inahandbasket: animated gif of spider jerusalem being an angry avatar of justice (Over the stars)
inahandbasket ([personal profile] inahandbasket) wrote2005-06-02 09:52 am

(no subject)

In a survey of adult American internet users...
"More than two-thirds of people surveyed also said they believed online travel sites are required by law to offer the lowest airline prices possible." (link)

Wow people in this country are stupid.

[identity profile] enmascarado.livejournal.com 2005-06-02 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
within the next ten years moderate opinions will seem sufficiently radical to gain the public's attention unless a concerted effort is made by either side to better court the middle (better in terms of quality, I mean, the Democrats tried poorly last election).

In the mean time there are fourteen senators who certainly made their moderate voice heard recently. It brings pangs of hope to a discerning independent voter like me, though I wait for them to be quashed.

[identity profile] axessdenyd.livejournal.com 2005-06-02 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
If the democrats had picked anyone besides Kerry (and if Kerry had picked anyone besides Edwards) there's a chance that Bush might have not been in office.

You don't try to court both sides with someone who is utterly hated by one side.

In the mean time there are fourteen senators who certainly made their moderate voice heard recently.

What's this referring to? I've been missing the news.

Of course, the biggest fear in the mind of many Americans right now is President Hillary Clinton. I'ma go puke now.

[identity profile] enmascarado.livejournal.com 2005-06-02 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
The fourteen senators refers to the seven Republicans and seven Democrats who issued their agreement between themselves putting the kibosh on the neuclear option and rescinding a number of filibusters. The seven Republicans who refused to vote for the neuclear option took away the Republican simple majority. The seven Democrats who issued the agreement take away the filibustering option, unless it is decided amongst the fourteen (or, more accurately, the seven Democrats) that it is extraordinary circumstances. The agreement between them isn't law and only has weight amongst the fourteen of them, but effectively set policy in the Senate for the remainder of the session of congress.

As for Kerry, he came a lot closer than I expected, but, yes, there were many better choices.

-Dan

[identity profile] axessdenyd.livejournal.com 2005-06-02 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not really lear on why they call it the nuclear option.

I mean, a filibuster is the thing that shuts down the entire government.

Maybe we can elect people who aren't a bunch of idiotic children?

[identity profile] enmascarado.livejournal.com 2005-06-02 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
The term stems from the 1980's when there was a Democratically controlled congress, created by a Repiblican (Thurmond, IIRC). Of course, now that the Repiblicans pull it out, they want to reframe it.

I think that it alludes to neuclear arms in the case of Dulles-style Brinkmanship. As in, it's pulled out as a possibility to force comprimise. Never used, always threatened.

As for electing non-children, I think the problem lies less in our elected representatives and more in the unelected party leadership. Let's have the representatives return to representing their constituency, not their party.

Wishful thinking, I know.

-Dan

[identity profile] enmascarado.livejournal.com 2005-06-02 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
wow, I'm impressed that I was able to misspell Republican the same way twice in two consecutive sentences!