Political Segregation

[carlfense]

"Our Venn diagram," says Derek Kilmer, Democrat of Washington State, "is two circles, miles apart. Just after we got here, a group of us, Democrats and Republicans, were at a burger joint talking, and after about forty-five minutes, I said, 'We have to be able to get our act together and figure some of these things out. And across the table, one of my colleagues said, 'Derek, I like you, but you have to understand that I won my seat by defeating a Republican incumbent in my primary, and I campaigned against him for not being conservative enough. The first vote I cast when I got here was against John Boehner for Speaker, and I put out a press release that I had voted against him because he was too compromising. I like you, but I have zero interest in compromising with you or anybody else. My constituents didn't send me here to work with you; they sent me here to stop you.' I left there and called my wife and said, 'Oh, my God!'

 

"We're seeing the political equivalent of segregation going on in the country," says Republican Tom Cole of Oklahoma.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/congress-living-hell-1114

[VectorVictor]

Other acceptable titles for this article:

 

"The South Shall Fall Again"

"Conservatives:Gridlock for Progress?"

"Conservatives:The New Pinko Commie Bastards?"

"Conservatives: The Easiest of Marks"

"How Liberal Reaganomics Stopped Being Tolerated by the GOP"

"The Hand that Reaches Across the Table is Pimp-Slapped"

"When Ignorance Goes to Washington"

"NeoCONs: We 'Like' You, but We Don't 'Like' You, 'Like' You"

"Are We Wasting Perfectly Good Herpaderp on the Federal Government?"

"The 2014 GOP: A Case Study in Stockholm Syndrome"

[Junior]

My favorite line was early on:

 

 

There is plenty of blame to go around, he says—the Democrats in the Senate, for instance, what a disaster—but there is only one guy this conservative Republican congressman does acknowledge enmity for by name, and it's not Harry Reid or Barack Obama. "If you talk to Ted Cruz," he says, "tell him to stay on his side of the Capitol. We have enough problems without that idiot coming over here and screwing things up."

[carlfense]

Leahy has been in the U. S. Senate for forty years and is known by all to be an expert legislator and reliable negotiating partner. He names some of the giants—Democrats, Republicans—with whom he has served. Everett Dirksen. Mike Mansfield. Howard Baker. George Mitchell. Bob Dole. "Boy, in those days, you'd have never dreamed of giving your word and not keeping it," he says, his voice trailing off. "Never dreamed …"

 

And with that, a final discovery: When you talk to so many members of Congress, you realize that those who are widely reviled can do much more damage than those who are widely respected can do good, and with half the effort.

[TGHusker]

Good quote here that hits the nail on the head about districts. One reason it is hard to get fresh ideas in DC is how districts are drawn up - you either get the same old rep or a new person who is a clone of the old guy. The districts are drawn up in such a partisan way, only a strict partisan can win & to keep his seat he/she cannot compromise.

 

 

 

"You know, if I had a magic wand, one thing I would love to change—which you can't do unless you're king—is the redistricting process by which our boundaries are drawn," says Republican Aaron Schock of Illinois. "Because what has happened over the decades is he who controls the mapmaking process, you know, creates hyperpartisan districts. And you get more and more members who come out here and say, 'Gee, I know that I want to accomplish something on this issue. I want to take action on this issue, but the base of my district is so far to the right or to the left it makes it difficult for us to negotiate to the center.' But whether you're the most conservative member or you're the most liberal member, if you have half a brain, you recognize you're not going to get everything, and that any successful legislation requires the art of negotiation."

"With the way we draw districts, with so few competitive districts, we've bifurcated ourselves as a civilization," says Republican Scott Rigell of Virginia. "We get one ticket to the State of the Union, for the gallery, and my wife attends. And this year I came home from the speech, and she said, 'Scott, I'm just struck by this, that the Republican side is just all white. And then you look over on the Democratic side, and—and it really doesn't look like America, either, you know? It's disproportionately represented the other way.' "

[TGHusker]

 

Leahy has been in the U. S. Senate for forty years and is known by all to be an expert legislator and reliable negotiating partner. He names some of the giants—Democrats, Republicans—with whom he has served. Everett Dirksen. Mike Mansfield. Howard Baker. George Mitchell. Bob Dole. "Boy, in those days, you'd have never dreamed of giving your word and not keeping it," he says, his voice trailing off. "Never dreamed …"

 

And with that, a final discovery: When you talk to so many members of Congress, you realize that those who are widely reviled can do much more damage than those who are widely respected can do good, and with half the effort.

 

I was going to copy that quote too Carl. A good one. Now we can see how Reagan and Tip got so much done and turned the economy around. In today's world, they would not have been able to be seen together is such a friendly way. Even Clinton/Newt - both came is very partisan - The 1994 election forced Clinton to be more pragmatic and the 'govt shut down of 95' forced Newt to be more pragmatic. Together they were able to get some things done - up until Monica gate hit.

[carlfense]

 

 

Leahy has been in the U. S. Senate for forty years and is known by all to be an expert legislator and reliable negotiating partner. He names some of the giants—Democrats, Republicans—with whom he has served. Everett Dirksen. Mike Mansfield. Howard Baker. George Mitchell. Bob Dole. "Boy, in those days, you'd have never dreamed of giving your word and not keeping it," he says, his voice trailing off. "Never dreamed …"

 

And with that, a final discovery: When you talk to so many members of Congress, you realize that those who are widely reviled can do much more damage than those who are widely respected can do good, and with half the effort.

 

I was going to copy that quote too Carl. A good one. Now we can see how Reagan and Tip got so much done and turned the economy around. In today's world, they would not have been able to be seen together is such a friendly way. Even Clinton/Newt - both came is very partisan - The 1994 election forced Clinton to be more pragmatic and the 'govt shut down of 95' forced Newt to be more pragmatic. Together they were able to get some things done - up until Monica gate hit.

 

Do you think that Obama is willing to compromise?

[TGHusker]

 

 

 

Leahy has been in the U. S. Senate for forty years and is known by all to be an expert legislator and reliable negotiating partner. He names some of the giants—Democrats, Republicans—with whom he has served. Everett Dirksen. Mike Mansfield. Howard Baker. George Mitchell. Bob Dole. "Boy, in those days, you'd have never dreamed of giving your word and not keeping it," he says, his voice trailing off. "Never dreamed …"

 

And with that, a final discovery: When you talk to so many members of Congress, you realize that those who are widely reviled can do much more damage than those who are widely respected can do good, and with half the effort.

 

I was going to copy that quote too Carl. A good one. Now we can see how Reagan and Tip got so much done and turned the economy around. In today's world, they would not have been able to be seen together is such a friendly way. Even Clinton/Newt - both came is very partisan - The 1994 election forced Clinton to be more pragmatic and the 'govt shut down of 95' forced Newt to be more pragmatic. Together they were able to get some things done - up until Monica gate hit.

 

Do you think that Obama is willing to compromise?

 

You know Carl, I think in his heart of hearts he is but he is under the same constraints as many of these congressmen. My Senator - Tom Coburn was a good friend of Obama when he was in the Senate and I believe till this day. I trust Tom's character enough to believe that Tom saw good things in Obama to be that close. I also know, as Knapp has pointed out several times that the repubs were hell bent in not allowing any support of Obama's agenda - so he had 2 things against him. After 8 years of Bush bashing, the Dems wanted to push hard for their agenda and Obama was their man to get it done - no compromise wt conservatives and thus appearing weak. This plus the unwillingness of the repubs to do anything constructive - it didn't matter if Obama personally wanted to compromise - he was between a rock and a hard place. Of course some of his own statements didn't help either. He can be a partisan himself. (reminding McCain that he lost the election, the back of the bus statement, etc - a couple that came to mind)