Who are American politicians beholden to? The People? The Constitution?

[Al B. Sure!]

Nonsense. 4 years, zero budgets. If he were willing to work with Republicans, he would have passed the first budget he saw when the Democrats controlled both houses.

[Hauldren Collider]

Actually, that was one of Ben's only reasonable posts. Except for the "first budget he saw". The truth is that they didn't want to pass a budget that would be on the record as increasing the deficit, though they seemed to have abandoned their pretext of deficit reduction wholesale.

[Hauldren Collider]

I think that image would be funnier, by the way, if it were a picture of Obama knocking over the cheese puffs and going, "Goddammit, George Bush!"

[Al B. Sure!]

I think that image would be funnier, by the way, if it were a picture of Obama knocking over the cheese puffs and going, "Goddammit, George Bush!"

[Imran Siddiqui]

That doesn't mean that every word that came out of his mouth was instant GOP orthodoxy.

Then neither was Reagan's. However, a whole host of folks would make it so.

Besides, from 1950s to 1980, Progressive Republicanism was the majority Republican view. Only Goldwater in that time was a 'conservative' nominee for President from the Republican side. And, of course, in 1980, the early favorite was George H.W. Bush, a major figure in the progressive Republican side, until Reagan surprised the field. Interestingly enough, another progressive Republican in Bob Dole (Gerald Ford's 1976 running mate) was the nominee for the Republicans in 1996.

The whitewashing of the more moderate and progressive sides of the Republican Party from after WW2 has been ghastly.

[Al B. Sure!]

Even Goldwater would become a gay rights activist.


Let's be real. We know what happened. The South happened. When Northernors (and Californians) dominated the Republican party, it had widespread, cross-demographic national appeal

[Hauldren Collider]

Then neither was Reagan's. However, a whole host of folks would make it so.

Reagan was and is very influential. Nixon? Not so much. Resigning in disgrace tends to do that to you.

[Hauldren Collider]

Even Goldwater would become a gay rights activist.

Goldwater was libertarian.

Let's be real. We know what happened. The South happened. When Northernors (and Californians) dominated the Republican party, it had widespread, cross-demographic national appeal

No, it's more like "conservative" and "republican" and "liberal" and "democrat" became more synonymous, rather than just labels.

[Al B. Sure!]

Reagan was and is very influential. Nixon? Not so much. Resigning in disgrace tends to do that to you.

You didn't answer my question about the Family Assistance Plan.

How about New Federalism? You couldn't get behind that either?


Nixon was an excellent president who unfortunately had his legacy devastated by Watergate.

[DinoDoc]

The whitewashing of the more moderate and progressive sides of the Republican Party from after WW2 has been ghastly.

To be fair the stripes of moderate GOP the party had put up at various times in the last 30 years have been rejected soundly by the voters.

[Al B. Sure!]

To be fair the stripes of moderate GOP the party had put up at various times in the last 30 years have been rejected soundly by the voters.

So the solution is to go more right than the average voter? The median voter theorem say hi

[Imran Siddiqui]

He wasn't influential in his era? Even in Ford, Dole, and H.W. Bush?

Reagan created a sea change in politics. Doesn't mean that Nixon wasn't part of a longstanding Republican tradition.

[DinoDoc]

So the solution is to go more right than the average voter? The median voter theorem say hi

They've rejected all moderate candidates for national office from the GOP for the last 3 decades. I'm also of the opinion the country doesn't need two liberal parties.

[Straybow]

Shall we start with Cap & Trade?

Blah blah blah

Test of kentonio's reasoning skills:
If McCain's Cap & Trade bills were "Republican," then why didn't the Republican controlled House and Senate pass it?

[kentonio]

Test of kentonio's reasoning skills:
If McCain's Cap & Trade bills were "Republican," then why didn't the Republican controlled House and Senate pass it?

Because the modern GOP has become so extremist that they reject ideas that previously were part of mainstream Republican thinking. This is why progressives laugh when the right try and paint Obama as some wild eyed radical. Obama is virtually indistinguishable from a mainstream Republican of yesteryear. Take away the social stuff like gay rights which is simply a result of how western civilization has moved on, and most of the rest is pure center right. It's been said many times, but even Reagan would have been hounded out of todays GOP as a 'RINO'.