Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

It wasn't all about the economy, and it wasn't all about voter suppression, although both were huge factors.

It was also largely about Obama's failure to either deliver on his promises or stand tall and fight for his principles.

The man who was mentored by people who fought against the Chicago PD's Red Squads sought to spy on his own citizens and then lied about it.

His Justice Department was very, very quiet on voter suppression.

He took union money, and made a few nice remarks, but he never really stood up and said he was a union man.

He promised health care reform and offered a watered down compromise that didn't make anyone happy. The only really solid reform to come out of Obamacare was doing away with preexisting condition limitations.

And he made it clear he was not a blind friend of Israel, wagging his tail whenever Netanyahu patted his head. But he didn't stand up when the Arab democracy movements needed international support.

In short, he's a classic Chicago politician: Promise them everything, then cut a deal just to say you put something in place. If he had taken the lead from the beginning, and made it a solid choice between good and evil, I believe we would be in a much different place.

But he didn't.

Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores.
 

I respectfully disagree. Wage stagflation/deflation means that, for many Americans, the economy is *not* improving. My working class cousins aren't invested in the stock market and they don't see any of the "unusually high" business profits coming their way. You cannot discount their frustration - and you also cannot disagree with them when they say that the president hasn't done enough.

Of course, a Republican Senate isn't likely to help them either, but that's a different issue.

Re: Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers.
 

Wonk, you know I love you like the older cousin who turned me on to George Carlin's "Class Clown" - I would never say that *to* you. It was merely a suggestion for thread title (loosely based on Hank's comment to TM).

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

I am more positive about Obama than you are, but I completely agree that he didn't give Democrats a reason to get out and vote. So they didn't.

eta: He built this awesome machine for getting himself elected, but has been uninterested or unable to harness it to any other end.

Re: Now Main Street's whitewashed windows and vacant stores.
 

Good point. This may even be a particular issue in some of the red states where elections occurred. I don't think it's what drove the Republican pick up of a congressional seat in NH or the pickup of the Mass. governor's race. I really would like to see the data and what was keyed in on as far as the economy.

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

My aunt lost her race for state senate :-(

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

I'm sorry. I have no doubt she would have done a great job.

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

I've been taking comfort in a) 2004 was more heartbreaking for me and b) 2004 was followed by 2006. Republicans are a great opposition party. They're pretty godawful when they're in power.

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

I understand people's criticism of Obama, for the most part. But I don't know how many of the points you outlined above are stated as if you just arrived to this country yesterday from some weird place in which you do not know anything about what is and isn't possible.

I wanted him to be way left of where he ended up being, but I remember that he didn't run on a way left platform. I wanted him to pass significant health care reform, but realized that that shit was not fucking possible. I wanted him to tell Netanyahoooo to sit down and shut the fuck up every once in awhile, etc., etc. etc. But I am not insane. And if he went too far left on anything, the voting public, which is made up of children, would have thrown a fit and he would have lost even the Democrats who wanted to get shit done.

I don't agree with everything the man has done, but to act like yesterday was about specific issues with people and not this sort of general malaise that will hang over this country due to a recovering economy (yeah, more jobs, but all shitty, low-paying jobs), a non-Ebola crisis (at least in the US), trouble with ISIS that hasn't affected anyone even indirectly (who doesn't serve), and various school and other mass shootings, etc., is just plain bullshit.

I'm with Maher. Democrats should start ignoring polls and selling the good shit they've done. The polls will move in your direction because people are stupid and are programmed to repeat what they've seen over and over again. Stop running away from your actual accomplisments.

TM

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

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Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

You had me right up until you said you're with Maher. I'm as far away from that racist shitbag as I can be. One of the things we Dems have to do is deflate his sorry overblown ego.

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

I say he's one of the first up against the wall when the revolution comes, but that can wait until then.

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

To clarify, I'm with him on that point (and others, but that's not relevant right now).

No question his ego is severely overblown. But how is he a racist? Is it because he shits on Islam constantly?

TM

Insanity
 

This is the country in which we live: http://www.local10.com/news/police-c...eless/29510268

TM

Re: Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.
 

Yes. He shits on everyone Islamic or Arabic with a gleeful ignorance about both Islam and MENA and an eagerness to paint everyone as a caricature. I know it gets him ratings to be a bloviating ignorant shitbag.