Orange Duce

[cradleandshoot]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

[Kismet]

Trashing former President Jimmy Carter who is on his deathbed - class move tonight by Orange Fatso.

[youthathletics]

What is going on with all this Fanni Willis chatter?

[Seacoaster(1)]

Trashing former President Jimmy Carter who is on his deathbed - class move tonight by Orange Fatso.

And this: Donald Trump as Iowa experiences subzero temperatures ahead of the caucuses: “You can't sit home. If you're sick as a dog, you say ‘Darling, I gotta make it.’ Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it, remember."

People may die, but that’s a sacrifice the Moron is willing to make. Where’s Alina? Can we have soup?

[cradleandshoot]

Trashing former President Jimmy Carter who is on his deathbed - class move tonight by Orange Fatso.

And this: Donald Trump as Iowa experiences subzero temperatures ahead of the caucuses: “You can't sit home. If you're sick as a dog, you say ‘Darling, I gotta make it.’ Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it, remember."

People may die, but that’s a sacrifice the Moron is willing to make. Where’s Alina? Can we have soup?

If those voters were risking their lives to elect a FLP candidate you agree with, would you still feel the same way?

[cradleandshoot]

It looks like Nathan Wade could very well be the one person who sinks the case in Georgia vs trump. Can you folks on this forum remind me of what an appearance of impropriety is suppose to be defined as?
Nathan must have been one hell of a lover?

[youthathletics]

It looks like Nathan Wade could very well be the one person who sinks the case in Georgia vs trump. Can you folks on this forum remind me of what an appearance of impropriety is suppose to be defined as?
Nathan must have been one hell of a lover?

Titus Livy quote in my signature applies.

[cradleandshoot]

It looks like Nathan Wade could very well be the one person who sinks the case in Georgia vs trump. Can you folks on this forum remind me of what an appearance of impropriety is suppose to be defined as?
Nathan must have been one hell of a lover?

Titus Livy quote in my signature applies.

[Seacoaster(1)]

Trashing former President Jimmy Carter who is on his deathbed - class move tonight by Orange Fatso.

And this: Donald Trump as Iowa experiences subzero temperatures ahead of the caucuses: “You can't sit home. If you're sick as a dog, you say ‘Darling, I gotta make it.’ Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it, remember."

People may die, but that’s a sacrifice the Moron is willing to make. Where’s Alina? Can we have soup?

If those voters were risking their lives to elect a FLP candidate you agree with, would you still feel the same way?

I posted it only to show, again, what an idiot this guy is and how the reality of his interest in, and care for, only a single person drips into his speech.

[cradleandshoot]

Trashing former President Jimmy Carter who is on his deathbed - class move tonight by Orange Fatso.

And this: Donald Trump as Iowa experiences subzero temperatures ahead of the caucuses: “You can't sit home. If you're sick as a dog, you say ‘Darling, I gotta make it.’ Even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it, remember."

People may die, but that’s a sacrifice the Moron is willing to make. Where’s Alina? Can we have soup?

If those voters were risking their lives to elect a FLP candidate you agree with, would you still feel the same way?

I posted it only to show, again, what an idiot this guy is and how the reality of his interest in, and care for, only a single person drips into his speech.

Thank you for the clarification counselor.

[MDlaxfan76]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump. (Unless third party candidates provide a non-majority lane)
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

[cradleandshoot]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

[MDlaxfan76]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

Is that supposed to be a response to what I actually wrote above, or just another stupid, unresponsive rant?

Excluding alcohol, No.
Nor since.

You?

[cradleandshoot]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

Is that supposed to be a response to what I actually wrote above, or just another stupid, unresponsive rant?

Excluding alcohol, No.
Nor since.

You?

Nope, I'm just reminding you your memory is defective. How many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you remember it? As for drug use, I plead the Steven Tyler defense...it was the 70s man, I don't remember much. You want a serious answer. My derelict teenage friends and I smoked weed because it was easier to get than booze. I tried cocaine once and hated it. I tried mescaline once and hated it. That is about the extent of it for drug use. My best friend in this world developed a hard core cocaine addiction. I watched him die for 10 years. That maybe why I have the intolerance I have to this day for Coke heads. There is a Neil Young song that still today brings back bad memories of my friend. The Needle and the Damage Done. The one line of every junkies like a setting sun says it all. Have you ever had a tweaked out coke addict who hasn't slept in days come pounding on your back door at 3am while your infant son was sleeping? Been there and done that and never got a tee shirt.
FTR my wife and I do occasionally smoke weed at night before Jeopardy. I have found it works better for the non stop pain in my shoulder than Oxycodone does.

[MDlaxfan76]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

Is that supposed to be a response to what I actually wrote above, or just another stupid, unresponsive rant?

Excluding alcohol, No.
Nor since.

You?

Nope, I'm just reminding you your memory is defective. How many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you remember it? As for drug use, I plead the Steven Tyler defense...it was the 70s man, I don't remember much. You want a serious answer. My derelict teenage friends and I smoked weed because it was easier to get than booze. I tried cocaine once and hated it. I tried mescaline once and hated it. That is about the extent of it for drug use. My best friend in this world developed a hard core cocaine addiction. I watched him die for 10 years. That maybe why I have the intolerance I have to this day for Coke heads. There is a Neil Young song that still today brings back bad memories of my friend. The Needle and the Damage Done. The one line of every junkies like a setting sun says it all. Have you ever had a tweaked out coke addict who hasn't slept in days come pounding on your back door at 3am while your infant son was sleeping? Been there and done that and never got a tee shirt.
FTR my wife and I do occasionally smoke weed at night before Jeopardy. I have found it works better for the non stop pain in my shoulder than Oxycodone does.

I make no adverse judgments about the choices others have made about drugs. I've joked that I probably should be disqualified from the Presidency given my avoidance...too much of a goody two shoes, but the reality is that I watched a lot of addiction in my family to booze and nicotine, saw my grandparents die from cigarettes, hacking...so had a strong aversion to smoking anything, and sports were a good excuse to just avoid altogether. Again, seeing others addicted, didn't want to test that possibility.

My memory is just fine. So are my reading comprehension skills.

For instance, I didn't mention Fox a single time in my posts, yet you think I don't remember that you don't watch FOX ( though many millions of others do)? How is that even remotely relevant to the above discussion?

[Farfromgeneva]

What is going on with all this Fanni Willis chatter?

Bad people stirring up the ticket of misinformation to hurt her to benefit Trump and the POS who actively support him. Nothing else. Just throwing that out there I’m sure hit it is pushing misinformation out by doing so as well. Of all the Fed up people in Atlanta with power she rock solid.

[cradleandshoot]

What is going on with all this Fanni Willis chatter?

Bad people stirring up the ticket of misinformation to hurt her to benefit Trump and the POS who actively support him. Nothing else. Just throwing that out there I’m sure hit it is pushing misinformation out by doing so as well. Of all the Fed up people in Atlanta with power she rock solid.

It sure seems like Fani was getting what the Rolling Stones would have said ...... Some SATISFACTION.

[Farfromgeneva]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

Is that supposed to be a response to what I actually wrote above, or just another stupid, unresponsive rant?

Excluding alcohol, No.
Nor since.

You?

Nope, I'm just reminding you your memory is defective. How many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you remember it? As for drug use, I plead the Steven Tyler defense...it was the 70s man, I don't remember much. You want a serious answer. My derelict teenage friends and I smoked weed because it was easier to get than booze. I tried cocaine once and hated it. I tried mescaline once and hated it. That is about the extent of it for drug use. My best friend in this world developed a hard core cocaine addiction. I watched him die for 10 years. That maybe why I have the intolerance I have to this day for Coke heads. There is a Neil Young song that still today brings back bad memories of my friend. The Needle and the Damage Done. The one line of every junkies like a setting sun says it all. Have you ever had a tweaked out coke addict who hasn't slept in days come pounding on your back door at 3am while your infant son was sleeping? Been there and done that and never got a tee shirt.
FTR my wife and I do occasionally smoke weed at night before Jeopardy. I have found it works better for the non stop pain in my shoulder than Oxycodone does.

I make no adverse judgments about the choices others have made about drugs. I've joked that I probably should be disqualified from the Presidency given my avoidance...too much of a goody two shoes, but the reality is that I watched a lot of addiction in my family to booze and nicotine, saw my grandparents die from cigarettes, hacking...so had a strong aversion to smoking anything, and sports were a good excuse to just avoid altogether. Again, seeing others addicted, didn't want to test that possibility.

My memory is just fine. So are my reading comprehension skills.

For instance, I didn't mention Fox a single time in my posts, yet you think I don't remember that you don't watch FOX ( though many millions of others do)? How is that even remotely relevant to the above discussion?

Setting aside the addictive considerations (addiction equals Habit plus consequence not just habit) cocaine does far less damage on the brain than “legal” alcohol. And addiction is a broader mental health issue.

You’d find this podcast enlightening I think- not a big difference between prescribed drugs and schedule 1 often.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e ... 0600572717

When psychiatrist Marco Ramos of Yale University prescribes antidepressants to patients in distress and they ask him how they work, Ramos admits: We don't really know. And too often, they don't work at all. Despite decades of brain research and billions of dollars spent, psychiatry has made little progress in understanding mental illness. Listen as Ramos explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how the myth of the biological basis for mental illness began, why it stubbornly persists, and why honesty about what we know and don't know is the best policy.

[cradleandshoot]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

Is that supposed to be a response to what I actually wrote above, or just another stupid, unresponsive rant?

Excluding alcohol, No.
Nor since.

You?

Nope, I'm just reminding you your memory is defective. How many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you remember it? As for drug use, I plead the Steven Tyler defense...it was the 70s man, I don't remember much. You want a serious answer. My derelict teenage friends and I smoked weed because it was easier to get than booze. I tried cocaine once and hated it. I tried mescaline once and hated it. That is about the extent of it for drug use. My best friend in this world developed a hard core cocaine addiction. I watched him die for 10 years. That maybe why I have the intolerance I have to this day for Coke heads. There is a Neil Young song that still today brings back bad memories of my friend. The Needle and the Damage Done. The one line of every junkies like a setting sun says it all. Have you ever had a tweaked out coke addict who hasn't slept in days come pounding on your back door at 3am while your infant son was sleeping? Been there and done that and never got a tee shirt.
FTR my wife and I do occasionally smoke weed at night before Jeopardy. I have found it works better for the non stop pain in my shoulder than Oxycodone does.

I make no adverse judgments about the choices others have made about drugs. I've joked that I probably should be disqualified from the Presidency given my avoidance...too much of a goody two shoes, but the reality is that I watched a lot of addiction in my family to booze and nicotine, saw my grandparents die from cigarettes, hacking...so had a strong aversion to smoking anything, and sports were a good excuse to just avoid altogether. Again, seeing others addicted, didn't want to test that possibility.

My memory is just fine. So are my reading comprehension skills.

For instance, I didn't mention Fox a single time in my posts, yet you think I don't remember that you don't watch FOX ( though many millions of others do)? How is that even remotely relevant to the above discussion?

No your memory Old Sod is waaaaaay off kilter. How many times in the past in thread conversations have you implied I was " brainwashed" by watching Fox News? How many times in the past while replying to your accusations have I informed you that I don't watch nor listen to FOX news?? There is a term often referred to as context. What you have just verified to me is something I have known for decades. When you tell an arrogant, condescending and self righteous individual something even multiple times they don't have the respect for you to even remember what you just told them. They don't come more arrogant, condescending and self righteous as you. GO BILLS....

[cradleandshoot]

yes, the dangers of dysfunction are real.

I realize that you think that parties should fight and obstruct and prevent majority rule, but that's where the dysfunction happens. Governance happens when the parties argue but compromise where majorities can support the outcomes.

For instance, Reagan faced enormous dangers, but didn't have that dysfunction because Dems in Congress weren't obstructionists. They compromised...and on international affairs they by and large supported a strong international presence and national defense. That's where the middle of the electorate were...

And as I've pointed out numerous times, the GOP has won more Presidential elections than Dems over multiple decades by appealing to majorities in the middle, not the lowest base. That's democracy.

What MAGA assumes is that they can't win a majority because of demographics...so, they are trying to achieve power without majority support.

My "vision" isn't "near", the short term is disastrous for the GOP, unless MAGA gains control and we move to authoritarian rule. My "vision" is that defeat of that strategy will eventually result in a rational re-making of the party more in the Lincoln and TR and Reagan tradition, rejecting the most extreme elements of the now MAGA GOP. Nazis simply have no place in Lincoln's or Reagan's GOP...that this isn't obvious tells me how whacked the situation is...short term...I retain long term hope.

Your perspective of the Republican party in your rear view mirror is crystal clear. Do you see the Republican party winning the White House anytime again in your lifetime? We can leave trump out of the equation. Your party has a huge fracture in its basic foundation that desperately needs repair.

Not with Trump.
And they've lost me until there's a non-MAGA compliant candidate.
Gotta reject completely the most extreme, the white "Christian" nationalists, etc.
Get away from all the anti-woke, anti-immigrant emphasis and focus on actual governance again.

But sure, though it may take a couple of cycles, they could actually reform (enough) as early as 2028. More likely 2032, though.

They need to get on the right side of some important issues which have 55+% support...they're on the wrong side on several relative to the electorate. But the right candidate is capable of doing so. The question is whether GOP primary voters, who are typically the most ideological, recognize that to win consistently in a democracy you need to appeal to a majority. That's part of why I think losing badly may be what is required before reform actually becomes attractive to enough of the GOP to win the primaries.

For instance, the Dobbs decision and what red states are doing with the power to restrict healthcare to women is a huge albatross. That's going to be tough to shake, given the evangelical base emphasis on it, but it's possible to do. Losing again and again may wake them up.

And certainly the Dems are perfectly capable of getting too far over their own skis. Pretty much can count on it...

But right now, the MAGA dominated conclusion is that they can't win a majority, so they (those pulling the strings) believe they need to gain and retain power through anti-democracy means. They've given up on democracy. But not on power.

My metaphor went right over your head. Your analogy about more Rs than Ds elected POTUS is sadly relevant. I'm guessing your willing to exclude trump from my comment to follow. The political reality today in 2024 isn't even remotely comparable to Dubya in his 8 years. I don't know if you were on this forum back then? I don't know if you recall the plethora of insulting, disparaging and outright contempt shown by your FLP friends hurled at your boy George? I understand your ability to remember and recall has been greatly inhibited over the years. Your memory has become much more selective over time. Why I've explained to you countless times after you accusing me of being brainwashed by FOX that I don't watch FOX. The normal average person would get it the first time. Hell I've told you probably a dozen times. Sadly that undersized brain of yours that resides in your oversized head was never able to understand what I told you repeatedly. Out of curiosity MD, how many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you get it? .
This is where I get to brag, you only have to tell me something once.
Be honest...did you do drugs to in the 70s?

Is that supposed to be a response to what I actually wrote above, or just another stupid, unresponsive rant?

Excluding alcohol, No.
Nor since.

You?

Nope, I'm just reminding you your memory is defective. How many times does someone have to tell you the same thing before you remember it? As for drug use, I plead the Steven Tyler defense...it was the 70s man, I don't remember much. You want a serious answer. My derelict teenage friends and I smoked weed because it was easier to get than booze. I tried cocaine once and hated it. I tried mescaline once and hated it. That is about the extent of it for drug use. My best friend in this world developed a hard core cocaine addiction. I watched him die for 10 years. That maybe why I have the intolerance I have to this day for Coke heads. There is a Neil Young song that still today brings back bad memories of my friend. The Needle and the Damage Done. The one line of every junkies like a setting sun says it all. Have you ever had a tweaked out coke addict who hasn't slept in days come pounding on your back door at 3am while your infant son was sleeping? Been there and done that and never got a tee shirt.
FTR my wife and I do occasionally smoke weed at night before Jeopardy. I have found it works better for the non stop pain in my shoulder than Oxycodone does.

I make no adverse judgments about the choices others have made about drugs. I've joked that I probably should be disqualified from the Presidency given my avoidance...too much of a goody two shoes, but the reality is that I watched a lot of addiction in my family to booze and nicotine, saw my grandparents die from cigarettes, hacking...so had a strong aversion to smoking anything, and sports were a good excuse to just avoid altogether. Again, seeing others addicted, didn't want to test that possibility.

My memory is just fine. So are my reading comprehension skills.

For instance, I didn't mention Fox a single time in my posts, yet you think I don't remember that you don't watch FOX ( though many millions of others do)? How is that even remotely relevant to the above discussion?

Setting aside the addictive considerations (addiction equals Habit plus consequence not just habit) cocaine does far less damage on the brain than “legal” alcohol. And addiction is a broader mental health issue.

You’d find this podcast enlightening I think- not a big difference between prescribed drugs and schedule 1 often.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e ... 0600572717

When psychiatrist Marco Ramos of Yale University prescribes antidepressants to patients in distress and they ask him how they work, Ramos admits: We don't really know. And too often, they don't work at all. Despite decades of brain research and billions of dollars spent, psychiatry has made little progress in understanding mental illness. Listen as Ramos explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how the myth of the biological basis for mental illness began, why it stubbornly persists, and why honesty about what we know and don't know is the best policy.

GO BILLS.....