CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in The gathering storm

Re: The gathering storm

Secret Square — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:54:10 -0000

I do believe that the hard-core anti-tax/spending element of the tea party movement does include many people who significantly underestimate their level of reliance on government services and how much those services affect their lives.

They assume that the only people who benefit from government programs are "lazy", do-nothing goverment employees, welfare queens, people who use Link cards at the supermarket and drive away in SUVs (everybody, at least on newspaper blogs, seems to have sighted one of these), single/teen moms needing child care subsidies (which THEY didn't need because they waited to have kids until they were married, or because they relied on their own resources), etc.

Of course this overlooks the fact that even the most independent and self-supporting people rely on numerous goverment services daily... roads, fire protection, police, schools, etc. Plus, the quality of public schools in your community WILL affect the general quality of life in your community even if you or your children don't happen to attend said school.

Self-reliance is a good thing and government cannot do everything, nor can it ever fully replace family, neighbors, friends, and other voluntary associations; but that doesn't make all government spending or taxation automatically bad or evil. "No man is an island."

Re: The gathering storm

Quizzical — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:42:15 -0000

I agree with Inish. And things do look problematic for the Democrats. But I don't underestimate the Republican's ability to screw things up.

Also, if things are still tough a year from now, but not apocalypse tough, it's hard to see how traditional Republican policy prescriptions will appeal to voters. Huge budget deficits, can't cut taxes. Cutting state services more? War with Iran? Saving me from gay marriage?

Mark Kirk's signature bill this term calls for longer prison time for dealing strong marijuana. How's that going to make my life better?

Re: The gathering storm

Inish — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:43:38 -0000

*secret square

Re: The gathering storm

Inish — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:42:34 -0000

Angry people with poorly crafted signs doesn't always translate into votes. I would say the people who are attending tea partys have never been in play for Dems. It is all about the middle- that being said- this year will be a great test to see if Dems can still organize and knock on some doors. Obama inherited a mess- it will take time. Nothing was forced down my throat, sexret square, to the degree that the post 911 anti terriorist legis was. That being said- people are scared, broke and nothing motivates mob mentality like losing your home....

Re: The gathering storm

Emily Booth — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:20:08 -0000

The Republicans need to quit wagging their finger in other people's faces. Republicans? Tea party? Give me a break.

Re: The gathering storm

Gregor — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:43:56 -0000

Agreed, Quinn can hardly go wrong ousting Blago appointees. Wish he'd do more of that.

Re: The gathering storm

always anonymous — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:32:23 -0000

if quinn wants a chance at being elected - he needs to distance himself from anyone with Blago stink on them. this latest appointment just looks bad.

Re: The gathering storm

Gregor — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:26:29 -0000

The tea party crowds strike me as a mob of the ill-informed and overly-stimulated, being jabbed and goaded by FOX people and Dick Armey's private PR group into righteous indignation and barely-concealed race hatred, but like Rich said, to what purpose? The conservative Repubs behind this "movement" are pushing huge boulders down from a mountain ledge, but nobody knows where the boulders will roll to. Remember how the LaRouchies infiltrated a disorganized Dem party in Illinois a while back and made it an easy Republican win? While they won't all suddenly become Birchers, this rabble of malcontents will damage the Repubs more than the targeted Dems in the end. That's my prediction, anyway.

Re: The gathering storm

Plain and simple — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:52:14 -0000

Rich,
Did we just see Governor Quinn do so pay to play? Reappointing an official from a union he needs support from to get elected?

Re: The gathering storm

wordslinger — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:51:20 -0000

When Blago goes on trial, it can be "Closing the Ring."

Re: The gathering storm

Responsa — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:42:31 -0000

You'll note I specifically did not include Their Finest Hour as one of the choices since it's hard to imagine Rich finding anything going on in Illinois politics which could conceivably merit it.

Re: The gathering storm

Boscobud — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:10:20 -0000

I vote for The Hinge of Fate.

Re: The gathering storm

Responsa — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:56:13 -0000

Rich, Inquiring (literary) minds want to know---Based on today's thread headline, will your tomorrow's headline be: The Hinge of Fate, Triumph and Tragedy, or The Grand Alliance?

Re: The gathering storm

Jay Cutler's hairdo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:07:09 -0000

One metric to keep an eye on in Feb: how many voters pull R ballots vs. in 2006 and 2008. In my area, if there is a significant uptick in R ballots in the governor and local legislative races, I'll start paying attention. To paraphrase an earlier commenter: its Sept 2009, not Sept 2010.

Re: The gathering storm

Rich Miller — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:58:57 -0000

===The Tea Party crowd is motivated to vote===

Yeah, but don't they usually vote anyway?

Re: The gathering storm

Skittles — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:51:34 -0000

The Tea Party crowd is motivated to vote- vote recent incumbants and the lifelong politcians out of office.

Re: The gathering storm

Secret Square — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:42:11 -0000

Very true, Word. If everything is going well, you don't want to rock the boat, but when everything is falling apart, you have nothing to lose by doing so.

I see among some people I know, a sense that those who have "played by the rules" all their lives -- finished their education, married and had kids (in that order), raised their children "right" and kept them out of trouble, bought houses they COULD afford, paid their taxes, paid their health and other insurance premiums faithfully, saved for retirement, and never "asked for a handout" -- are getting screwed, or at least not benefitting as much as others who they percieve as having gotten away with breaking the rules (bailed-out banks, corrupt pols, illegal immigrants, etc.)

Re: The gathering storm

Frank — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:31:07 -0000

It looks like I misread Wumpus' post, but he did call it "Madigan vs. Berrios", which I read as the two being somehow against each other. My question was why would one or the other bring race into play?

Re: The gathering storm

Anonymous101 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:24:52 -0000

Um, Frank: Berrios is Latino...

Re: The gathering storm

Boscobud — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:17:17 -0000

Just like Santana calls Berrios "Dad". Here a good QOTD What does Berrios Call Madigan? I say "Daddy"

Re: The gathering storm

Boscobud — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:14:56 -0000

I think Madigan and Berrios are friends. Not Allies.

Re: The gathering storm

Frank — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:12:51 -0000

"How long before people start playing the race card re: Madigan vs Berrios?"

Madigan and Berrios are allies. How does race come into play?

Re: The gathering storm

VanillaMan — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:11:36 -0000

United States House of Representatives elections, 2010

From From VanillaPedia

The U.S. House election, 2010 was a realigning electionâ€”a major Republican landslide that set the stage for the decisive Election of 2012. The elections of members of the United States House of Representatives in 2010 came in the middle of President Barack Obama's single term. The nation was in its deepest economic depression ever following the Recession of 2009, so economic issues were at the forefront. In the spring, the Billion-Dollar Stimulus damaged the economy, along with the passage of the Cap N'Trade Abomination of 2009. It was accompanied by violence; the voters lost and many moved toward the Republican party. Immediately after the 2009 Obamacare Disaster, Eugene V. Debs led a nationwide high-speed railroad strike, called the Pullman Strike. It shut down the nation's transportation system around Detroit for weeks, (fortunately it was Detroit, so no one noticed), until President Obama's use of federal troops ended it. Debs went to prison (for disobeying a court order). Illinois' Governor Patrick Quinn, a Democrat, broke bitterly with Obama.

The fragmented and disoriented Democratic Party was crushed everywhere especially in the South, losing more than half its seats to the Republican Party. The Democrats lost 125 seats in the election while the Republicans won 130 seats. This makes the 2010 election the largest midterm election victory in the entire history of the United States since 1894 from which this entry of VanillaPedia was plagarized.

The main issues revolved around the severe economic depression, which the Republicans blamed on the liberal Obama Democrats led by the President. Obama supporters lost heavily, weakening their hold on the party and setting the stage for an 2012 takeover by the Euthanasia wing of the party. The Green Party ran candidates in the South and Midwest, but generally lost ground. The Democrats tried to raise a religious issue, claiming the GOP was in cahoots with American Judeo-Christians. The allegations seem to have fallen flat as Muslims moved toward the GOP. Democrat Harry Reid lost the Senate race in Nevada, but came back to win the 2012 presidential nomination with Van Jones his running mate.

Re: The gathering storm

ZC — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:10:09 -0000

This is all true, but as a Dem I'd be more scared if election day was two months away, instead of over twelve.

This could be a building wave, but a year is a long time to keep up this kind of intensity. And it does raise the possibility, as some commenters have noted, that in a year some of these folks will be at each others' throats. Many Tea Party folks are not exactly fans of their own GOP leadership.

With luck some of them will get sidetracked into purging the last remaining GOP moderates, and thus help undercut the party's chances of success in 2010.

Re: The gathering storm

Wumpus — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:09:56 -0000

How long before people start playing the race card re: Madigan vs Berrios? Am I the first, what do I win? a 1 year subscrition to Capitol Fax and a lunch with Rich Miller and Mike Murray! yay!