stick a fork in him

[TommyGunn]

This is how we got to this point to start with. Some people never learn.

Hey buddy, it's not like I'm not open to suggestions .... it's just the ones I've heard are lousier than my own

[birdman]

It would be great if a non-lawyer, perhaps a physician, ran for President.

Engineer (a real one, not Carter) not physician.  Physicians by definition have narrower training, and in general, do not have the experience in decision trades (benefits vs limited resources).  If the dominant concerns can be couched as how to meet a variety of needs with limited capabilities, that's pretty much the definition of an engineering trade.

[Northwoods]

Engineer (a real one, not Carter) not physician.  Physicians by definition have narrower training, and in general, do not have the experience in decision trades (benefits vs limited resources).  If the dominant concerns can be couched as how to meet a variety of needs with limited capabilities, that's pretty much the definition of an engineering trade.

That was a very lightly veiled reference to Ron Paul.

[birdman]

That was a very lightly veiled reference to Ron Paul.

Oops, missed that one.

[roo_ster]

Engineer (a real one, not Carter) not physician.  Physicians by definition have narrower training, and in general, do not have the experience in decision trades (benefits vs limited resources).  If the dominant concerns can be couched as how to meet a variety of needs with limited capabilities, that's pretty much the definition of an engineering trade.

Ah, a Herbert Hoover man, I see.  Progressive technocrats of the world, UNITE! 

[birdman]

Ah, a Herbert Hoover man, I see.  Progressive technocrats of the world, UNITE! 

Damn you. :)

[Jamisjockey]

Paul Ryan spouted off some numbers the other day on a talk show about just how mug legislation the Senate is sitting on.  I have come to realize that whatever we send to the white house isn't going to be nearly as important as taking the senate back.  I feel like Perry will go along with whatever a GOP controlled congress says....so a tea takeover of the party would be our best hope to derail the train of doom.

[Balog]

Hey buddy, it's not like I'm not open to suggestions .... it's just the ones I've heard are lousier than my own

How to get better candidates from the GOP? I dunno, maybe stop voting for whoever they put up just because they have an R by their name? Seems pretty simple to me. If you slavishly vote for the R regardless of who the actual candidate is, the R's have no incentive to care about your opinion on that candidate.

[TommyGunn]

How to get better candidates from the GOP? I dunno, maybe stop voting for whoever they put up just because they have an R by their name? Seems pretty simple to me. If you slavishly vote for the R regardless of who the actual candidate is, the R's have no incentive to care about your opinion on that candidate.

So I should vote for a demorat when the repukes mess up? -- even though most of them are commies? 
Doesn't work for me.
There's a lot of things about the system we have I don't like.
Don't ask me to:
(A.) Vote for my political enemy.
(B.) Vote for some nebulous third party candidate who will get 1.96765% of the vote, but enough to TKO the repuke candidate and put my actual political enemy in office.


If damage must be done, then there is a moral obligation to minimize it.
And let's not keep making the perfect the enemy of the good.   

[roo_ster]

Damn you. :)

I was feeling ornery.

[Balog]

So I should vote for a demorat when the repukes mess up? -- even though most of them are commies? 
Doesn't work for me.
There's a lot of things about the system we have I don't like.
Don't ask me to:
(A.) Vote for my political enemy.
(B.) Vote for some nebulous third party candidate who will get 1.96765% of the vote, but enough to TKO the repuke candidate and put my actual political enemy in office.


If damage must be done, then there is a moral obligation to minimize it.
And let's not keep making the perfect the enemy of the good.   

How about we stop eating poison, because one dose is less than the other?

[Balog]

I do agree that we'll never get a perfect candidate. I don't think we should accept a candidate who will do active harm both to the country as well as the actual conservative movement (I'm looking at you Romney) just because he has an R by his name.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

In my book (which, being mine, is admittedly strange) we are better off with a Democrat president and a Republican house and senate than with Republican control of all three, when the top man is a RINO. A Repub congress won't balk at the liberal measures of a Repub president (see the early Bush years and his Medicare/NCLB stuff), but they will balk at liberal measures of a Dem president (Clinton years, esp. Hillarycare).
We need zombie Grover Cleveland as president.

[TommyGunn]

How about we stop eating poison, because one dose is less than the other?

Water will kill you if you drink too much, so just what is considered poison?
Look, YOU find the perfect candidate, tell me who it is, THEN I will take it under advisement.  'Til then I will use my own judgement as to which jackwagon gets my vote.


And when the world is perfect I will live forever. 

[Balog]

Pretty ragged strawman you have there. I suggest reading the post right above yours.

[TommyGunn]

Pretty ragged strawman you have there. I suggest reading the post right above yours.

OK, I give up.  Screw trying to get a conservative government.  Let's get a divided govt. so nothing much happens, which is admittedly better than what we had for the 1st two years of Obama, but still a half-measure.  You guys stick to those. 

In my book (which, being mine, is admittedly strange) we are better off with a Democrat president and a Republican house and senate than with Republican control of all three, when the top man is a RINO. A Repub congress won't balk at the liberal measures of a Repub president (see the early Bush years and his Medicare/NCLB stuff), but they will balk at liberal measures of a Dem president (Clinton years, esp. Hillarycare).
We need zombie Grover Cleveland as president.

Better off NOT with a demo president.

I don't think we should accept a candidate who will do active harm both to the country as well as the actual conservative movement (I'm looking at you Romney) just because he has an R by his name.

So if Romney is the nominee you wouldn't support him over Obama?     He'd do a helluva lot LESS harm than Obama -- and probably a bit of good as well.   He has a far better understanding  of business than Obama, who was a coomunity organizer (polite name for a street thug IMHO).



 

[Balog]

Romney would support Obama's version of his own healthcare mandate, do nothing on the major entitlements that are bankrupting our country, go for amnesty, and support more infringements that Bush started. So yeah, maybe the tumour would be slightly smaller, but he'd not be "better"if your end goal is America not collapsing ala Aregntina.

[erictank]

So I should vote for a demorat when the repukes mess up? -- even though most of them are commies? 
Doesn't work for me.
There's a lot of things about the system we have I don't like.
Don't ask me to:
(A.) Vote for my political enemy.
(B.) Vote for some nebulous third party candidate who will get 1.96765% of the vote, but enough to TKO the repuke candidate and put my actual political enemy in office.


If damage must be done, then there is a moral obligation to minimize it.
And let's not keep making the perfect the enemy of the good.   

When you keep refusing to vote for a better candidate, one who says things you support and maybe even has a track record to back that up, just because he doesn't have an R or a D next to his name - and when thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of others act like you - well, it's no wonder that that "nebulous third party candidate" won't get more than 1.96765% of the vote, don'cha think?

 

Keep right on voting for the lesser of two evils and thinking you're doing anything to actually fix the problem...

[Balog]

Learn the lessons of Clinton and Bush. Lib pres with a strong conservative Congress, slightly better (until the R's start spending like libs again of course). "Compassionate" R who spends most of his time in office with both the House and Senate as R and you get expansion of Medicare, Patriot Act, the TSA, etc etc.

A weaksauce liberal who happens to have an R before his name (such as Romney) not only expands .gov, he opens the way to liberals by branding R's and conservatives with his own incompetence.

[TommyGunn]

When you keep refusing to vote for a better candidate, one who says things you support and maybe even has a track record to back that up, just because he doesn't have an R or a D next to his name - and when thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of others act like you - well, it's no wonder that that "nebulous third party candidate" won't get more than 1.96765% of the vote, don'cha think?

 

Keep right on voting for the lesser of two evils and thinking you're doing anything to actually fix the problem...

Balog, they're ALL "the lesser of two evils."  There's no such thing as a perfect candidate.  Even Reagan, as Governor of California, signed a antigun law.  He also signed a law that closed the National Firearms Registry.  But he was still, overall, a good president.
Are you thinking Ron Paul will solve the problem? 
Well, tell me, what support do you think he'll get from congress -- from either the demorats or the repukes?

When I cast my vote, I AM casting it for the "better" candidate.  You're being a bit too sanctimonious suggesting I'm not.  If you really think a third party candidate is the better one then show me, 'cause I haven't seen one yet.  I wouldn't vote Ron Paul dog-catcher.  He's a nut living out in La-La land of political mysticism.  He believes in doing things that would seriously weaken this country and make the world far more dangerous for us.
Even Obama, as rotten as he is, isn't quite THAT bad.
I will also vote for the best candidate who has a good chance of winning.  You may think that's somehow criminal because I won't vote for a third party candidate who polls at 3% but believe it or not, it is NOT my responsibility to throw away my vote to give a really bad longshot a better chance by .0000005%. 
If you don't like that kind of realpolitik, then I am so sorry I disappoint you.

[Balog]

Might wanna check who you're quoting there slick.

Also, the history of "I vote for whoever has an R by their name no matter what" is as clear and easy to read as the history of Prohibition. Guess some folks confuse realpolitik with stubborn refusal to learn from history. Next time you see a story about a .gov thug legally committing sexual assault at an airport you just go ahead and comfort yourself with the thought of how much worse a D would have been.

[Jamisjockey]

Well, tell me, what support do you think he'll get from congress -- from either the demorats or the repukes?

What support does he need?  Vetoing all the drivel that comes from the capital building would be a good start. Repealing bullshit executive orders, that too....brilliant.

[MicroBalrog]

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom — go home from us in peace."

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

did he really endorse gore?

In 1984, Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat from district 64, which included his home county of Haskell. He served on the House Appropriations and Calendars committees during his three two-year terms in office. He befriended fellow freshman state representative Lena Guerrero of Austin, a staunch liberal Democrat who endorsed Perry's reelection bid in 2006 on personal, rather than philosophical, grounds.

Perry was part of the "Pit Bulls", a group of Appropriations members who sat on the lower dais in the committee room (or "pit") who pushed for austere state budgets during the 1980s.[15] At one point, The Dallas Morning News named him one of the ten most effective members of the legislature.[16]

In 1987, Perry voted for a $5.7 billion tax increase proposed by Republican governor Bill Clements.[17] Perry supported Al Gore in the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries and chaired the Gore campaign in Texas.[18][19] In 1989, Perry announced that he was switching parties, becoming a Republican.[20]

In 1984, Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat from district 64, which included his home county of Haskell. He served on the House Appropriations and Calendars committees during his three two-year terms in office. He befriended fellow freshman state representative Lena Guerrero of Austin, a staunch liberal Democrat who endorsed Perry's reelection bid in 2006 on personal, rather than philosophical, grounds.

Perry was part of the "Pit Bulls", a group of Appropriations members who sat on the lower dais in the committee room (or "pit") who pushed for austere state budgets during the 1980s.[15] At one point, The Dallas Morning News named him one of the ten most effective members of the legislature.[16]

In 1987, Perry voted for a $5.7 billion tax increase proposed by Republican governor Bill Clements.[17] Perry supported Al Gore in the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries and chaired the Gore campaign in Texas.[18][19] In 1989, Perry announced that he was switching parties, becoming a Republican.[20]

[TommyGunn]

Might wanna check who you're quoting there slick.

Also, the history of "I vote for whoever has an R by their name no matter what" is as clear and easy to read as the history of Prohibition. Guess some folks confuse realpolitik with stubborn refusal to learn from history. Next time you see a story about a .gov thug legally committing sexual assault at an airport you just go ahead and comfort yourself with the thought of how much worse a D would have been.

  Yeah, uh, it's Fistful's fault.

Anyway, what makes you think I would condone a sexual assault by a politician of any stripe? 

This whole thing is getting a tad too ridiculous -- completly aside from hitting wrong quote buttons.......