As expected, outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has prevailed in retaining the top leadership position — a surprise move after many, if not most, pundits expected she would resign after the devastating loss of at least 61 seats and record low popularity ratings for both herself and Congress.
Six out of ten Americans polled have unfavorable views of Pelosi, who will now continue to be the face of the Democratic minority.
The vote is a triumph of the leadership, but it is a curious message for some voters who expected the Democrats to take a new course. The retention of Pelosi is consistent with the public line that the election was all about the economy and not a rejection of Democratic policies or measures like the national health care plan. Given the extremely low popularity both Pelosi and Congress, it is a risky move. What do you think?
Source: CNN
Gyges:
Unauthorized taxation is nothing but illegal and therefore theft. This is precisely my point.
I submit to you the work of Frederick Bastiat.
You can read about that here:
http://www.constitution.org/law/bastiat.htm
Of particular note:
“Men naturally rebel against the injustice of which they are victims. Thus, when plunder is organized by law for the profit of those who make the law, all the plundered classes try somehow to enter — by peaceful or revolutionary means — into the making of laws. According to their degree of enlightenment, these plundered classes may propose one of two entirely different purposes when they attempt to attain political power: Either they may wish to stop lawful plunder, or they may wish to share in it.
Woe to the nation when this latter purpose prevails among the mass victims of lawful plunder when they, in turn, seize the power to make laws! ”
The Pemocratic Party rank and file wish to participate in the “lawful plunder” (theft). No wonder so many lawyers are Democrats! This theft (plunder) is how the Democrats held congress for most of the last century: they bribed voters with handouts in order to retain their power and craft laws to ensure more of it and more redistribution of wealth.
This is what Marxism is at its core and it is the politics of greed.
It is only the Republican and Libertarian rank and file who want this stopped.
Tootie and everyone else who trots out that tired line I present you with the definition of theft:
“a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property ”
So, unless you want to argue that taxation is illegal… No, being forced to pay taxes is not theft, anymore than having your wages garnished to pay child support is.
Lurker
I am for helping the poor voluntarily. Any other means is theft.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/delay_begins_his_defense_with_a_big_mistake.php Former Republican House Majority Whip finally comes to trial.
Nothing would have happened if Bush had been tried . . . except the rule of law would have been restored and the Constitution obeyed. Instead, he walks free and Obama further pisses on the 4th Amendment by saying he can assassinate American citizens without due process. Bush’s crimes or Obama’s crimes, either are sufficient enough to void the social compact. But yeah, it was important to get “health care reform” passed instead that doesn’t reform a damn thing except propping up insurance companies.
Yeah, that decision not to prosecute has had a real up side.
Tootie:
are you against helping the poor at my expense?
Jericho:
You know what they say about asses…uh…I mean assumptions.
I’m not a Republican. And it is Libertarian movement leaders who support secession, not Republicans.
Obamacare is the most recent proof of the Marxism. If that doesn’t convince you then “social” security should. Or Medicaid. Or the size of the federal budget which congress has no authority to tax us for (redistribution of wealth).
The reason there is an economic crisis IS the Marxist programs called entitlements. There is not only no moral justification for them there is no Constitutional authority either.
Before Marxism cane in to its own, our framers and founders knew such an idea was not only unworkable and immoral, but criminal. They just didn’t have a name for it but tyranny or despotism.
Ekerya,
This is going to surprise you, but I agree. Assuming of course that you think that both Bush and Obama should be investigated for any War Crimes committed during their watch and with their knowledge.
Of course, I am totally wrong, and am so wrong that I am incapable of realizing that I am totally wrong about being totally wrong.
At least I admit to being wrong, and to being wrong about being wrong.
Being totally wrong, I find it useful to hurl epithets at those with whom I disagree because doing so prevents finding any means of coming to any sort of decently shared, respectful, mutual understanding.
I find it useful to hurl epithets because, after enough epithet-hurling, we (humanity as individual persons) may, by eventual happenstance, stumble upon authenticity and kindness.
What a catastrophic atrocity it would surely be if folks who share philosophical differences could regard one another as comparably valid persons?
We might even sort out the contrast between dispositional (false?) attributions and situational (true?) attributions?
Tootie, sure wish there was such a thing…
Pelosi and Obama are as Marxist and progressive as Karl Rove on a bad hair day.
What to do with the lunatic center of the Republican Party…
Thought you guys was gonna secede? Take your dollies and go home already.
The Marxist center in the Democratic Party still holds. It is all that remains.
This is only a surprise move if you think Democrats want to win anything
rafflaw
My sentiments exactly. Nothing would have gotten done and certainly 400 bills, including the health bill, wouldn’t have been passed if the bloodletting that impeachment will entail had been started.
Some adults have to be elected on the Republican side before B.&C. can be successfully prosecuted. Maybe that’s the real reason for sponsorship of the Tea Party – not many adults coming out of their efforts.
She had to take “impeachment off the table”. If bush had been impeached it would set a precedent for the impeachment of the current psychopath in chief for continuing and expanding the exact same foriegn policies of genocide, torture, and subjectation of a population that posed no threat to us. Why would you hold bush accountable for his abominable actions if you knew you were going to be doing the exact same thing once you were in the drivers seat?
Buddha Is Laughing
1, November 17, 2010 at 11:21 pm
She’s a baby eating zombie.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
=======================================================
I love you anyway ’cause you’re green and stubborn.
Buddha,
You men hate seeing women in positions of power!
😉
I’d much prefer Nancy Pelosi to crybaby Boehner as Speaker of the House.
She’s a baby eating zombie.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
As someone on MSNBC said tonight, the Dems need someone who will be able to help them “hit the ground running”, and Pelosi’s the best person to help them do so.
Pelosi will do a good job these next two years and, if she decides to call it quits in 2012, will probably exit on a high note.
As I’ve said before, I applaud her significant accomplishments — she’s done a lot. Having said this, impeachment should have remained “on the table.” It was a serious mistake not to pursue it, in my estimation, and we’re a lesser country for it.
I don’t quite understand why people seem to dislike Nancy Pelosi. She was disciplined enough to get 400 plus bills passed through the House and many of the bills in the House were much more progressive than their Senate counterparts. I do think the issue of taking impeachment off the table was not just her decision. I would guess that most of the leadership was against that idea. It was a mistake, but it was not just her mistake. She has been successfully demonized by a concerted Right wing Teapublican media.
One of the last honorable persons in the Congress. Maybe the last period.