Congressional Disapproval

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
21

[quote]Sifu wrote:
There is a difference between politics and leadership. Politics is following opinion polls. Leadership is staking out a position and sticking to your position for better or for worse.[/quote]

Just being stubborn on maintaining your position is not a virtue. There is a difference between “leadership” and “smart leadership”. We don’t have “smart leadership” with Bush.

One of the big myths right wingers just love to tell themselves about Bush… that he doesn’t care about polls and doesn’t play politics when making policy decisions… that’s absolute rubbish.

22

Here’s the part that makes me a little sad.

Based on the poll, it would mean that 86% of Americans don’t trust their elected officials. And WHILE not trusting their elected officials, they not only don’t have an armed revolution, they don’t even vote them out properly.

Damn.

-Gendou

23

[quote]gendou57 wrote:
Here’s the part that makes me a little sad.

Based on the poll, it would mean that 86% of Americans don’t trust their elected officials. And WHILE not trusting their elected officials, they not only don’t have an armed revolution, they don’t even vote them out properly.

Damn.

-Gendou[/quote]

The American people are 3 things

  1. Apathetic
  2. Ignorant
  3. Lazy

Not exactly a recipe for revolution either armed or unarmed…

Our ancestors would be sick, but we don’t care.

24

[quote]Brad61 wrote:
thunderbolt23 wrote:

  1. So if true, why aren’t the Democrats doing that - ending the war - after being such good stewards of the “will of the people”?

Because of Republican obstruction in Congress. The Democrats only have a narrow majority, with not enough votes to override the minority obstruction. (whatever happened to “Up or Down Vote” I guess those days are over?)

The GOP will correctly be seen by voters as obstructionist and voting against popular programs, during the 2008 elections. The Democrats should solidify their majority at that time, and there should be less gridlock.

The biggest issue right now is the Iraq war. While voters are frustrated that the Democrats haven’t cut the funding, only a complete idiot would think that translates into any Democratic (or Dem-leaning) voters switching Republican. Absolutely nobody who is against the occupation actually believes that the GOP would be ‘better’ than the Democrats on Iraq. The GOP has the stench of the war on them, and that will not change in 2008. You broke it, so you bought it.[/quote]

I actually disagree with most of you with regards to the idea that the war is the #1 issue. While it might be the biggest whole issue, I think that most people accept that there are no easy solutions (and no pulling out is not an easy solution). Most people, in my opinion, are willing to let it sit on the back burner for a bit hoping that a solution presents itself.

I think that the big problem is the lack of anything else getting done. The politicians are doing what they have always tended to do, talk about big ideas, bitch and moan and yet make very little effort to address issues other than the war that people care about.

Honestly, how much time has Congress wasted on the immigration bill and the attempt to put a timetable on Iraq. Why do I bring these up, because everyone know early on neither had a chance. If actually getting shit done was at the forefront of their agendas these might have been dropped. The way that these people operate is frustrating, if any of us pulled this kind of shit at work, we would have been let go a while ago.

So I guess, what I mean to say (in case I was rambling) is that the voters could probably overlook the stalemate over Iraq if there was the sense that anything else was getting done. I think this is true for either side of the aisle.