USA Politics

In terms of numbers - yes. In terms of willingness to cross the aisle - who knows, but you have to admit that is a low percentage with Obama. This presidency might be the model for ones to come, and that might mean that Obama did have the best chance to get stuff done. More likely I think that the filibuster is on the way out, which will allow for simple majorities to move things along.
 
LooseCannon said:
In terms of numbers - yes. In terms of willingness to cross the aisle - who knows, but you have to admit that is a low percentage with Obama. This presidency might be the model for ones to come, and that might mean that Obama did have the best chance to get stuff done. More likely I think that the filibuster is on the way out, which will allow for simple majorities to move things along.
Click to expand...

He has at a minimum the 2 GOP Senators from Maine (Snowe and Collins) that were willing and actually wanted to work with the Dems on Health Care reform, they are both considered moderates and they were both shown the door when they started offering suggestions.

Take an opposite example, when the GOP took over Congress in 1994, Clinton reached out and they did things together .. like Welfare Reform. Bush worked with Dems on No Child Left Behind (generally crap, but they did it together) and on Medicare Part B ... HW Bush and the Dems on base closings, etc and on and on.

It takes 2 to tango, early on the Dems were riding the "we won everything and we can do what we want" and they have not really backed off of that.
 
I dunno, the Mitch McConnell "our first duty is to make this president fail" line seems to come with that as well. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between, but regardless, it's very rare now for any cross-aisle work to be done, whatever the reasoning, and if that continues over the next few presidencies, Democrat or Republican, it will get worse and worse.
 
I think it goes without saying that the goal of a party out of power is to get in power. Democratic Senators/House Members had the same attitude towards Bush. It is unfortunate, but it is, IMO, a structural problem in how the US elects members of the House and the President ... and to a much lesser extent the Senate. It is also a part of the 24/7 news cycle and internet where everything is a bone of contention. Obama (or Bush) could rescue a child falling from a two story window and the opposition media would somehow spin it as a bad thing. I blame Republicans and Democrats equally for this mess as they both feed into it and take advantage of it when it suits them.
 
... forgot to add, the long election cycles. The fact that we are gearing up for 2016 elections before the 2014 elections should really be gearing up is a symptom of all this.
 
Nate Silver said the GOP is the favorite to capture the Senate and I think it is looking pretty realistic. They have good candidates this year around, they have put CO on the map and the Dem candidate in Iowa is having the foot in mouth disease that has plagued Republicans lately putting that seat in play.
 
Travis The Dragon said:
Well, she is on unemployment right now and I'm not sure if that's taxable. In what way does it matter?
Click to expand...
People who pay taxes qualify for an offsetting tax credit if they don't make enough money - making it so the cost of health care is lessened...or even negated. And if your friend lives, with you, in Minnesota, and is unemployed, they should be eligible for coverage under Medicaid.
 
Ah, New Hampshire might be a state that rejected Medicaid expansion. But she should still be eligible for it if she's on unemployment - and Medicaid counts towards the Affordable Care mandate, so she wouldn't have to pay penalties.
 
Ah fuck! I made a huge mistake! I thought she was on unemployment and she now told me it's social security disability that she's on. My dad's on SSD too and he gets free medical care with it so she might be able to get that as well.
 
Considering that, I checked, NH definitely took the medicaid expansion, it's probably something they can get through the state government. Best of luck to her.
 
I am sure everyone who gets a bill from the IRS or has a chunk taken out of their refund will be happy to play along and not complain in the least.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top