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It’s the Senate, Stupid

Posted by PAUL SILVER in At TMV.
Jan 27th, 2008 | Comments

As disappointing as the Bush presidency is, and will be, it is not nearly all of his fault. He was enabled by morally weak GOP congresspeople who valued power, self interest and their party more than the well being of those they were elected to protect.

Regardless of who wins for President, it is the Senate that will largely determine the rate of change and progress. Without 60 votes for the Democrats we are likely to see the same stalemate and stonewalling of the last year.

That is why I am putting most of my donations towards the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to reach those 60 seats. I’d like to see some arch anti-progressive go like McConnell, Inhofe, Sessions.

After the Democrats make reasonable and practical adjustments to Campaign finance, redistricting, health care, renewable energy, environmental protection, immigration, rule of law, and world opinion then I would be happy to support a more pragmatic and moderate GOP to have occasional control to make refinements in the efficient use of public funds and cut back the ethics abuses, earmarks and subsidies they were expected to control during Bush’s administration.

By then, it is almost inevitable that it would be time for the Democratic party to have their wings clipped again.

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superdestroyer

How do you think that the Democratic party can reconcile its support for open borders with it wanting to lower emissions?

But at least I shoud thank you for beng honest enough to believe that the U.S. would be better off as a one party state. The residents of D.C, Baltimore, Philly, Detroit, St Louis agree with out that machine Democratic politicians can be great stewards of the government, the schools, the environment, etc.

How politics will make changes when the only relevant elections are those invovling the replacement of retiring incumbents, i have no idea.

JillyDybka

The Democrats in Congress cannot even get their own members together to defend the Constitution against a supremely unpopular executive who has essentially spit in their faces, eaten their lunch and the nation's, and publicly called them out as powerless.

Please tell me how your idea would change anything.

nicrivera

As of right now, the Democrats are favored to win the presidency and are extremely unlikely to lose control of either the House or the Senate in 2008. Given the repeated failures of one-party rule (and the benefits of divided government), I have to wonder, Paul, why you're so eager to have the Democrats' margin in the Senate become even larger.

Jim_Satterfield

The benefits of divided government were in the past. With the current hyper-partisan atmosphere it would only mean that even good legislation can't get passed. Look at what the Republicans have done with every single Democratic proposal this past year. In addition, in the long run the only way the Republican Party can have a comeback is to be so thoroughly defeated that they will honestly look at why they are currently doing badly. Right now they just think that it's because they aren't getting their message across. There is no consideration of the possibility that they might be wrong about anything.

PaulSilver

I do value respectful partisanship. But it seems to me that over the years our system has been corrupted to favor the most partisan rather than the most pragmatic and open minded: eg. Gerrymandering, closed primaries, Committee Chairman and incumbents who get disproportional pork to keep their seats. I feel that this has to change and I only see it happening in an era of divine inspiration such as the one that happened when the framers came together to create the constitution. Thus I support the interim control of the Democrats who I believe are more likely to yield to the moral imperative to fix the election and ethics system.

I also support John McCain and Barak Obama as the rare souls who are willing and able to rise to these challenges for the best of our society, and as a beckon for the rest of the world.

GeorgeSorwell

Paul--

I'm glad to see you back here on a more regular basis.

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