Senate blows through DEFCON-1, nukes itself

[Captain ******* Kirk]

2. **** the filibuster. If you win elections you should be able to put your policy into effect. The US Constitution has enough veto points without making it even harder to get stuff done. Westminster systems are looking more and more appealing to me for precisely this reason, in those systems if a party has a majority and bad stuff happens you can clearly point out who's to blame, while in the US system power is so divided that it's hard to know who to blame when stuff goes wrong which makes it harder to discipline politicians for doing dumb stuff via elections.

QFMFT

I don't know who this guy is, but he's ok.

[DaShi]

Why were you expecting that? Sitting presidents have the advantage of incumbency, which the Democrats won't have in 2016.

Because that's what you said before the election with just as much certainty.

[Captain ******* Kirk]

No, I didn't. The economic models had the election as a toss-up, and I made a Romney call at the last minute while saying that it could really go either way depending on turnout. Obama obviously won the turnout battle handily, much to his credit.

[DaShi]

Let's pretend I vehemently disagreed with you, we argued back and forth for 3 pages, and then each decided that we won and weren't going to humor the other's nonsense anymore.

[DinoDoc]

Now that the Democrats have given up on 2014 in the Senate, has guy started picking an avatar for ken?

[kentonio]

Ok.

[Captain ******* Kirk]

Prospect theory, a predictive model of economic behavior, stipulates that when a person begins to come to terms with increasingly likely losses, they become risk-takers. Losses sting, the theory asserts, more than gains reward. Thus, risk-seeking behavior increases as the acute pain of an imminent loss comes clearly into focus.

Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto astutely cited prospect theory on Thursday in the wake of the unprecedented maneuver by Senate Democrats to change the rules of the Senate by a simple majority vote along party lines.

The long-considered but never invoked “nuclear option” was appealed to at a conspicuous time. The ground is collapsing out from under Democratic feet. In a panic, they are falling back on maneuvers which mitigate immediate pain and provide short-term gains, all the while acknowledging that the risks they are taking are high and the prospect of long-term advantage extremely low.

In Their Panic, Democrats Become Reckless Gamblers

[regexcellent]

Meanwhile we continue to hear self-reassuring platitudes from the left that the Republicans are a "dying party" because of this or that demographic shift. 2014 can't come soon enough.

[Ban Kenobi]

Now that the Democrats have given up on 2014 in the Senate, has guy started picking an avatar for ken?

Let's not be hasty. Don't assume avatar uploads will be working a year from now.

[MrFun]

Remember back in 2005, when Republican administration was on receiving end of filibusters and Republicans bitched and moaned about it?

But now that Republican congresspersons have been doing the filibustering, Republican apolytoners seem fine with it. I hate the stench of hypocrisy; it makes me sick.

[Ban Kenobi]

If you really couldn't stand hypocrisy you would be a cynic who hates all politicians instead of being a Democratic partisan drone.

[Wiglaf]

Remember back in 2005, when Republican administration was on receiving end of filibusters and Republicans bitched and moaned about it?

But now that Republican congresspersons have been doing the filibustering, Republican apolytoners seem fine with it. I hate the stench of hypocrisy; it makes me sick.

What is an "Apolytoner?" Is that like a Directoner, or a Belieber? YOU FEEL SICK BECAUSE YOU HAVE ADVANCED HIV, GET A SHOVEL, FIND A PLOT OF FALLOW LAND AND CONTACT A MORTICIAN :MAD:

[rah]

Remember back in 2005, when Republican administration was on receiving end of filibusters and Democrats said it was their right?

But now that Republican congresspersons have been doing the filibustering, Democrat apolytoners ***** and moan about it. I hate the stench of hypocrisy; it makes me sick.

FTFY

[MrFun]

FTFY

I think either party filibustering 80+ office holding appointments of one president would be absurd, wasteful, and spiteful with no value.

[rah]

Your opinion. I've already stated that I don't like it when either side does it. But dems saying how evil it is now when the shoe is on the other foot is equally hypocritical.