Polarization of the two parties

[The_Doc_Man]

Adam, the common confusion about whether Presidents had to have been senators is that the qualifications of office are about the same for both offices. Hell, I could run for president but I'm not even sure my wife would vote for me.

 

[ColinEssex]

Adam, the common confusion about whether Presidents had to have been senators is that the qualifications of office are about the same for both offices. Hell, I could run for president but I'm not even sure my wife would vote for me.

You're not old enough yet.
Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Technically, I am old enough at age 73. The requirement is 35. But I'm not dumb enough to run for president because with MY radical ideas, I'd never live through my first term. Assassination would be even MORE likely for me than it was for Trump, and HE survived.

 

[conception_native_0123]

Assassination would be even MORE likely for me than it was for Trump, and HE survived.

what about Reagan?

 

[Pat Hartman]

thannk you for this. i was unaware of the requirements. now i know.

They are specified in the Constitution.

 

[conception_native_0123]

They are specified in the Constitution.

never read it

 

[Pat Hartman]

never read it

Not sure I'd be proud of that. I hope you don't vote.

 

[Isaac]

to be fair (or should I say honest) there are many things I have an opinion about that I have not read the full original text on. (Obamacare and various other legislations are things that immediately come to mind). that in itself does not seem too terrible to me since I rely on other trusted individuals to summarize it - or, even easier, they bring up specific reasons (a minimum of One reason), that I don't like the legislation, and that's enough for me to have my opinion and move on.

I think I was forced to read the entire constitution through in my college Constitutional Law class, as well as in law school, but I'd have to confess - those would be the only times I'd read it entirely through either. And of course, I remember very little verbatim.

However, I was still satisfied in my studies therein - because people who I trusted guided me through the various parts of them in depth.

I just noticed Adam's post and thought to myself "Hmm, well......Me Too, kind of". Maybe this interaction has inspired me to go and read it over the next few days. I'll let you know if I actually do!

 

[The_Doc_Man]

what about Reagan?

He lived. Was a pretty good president until later in his 2nd term when his Alzheimer's kicked in. Fortunately, he made to the natural end of his term and left office upright. I make no bet about Biden's ability to finish the current term.

 

[NauticalGent]

He lived. Was a pretty good president until later in his 2nd term when his Alzheimer's kicked in. Fortunately, he made to the natural end of his term and left office upright. I make no bet about Biden's ability to finish the current term.

He also raised the debt ceiling a record 17 times during his terms. A lot of people who are against the Democraps solely because they are Democraps conveniently either forget this or do not take the time to research.

We have been sold down the river folks...grab a life jacket, it is going to get rough in the next few years.

6 US Presidents Who Raised the Debt Ceiling

Learn about the debt ceiling under U.S. presidents. Discover what the borrowing cap is now and what it was under recent commanders in chief.

www.thoughtco.com

 

[Steve R.]

He also raised the debt ceiling a record 17 times during his terms. A lot of people who are against the Democraps solely because they are Democraps conveniently either forget this or do not take the time to research.

We have been sold down the river folks...grab a life jacket, it is going to get rough in the next few years.

6 US Presidents Who Raised the Debt Ceiling

Learn about the debt ceiling under U.S. presidents. Discover what the borrowing cap is now and what it was under recent commanders in chief.

www.thoughtco.com

There is a side story to the perpetual busting of the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is a known constraint for Congress and President, yet they routinely reject this constraint (piece of paper). In the background, some people have been advocating for a balanced budget amendment. Sounds great, until you think about it. The debt ceiling serves as a proxy for any proposed balanced budget amendment that may be adopted. Since Congress and the President ignore the existing debt limit; why would a new piece of paper stop them? It won't.

Congress and the President have the personal responsibility to work within the context of the debt ceiling, yet they slough it off. A new piece of paper will not all of a sudden give them a eureka moment or the ethical courage to balance the budget since they are irresponsible. Congress and the President, have the capability to implement a balanced budget without passing any new legislation. It's simple a case of being responsible.

 

[NauticalGent]

Although I agree with the concept of your words, a balanced budget, - in regards to paying off debt - is impossible. Anyone who takes the time to understand how the Federal Reserve (as "Federal" as FedEx) works understands this.

It is all smoke and mirrors and as long as smart people like yourself insist that the problem lies with the "other party", it will never get better. Hell, the cancer runs so deep now the ONLY option is to let it run its course. Hold on tight, its going to get bumpy...but then I think you know this.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Look to Greece from a few years ago. Watch out for some real agony.

 

[Steve R.]

.. "other party" ...

Please define the "other party". My comment did not refer to any party since both the Democrats and Republicans play the same smoke and mirror game. Both political parties are complicit in snubbing the debt ceiling.

 

[conception_native_0123]

. I make no bet about Biden's ability to finish the current term.

yeah but he's got a live in aid with Kamala in there!

 

[NauticalGent]

Please define the "other party". My comment did not refer to any party since both the Democrats and Republicans play the same smoke and mirror game. Both political parties are complicit in snubbing the debt ceiling.

I may have it wrong and if I do, I apologize. But I think I have read more than a few of your posts that place the current state of our nation on the shoulders of the Democraps.

Also, my comment was not really aimed at you personally but on the majority of the people I know who labor under the false impression that it is the "other side's" fault and that as soon as their guy takes over, Utopia is just around the corner.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Reagan also introduced us to the concept of amnesty for illegal immigration.

"I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally," Ronald Reagan said in 1984.

 

[Steve R.]

I may have it wrong and if I do, I apologize. But I think I have read more than a few of your posts that place the current state of our nation on the shoulders of the Democraps.

You are correct. Nevertheless, I recognize that not everything, even when I try, can be blamed on the Democrats. Furthermore, I have made a number of posts referring to Republican political tactics as "spineless". Sorry for repeating this; but pending Obama's reelection campaign, the Obama administration proposed making the irresponsible Bush tax cuts permanent. That was one of the factors that helped Obama win re-election. The idiot Republicans, foamed at the mouth to approve that legislation. Evidently not realizing that they were giving the Democrats the election.

The action of the Republicans reminded me of the movie Roger Rabbit, where Roger proclaimed that he could never resist a knock-knock joke. The Republican, even if it meant political suicide, could not resist adopting an irresponsible tax cut.

 

[Pat Hartman]

It is all smoke and mirrors and as long as smart people like yourself insist that the problem lies with the "other party",

The party in power ALWAYS holds more responsibility since THEY have the power to correct the course. Especially when they control the Presidency and both branches of Congress. You don't get more power than that. Trump was against raising the debt ceiling from the beginning but in case you didn't notice, he had NO CONTROL over congress. Both Ryan and McConnell and obviously Pelosi in the last two years were working overtime to thwart every effort he made to reduce the size of government. But, yes, he signed the bill so he caved. You do remember the "catastrophe" that ensued when he refused initially to sign. Government agencies were shut down to cause maximum pain to the public and paint Trump as the evil orangeman who caused the problem. He didn't cause the problem. CONGRESS caused the problem by refusing to keep their spending in check. How stupid are people? Apparently, quite stupid. Plus the talking heads were relentless in their predictions that we would default on our debt. That was never going to happen as has been pointed out quite clearly by Mark Levin. We are obligated by the Constitution to pay our debts. Trump didn't cause the problem, Congress caused the problem and it took BOTH Democrats and feckless Republicans to collude against him to thwart his plans to downsize.

A large number of Republicans are RINOs and they vote with the Democrats on principle. Nancy cracks her whip and the Democrats line up to vote the way she tells them to. That doesn't happen with Republicans. They are more likely to vote their "conscience". Of course they completely forget what they promised on the campaign trail. One of the reasons that Trump was so unpopular with Republicans was because he meant what he said and he said what he meant, frequently poorly phrased which caused other problems, and he tried his best to actually follow through on his campaign promises. Politicians NEVER do that and so he was universally hated because he made the feckless Republicans look like the dog dodo they are. Remember ObamaCare. For most of Obama's term, the Republicans swore they would repeal ObamaCare when they took power. OK, the American public believed them and gave the Republicans total control in 2016. Did they repeal ObamaCare? NO. Did they fix it? NO. Why? John McCain was ticked off at Trump so he voted NO. How's that for feckless??? The President insulted me so F*** the Americans who voted for me.

Make a list of all the bad executive orders and laws passed by Congress and signed by the president in the first two years of Trump's term. Make a corresponding list for Biden's. We're 10 months in to Biden's reign and I'd venture to say that Biden is 10-1 on executive orders and bills signed that hurt the average American rather than help. Start by checking your fuel bills - electric, heating, vehicle. Then look at the store shelves. Why are they empty? Could it be that we are paying people to stay home? Why unload ships or drive trucks or load shelves when the government is supporting you? Why have many staples increased by as much as 20% this year? When in your life before the past two years have you ever seen significant gaps in products on shelves? Usually, its the few days leading up to a major storm and it is stuff you need when the power goes out. Who does Biden's anti-American policies hurt? Sure doesn't hurt Biden. His son is on China's payroll and for some reason that no liberal cares to even think about, Hunter pays Joe's expenses. That's a little odd, don't you think? We won't even talk about the damage that arming the Taliban will do to stability in the Middle East and the rest of the world. Did any of our allies censure Trump? No but they sure have had a lot to say about the stupidity of Biden's foreign policy. The world used to think that America had their backs. Now they're talking about removing the dollar as the world standard currency. Think about how bad that is going to be for us. That'll make a lot of people yearn wistfully for some mean tweets.

We need a new meme although this is old news. Jack Dorsey on top with two pictures below. On the left we have Ira's Aitola yelling "Death to America" with the mob burning an American flag and on the right we have Donald Trump in a Maga hat saying "Make America great again" with a big X across his face.

 

[Isaac]

@NauticalGent I don't think the Republicans are utopia-bringers, I think it's entirely possible that the best they could or would accomplish would be to mostly stave off the much worse state of affairs that would result from the Democrats widely known agenda on various issues.
So while my enthusiasm for Republicans may seem to be high, it doesn't mean I think they will actually deliver on all the theoretical conservative principles necessarily - rather it just means that I'm actually THAT excited about just being able to stop the Democrats from doing what they most want to do. Your point serves as a good reminder not to expect too much from either party.

Honestly these "the Republicans aren't so great either" comments from the last few months have made me think about the issue. Are they really that bad? Then why do I instinctively feel as if they are doing more or less what they ought or are able to? (I asked myself).

I suppose the answer lies with the concept of compromise, and also harm mitigation.
1) They have to get re-elected
2) Each area has to work with several other branches of government and/or houses.

Those 2 things are not to be underestimated. It means that the best they can do right now, and possibly into the foreseeable future, is implement as much conservative policy as is possible to do and continue to get elected, and, as much as is possible to do while working with the executive branch, other houses, and while surviving the inevitable judicial review

Because of all that, I'm not upset at the Republicans. Yeah, they could probably have done some things differently, but I'm sensitive to the context they're working in. The tea party tried, but it couldn't get reelected. You can't change the world from your basement. (Unless you're Biden of course!)