Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 5:45 am Post subject:
André in Zuid-Afrika wrote:
Breaking news.... The Democrats have won Virginia and thus control of the senate.
Huzzah! One win I'm particularly happy about is the defeat of encumbent congressional representative Richard Pombo in California. He was a true enemy of the environment.
I was also glad to learn that Arizona has banned gestation crates and veal crates.
I didn't expect the Republicans to even lose the upper House.
As for the flake which the outgoing Secretary of Defence has received over his bungling of Iraq, he at least cannot be faulted on one thing: patriotism to his country.
The Democrats campaigned on a totally negative platform. They did not offer one iota of constructive feedback. They seemed more interested in revenge than anything else. They are only good at opposing the government and now that Donald Rumsfeld has been pushed, I can bet to my last penny that the Democrats do not have a BETTER solution to offer short of cutting and running.
But seriously, lest the world and some misguided Democratic supporters think that America is becoming liberal, I have noticed that many of the Democratic candidates were rather conservative in outlook. Many were against abortion. Many were godfearing Christians. The political complexion of the country has not changed even if blue seems to be the more favoured colour at the moment. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
I didn't expect the Republicans to even lose the upper House.
Me neither but that's very good news : divine surprise !
loic wrote:
As for the flake which the outgoing Secretary of Defence has received over his bungling of Iraq, he at least cannot be faulted on one thing: patriotism to his country.
Are you referring to Rumsfeld ?! The only thing he cannot be faulted on is loyalty to big money.
loic wrote:
They did not offer one iota of constructive feedback.
Quite the contrary. The first constructive action will be kick Bush's ass so that he disappears into oblivion as Rumsfeld did.
loic wrote:
They are only good at opposing the government and now that Donald Rumsfeld has been pushed, I can bet to my last penny that the Democrats do not have a BETTER solution to offer short of cutting and running.
I hope they will organise the return to international legality and explain in great details how the US people was misled and brainwashed regarding Iraq.
loic wrote:
But seriously, lest the world and some misguided Democratic supporters think that America is becoming liberal, I have noticed that many of the Democratic candidates were rather conservative in outlook. Many were against abortion. Many were godfearing Christians. The political complexion of the country has not changed even if blue seems to be the more favoured colour at the moment.
What the democrats do in the US is basically their own business. What they think they can do in the world is everybody's business — that is a lesson they'll probably keep in mind (at least for a while).
I didn't expect the Republicans to even lose the upper House.
Me neither but that's very good news : divine surprise !
loic wrote:
As for the flake which the outgoing Secretary of Defence has received over his bungling of Iraq, he at least cannot be faulted on one thing: patriotism to his country.
Are you referring to Rumsfeld ?! The only thing he cannot be faulted on is loyalty to big money.
loic wrote:
They did not offer one iota of constructive feedback.
Quite the contrary. The first constructive action will be kick Bush's ass so that he disappears into oblivion as Rumsfeld did.
loic wrote:
They are only good at opposing the government and now that Donald Rumsfeld has been pushed, I can bet to my last penny that the Democrats do not have a BETTER solution to offer short of cutting and running.
I hope they will organise the return to international legality and explain in great details how the US people was misled and brainwashed regarding Iraq.
loic wrote:
But seriously, lest the world and some misguided Democratic supporters think that America is becoming liberal, I have noticed that many of the Democratic candidates were rather conservative in outlook. Many were against abortion. Many were godfearing Christians. The political complexion of the country has not changed even if blue seems to be the more favoured colour at the moment.
What the democrats do in the US is basically their own business. What they think they can do in the world is everybody's business — that is a lesson they'll probably keep in mind (at least for a while).
Location: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject:
loic wrote:
The Democrats campaigned on a totally negative platform.
How is this different from what the Republicans have been doing on election years? Politics is a dirty business and unfortunately both sides are guilty of running negative campaigns. I'm always appalled by the dirty stunts the more extremist wing of the Republican party pull... but I'm never surprised.
Quote:
They did not offer one iota of constructive feedback.
I don't know where you get your info from but whenever I turn on the news or read the paper, I frequently find somebody representing the Democratic party offering intelligent and insightful alternative solutions to handling the situation in Iraq. But perhaps we're both biased and fail to see the good in the other party.
Quote:
They seemed more interested in revenge than anything else.
As if the whole Republican smear campaign against Pres. Clinton wasn't all about revenge. But I digress.
Quote:
They are only good at opposing the government and now that Donald Rumsfeld has been pushed, I can bet to my last penny that the Democrats do not have a BETTER solution to offer short of cutting and running.
They are good at opposing a government administration that deliberately lies to the people and only listens to what the religious right and corporate bigwigs have to say rather than the rest of the common people.
Every rationale-minded Democrat politician has commented that leaving now would be bad thing to do. Even Hillary says so, so I highly doubt we'll cut and run. I'm not saying that the situation will change overnight, but at least I'm more hopeful now that this mess will end soon.
Besides Loic, it's not good to have one party in control of all three branches of government. The result is extremeism, and in this case, right wing extremeism, a.k.a. - war mongering, unilateralism, and unprecedented federal budget deficits. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
double post _________________ "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." ---- Groucho Marx
Last edited by Joanne on Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
Quite the contrary. The first constructive action will be kick Bush's ass so that he disappears into oblivion as Rumsfeld did.
Highly unlikely. Nancy Pelosi has already publicly said that impeachment is off the table. Predictably, the guy who had to write that bill, Rep. John Conyers, is now throwing a hissy fit. We'll see how well Pelosi can rein him in.
And if you hated Rumsfeld, Greg, you're really going to hate the guy nominated to replace him, Dr. Robert Gates. He was the Director of the CIA during Bush Sr.'s presidency, and he was Bush Jr.'s first choice to become National Intelligence Director. Gates turned him down to become president of Texas A&M University.
Here's the skinny on Dr. Gates: He spent 26 years in the intelligence community (most of them were in operations, not analysis) doing exactly the kinds of super secret, cloak-and-dagger stuff the world hates the CIA for. Read about his role in the Iran Contra Affair here.
Like Rumsfeld, Gates is hardline when it comes to the military, but unlike Rumsfeld, who did everything out in the open, and thus became an easy target for critics, Dr. Gates will use his intelligence background to keep everything under the table. Yep, it took a few years, but Bush learned his lesson, all right... _________________ "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." ---- Groucho Marx
Quite the contrary. The first constructive action will be kick Bush's ass so that he disappears into oblivion as Rumsfeld did.
Highly unlikely. Nancy Pelosi has already publicly said that impeachment is off the table. Predictably, the guy who had to write that bill, Rep. John Conyers, is now throwing a hissy fit. We'll see how well Pelosi can rein him in.
Thanks for that interesting info, Joanne. I don't know the *real* situation in the US : are people (to be) in be charge panicking about the upshot of the sheer absurdity now prevailing in Iraq ? Perhaps Pelosi thinks, as loic seems to do, that the democrats' Pyrrhic victory as far as political platform and concepts are concerned (plus the thin margin over the republicans) isn't as helping to destitute a deceiver, thief and criminal as was the Clintonian deviation aired in previous times of cohabitation — I don't mean the Lewinsky "affair" but Clinton's suggestion that a decent social security could and should be implemented. Or, else, Pelosi thinks Iraq is so serious a matter (and not only militarily) — a tragedy in the full sense of the word (Cassandra, Pandora box, Colossus with feet of clay...) — that even bipartisanship shall fade in front of stubborn realities (even traditional electoral topicality, too, got blunt somehow — from my European perspective at least).
Joanne wrote:
And if you hated Rumsfeld, Greg, you're really going to hate the guy nominated to replace him, Dr. Robert Gates. He was the Director of the CIA during Bush Sr.'s presidency, and he was Bush Jr.'s first choice to become National Intelligence Director. Gates turned him down to become president of Texas A&M University.
Oh I was expecting the worst in such a configuration, don't worry ! Now Bush doesn't need an (incompetent) army technocrat anymore because the war is lost. I mean the war in Iraq. Bush hopes not to lose the war in Washington. However, Bush's head is exactly what many people — and not only in the US — want from the democrats if those are at all to deliver within 24 months what they are expected to and herewith live up to their self-proclaimed moral standards.
I am biased. Everyone has a political opinion. I guess I am flogging a dead horse because honestly, I must admit that there is a little bit of glee in me as well that the Republicans have their noses bloodied. If this is what it takes for them to restore their credentials, so be it.
Donald Rumsfeld's fall from grace is astonishing. In the wake of the September 11th attacks, he was hailed as a hero, wasn't he? Greg believes that this man has a severe character defect. Possibly. But nobody can take away his tenacity.
A gridlocked government has produced modest but successful results in the past. President Reagan had to deal with a Democratic-controlled Congress in the last two years of his administration as well. As an outsider, I am primarily concerned with the ramifications of the recent mid-term elections. Would a Democratic-controlled Congress be less interested with engagement in Asia? Would she be more likely to cozy up with China and turn a blind eye to atrocious human rights violations in the country? Would she abrogate on her duties to defend Taiwan or Japan in the event of a Communist aggression?
Somehow, I have this feeling that the Democratic Party are just not as loyal to their allies as the GOP. They have an instinctive preference for Europe over Asia. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Besides Loic, it's not good to have one party in control of all three branches of government. The result is extremeism, and in this case, right wing extremeism, a.k.a. - war mongering, unilateralism, and unprecedented federal budget deficits.
Hmmm, but I still shout it out:
If you wanna get rid of that dreadful Bush administration, now is the time to stand up in Congress and demand: All power in this hall! = parliamentarism.
Although our great leader King Oscar II was furious when we Norwegians did that in 1884, we knocked down his conservative cabinet, through impeachment, in the end!
Besides Loic, it's not good to have one party in control of all three branches of government. The result is extremeism, and in this case, right wing extremeism, a.k.a. - war mongering, unilateralism, and unprecedented federal budget deficits.
Hmmm, but I still shout it out:
If you wanna get rid of that dreadful Bush administration, now is the time to stand up in Congress and demand: All power in this hall! = parliamentarism.
Although our great leader King Oscar II was furious when we Norwegians did that in 1884, we knocked down his conservative cabinet, through impeachment, in the end!
The fundamental flaw in the American system of government is the power enjoyed by the executive branch. You know you have gone past the point of return from republic to empire when the executive branch becomes dominant. These days, presidents have become like short term "Caesars". It's dangerous. But if a man deserves to be impeached for a private affair in his own life, with no consequence for the country, then why shouldn't this man be impeached for the loss of close to 3,000 American lives? That is, he deliberately misled the American people into a bloody war of conquest, at the cost of hundreds of billions of dollars, close to 3,000 American lives so far, not to mention the death of countless Iraqi civilians, and a decline in America's international reputation. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
They have an instinctive preference for Europe over Asia.
Tout n'est pas aussi manichéen : les relations franco-chinoises sont excellentes et, bien que non-insignifiantes, vont s'approfondissant. La France et le Japon ont de très bons rapports aussi (je dirais même que les relations entre les individus, Japonais ou Français, sont encore bien meilleures que le théâtre officiel ne le laisserait présager).
Fredrik wrote:
Porthos wrote:
Besides Loic, it's not good to have one party in control of all three branches of government. The result is extremeism, and in this case, right wing extremeism, a.k.a. - war mongering, unilateralism, and unprecedented federal budget deficits.
Hmmm, but I still shout it out:
If you wanna get rid of that dreadful Bush administration, now is the time to stand up in Congress and demand: All power in this hall! = parliamentarism.
Although our great leader King Oscar II was furious when we Norwegians did that in 1884, we knocked down his conservative cabinet, through impeachment, in the end!
Hey Sander, you didn't even make a squeak about the latest elections in your country. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
AMSTERDAM The Netherlands is facing political uncertainty after the Christian Democrats retained power in the general election but failed to win a majority in parliament. Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister, won 41 seats in the 150-seat parliament and could not claim a majority even if his Government renewed an alliance with the liberal VVD party.
The opposition Labour party lost 10 seats and now has 32 as voters switched to the far-left Socialists, who almost tripled their representation to 26 places. The far right anti- immigration Party for Freedom won nine seats, a reminder of voters’ concerns about Muslim integration.
The Christian Democrats and Labour differ on many important issues that could mean battles in government over tax, pensions and immigration policy, which would make a coalition unlikely, experts said. (Reuters)
_________________ Toe ek jonk was, het ek al die antwoorde geken. Nou verstaan ek nie eens die vrae nie.
I hate Dutch politics, our politicians are all little children in the skin of mature people. Last time I checked there still is no cabinet formed. _________________ My site:http://www.AntonKemmeren.com
I hate Dutch politics, our politicians are all little children in the skin of mature people.
Lol — isn't it like that everywhere though?
Anyway, I'm certainly looking forward to the Scottish Parliament election later this year. Based the last ICM poll taken about two months ago, it has been estimated that the Scottish Parliament may compose of the following (in numbers of seats) after the elections:
43 — Scottish National Party
38 — Scottish Labour Party
25 — Scottish Liberal Democrats
14 — Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party
_5 — Scottish Green Party
_2 — Scottish Socialist Party
_2 — independents
This contrasts rather significantly with the current situation, in which Labour and Labour-lite (i.e. the Liberal Democrats) form the coalition government (although the leader of the Liberal Democrats has recently stated that his party would not support another Labour government after the elections). The current composition of the Scottish Parliament is as follows:
50 — Scottish Labour Party
25 — Scottish National Party
17 — Scottish Liberal Democrats
17 — Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party
_7 — Scottish Green Party
_4 — Scottish Socialist Party
_2 — Solidarity – Scotland's Socialist Movement
_1 — Scottish Senior Citizens' Unity Party
_5 — independents
Whatever the result in May, there is no obvious coalition possibility. It will be very interesting (for me, at least, as I'm intending to move to Scotland in September) to see what actually happens.
Coalition politics is a recipe for instability. The first-past-the-post system is so much more sensible!
PS: I read that Hillary Clinton is by far the most popular candidate among registered Democrats. If she were to be President, presidential politics'd be in effect dominated by the Bushes and the Clintons since 1990. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
Coalition politics is a recipe for instability. The first-past-the-post system is so much more sensible!
This is only the case if one values stability over fairness. The current UK government may be relatively 'stable', but that doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of those who voted didn't actually vote for it:
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Now Bush doesn't need an (incompetent) army technocrat anymore because the war is lost. I mean the war in Iraq. Bush hopes not to lose the war in Washington. However, Bush's head is exactly what many people — and not only in the US — want from the democrats if those are at all to deliver within 24 months what they are expected to and herewith live up to their self-proclaimed moral standards.
