You Can’t Have It All

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Election is coming.
You can pick 2 governing bodies for your party to control, but the other gets the last one.

Which do you want?
Why?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Senate and president, courts and foreign policy require both. The House is just window dressing.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Senate and president, courts and foreign policy require both. The House is just window dressing.

If I was The All Powerful OZ and Magic Political Genie, and I told you "I can give the Democrats a Senate majority, but not veto proof, and make Nancy Pelosi Majority Leader in the Senate, but Mitch McConnell becomes President" - would you take it?

 

[UncleMark]

If I was The All Powerful OZ and Magic Political Genie, and I told you "I can give the Democrats a Senate majority, but not veto proof, and make Nancy Pelosi Majority Leader in the Senate, but Mitch McConnell becomes President" - would you take it?

Take what? Your bottle away from you?

 

[UncleMark]

If I was The All Powerful OZ and Magic Political Genie, and I told you "I can give the Democrats a Senate majority, but not veto proof, and make Nancy Pelosi Majority Leader in the Senate, but Mitch McConnell becomes President" - would you take it?

Only if you make Louie Gohmert Speaker of the House.

 

[bawlmer]

If I was The All Powerful OZ and Magic Political Genie, and I told you "I can give the Democrats a Senate majority, but not veto proof, and make Nancy Pelosi Majority Leader in the Senate, but Mitch McConnell becomes President" - would you take it?

Sounds more like you're a circus ringmaster than a political genie. Use your powers for good, and bring in some fresh, workable, ideas.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

If I was The All Powerful OZ and Magic Political Genie, and I told you "I can give the Democrats a Senate majority, but not veto proof, and make Nancy Pelosi Majority Leader in the Senate, but Mitch McConnell becomes President" - would you take it?

I do not think so. I am not sure what witchcraft gets Mitch to the White House or Pelosi to the Senate.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

Sounds more like you're a circus ringmaster than a political genie. Use your powers for good, and bring in some fresh, workable, ideas.

I do not think so. I am not sure what witchcraft gets Mitch to the White House or Pelosi to the Senate.

It's a thought experiement about the nature of the checks and balances built into our system of government, both as a general matter, and with some of the actual current residents of the Beltway.

By design our system works mostly in two circumstances - when there is consensus or crisis. I'd happily given my opponent the White House if I keep the Senate.

Depending on your perspective, serious change or damage is done only when one party controls all three bodies, but as Obama learned with ACA, it doesn't always last. Then again, FDR made SOME things last.

So I ask - would you accept Trump as your next President if you could have the House AND Senate? Only with a veto-proof majority? Why no love for "The People's Hoose"? Etc.

It may bore most here, because it isn't just a fight over Trump Good/Trump Bad.

If I walk alone, so be it.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

It's a thought experiement about the nature of the checks and balances built into our system of government, both as a general matter, and with some of the actual current residents of the Beltway.

By design our system works mostly in two circumstances - when there is consensus or crisis. I'd happily given my opponent the White House if I keep the Senate.

Depending on your perspective, serious change or damage is done only when one party controls all three bodies, but as Obama learned with ACA, it doesn't always last. Then again, FDR made SOME things last.

So I ask - would you accept Trump as your next President if you could have the House AND Senate? Only with a veto-proof majority? Why no love for "The People's Hoose"? Etc.

It may bore most here, because it isn't just a fight over Trump Good/Trump Bad.

If I walk alone, so be it.

View embedded media

The problem with the House is that it has no power at all over foreign affairs or judiciary. Revenue bills have to start there, but that is a pretty lame power.

Having both legislative branches certainly can tie up a chief executive, but largely speaking the president is the pilot of the B17 of state. The Senate has some power to suggest a turn, but the pilot still has the power unless the navigator takes his sidearm out.

The House is the bombardier. There role lasts 1 minute and if the other two don't do their job, the bombardier was just a spectator on the trip.trip.

Now ideally the 3 would cooperate and our B17 could reach the target. But that hasn't happened in a long time.

Yes, having both legislative branches is good for stopping the pilot from bombing the wrong city, ie, they can block the president. But it is very hard for them to actually change the destination.

 

[bawlmer]

It's a thought experiement about the nature of the checks and balances built into our system of government, both as a general matter, and with some of the actual current residents of the Beltway.

By design our system works mostly in two circumstances - when there is consensus or crisis. I'd happily given my opponent the White House if I keep the Senate.

Depending on your perspective, serious change or damage is done only when one party controls all three bodies, but as Obama learned with ACA, it doesn't always last. Then again, FDR made SOME things last.

So I ask - would you accept Trump as your next President if you could have the House AND Senate? Only with a veto-proof majority? Why no love for "The People's Hoose"? Etc.

It may bore most here, because it isn't just a fight over Trump Good/Trump Bad.

If I walk alone, so be it.

View embedded media

My opinion is our current political dialogue is so dire the Presidency is more important than usual. We need a healer, who also has a vision. On his best days, Biden can play that role. At least he tries to reach across the aisle. I'm just not sure how many of his best days are left.

Interesting you saw fit to promote Pelosi to the Senate. I'd take her over Shumer in a heartbeat. But I'm definitely okay with Biden, McConnell, and whoever takes over the House for Dems.

 

[UncleMark]

So I ask - would you accept Trump as your next President if you could have the House AND Senate? Only with a veto-proof majority? Why no love for "The People's Hoose"? Etc.

I'd take that if the Dems had 67 seats in the Senate.

 

[UncleMark]

Interesting you saw fit to promote Pelosi to the Senate. I'd take her over Shumer in a heartbeat. But I'm definitely okay with Biden, McConnell, and whoever takes over the House for Dems.

McConnell is as much a threat to the Republic as is Trump. I don't think he'll be ousted, but he needs to at least be demoted to Minority Leader.

 

[bawlmer]

McConnell is as much a threat to the Republic as is Trump. I don't think he'll be ousted, but he needs to at least be demoted to Minority Leader.

McConnell is a narrow-minded, petty, self-interested obstructionist. But people wouldn't follow him out of the rain. Only Trump is able and willing to activate the unregulated militias.

 

[Lucy01]

McConnell is a narrow-minded, petty, self-interested obstructionist. But people wouldn't follow him out of the rain. Only Trump is able and willing to activate the unregulated militias.

So you support what’s going on in Portland?

 

[Lucy01]

McConnell is a narrow-minded, petty, self-interested obstructionist. But people wouldn't follow him out of the rain. Only Trump is able and willing to activate the unregulated militias.

You’re gutless!

 

[bawlmer]

So you support what’s going on in Portland?

From what I've seen I don't support anything going on in Portland.

 

[bawlmer]

You’re gutless!

How so?

 

[Lucy01]

How so?

I just posted that to get you to respond, glad to see you don’t support the crazy stuff that’s going on in Portlandia!

 

[DCDAVID]

I just posted that to get you to respond, glad to see you don’t support the crazy stuff that’s going on in Portlandia![/QUOT

y


Yes, he fell for your stupid reply making it seem as though the Portland protests, and the way Mitch is shaping the judiciary/country for decades, are somehow equally damaging to the US.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

My opinion is our current political dialogue is so dire the Presidency is more important than usual. We need a healer, who also has a vision. On his best days, Biden can play that role. At least he tries to reach across the aisle. I'm just not sure how many of his best days are left.

Interesting you saw fit to promote Pelosi to the Senate. I'd take her over Shumer in a heartbeat. But I'm definitely okay with Biden, McConnell, and whoever takes over the House for Dems.

Question:

In today’s media and internet marketplace of ideas, can we have ... or keep ... a healer?

 

[UncleMark]

Question:

In today’s media and internet marketplace of ideas, can we have ... or keep ... a healer?

Hard to say. I think GWB wanted to, as did Obama. Both sides would have to stand down. I'm not optimistic.

 

[hoosboot]

Hard to say. I think GWB wanted to, as did Obama. Both sides would have to stand down. I'm not optimistic.

The challenge is that the extremes on both sides are very...extreme, but Biden seems like the right guy for the time in that he is very non-polarizing. That tends to be a bad thing in media driven spheres, but in this moment it's exactly what we need.

 

[UncleMark]

The challenge is that the extremes on both sides are very...extreme, but Biden seems like the right guy for the time in that he is very non-polarizing. That tends to be a bad thing in media driven spheres, but in this moment it's exactly what we need.

I think Obama would have had a better chance if all else being equal he was white.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Hard to say. I think GWB wanted to, as did Obama. Both sides would have to stand down. I'm not optimistic.

Bush wanted to move on immigration but was blocked by his party.

Which gets to the problem, we have decided that people have to agree with the party line 100% of the time. I read an example this morning about conservatives upset with Roberts. The author's point was that on the biggest issues possible, voter suppression and gerrymandering, Roberts fell right in line.

I suspect Biden is the last hurrah of the centrist candidate unless he really achieves something. If he is extremely successful, they might make a comeback. But his success depends on their being centrist Republicans to work with.

 

[bawlmer]

y


Yes, he fell for your stupid reply making it seem as though the Portland protests, and the way Mitch is shaping the judiciary/country for decades, are somehow equally damaging to the US.

You give Lucy too much credit.

Or you're looking for some common thread between Mitch and the mess in Portland that doesn't exist.

 

[bawlmer]

Question:

In today’s media and internet marketplace of ideas, can we have ... or keep ... a healer?

Maybe "healer" is too ambitious. I'd take someone who brings together the vast middle-ground of American politics. It's astounding that we are almost to the point that we need a 3rd party to represent middle-America.

 

[hoosboot]

I think Obama would have had a better chance if all else being equal he was white.

Maybe, but I actually think Obama accomplished a lot and was the right guy for his time.

 

[UncleMark]

Maybe, but I actually think Obama accomplished a lot and was the right guy for his time.

I was referring to the "healer" aspect. I agree he accomplished a ton, given what he faced and the people he had to deal with.

 

[Cortez88]

I was referring to the "healer" aspect. I agree he accomplished a ton, given what he faced and the people he had to deal with.

I think everyone is misremembering the TBT (time before Trump). Our Presidents were decent men who put country first and cared about Americans. Trump is such an outlier. With his incompetence, corruption, divisiveness, chaos and anger. He’s the worst and most destructive POTUS in US history. We will be better when he is defeated.

 

[UncleMark]

I think everyone is misremembering the TBT (time before Trump). Our Presidents were decent men who put country first and cared about Americans.

That may be true, but GWB was a simpleton war monger who stole the Presidency and Obama was a socialist Kenyan Muslim. That's what I remember.