. No TSA. No FBI. No CIA. No armed forces. Shut the whole thing mother****ing down. Then we'll see how long this *****ing and moaning about OH NOES SOCIALISMS! lasts.