Repubs Agenda

[EbylHusker]

And how is that crying? Since I know it's not based on my feelings regarding the election (see my other post), I'm curious to see why you think it's crying.

[EbylHusker]

Let me explain, since I'm pretty sure based on your posts in this thread you're not going to get it without this.

 

Little has changed regarding this Congress after this election. Previously, Republicans wanted too much (pushed by the Tea Party) and knew the Democrats would not give them that much in terms of compromise with Senate control and a Democratic President. That was intentional since the stated goal of the string pullers for the Republicans was to oppose Obama at every possible turn no matter the cost. So Congress just spun its wheels.

 

Now, Republicans control both sides of the aisle, but they still have a Democratic President that will veto anything too radical. And the filibuster isn't going anywhere, so they'll have to fight through that, too, before anything even gets to Obama. So while it may appear that stuff will get done, it actually won't, and we'll have another two years of nothing happening.

 

Nothing has changed. It doesn't bother me, it's actually kinda funny.

 

Edit - And to add a bit more, if the Republicans were smart, they'd make a good showing, compromise at a reasonable level, and get some stuff passed. Most Republicans are willing to do that...the Tea Party is not. Unfortunately for most Republicans, the Tea Party pulls the strings right now. So instead of making a good show of it, they're going to sh#t the bed and royally screw themselves for 2016.

[strigori]

1 - They should work to compromise and be effective leaders and statesmen.

 

2 - We know #1 will not happen. See the last six years as a case study. They refused to compromise when they were a minority, what are the chances they do so now? The GOP moderates are too chicken**** to do anything other than as they have been told. Again, see the last six years. They run scared from potential primary challenges, so they follow along on the idiot train conducted by Tea Party loud mouths.

 

3 - What should they tackle? Or what will they try to do? They should work on immigration reform(won't happen, as all they want to do is round up all the brown people, kick them over the boarder, and build something that resembles The Wall from Game of Thrones), actually pass a budget(won't happen), infrastructure (won't happen), set net neutrality in to law(won't happen)

 

What I expect to see is paying back all the big money special interests that spend record money on them. Expect a push for whatever the Koch brothers want, as many states just elected their proxies. Bills and votes to repeal ACA, remove EPA regulations, Keystone pipeline, probably a push for a 'personhood' amendment somewhere along the way too. Expect special investigations and prosecutors for everything Fox news has called a 'scandal' over the last few years, it will make the Clinton witch hunt look sane in comparison.

 

Remember, the thinkers are not driving the GOP bus, its the zealots that are pulling the strings.

 

4 - Obama, I expect, will be more combative than before. Expect lots of vetos, and lots of executive orders. He has nothing to lose, he listened to the 'experts' in his party and slowplayed things to try to help the midterms, as with that failing disastrously, I can see him just burn the bridges down totally.

 

If you thought the rhetoric was bad the last few years, get ready....

[zoogs]

I expect the Republicans to drop their charade of the past six years and start compromising. It's the smart play. Stop the gridlock they have been causing and then say, "Hey America, look what happens when you elect Republicans to Congress?"

 

It's going to work, too, because the Democrats don't play the gridlock game and they also want a good two years before 2016.

 

This would be completely consistent with their policy of "vote us into office or we'll hold the entire government hostage and nobody can do anything." If we had more than two parties in play, I don't think they'd be able to get away with that.

[True2tRA]

Count me in the camp that didn't know the senate would be red months ago. I was surprised at the number of Republicans that held their seats and took new seats.

 

Why is there such an infatuation with border control? Great question. So many other issues like wealth in-equality, tax loops and breaks for the rich and corporations, and maybe the most obvious one, but our military happens to be in quite a skirmish right now...I think they call em WARS. We got people listing the border as the top priority though...okay sure?

 

How about medical marijuana research and expansion.

 

As far as what I expect from the republican party moving forward, I expect the same as always. They don't compromise. They aren't smart enough to. Then they get all up in arms when the president over steps them. Funny. I think Boehner, McConnel and a few others have already tried giving ultimatums and warnings to the president and we aren't even a week removed from the mid terms.

[Comish]

I expect the Republicans to drop their charade of the past six years and start compromising. It's the smart play. Stop the gridlock they have been causing and then say, "Hey America, look what happens when you elect Republicans to Congress?"

 

It's going to work, too, because the Democrats don't play the gridlock game and they also want a good two years before 2016.

 

This would be completely consistent with their policy of "vote us into office or we'll hold the entire government hostage and nobody can do anything." If we had more than two parties in play, I don't think they'd be able to get away with that.

Come on, you can't really believe that red bolded statement......

Perhaps you might comment on the 360+ bills passed by the House that died on Harry Reid's desk without seeing the light of day for discussion, debate or merit.

Senator Reid (undoubtedly the most vile and partisan man in Washington) put his need to protect the President from making a decision ahead of letting the country follow a clear and open discussion of passed bills.

No doubt there were a lot of symbolic and unnecessary bills produced out of the House, but there were dozens that had bi-partisan support and would easily pass the Senate and be sent to the President if Reid understood his duty as Majority Leader to be a facilitator for the legislative process rather than a firewall for the occupant of the White House.

[zoogs]

Well, they're certainly not going to do it during Obama's last two years in office.

 

In general, I think the Democratic party isn't as firm. It seems to me that they've typically been quick to cave and haven't been pulled by their radical wing for quite some time. But there's plenty of political gamesmanship employed by anyone, you're right. The obstructionism efforts of the recent era are, I think, not to be found a second time in recent history but maybe I'm wrong.

[BigRedBuster]

If I had to choose between the two options in the OP, I would take the second option.

 

However, I think they could make a lot of hay with:

 

a) Create policies that would bring manufacturing back to the US. No, that doesn't mean punish those horrible business owners. Make them want to be here. This would help out the low to middle class by bringing more jobs that actually create something. We can help out these groups without policies that appear to many people as only...."Tax those evil rich people".

 

b) Improve social security in a way that actually is smart and would make the program need based and actually sustainable long term.

 

c) Pass budgets that accomplish what needs accomplished without a bunch of crappy waste that we really don't need. Continue any efforts that have been made to reduce the deficit.

 

d) Create new tax reform that actually makes sense instead of doing things that appears all you do is give things to the rich. Make them pay their share but don't go over board with "those evil rich 1%ers."

 

e) pass immigration policy that actually shows you have a brain in your head. No....that doesn't mean round 8 million people up with brown skin and ship them south.

 

f) Address higher education cost. It is totally outrageous what kids pay now going to college and the debt most are in when they get out.

 

g) Address our energy problems. Continue to use our oil resources as needed. But, have an all out effort to develop new energy sources.

 

 

 

Actually, if you accomplish "a", the rest are a lot easier.

[carlfense]

I expect the Republicans to drop their charade of the past six years and start compromising. It's the smart play. Stop the gridlock they have been causing and then say, "Hey America, look what happens when you elect Republicans to Congress?"

 

It's going to work, too, because the Democrats don't play the gridlock game and they also want a good two years before 2016.

 

This would be completely consistent with their policy of "vote us into office or we'll hold the entire government hostage and nobody can do anything." If we had more than two parties in play, I don't think they'd be able to get away with that.

I really don't think that compromise is coming. They have enough hardliners who have a direct line of communication with the base (Cruz, among others) that they really can't move to the center.

 

Plus the American public just rewarded their unprecedented obstruction. They shut down the government . . . they filibustered everything . . . and they were just handed the Senate.

 

That doesn't sound like a recipe for compromise.

[carlfense]

Perhaps you might comment on the 360+ bills passed by the House that died on Harry Reid's desk without seeing the light of day for discussion, debate or merit.

A significant percentage of those bills are attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act . . . which is not an issue where the GOP is actually interested in debate, merit, or discussion.

 

Senator Reid (undoubtedly the most vile and partisan man in Washington) . . .

Oh boy. That's hilarious.

[carlfense]

For anyone else impressed by that 360+ figure:

In 11 of the past 19 Congresses -- more than half -- more than 300 bills were waiting for Senate action by the time the Congress completed its work. Here's the number of bills passed by the House in each Congress that the Senate never took action on. And, anticipating your response, we've color-coded the bars with the color of the party that controlled the House during that Congress -- red for Republicans and blue for Democrats.

 

There was a big spike in the number of bills ignored by the Senate -- when it was Democrats who controlled both chambers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/08/yes-the-senate-is-ignoring-hundreds-of-bills-passed-by-the-gop-house-but-its-always-that-way/

[Hingle McCringleberry]

Why are we so obsessed with border control? The US has had largely open borders for most of our history, and there's plenty of evidence that open borders help the economy. So why are Republicans going so crazy over people immigrating from Mexico? Why aren't we concerned about the Canadian border?

 

 

For myself, I am a people person. Heard of the train of death? Seen the people dead from dehydration? Women trafficked, and sold into the sex trade? Border towns where murder/rape go unreported? The Illegal with no recourse for an employer not paying wages, or afraid to report crime because of his status... That's what I want to stop, if they want to work here, fine, start a guest worker program so they can easily enter the US with full rights and protections.

 

Although I am not a Republican....

[TGHusker]

If I had to choose between the two options in the OP, I would take the second option.

 

However, I think they could make a lot of hay with:

 

a) Create policies that would bring manufacturing back to the US. No, that doesn't mean punish those horrible business owners. Make them want to be here. This would help out the low to middle class by bringing more jobs that actually create something. We can help out these groups without policies that appear to many people as only...."Tax those evil rich people".

 

b) Improve social security in a way that actually is smart and would make the program need based and actually sustainable long term.

 

c) Pass budgets that accomplish what needs accomplished without a bunch of crappy waste that we really don't need. Continue any efforts that have been made to reduce the deficit.

 

d) Create new tax reform that actually makes sense instead of doing things that appears all you do is give things to the rich. Make them pay their share but don't go over board with "those evil rich 1%ers."

 

e) pass immigration policy that actually shows you have a brain in your head. No....that doesn't mean round 8 million people up with brown skin and ship them south.

 

f) Address higher education cost. It is totally outrageous what kids pay now going to college and the debt most are in when they get out.

 

g) Address our energy problems. Continue to use our oil resources as needed. But, have an all out effort to develop new energy sources.

 

 

 

Actually, if you accomplish "a", the rest are a lot easier.

Good list. I agree # A is vital. I believe the total capital that could be brought back is over one Trillion $$s - read or heard it on the news someplace (can't find a confirming link). Regardless, tax law should add incentives to bring jobs home. To your list I'd add ACA reform. Per reports - premiums are going to jump and there are other issues (besides the website). I doubt we see a repeal and replace due to an Obama veto but I can see the Congress tweaking it. Of course, there is a new case before the Supreme court that could deal a fatal blow - regarding subsidies. We'll see how that bans out.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-to-hear-case-on-health-law-subsidies-1415383458

[TGHusker]

Why are we so obsessed with border control? The US has had largely open borders for most of our history, and there's plenty of evidence that open borders help the economy. So why are Republicans going so crazy over people immigrating from Mexico? Why aren't we concerned about the Canadian border?

You have to define 'open boarders for most of our history'. Many immigrants at Ellis Island were turned away for many reasons - including sickness. Border control is vital for national sovereignty/national integrity. With the advent of 9/11 it is even more important. I'm referring to illegal immigration. Those with work visa's and other documented travel - no issue. Both boarders should be secured. I bet you keep your door locked at night for the same reason.

[carlfense]

To your list I'd add ACA reform. Per reports - premiums are going to jump and there are other issues (besides the website). I doubt we see a repeal and replace due to an Obama veto but I can see the Congress tweaking it.

What other issues? Also, premiums are coming in lower than predicted. Everything predicted by Republicans about the ACA (with the possible exception of the website rollout and that was promptly fixed) has been proven incorrect. Why should we trust them now?

 

Also, they've been promising a replacement for what? 6 years now? When are they going to get around to passing that? I'd take repeal and replace a lot more seriously if they would take care of the part that is under their authority first.