Clarify...

In your opinion...

Of course in my opinion...

Ah, so if the American People disagree with you they are ignorant...

Now yer just being obtuse...

The American people are ignorant of many MANY aspects of National Security..

Complete and utter bullshit. Compare any modern industrialized society that has banned or heavily restricted guns and you will find a murder rate at least an order of magnitude lower than ours. You are the one to cherry pick on this issue as I have proven my times...

You have SAID it many times..

You haven't proven dick.. :D

What's up with the replying to your own comments? You seem to be doing it a lot recently. Are you becoming one of those crazy people that has long conversations with themselves that most people cross the street to avoid?

Just an addendum to my original point.. :D

Michale

Or at least you have spoken for them...

Innaccurate...

The will of the people is important unless it is a danger to themselves or others...

In your opinion...

The problem with that is, in areas of National Security or Public Safety a position taken by the American people is taken in ignorance...

Ah, so if the American People disagree with you they are ignorant...

Only if you cherry pick your statistics. Overall, statistics AND public opinion show that an armed society is a SAFE society..

Complete and utter bullshit. Compare any modern industrialized society that has banned or heavily restricted guns and you will find a murder rate at least an order of magnitude lower than ours. You are the one to cherry pick on this issue as I have proven my times...

[22]

What's up with the replying to your own comments? You seem to be doing it a lot recently. Are you becoming one of those crazy people that has long conversations with themselves that most people cross the street to avoid?

And the ONLY reason ya'all have a problem with it is that ya'all don't like what the people said...

So much so that ya'all even refuse to acknowledge that the people said it...

Michale

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
-RUSH

"Failure to make a decision is a decision in itself."
-Captain James T. Kirk

Either by commission or omission, the American people have spoken...

Translation: the will of the people is important except when it conflicts with your personal agenda.

Innaccurate...

The will of the people is important unless it is a danger to themselves or others...

There is absolutely no reason that a democracy based society could chose to run fast and free with both national security or public safety if it is the will of a significant majority.

The problem with that is, in areas of National Security or Public Safety a position taken by the American people is taken in ignorance...

There is also a bit of hypocrisy here as you support gun rights, which statistically goes heavily against public safety...

Only if you cherry pick your statistics. Overall, statistics AND public opinion show that an armed society is a SAFE society..

AND a polite society...

Michale

I think if you look at voter turnout and demographics, you will see the "average worker" totally and unequivocally did not care and sat this one out...

In areas outside of National Security or Public Safety, is the will of the American people more important than Party agenda??

Translation: the will of the people is important except when it conflicts with your personal agenda.

There is absolutely no reason that a democracy based society could chose to run fast and free with both national security or public safety if it is the will of a significant majority. I would hope they would not, but would also hate to live in a society that that choice is taken away...

There is also a bit of hypocrisy here as you support gun rights, which statistically goes heavily against public safety...

In areas outside of National Security or Public Safety, is the will of the American people more important than Party agenda??

It's a simple YES or NO question...

Betcha no one can answer...

Michale

The simple fact is, the American people overwhelmingly chose the Republicans to lead and the Democrats to follow...

As annoying as it is, it's really that simple...

Michale

And yet, the "average worker" totally and unequivocally decimated the ranks of Democrat politicians in local, state and federal elections and put Republicans in their stead....

Apparently, the "average worker" now feels that Republicans are better suited to govern than Democrats...

I'm just sayin'.. :D

Michale

A min wage increase of 25 CENTS passed in all 5 states...

That's hardly support for Democrats and their desire to up it to $10 or $20 an hour...

Tell ya what.. If you get Democrats to agree to a min wage increase of 50 cents per hour, I can GUARANTEE you that Republicans will go along.. :D

Republicans don't care a bit for the average worker. They never have, and they never will. .

And Democrats do???

If this is true, explain why under Obama and the Demcorats, the top 10% got richer and the middle class and the lower class got poorer...

Michale

OK, now we're getting somewhere. The American people overWHELMingly support an increase in the minimum wage. I can prove this by the 2014 election, where it passed in all 5 states it was up for a vote. 4 of those states were red states -- this is not some "liberal conspiracy" in other words.

So, how many quatloos do you want to bet that Republicans will never bring it up with their new control of Congress?

Republicans don't care a bit for the average worker. They never have, and they never will. No matter what the polls (or "the American people") say.

-CW

Just to let everyone know in advance...

That'll be past my bedtime, so I'll catch up in the morning.. :D

Michale

Again, by your logic...

In general, yes, I would agree with that...

However, you would have to pick out specific agendas and provide the polls that show that the American people were for or against specific agenda items...

You have to remember, in the days after the 2008 election, I was fully and completely on board with Obama's agenda....

In HINDSIGHT, it probably wouldn't have been a good idea to give the Democrat Party a free hand.. This country would be in WORST shape than it already is..

But yes... If the polls showed that the American people were firmly for/against A, B and C, then Republicans should have responded accordingly...

Michale

With the exception of National Security or Public Safety, the will of the American people is priority number one..

The Democrat Party forgot that... TWICE...

Hence the Great Shellacking Of 2010 and the Great Nuclear Shellacking Of 2014....

And, if the Republicans forget that, then THEY might get shellacked in 2016....

"And so it goes and so it goes...."
-Billy Joel

Michale

After the election of 2008, when the American people clearly rebuked the Republicans, then they should have helped Obama and the Democrats pass their agenda, instead of fighting everything tooth and nail, right?

Again, by your logic...

-CW

I will be posting a "snap reaction" column after Obama's speech. Hence, it will appear a little later than usual.

Just to let everyone know in advance...

-CW

It would be no different than what Harry Reid did when he eliminated the filibuster..

Democrats may have considered such tactics in their heart of hearts, but they weren't foolish enough to go through with them.

Except when Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster..

You also are jumping to the conclusion that I support all the decisions and methods of the democrats in recent years.

Yes I am.. Mainly because I haven't heard anyone (sans yours truly) denouncing Democrat decisions or methods...

Silence gives assent, as they say... :D

I also do think that the democrats have used flawed processes, but I think the republicans are more to blame because they have continuously changed what they have considered an acceptable compromise to the point of ridiculousness.

I disagree... What you call "point of ridiculousness" is nothing more than the Republicans basically doing what they were hired to do..

Reign in Democrats..

That's the point of fact that you simply cannot deny...

The American people have UNEQUIVOCALLY stated to the Democrat Party.....

***STOP!!!!!!!***

And the Republicans have been put in power to do that very thing...

It's not the Republicans that are being ridiculous.. It's the Democrats who are being ridiculous for not listening to the American people..

And, since Democrats are listening, the Republicans are fully justified to make sure that Democrats can't do any more harm..

Hence, the idea to totally castrate Democrats in Congress is both logical and rational, given the stance and the orders of the American people...

"Simple logic"
-Spock, STAR TREK IV, THE FINAL FRONTIER

:D

Michale

You also are jumping to the conclusion that I support all the decisions and methods of the democrats in recent years. I straight up stated that it has long been a tradition in American politics (to clarify, that is regardless of political party) to ignore the problems of the American people. I didn't state that it would be something new, only that it's not something that should be directly set forth as part of a political agenda. I also do think that the democrats have used flawed processes, but I think the republicans are more to blame because they have continuously changed what they have considered an acceptable compromise to the point of ridiculousness.

"So say we all..."

Michale

Nope, you totally missed where I am coming from...

The problem facing Americans are caused by an out of control Democrat Party who ignores the will of the people to pursue an agenda that is harmful to this country..

By taking the fight to the Democrats in Congress rather than Obama, it will force the Democrats to pressure Obama to put the country ahead of his agenda..

Most obviously, it involves congress and the senate completely ignoring the problems of the American people.

You mean, like how Democrats have been doing for the last 6 years???

The problem with your entire comment is that it ignores what the problem is...

The problem is a Democrat Party that cares more for their partisan agenda than they do for the American people..

WHICH, I might add, the American people made totally and unequivocally clear in the last mid-term elections...

Lastly, I think the idea that backing democrats into a corner by stripping away their power in order to force them to force Obama to capitulate is a flawed concept in and of itself.

You didn't think there was a flaw when Democrats were doing it to Republicans??

I think that rather than accepting the republican power grab

There hasn't been any "republican power grab"... There has been an election where the American people made unequivocally and indisputably clear that the Democrat way is NOT the way the American people want to go..

The people have spoken...

The Democrats are ignoring the American people..

So, the best course for Republicans is to remind the Democrat Party *WHO* the people have chosen...

Thanx for the reply, though.. I have been getting lonely.. :D

Michale

If I understood correctly, your solution for the GOP would be to completely ignore the problems facing Americans in favor of stripping away all political power from the minority party in an attempt to back them so thoroughly into a corner that they'll surrender unconditionally? This seems like a terrible plan on multiple levels.

Most obviously, it involves congress and the senate completely ignoring the problems of the American people. While this may be something of a tradition in American politics, it's certainly not one that should be done intentionally.

Secondly, it would be destroying the minority party's ability to check the power of the majority party. While I do think that the filibuster has been abused in recent years, I have never thought that it should be removed. I have supported a change in the filibuster to reduce the requirements to break it over time, but never to remove it outright. While I do not have evidence handy, I suspect that a majority of Americans would feel similarly, and see the complete removal of the filibuster and power from the minority party to be a huge power grab by republicans (as they would have had democrats done the same thing while they were in power).

Lastly, I think the idea that backing democrats into a corner by stripping away their power in order to force them to force Obama to capitulate is a flawed concept in and of itself. That would essentially be bullying, and doing so would likely be unpopular with the American people in general. Another problem is that bullied people don't always just submit to it. When pressed enough, some people will circle the wagons and even lash out in unpredictable ways. I think that rather than accepting the republican power grab and surrendering, they would find alternate ways to fight back, and possibly even unify in a way that the democratic party hasn't been able to in years, if ever.

Imagine the consequences of such unbridled in the hands of a Republican POTUS...

That alone should have ya'all speaking out against Obama's plans...

Michale

Obama's executive overreach... Or the Ferguson rioting and looting..

Michale

The First Rule of Amnesty Fight Club
Don’t make this a battle between Congress and the president. Make it a battle within Congress.
http://thefederalist.com/2014/11/19/the-first-rule-of-amnesty-fight-club/

That would ALSO have the advantage of being personally satisfying to me as well...

Michale

That's not leadership.

That's the OPPOSITE of leadership...

Keep in mind, that the Republicans and the American people are on the same side in these issues...

Michale