Santorum wins Alabama and Mississippi. "Hey Romney! You mad, bro?"

[cybrsage]

I know, it would be DEVISTATINGLY HORRIBLE if Moses and/or the Ten Commandments were EVER on one of our courthouses. We would NEVER allow such a thing on any of our couthous.....oh no, what is THAT!

The Supreme Court Building? Moses and the Ten Commandments carved into it? Carved at the HIGHEST POINT of the front of the building, in a place of honor? AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jaskalas]

Craig, I see what you're saying, but every time there is any leftward movement by a politician today the "OMG socialism!" crowd starts up and we swing even further right. Regardless of how far from left it actually was, I think the healthcare act and the backlash that carried 2010 for the Reps is a prime example. I don't think there can be any meaningful moves toward the left until the right goes ahead and swings off the map. Attacking birth control is a pretty good start. With a populace growing ever more discontent with government, managing backlash will win elections over the long term, and swinging further to extremes makes that harder to do.

We'll be 'off' your 'map' when you surrender to state's rights. Then you'll get everything you want for your own people, and we to ours.

Imagine if you kept up with what Romney did, and pushed UHC at the state level. You'd have multiple, possibly strong, examples of how the rest of the states should follow through if they wanted. Instead you forced a single solution at the federal level and what do you have to show for it? An abomination of a health care bill and right wing backlash. National policy does not lead to successful outcomes.

 

[cybrsage]

We'll be 'off' your 'map' when you surrender to state's rights. Then you'll get everything you want for your own people, and we to ours.

Imagine if you kept up with what Romney did, and pushed UHC at the state level. You'd have multiple, possibly strong, examples of how the rest of the states should follow through if they wanted. Instead you forced a single solution at the federal level and what do you have to show for it? An abomination of a health care bill and right wing backlash. National policy does not lead to successful outcomes.

I have no problem with state level public healthcare systems. Such things are far easier to control, far easier to hold the legislators accountable, and can be tailored for the needs of the individual state. Fed Gov run healthcare cannot work well.

Ask any EU nation if they would want their nation's healthcare system replaced with one run by the EU for them. They would mostly all say no, that they want their individual systems for the unique needs of their nation.

 

[Aikouka]

Not exactly sure when the next major contest takes place, but Mitt's coders ought to have a bit of time in which to update his firmware... Don't want any more strange things to start happening to him all of a sudden.

Maybe they ought to add an understanding of Southern music to him. Asking the lead singer of Alabama to do "Sweet Home Alabama"... D:.

The Supreme Court Building? Moses and the Ten Commandments carved into it? Carved at the HIGHEST POINT of the front of the building, in a place of honor? AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not religious, yet I don't really care. Just like I don't care about Christmas trees (they're pagan anyway). In regard to the bearded one, it would cost more money to remove it than it would to just leave it alone.

 

[Ausm]

Craig, I see what you're saying, but every time there is any leftward movement by a politician today the "OMG socialism!" crowd starts up and we swing even further right. Regardless of how far from left it actually was, I think the healthcare act and the backlash that carried 2010 for the Reps is a prime example. I don't think there can be any meaningful moves toward the left until the right goes ahead and swings off the map. Attacking birth control is a pretty good start. With a populace growing ever more discontent with government, managing backlash will win elections over the long term, and swinging further to extremes makes that harder to do.

That is also a good point.We have seen the Right time after time making President Obama look like their bitch when he constantly tries to reach across the aisle and the GOP in Congress continually move the goal posts.

The GOP are banking on his naivety and also know this will totally piss off his base. I think he is finally getting smarter now and came to the realization that the GOP in Congress are not honest brokers.

 

[nageov3t]

after seeing GWB elected President twice, it blows my mind that any liberal would want Santorum at the top of the GOP ticket just because they think it would make Obama's reelection easier.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Every presidential nominee/president on 'the left side' for a century I can think of has been accused of 'socialism'.

When Teddy Roosevelt gave his great speech, in it he said he would be called a socialist.

FDR, nuff said. Ronald Reagan got his start in politics as a spokesman for the AMA putting out a record of anti-Medicare propaganda against JFK with the title 'Ronald Reagan speaks out against socialized medicine'. Obama is basically a traditional Republican in policy, but is called a 'socialist', as were Kerry, Gore, Clinton, Dukakis, Mondale, on and on.

That isn't about their policies, it's about it working for Republicans as a political attack.

The difference is there wasn't an organized rightwing media machine in place to give legitimacy to those accusations like there is now. Those agencies have been instrumental in backlash management over the past 30 years and a main part of the reason left wing policies can't gain traction today despite the blatant failures of rightwing policies over that same time period and the multitude of examples of effective left policies in other countries. But the more these agencies are forced to associate with and defend the more extreme policies of the right the less legitimate they look in the eyes of reasonable people. And that machine is going to have to lose legitimacy in the eyes of the average person before we can begin to move left even back towards center. Fortunately with the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, and Fox all on the decline that seems to be happening but we're not there yet.

 

[Todd33]

after seeing GWB elected President twice, it blows my mind that any liberal would want Santorum at the top of the GOP ticket just because they think it would make Obama's reelection easier.

Santorum is an order of magnitude more crazy than GWB. GWB also didn't run against a moderate incumbent. Santorum is only electable in backwater fly over states where churches outnumber high school diplomas.

 

[cwjerome]

The Supreme Court Building? Moses and the Ten Commandments carved into it? Carved at the HIGHEST POINT of the front of the building, in a place of honor? AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

It's not about religion, it's about law. Some of the figures just happen to be religious figures, but all are there in the context of being law-givers. There are many more on the inside, including Mohammed.

And yes, Santorum is a nut.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

That is also a good point.We have seen the Right time after time making President Obama look like their bitch when he constantly tries to reach across the aisle and the GOP in Congress continually move the goal posts.

The GOP are banking on his naivety and also know this will totally piss off his base. I think he is finally getting smarter now and came to the realization that the GOP in Congress are not honest brokers.

That may have been how it was intended, but I'm not sure it's played out that way. The more Obama compromises with the GOP the further right they have to swing to oppose him. Surely this has got to alienate a large swath of the middle, and an extreme right can motivate Obama's base too.

 

[Craig234]

The difference is there wasn't an organized rightwing media machine in place to give legitimacy to those accusations like there is now. Those agencies have been instrumental in backlash management over the past 30 years and a main part of the reason left wing policies can't gain traction today despite the blatant failures of rightwing policies over that same time period and the multitude of examples of effective left policies in other countries. But the more these agencies are forced to associate with and defend the more extreme policies of the right the less legitimate they look in the eyes of reasonable people. And that machine is going to have to lose legitimacy in the eyes of the average person before we can begin to move left even back towards center. Fortunately with the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, and Fox all on the decline that seems to be happening but we're not there yet.

I agree the creation of the right-wing media machine has been important, but unfortunately I don't see it increasing the backlash like you do.

Instead, the right-wing media machine with its funding is the dominant one in the country - there is little left-wing media in comparison. The right reportedly is 90% of talk radio.

Air America shut down, MSNBC is a careful experiment after trying to out-right Fox didn't makemoney - and they cut anchors who try to be 'too left', like Olbermann and Uyger.

The right-wing media remains a heavy influence in the US and doesn't seem to be going anywhere, not its think tanks that dominate the 'experts' mandatory on shows.

Everyone is bombarded from the Heritage Foundation, AEI, and Cato.

The right-wing media can adjust its message as needed - it'll be there, pushing to the right however left or right the national politics are.

And there's a vicious cycle that the higher the concentration of wealth, the more wealth the rich have to put into their own interests, in media sponsorhip, contributions, etc.

This is why Obama was such a lost opportunity, why we needed another FDR and not a 'moderate' who wouldn't fix things in response to the economic crash.

Instead we're continuing with the problems since post-Reagan, if the Republicans had put up a decent candidate they could have won the presidency, and Obama's support largely comes by moving to the right as a Democrat to appeal to 'moderates' rather than leadership for liberal policies moving the country to the left.

 

[Craig234]

That may have been how it was intended, but I'm not sure it's played out that way. The more Obama compromises with the GOP the further right they have to swing to oppose him. Surely this has got to alienate a large swath of the middle, and an extreme right can motivate Obama's base too.

And 'the more Obama compromises with an ever more extreme right GOP', the more right the national policies and politics become for the sake of his winning power.

 

[cybrsage]

It's not about religion, it's about law. Some of the figures just happen to be religious figures, but all are there in the context of being law-givers. There are many more on the inside, including Mohammed.

So it is OK for the SCOTUS to have the ten commandment, but not a lower judge?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

And 'the more Obama compromises with an ever more extreme right GOP', the more right the national policies and politics become for the sake of his winning power.

How far right would we shift if the backlash akin to what we saw with the ACA continued? The population seems to be way more tolerant of the right screwing things up than the left doing pretty much anything and that has to change before politicians can swerve left and expect to be re-elected.

I think the Republican party is pretty much imploding. Their economic policies are proven losers, their social policies are unpopular, what do they have left? Paint Obama as a socialist and oppose at all costs. Obama moving right is making that strategy backfire. It may suck right now, but I think it's better for the long game. Add this to the fact that far right Republicans are dying off faster than they're making new ones and I think the rightward drift we've seen for the past 30 years will come to a stop, all the left has to do is manage backlash from energizing it again.

 

[MovingTarget]

I also find the Roy Moore thing extremely disturbing. The guy is unanimously removed from judicial office for judical misconduct and the GOP voters renominate him for the exact same office because they liked his misconduct.

Talk about unconstitutional judicial activism-this guy is THE poster child for it.

Dingdingding! We have a winner! Roy Moore's faith isn't the issue....its his conduct on the job. He does not need to be anywhere near a courthouse after what he pulled the last time.

 

[cwjerome]

So it is OK for the SCOTUS to have the ten commandment, but not a lower judge?

I don't see what the problem is...

 

[WhipperSnapper]

It's not about religion, it's about law. Some of the figures just happen to be religious figures, but all are there in the context of being law-givers. There are many more on the inside, including Mohammed.

Are you saying that we have an image of Mohammed in or on our Supreme Court building??? If the Muslim world found out, could it result in an all out jihad against us?

 

[Fern]

Much ado about nothing.

Romney won more delegates.

The Repub establishment wanted their primary last longer.

Hillary v Obama ran longer and had all sorts nastiness, like accusations of racism etc.

It's not like Alabama or Mississippi will be voting for Obama if Santorum isn't the nominee.

The Repubs have large states yet to vote, TX, CA and NY for example. No one I've heard speak gives Santorum any chance in those. Serious talk of a contested convention is premature.

Fern

 

[Ketchup]

The Repubs have large states yet to vote, TX, CA and NY for example. No one I've heard speak gives Santorum any chance in those. Fern

Do you have a guess as to who will win those?

 

[Fern]

Do you have a guess as to who will win those?

TV talking heads say Romney.

TX I personally wouldn't be so sure about. But I don't know (I live in NC) and haven't checked polls etc.

Fern

 

[nageov3t]

my guess for Texas -- Hillary/Obama 2.0... Santorum wins the state but Romney manages to win more delegates thanks to Texas' ass-backwards rules.