tk421 wrote: Anyone who thought that Congress was going to be tackling those important issues mentioned above is dreaming. Moderates or not. There is absolutely no political will to fix any of the things mentioned here, especially when that would require Congress to pass massive cuts to the budget. It's not going to happen.

SS, Medicare, Medicaid, budget issues, implementation on the awful health care bill, and other I may be missing.

True, but the probability, in my view, just got even bleaker.

If anyone thinks people who identify strongly with either the conservative or the liberal side is what we need then there is no hope for them. They've been had.

We don't need more people who know that their position on every subject is right. If the person can't understand the concept of or isn't willing to compromise to get things done then they shouldn't be in office.

I Wear Pants wrote: If anyone thinks people who identify strongly with either the conservative or the liberal side is what we need then there is no hope for them. They've been had.

We don't need more people who know that their position on every subject is right. If the person can't understand the concept of or isn't willing to compromise to get things done then they shouldn't be in office.

That would leave maybe 10 - 20 people in any type of office in the entire country.

IggyPride00 wrote:

jhay78 wrote:

BCBulldog wrote:

ptown_trojans_1 wrote:The loss of moderates is quite stressing to me as I feel that nothing will get accomplished as both sides yell at each other and appeal to their bases.

Considering what this congress has 'accomplished', I am looking forward to some gridlock and argument about ideals.

+1. Maybe "nothing getting accomplished" will put a stop to federal spending

No, it will only make it worse as alot of that spending is locked in. Without a functional congress this country is going to have a debt crisis as we are seeing in Europe right now. Gridlock was good when the county's biggest problem was how to spend a surplus or school uniforms, but in a global environment like we are seeing now it is not good that there is a complete inability to deal with the problems this country faces.

cbus4life wrote:

jhay78 wrote:

BCBulldog wrote:

ptown_trojans_1 wrote:The loss of moderates is quite stressing to me as I feel that nothing will get accomplished as both sides yell at each other and appeal to their bases.

Considering what this congress has 'accomplished', I am looking forward to some gridlock and argument about ideals.

+1. Maybe "nothing getting accomplished" will put a stop to federal spending

Not really.

It will only allow for current spending to continue at this level.

A gridlocked Congress will keep them from actually passing legislation, laws, etc. to curb spending.

I agree with both of those- I was partly speaking tongue-in-cheek.

Specter, the main point of the thread, voted for both the stimulus and the health care bill. He was the classic reach-across-the-aisle, ride-the-waves-of-political-trends, "maverick" politician, and he voted for the two biggest back-breaking spending bills in our generation.

For most politicians, "getting things done" involves spending other people's money and padding your resume with "Things I Got Done While In Office". That mentality has to go.

ptown_trojans_1 wrote:Making for one interesting January.

I, for one, liked Spector, because he did reach across the aisle.

Yeah, so much so that he'll even switch parties for political expediency.

Specter is a Class AAA douche bag.

ptown_trojans_1 wrote: I have this feeling that the Senate will turn into nothing but gridlock, with filibusters all over the place. Nothing will get done.

Sounds like damage control to me and I'm just fine with that compared to the insanity going on in DC at the moment.

jhay78 wrote: Specter, the main point of the thread, voted for both the stimulus and the health care bill. He was the classic reach-across-the-aisle, ride-the-waves-of-political-trends, "maverick" politician, and he voted for the two biggest back-breaking spending bills in our generation.

For most politicians, "getting things done" involves spending other people's money and padding your resume with "Things I Got Done While In Office". That mentality has to go.

Amen.

So instead we're going to get "i did nothing in office, but at least i didn't spend any money."

I mean, neither one is good, but i don't know why anyone is encouraged, because we're just going to trade one ineffective government for another.

And the spending will continue. Because no one will agree to stop it.