Prediction II, prepare for the GOP Scorched earth strategy. (Nero Decree)

[Hugo Drax]

Expect the Fiscal cliff to happen, At this point the GOP have no other strategy left but to use the "Nero Decree" to Poison the Wells, burn the fields to insure that the Democrats/Obama have no success in gaining any victories in terms of improving America and getting us back on track.

Why? Simple, if they take this Approach of massive Gridlock/Fiscal Cliff they can insure that we get nailed with another recession as GDP shrinks and velocity of money decreases. Once this occurs they can say in 2016, "See I told you so, vote for us and we can save you"

The strategy will be effective, in 2016 you can expect a Republican president to get elected on the conclusion of this strategy that the GOP will use for the next 4 years.

 

[Lemon law]

Expect the Fiscal cliff to happen, At this point the GOP have no other strategy left but to use the "Nero Decree" to Poison the Wells, burn the fields to insure that the Democrats/Obama have no success in gaining any victories in terms of improving America and getting us back on track.

Why? Simple, if they take this Approach of massive Gridlock/Fiscal Cliff they can insure that we get nailed with another recession as GDP shrinks and velocity of money decreases. Once this occurs they can say in 2016, "See I told you so, vote for us and we can save you"

The strategy will be effective, in 2016 you can expect a Republican president to get elected on the conclusion of this strategy that the GOP will use for the next 4 years.

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I can only hope you are wrong Hugo Drax. Because if the GOP still tries to play the gridlock game, the fiscal cliff will fall disproportionately on the very rich. A group not known for long term thinking and totally intolerant of enduring a single minute of pain.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I don't think this is going to work when people are not only already looking for it but are expecting it. And this was already their best opportunity for it and it still didn't work. The Republican party can't continue alienating people and winning elections. That's not to say they won't try, because I really don't think they are capable of anything else at this point, but I don't see how it will be to a benefit for them.

This was a devastating loss for the party. Obstructionism exposed and unrewarded. Unable to claim credit for a looming recovery. Loss of Supreme Court nominations. Further alienation of reasonable voters. Continued fracturing of their base. All that dark money spent and nothing to show for it. And especially with the changing demographics, the Republican party isn't going to simply bounce back in 2016 unless they do some major soul searching before then. And we all know how good conservatives are at introspection. This election was a paradigm shift and was destined to be one way or the other.

 

[cwjerome]

I wonder. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I tend to think Obama (looking for more legacy instead of trying to get re-elected) will compromise more and try to work more bipartisan and the GOP may be lured into the same if he does. In other words, the next 4 years might have more cooperation and results than the first 4. Bill Clinton reached out and much of what he is remembered for are the things he and Congress worked together on.

 

[IronWing]

I would have hoped that with this election behind them that the Republicans would realize that the Tea Party they started wasn't a movement but merely a tantrum.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I wonder. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but I tend to think Obama (looking for more legacy instead of trying to get re-elected) will compromise more and try to work more bipartisan and the GOP may be lured into the same if he does. In other words, the next 4 years might have more cooperation and results than the first 4. Bill Clinton reached out and much of what he is remembered for are the things he and Congress worked together on.

The problem with that is compromising with BHO is absolutely toxic to a portion of the Republican base that the party can't win national elections without. And it's their own fault for painting him as some sort of socialist devil. They committed to that for Obama's first term and the country paid the price for it, they can't simply now go OK, we were just kidding about that and start working with him.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

The problem with that is compromising with BHO is absolutely toxic to a portion of the Republican base that the party can't win national elections without. And it's their own fault for painting him as some sort of socialist devil. They committed to that for Obama's first term and the country paid the price for it, they can't simply now go OK, we were just kidding about that and start working with him.

That strategy hasn't proved a winner, though. If it was, Romney would have cruised through the election. Instead, Obama wins a landslide in the EC. Republicans can't keep doubling down on the strategy of obstructionism; it's turning off people outside of their base. The base will keep voting Republican even if they start compromising, and the gesture will sway independents who can view the Republicans as something other than a party of gridlock.

 

[yllus]

No, I'll go down in writing as saying that the Republicans start making a fitful lurch back towards the centre after this. Deep down they are survivors without any strong ideology, and they'll re-embrace civil liberties for all and small government as otherwise there is no other electable platform to stand on.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

That strategy hasn't proved a winner, though. If it was, Romney would have cruised through the election. Instead, Obama wins a landslide in the EC. Republicans can't keep doubling down on the strategy of obstructionism; it's turning off people outside of their base. The base will keep voting Republican even if they start compromising, and the gesture will sway independents who can view the Republicans as something other than a party of gridlock.

The base will continue to primary out Republicans who compromise or split off from the party altogether.

 

[techs]

I think the Republicans have learned nothing and will double down on obstructionism.

 

[Zebo]

Republicans dont need to do a damn thing but let dems raise taxes to pay for all the shit they want. Kids these days..

 

[Fanatical Meat]

This election was a warning shot, I'd bet we start seeing fewer birthers & restricting women's rights and immigration Nazis real soon. Voters have spoken and its clear we want plans & action.
Republican party will change its primary rules and agree to keep their mouths shut to gain votes

 

[techs]

This election was a warning shot, I'd bet we start seeing fewer birthers & restricting women's rights and immigration Nazis real soon. Voters have spoken and its clear we want plans & action.
Republican party will change its primary rules and agree to keep their mouths shut to gain votes

While they will definitely change their primary rules there is no way to stop a candidate from spouting tea party b.s. And the one who does will get the tea party votes. So the rest will follow suit.

The Republitards only hope is to push one candidate really hard early and let that candidate avoid debates. Basically mouth shut until the election

 

[ivwshane]

The fiscal cliff will happen unless republicans are smart. Obama has the upper hand no matter how you play it.

If the republicans want to come to the table it will have to be on Obamas terms. If not then negotiations cease and the bush tax cuts expire and military gets cut, both are what the dems want and then all they have to do is propose tax cuts for the middle class and counter proposals to the auto cuts of SS and Medicare. If the repubs try blocking it they will be called out for not helping the middle class and trying to cut SS and Medicare.

So the option for the republicans is to either work with the president and claim bi partisanship in the next election or be on record for trying to hurt the middle class.

 

[techs]

As of today I believe the odds are 70-30 that no deal will happen before Jan. 1
After the cliff occurs any tax cut that restores even part of the expiring tax cuts can be sold as as tax cut which is more popular than just avoiding the cliff.

So, the Republicans can claim to cut taxes again.

 

[dud]

Republicans dont need to do a damn thing but let dems raise taxes to pay for all the shit they want. Kids these days..

Agreed. I hope (for the Nation's sake) that no one (especially the Democrats) think of this election as a victory. It is a Pyrrhic victory at best. The President celebrates as he inherits a mess of his own making (HE signed the budgets and their associated deficits). Because of this debt the Government will be forced to raise taxes for those who can ill afford it (the middle class).

I wish we could stop branding "The Democrats" or "The Republicans" as the enemy. WE are then enemy. WE created this mess and now WE are going to have to pay the price.

And no ... I did not vote for Romney ...

 

[Farang]

You know, I hope you're wrong, but you make a good point.

We were all having this exact same conversation 4 years ago about the GOP going back to 'find itself.' We have seem that they are capable of holding the country hostage and beating it up to get themselves back in power. The debt ceiling episode was shameful I don't see how even a conservative could support that.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Agreed. I hope (for the Nation's sake) that no one (especially the Democrats) think of this election as a victory. It is a Pyrrhic victory at best. The President celebrates as he inherits a mess of his own making (HE signed the budgets and their associated deficits). Because of this debt the Government will be forced to raise taxes for those who can ill afford it (the middle class).

I wish we could stop branding "The Democrats" or "The Republicans" as the enemy. WE are then enemy. WE created this mess and now WE are going to have to pay the price.

And no ... I did not vote for Romney ...

We are responsible but, no, we did not create this mess. However, we will pay the price.

 

[Jhhnn]

The base will continue to primary out Republicans who compromise or split off from the party altogether.

I think the Republicans have learned nothing and will double down on obstructionism.

Repubs are caught in a trap of their own making. On one side, they're way too beholden to the extreme right wing Uber-Rich, and on the other they've radicalized their base to a point beyond reason.

The Tea Party is the result of that, where the Koch Bros & others of similar bent have simply gone around the repub establishment, dragging the Party off to the nether reaches of the Right. Citizens United has much the same effect, where candidates can't control their own message, but have to adopt the message created for them.

If they compromise with Dems, then the radical elements in their own party will cannibalize them, and if they don't, they'll go down under assault by Dems & reasoning independents.

They're fully committed to a losing battle wrt demographics & economic realities, but they'll fight for all they're worth.

The only reason they've fared as well as they have is that Dems failed to take advantage of the abject failure of Repub policy, aka the Ownership Society, and to institute a new New Deal, to really tell the truth about how badly trickledown economics & deregulated banking have damaged America. Repubs managed to create confusion and plausible deniability out of that collapse, Blame Obama! for the results of their own policy over the preceding 8 years and even over most of the preceding 30 years.

And they'll keep on doing just that, because they still embrace an ideology of failure.

 

[monovillage]

You know, I hope you're wrong, but you make a good point.

We were all having this exact same conversation 4 years ago about the GOP going back to 'find itself.' We have seem that they are capable of holding the country hostage and beating it up to get themselves back in power. The debt ceiling episode was shameful I don't see how even a conservative could support that.

He thinks he inherited a mess last time, this time he's really picking up a steaming pile of economic shit.

 

[Moonbeam]

The problem with that is compromising with BHO is absolutely toxic to a portion of the Republican base that the party can't win national elections without. And it's their own fault for painting him as some sort of socialist devil. They committed to that for Obama's first term and the country paid the price for it, they can't simply now go OK, we were just kidding about that and start working with him.

Romney could turn on a dime, why not all Republicans? It's not like they are moral or have pride.

 

[MovingTarget]

He thinks he inherited a mess last time, this time he's really picking up a steaming pile of economic shit.

Is it "less than optimal"? Yes. However, you must be delusional if you think that we are worse now than when Barack Obama was first elected.

 

[woolfe9999]

That strategy hasn't proved a winner, though. If it was, Romney would have cruised through the election. Instead, Obama wins a landslide in the EC. Republicans can't keep doubling down on the strategy of obstructionism; it's turning off people outside of their base. The base will keep voting Republican even if they start compromising, and the gesture will sway independents who can view the Republicans as something other than a party of gridlock.

I dunno. The obstructionism worked quite well for the 2010 mid terms. I think it didn't work for the 2012 POTUS election because Obama just has a high likeability factor, and his campaign team is about the most effective in American history. With just an average campaign team, I think Obama might have lost this one.

I'm not sure what to expect in terms of the GOP. I keep coming back to that pledge they all signed.

 

[FelixDeCat]

My Prediction: Obama will be impeached, hopefully soon.

When Obama gets impeached Im sure there will be a lot of good legislation getting
passed in Washington.

 

[Schmide]

My Prediction: Obama will be impeached, hopefully soon.

When Obama gets impeached Im sure there will be a lot of good legislation getting
passed in Washington.

Impeached? For what?