Democrats could misinterpret the Red Trickle

[Fort Fun Indiana]

You can say this with a straight face when the dems in Pennsylvania elected a dead man aand another who is brain dead.

Man, person, TV, camera

Good enough for you!

 

[g5000]

This period has been a primal scream for these people. The viciousness and the cruelty are features of their misery, not bugs. But the relief that we may have avoided a revisit of the Europe of 90 years ago is palpable.

HOWEVER, I'd like to think that this horrible showing has broken the fever, but there's just no way. I've heard it said that it will take X number of losses to bring the party back to Earth, and that's probably right. That's not a guarantee.

On January 7, 2021 most Republican politicians stood up and bitch slapped Donald Trump.

Within a week, they were all lining up to kiss his ass again.

Never underestimate the weakmindedness and cuckholdery of the New Right.

 

[g5000]

Deep inside their cowardly little black souls, the lickspittles of the Republican party know their only salvation is for Merrick Garland to arrest Donald Trump.

 

[gtopa1]

A win is a win. Meh. Plus the Senate isn't over yet.

Greg

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

A win is a win.

Admittedly, these are mature discussions that are a bit above people who don't understand nuance and degree.

 

[Desperado]

Man, person, TV, camera

Good enough for you!

WTF Does that even mean

 

[lg325]

Both parties national and local seem to get quality candidates to run a challenging task. What has to change for good quality people to consider running for elected office?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Both parties national and local seem to get quality candidates to run a challenging task. What has to change for good quality people to consider running for elected office?

Overturn citizens united, publicly fund elections, term limits, increase salaries.

 

[Mac1958]

Both parties national and local seem to get quality candidates to run a challenging task. What has to change for good quality people to consider running for elected office?

A system that rewards and incentivizes the worst behaviors of its participants.

We have to change the system under which these people operate.

 

[lantern2814]

No that's not why.

They turned out the youth vote on abortion and college loan forgiveness.

Looking at the CNN numbers this morning, I am hoping against hope that the Democrats take a clean sweep. They deserve it. We deserve it. The idiots who voted on abortion and college loan forgiveness deserve it.

I can't wait to see Dems deal with an emboldened, yet demented Joe Biden.

Fox should send out a man on the street reporter to ask these young people how it feels to be suckers. Voting Dem because Biden promised them $10,000 loan forgiveness and barely two days later, a federal judge drops them through the trapdoor. So now Dems got their votes and have to give them nothing they promised in return.

 

[gtopa1]

Admittedly, these are mature discussions that are a bit above people who don't understand nuance and degree.

"Deep inside their cowardly little black souls, the lickspittles of the Republican party....".....sounds like rubbish quite frankly.

Greg

 

[rightwinger]

Here we go, Vichy Mac strikes again.

Actually, I am jubilant about these results, because they DO bode well for the future. The one thing that came through loud and clear is that the Youth Vote showed up. They looked at the ugly message of the GOP of racism, homophobia, misogyny and transphobia, you know, the ones you agree with and denounce as "woke", and said, "No Thanks".

Old people like us are dying. They are the future, and the future looks... pretty good.

Now, I would LOVE to see BOTH Parties stop running nuts. I would love to see AOC join Boebert on the unemployment line. Realistically that ain't going to happen. Not as long as you have primaries that get dominated by the more partisan and ideological voters. I would also love to see the media stop feeding these nuts. My Congressman is a pretty good guy, very sensible moderate Democrat... and he basically can't get arrested talking about issues. That's not entertainment!!!

One final point, and since Mac won't answer because I've blown up his fake premises so many times.. is that Incumbency won!

The three governorships that flips are two liberal states where the GOP governors who got in during the Teabagger wave of 2014 retired, and it was a return to status quo. The other appears to be Nevada, and that was because the governor is paying for very unpopular Covid restrictions that killed tourism in Las Vegas. The main reason why Fetterman won in PA is because Toomey retired. Had he run again, he'd have won. Nevada senate race and Arizona's governorship are still out. But the Senate Race in Nevada is down to 1000 votes.

In fact, if you ran for re-election, you probably won.

I think what the 2022 election showed was that the crazies lost

Trump demanded that if you wanted his endorsement, you had to endorse his election lies.

Those that did….lost

Candidates like DeSantis and Kemp who distanced from Trump….won Bigly

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

"Deep inside their cowardly little black souls, the lickspittles of the Republican party....".....sounds like rubbish quite frankly.

Greg

And then the lickspittles come a runnin, like they heard the dinner bell. So not so far off.

 

[rightwinger]

Have the Dems learned from woke policies?
Learned from BLM?
Learned from Defund the police?
No
So why would the Reps learn either?

Both live in their bubbles. (Speaking of the politicians not the actual people)

Very few Dems ran on that

Republicans ran on banning abortion, ignoring healthcare, ignoring working Americans

They lost

 

[sartre play]

No, not a good question, not even a reasonable question.

EXPLAIN why that's not a good question.

 

[g5000]

Both parties national and local seem to get quality candidates to run a challenging task. What has to change for good quality people to consider running for elected office?

The American people don't want quality people running things. They never have.

We get the politicians we deserve.

From 1832:

On my arrival in the United States I was surprised to find so much distinguished talent among the subjects, and so little among the heads of the Government. It is a well-authenticated fact, that at the present day the most able men in the United States are very rarely placed at the head of affairs; and it must be acknowledged that such has been the result in proportion as democracy has outstepped all its former limits. The race of American statesmen has evidently dwindled most remarkably in the course of the last fifty years.

Several causes may be assigned to this phenomenon. It is impossible, notwithstanding the most strenuous exertions, to raise the intelligence of the people above a certain level. Whatever may be the facilities of acquiring information, whatever may be the profusion of easy methods and of cheap science, the human mind can never be instructed and educated without devoting a considerable space of time to those objects.

<snip>

Long and patient observation, joined to a multitude of different notions, is required to form a just estimate of the character of a single individual; and can it be supposed that the vulgar have the power of succeeding in an inquiry which misleads the penetration of genius itself? The people has neither the time nor the means which are essential to the prosecution of an investigation of this kind: its conclusions are hastily formed from a superficial inspection of the more prominent features of a question. Hence it often assents to the clamor of a mountebank who knows the secret of stimulating its tastes, while its truest friends frequently fail in their exertions.

<snip>

In the United States the people is not disposed to hate the superior classes of society; but it is not very favorably inclined towards them, and it carefully excludes them from the exercise of authority. It does not entertain any dread of distinguished talents, but it is rarely captivated by them; and it awards its approbation very sparingly to such as have risen without the popular support.

Whilst the natural propensities of democracy induce the people to reject the most distinguished citizens as its rulers, these individuals are no less apt to retire from a political career in which it is almost impossible to retain their independence, or to advance without degrading themselves.

Democracy in America, Part I. by Alexis de Tocqueville

 

[kyzr]

For those not familiar with the particulars of how Social Security is financed, it is easy to see how these claims and headlines may cause worry about whether they can rely on the program for retirement income. After 2034, based on current projections, Social Security will only be able to pay about 78% of benefits. This is of course problematic, but certainly not an indication that in 2034 payments will stop flowing entirely. For the last 30-plus years, most of the money withheld from paychecks went directly to current retirees, with the surplus contributing to the trust-fund balance. Moving forward, money will still be coming in to cover most of the obligations, just not all of them. Congress should pass the act known as “Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust” which would change the earnings subject to taxation. Currently only income below $147,000 is taxed, meaning an individual making $150,000 annually pays as much Social Security tax as Russell Wilson. This bill would subject income above $400,000 to the payroll tax. Taking this action would increase taxes on a small portion of wealthy Americans and ensure a better retirement outlook for millions of American seniors.

Whether the terms bankrupt and insolvent accurately describe the future financial picture of Social Security is debatable, but what is more important is how people interpret those words, and make predictions and decisions about retirement. Policy action is needed to fix the funding shortfall, that is clear. However, policymakers and the media should take care not to exaggerate these concerns, as it erodes trust in what is arguably the most successful, enduring and popular safety-net program in the country.

When you retire you need SS to live on. A 20% cut in SS is unacceptable. Saying "SS is going bankrupt" carries more urgency.

Raising the cap is a fine idea. So why don't the democrats do it?

 

[Sixties Fan]

When you retire you need SS to live on. A 20% cut in SS is unacceptable. Saying "SS is going bankrupt" carries more urgency.

Raising the cap is a fine idea. So why don't the democrats do it?

Let us see what happens with the House and Senate.

The Republicans keep rejecting most bills. Some keep saying they want to privatize SS and Medicare, meaning .....they want to eventually do away with it.

So, I am going to be patient and wait and see what happens with the election first.

Then I will see what the Democrats can do, hopefully with the help of some Republicans .

 

[rightwinger]

Raising the cap is a fine idea. So why don't the democrats do it?

Because they have to deal with Republicans who, if given the chance, would repeal both Social Security and Medicare

 

[Lesh]

Most of that money went to pork for the Democrats.

Ah, the standard right wing fantasy.

Fox should send out a man on the street reporter to ask these young people how it feels to be suckers. Voting Dem because Biden promised them $10,000 loan forgiveness and barely two days later, a federal judge drops them through the trapdoor. So now Dems got their votes and have to give them nothing they promised in return.

A. It was a trump judge. There's a lesson in that

B. It will be appealed