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Marc2b -> RE: Election Predictions (11/4/2006 7:12:57 PM)
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quote:
Interesting post, Marc2b. I had a comment about your statement that both parties will be forced to compromise with each other.
When the Democrats controlled both houses, Congress generally ran in this fashion. But with Gingrich and DeLay's tactics of verbally abusing and bludgeoning everybody in Congress into submission, along with alienating and discrediting the Democrats, I am a lot more doubtful that things will happen the way you say they will happen.
As you can see from the last 8 years, Congress can do nothing and the economy will tend to limp along.
What is going to end up happening is that the Republicans will learn the lesson "The toes you step on today may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow" the hard way, since all they have done for years is stomp on Democratic toes.
Even if the Republican's retain control, at the rate they are being ridden out of town on a rail for their scandals (1 every month) how long do you think they will maintain their numerical superiority?
This might sound like I am insulting you and I am not. No insult is intended. Rather this is an observation based upon available (admittedly limited) evidence. I believe you are seeing the situation through what I like to call the Ideological Filter (I am sure I am not the first person to use the term, though). In short, people tend to dismiss anything that impacts their world view negatively and to amplify that which impacts it positively. Likewise they dismiss anything that makes opposing world views look good and amplify anything that makes the opposition look bad. I claim no immunity from this myself but I do try to fight against it. Yes the Republicans have been "verbally abusing and bludgeoning" and "alienating and discrediting the Democrats" but the Democrats have been doing the same to the Republicans and this has been going on ever since there were political parties. Shut off the Ideological Filter and you will see that both parties routinely lie about and smear each other. They call each other names (Pinko! Nazi!) Both attribute the other party’s motives to nefarious intent. They screech and scream about the other party’s scandals while covering up or excusing their own. One can see this all over the media but the best place to see it in action is on Hannity and Colmes. Every episode of Hannity (I guess he won the coin toss, huh?) and Colmes can be boiled down to the following:
Hannity (to conservative guest): "Liberals are a bunch of stupid people who hate America, aren’t they?"
Conservative Guest: "Yes, Sean, they are, and you forgot to say that they are also perverts who enjoy killing babies."
Colmes (to liberal guest): "Conservatives are just a bunch of evil rich white people who exploit others for their own gains, aren’t they?"
Liberal Guest: "Absolutely Alan, they won’t be happy until every non-white male has only dirt to eat and a cardboard box for a home. They also want to cut down every tree and poison all the water and air."
After that the charges of hypocrisy start flying back and forth. The irony lost on all.
No, as I see it, the Democrats and the Republicans have been stepping on each others toes for quite some time. They have been kissing each other’s ass for quite some time too. The one area where the two Parties are truly bipartisan is in the trading of pork barrel projects. My cousin worked in Washington for several years as a researcher in a lobbying firm and he said that "vote for my pork barrel and I’ll vote for yours" wasn’t just rampant but routine. He’s told me that he witnessed millions of dollars and thousands of jobs being decided by a poker game complete with a gourmet buffet, five hundred dollar cigars, thousand dollar champagne and strippers (before anyone asks, my cousin has never named names).
So, I suppose, that ultimately there will be little change regardless of who wins what in the election. Still, for all their similarities the two parties do differ in their world view and so support different social initiatives that the other side hates. Very often the country is equally divided and no true majority supports either of the parties’ world view. Put forth a new tax cut or a new spending measure and half the country is sure to be pissed off about it. When one party is in control it is easier for them to move forward on their issues, leaving one side feeling victorious and smug and the other left out and frustrated. In a split congress compromises must be made ("sure you can have that spending bill but we’re not going to let you have that much and we want some defense spending increases"). This way, nobody is happy – the hallmark of a true compromise.
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