tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post4454185387351835863..comments2024-03-19T03:18:54.509-06:00Comments on Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men: An Open Letter to CongressJaniecehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06223994862015217811noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-25215871608834557982013-10-05T12:58:47.436-06:002013-10-05T12:58:47.436-06:00Most of the people driving this are in "safe&...Most of the people driving this are in "safe" districts (i.e.. gerrymandered to be un-loseable for a specific party). They'll be able to raise more money for re-election (and "educational" trips to the Bahamas) on their newsletters where they'll say they "stood up to the President and his out of control spending." Unfortunately the one group dedicated to removing incumbents (the TP) is the group behind all this and are the ones most proud of "having less government." <br /><br />So the most I see happening, like Eric, is the party will lose control at the state level (which they already expected to do anyway, which is why they've been rushing their agenda through where ever they can).Steve Buchheithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12999709767641212586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-58068513957999580842013-10-05T10:13:31.069-06:002013-10-05T10:13:31.069-06:00Forbid campaign contributions -- make the governme...Forbid campaign contributions -- make the government pay for elections -- that'd be a start. But, then again, these people already received too many contributions to do that.Beatrice Desperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10843520699216089362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-2648758850867636172013-10-01T13:15:30.063-06:002013-10-01T13:15:30.063-06:00Congress members should have to make up the pay ga...Congress members should have to make up the pay gap, out of their own pockets, for the government employees that are being forced into unpaid work furloughs. By and large those employees are just average citizens trying to support their families. You know that there is no chance in hell the congresspeople are going to have a gap in their pay, that is just crazy talk.Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01647428333926856999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-78746517321867017642013-10-01T11:34:00.799-06:002013-10-01T11:34:00.799-06:00Eric, never apologize for talking about reality. Eric, never apologize for talking about reality. Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06223994862015217811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-20254995672234365912013-10-01T11:30:51.959-06:002013-10-01T11:30:51.959-06:00Sorry. :(Sorry. :(Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-35320890857360979422013-10-01T10:56:13.331-06:002013-10-01T10:56:13.331-06:00Ugh... is about all I can muster to Eric's wel...Ugh... is about all I can muster to Eric's well reasoned rant. :(Anne C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09444051201220766948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-80762885312535481712013-10-01T10:46:30.986-06:002013-10-01T10:46:30.986-06:00Eric, while I recognize that your analysis is prob...Eric, while I recognize that your analysis is probably right on the money, it's too depressing for me to think about it. Janiecehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06223994862015217811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-19316550297518630522013-10-01T10:40:14.747-06:002013-10-01T10:40:14.747-06:00I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But this is ...I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But this is largely the House Of Representatives we're talking about.<br /><br />They aren't expecting to get away with these shenanigans because people will forget what petulant children they are: they're expecting, and probably rightly, to get away with these shenanigans because they will be running for reelection in heavily-gerrymandered, extremely non-competitive Congressional districts in which their tantrums play well as political theatre, or in which their local political machine is so well-entrenched and there are enough sympathetic voters or donors that moderate rivals won't bother running a (long shot) primary against them.<br /><br />It is worse than, "Will they be punished for this?" That is the wrong question: the proper question is "Will they be rewarded for this?" Because they may be. At least in the House: in the Senate and for the White House, where elections are statewide, their <i>party</i> may be punished while they are reelected.<br /><br />No, it's even worse than <i>that</i>: no doubt some of the House Republicans have their eyes on bigger prizes, whether in politics or in the private sector, and their real audience consists of people like the Koch Brothers and the asshats at the Heritage Foundation. A Representative who has poisoned his home well so badly he decides not to face a primary opponent in favor of "spending more time with his family" and taking a "consulting" job--one that just happens to pay seven or eight figures for a workday that consists mostly of playing golf, having lunch, and returning phone calls--will be crying all the way to the bank, no doubt.<br /><br />We need an overhaul of the whole goddamn system. We have the best system of government the 18th Century had to offer, but even if we <i>could</i> trade in our elected officials, that would just be a matter of changing the air freshner hanging from the rearview when what we need is a <i>newer model car</i>. Which I have no idea how we get our hands on.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112925820320944611.post-41981438312229858272013-10-01T10:11:21.561-06:002013-10-01T10:11:21.561-06:00Yes Exactly. I too will remember and remind.Yes Exactly. I too will remember and remind.Juan Federicohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09040532701560944935noreply@blogger.com