By the numbers--Democrats vs Republicans

[Trojan_Ripper]

Simple. Stop voting Republican, stop voting blue dog Democrat, stop voting Clinton-style faux-liberal, and start voting for people like Bernie Sanders. This country is skewed so far to the right, even our liberals aren't left enough.

Basically just don't vote this election? Bernie isn't running is he?

[Angry Citizen]

My plan is to vote Obama this election, then try to get someone decent nominated in 2016. I'm not an idiot - we're stuck with what we have for another four years, lest we get someone worse.

[xx_mortekai_xx]

Simple. Stop voting Republican, stop voting blue dog Democrat, stop voting Clinton-style faux-liberal, and start voting for people like Bernie Sanders. This country is skewed so far to the right, even our liberals aren't left enough.

I love him. And he is what a politician should be. He isnt afraid to talk to people about what he thinks. Have you ever heard him on Thom Hartmann? he is on every friday on that show and takes calls the entire time. (or was, i dont know if he still does, havent heard the show in some months now.)

If ONLY someone like that would get the nomination. I would move to join the campain.

[Trojan_Ripper]

My plan is to vote Obama this election, then try to get someone decent nominated in 2016. I'm not an idiot - we're stuck with what we have for another four years, lest we get someone worse.

Okay you say “Democrats favor right wing economics the same as Republicans” is that a good thing?

Can you tell me how the Democrats “wish to pay for their spending”? Where will they find a source large enough to accomplish this?

[JimmyNic]

Is there an merit in what this chart suggests?

In my view, the chart is a simplistic visualization of an economic fact. The Right's notions of what creates prosperity is flat out wrong. Prosperity is created with policies that build a middle class, not that put wealth and money in the hands of fewer and fewer rich people.

Why, I wonder, do the Right and Republicans have such difficulty with facts and reality?

It's an interesting chart, but it's not really that informative. After all you'd need to know a lot more about the policies of each individual government and the state of the world at the time to judge which party was more effective in government. Also since political parties change a great deal it wouldn't much help you decide which party is more fit to rule right now. I do mostly agree with your assertion that prosperity is created by empowering the middle and lower echelons of society rather than the upper, though.

[Yarn]

The whole thing is a waste of time, and means little if anything at all. It ignores realities, such as, congress, war, economic collapse, civil unrest, natural disasters, the length of time it takes a President to gain enough support to push congress to make changes, twisting the charts like Obama with unemployment, or skewing the facts like Obama on job creation, or cherry picking bits of news like the Liberal media on the economy, ex...

I believe the intent of this chart is to use dramatic over simplification, to woefully misrepresent the truth to the benefit of certain political agendas. Weather it be used to prop up the Left or Right, it is deplorable and destructive towards the common welfare of this nation.

And it isn't an oversimplification to ignore outsourcing, automation, the biggest economic shock since the great depression (which by comparison took more than 10 years to escape), and a failed education system, mostly run by the states, and instead just blame Obama for everything?

The chart is crap because the world doesn't revolve around the federal government, much less the president. It is part of the bigger picture, and without the rest of the picture any analysis is crap. But people are too lazy or incompetent or partial to look at things as a whole rather than through "cherry picking".

[CarlPilkington]

Weren't any of them paying attention? Wasn't this the attitude that caused the economic collapse in the first place?

I remember reading the world encyclopedia and it gave me the definition of conservativism, it was something along the lines of "The belief that political problems can be solved by tried and tested principles" while liberalism is defined as "The beliefs that political problems can be solved by adapting to new strategies for new problems."

If you're thinking they've had the same attitude that they had before the recession, you're exactly right.

[keywish]

But we all know that our current economic problems are not because of the current administration. The economic collapse, the resulting unemployment rate, and the huge deficit are without question the result of the Bush administration and his two wars. And now the "conservatives" are telling us that our problems are the result of government regulations on banks and the stock market. Weren't any of them paying attention? Wasn't this the attitude that caused the economic collapse in the first place?

You were really all over the place so I cut out some of the bigoted nonsense to get to the small part that was reasonable.

The government regulations on banks that people have been trying to tell you were the cause of the housing bubble all stemmed from the community re development act from the carter days followed by a long list of regulations that forced banks to come up with creative ways to loan to inferior borrowers for the purpose of spreading the American dream of owning a house. This was a snowball going down a very long hill. It picked up speed as frenzied buying was created during a super strong economy in the 2000's.

The creative lending practices forced on banks by the government allowed for more small time speculators than ever before in history. The forced creation of and federal backing of the sub prime mortgage industry helped suck up housing and land that further fueled the speculation.

I know you won't believe any of this even though its traceable because it is easier to say it was because of george bushes greed that there was a housing bubble and that caused the problem.

[keywish]

The economic crisis may not be Obamas fault but being stuck in the mud instead of rebounding properly is all Obama now. 2 years with a democratic super majority and control of both houses with control of the presidency and one year where democrats controlled the senate and the presidency.

notin but Dems in the mud.

[Angry Citizen]

2 years with a democratic super majority and control of both houses with control of the presidency and one year where democrats controlled the senate and the presidency.

Control? Hardly. The Republicans filibustered anything substantial. You want to know why we have such a high deficit, just look at the Republicans holding unemployment benefits as a hostage in exchange for extension of the Bush tax cuts.

[keywish]

Control? Hardly. The Republicans filibustered anything substantial. You want to know why we have such a high deficit, just look at the Republicans holding unemployment benefits as a hostage in exchange for extension of the Bush tax cuts.

I can see why your angry. Its because you get so mad about making up your own facts. People are getting 99weeks of unemployment. How in the name of sammy davis does that show the unemployment benefits were being held up. Just just started reducing it to 73 weeks in states with hugh unemployment and 63 weeks in states with low unemployment.

If thats a result of the republicans holding it up then I sure as hell am glad they did it. Otherwise you nuts would have beeen making me help pay for 4 years of unemployment. Just enough to try and get Obama re elected again.

[Angry Citizen]

I can see why your angry. Its because you get so mad about making up your own facts.

Note to barts: PLEASE add a laugh emote.

For the umpteenth time, Angry Citizen is a very old moniker I picked up that has nothing to do with politics or debate in general.

People are getting 99weeks of unemployment. How in the name of sammy davis does that show the unemployment benefits were being held up. Just just started reducing it to 73 weeks in states with hugh unemployment and 63 weeks in states with low unemployment.

Republicans threatened to end extended unemployment benefits in the middle of the goddamned Great Recession in order to keep the Bush tax cuts for another two years: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politic...enate-GOP-says

Reaaallllyyy shows where their loyalties lie.