What does the Republicans and the Democrats have in common?

[Zander]

Q>What does the Republicans and the Democrats have in common?

A> A serious grammar problem?

 

[MaggieMae]

Well, both parties are full of corrupt, self serving, egotistical bastards who don't give a shit about their fellow Americans, their country or anything other than power and money.

It isn't the elected people that need to change. It's the bureaucracy--the system.

I honestly don't believe that when a man or a woman is first elected to office s/he's intent is to be corrupt and self-serving. They go to work believing they're going to make a difference. But what they don't realize (and, ahem, this includes brand new presidents) is that it isn't just one person who can make a difference. A new lawmaker truly believes that all he has to do is be given a podium and he can make a speech on a bill and the whole nation will listen attentively and agree wholeheartedly. Wrong.

Next, elected officials are up against a wall of existing rules and regulations, committees and subcommittees each wielding their own special 'powers' which affect what the legislative body as a whole eventually does. A newly elected person recognizes early on that in order to implement any, er "change" that he/she might intend takes enormous effort behind the scenes, a lot of glad-handing and back slapping. Then, at least in the House, before they know it, they need to start campaigning again just to remain in office if by then there's any hope of following through on original campaign promises.

The Washington elders have played this game for many years, to the point where they don't even realize how their own power often is NOT in the interest of the people anymore but merely a work in progress to maintain the status quo of the body politic-- which is them, not us.

Should there be term limits? I would say for the House of Representatives, two years is not enough. They just gain their footing the first year; the second year is spent campaigning. For the Senate, make it four years not six. In fact, four years for both chambers. And there should be a mandatory age retirement of, say, 70.

But what WE can do as voters is research our own lawmakers' legislative history. We tend to "like" our own and keep voting them back into office without really knowing what damage they might have contributed to some current mess. Then make an intelligent decision in the voting booth, not one made just because the person's name is familiar on the ballot.

 

[Bfgrn]

Oh!!!! well, where i can i begin now!!!! Oh!!!Yeah i know, they are both greedy as hell,they love power and war, and really neither one of them really gives a damn, about the poor, disable and seniors or the jobless, and they play with Immigration and Health Care, and Terrorism. Oh!!!! Yeah!!! i forgot, that stinkin' Race Card. I think Y'all can add more as you read this. You can tell, can't you, that i got no respect for either party now can't you."Let's hear it!! Y'all!!! spill the beans!!!!

All your post says is who and what you are...


Liberalism is trust of the people, tempered by prudence; conservatism, distrust of people, tempered by fear.
William E. Gladstone

 

[Titanic Sailor]

William Gladstone is a liar and a fool.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Oh!!!! well, where i can i begin now!!!! Oh!!!Yeah i know, they are both greedy as hell,they love power and war, and really neither one of them really gives a damn, about the poor, disable and seniors or the jobless, and they play with Immigration and Health Care, and Terrorism. Oh!!!! Yeah!!! i forgot, that stinkin' Race Card. I think Y'all can add more as you read this. You can tell, can't you, that i got no respect for either party now can't you."Let's hear it!! Y'all!!! spill the beans!!!!

How about being Progressives?

 

[MaggieMae]

Primary similarity that I see...

Both spend more time looking for the other party to trip up than they do looking for ways to truly do what they were elected to do.

THAT, unfortunately, is a fairly new phenomenon.

The Reaganites followed by Bush 41 hated Clinton so they elected Bush 43.

Therefore the Clintonites hated Bush 43 so they elected Barack Obama (or any Democrat).

Therefore the Bushites hate Obama.

Stupid, childish, tit-for-tat, just-say-no (by both parties in power) is what we've got. Time for the adult Americans to grow up, everyone admit to mistakes, and move on for the betterment of all of us. And no, I won't like some of it, and no, you won't like some of it either, but the way it's going now is not acceptable any longer.

 

[Bfgrn]

William Gladstone is a liar and a fool.

And you would know...

 

[P F Tinmore]

AMY GOODMAN: Mr. President, are you there?

PRESIDENT CLINTON: I am, can you hear me?

AMY GOODMAN: Yes, we can. You are calling radio stations to tell people to get out and vote. What do you say to people who feel that the two parties are bought by corporations, and that they are … at this point feel that their vote doesn’t make a difference?

http://ia341303.us.archive.org/3/items/dn2004-0622/dn2004-0622-1_64kb.mp3

 

[B L Zeebub]

they vote

 

[Claudette]

Well, both parties are full of corrupt, self serving, egotistical bastards who don't give a shit about their fellow Americans, their country or anything other than power and money.

Boy. Thou hast said a mouthfull there Cali. Couldn't agree more. Self serving bastards each and every one. If they aren't when they take office it doesn't take long for them to follow the herd. No matter the party.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Well, both parties are full of corrupt, self serving, egotistical bastards who don't give a shit about their fellow Americans, their country or anything other than power and money.

Boy. Thou hast said a mouthfull there Cali. Couldn't agree more. Self serving bastards each and every one. If they aren't when they take office it doesn't take long for them to follow the herd. No matter the party.

Agreed

 

[Bfgrn]

Well, both parties are full of corrupt, self serving, egotistical bastards who don't give a shit about their fellow Americans, their country or anything other than power and money.

Boy. Thou hast said a mouthfull there Cali. Couldn't agree more. Self serving bastards each and every one. If they aren't when they take office it doesn't take long for them to follow the herd. No matter the party.

Agreed

Misattributed Quote

* Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Widely attributed to Franklin on the internet, sometimes without the second sentence. It is not found in any of his known writings, and the word "lunch" is not known to have appeared anywhere in english literature until the 1820s, decades after his death. The phrasing itself has a very modern tone and the second sentence especially might not even be as old as the internet. Some of these observations are made in response to a query at Google Answers.

A far rarer but somewhat more credible variation also occurs: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner." Web searches on these lines uncovers the earliest definite citations for such a statement credit libertarian author James Bovard with a similar one in the Sacramento Bee (1994):

"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."

This statement also definitely occurs in the "Conclusion" (p. 333) of his book Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty (1994) ISBN 0312123337
Wiki

 

[rdean]

Democrats and Republicans are very different.

The Republican Party is mostly one race, one religion and even close in age.
They are anti education
only 6% of scientists are Republican
They tend to freeze out and demonize those they consider "different".
Their world view is generally "black or white" and "good or evil", which means they are nearly impossible to negotiate with. This is the reason the entire world is more afraid of Republicans than al Qaeda.

Democrats are pretty much the opposite of all that.
Because Democrats are made up of blacks, whites, young, old, gays, straights, homemakers, feminists, Christians and atheists, every agreement has to be negotiated. That gives the appearance they can't make up their minds, but the truth is, they have much more perspective.

Because so many scientists are Democrats and so few Republican, Republicans have to rely much more heavily on Democrats.

 

[Xenophon]

They both suck ass and are bad for America.

 

[rdean]

They both suck ass and are bad for America.

But not you?

 

[SwingVoter]

the entire world is more afraid of Republicans than al Qaeda.

agree, Sarah Palin really needs to stop trying to light those explosives stored in her underwear

 

[Xenophon]

They both suck ass and are bad for America.

But not you?

You are a poster boy for what is bad for America.

You are everything the founders loathed.