Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/11/07/democrats-take-house-gop-tigh.html
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We’re much better off than we were yesterday. Now, moving forward, let’s neither give up nor take anything for granted, the stretch ahead is very treacherous and will take great care lest we (and possibly the whole human race) lose our footing, fall into the Vortex, and get evaporated.
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Rob, you might want to review your vocabulary use.
I don’t believe this is what you meant. The fact that America was founded as a limited democracy, and that many people work to keep it that way is not a hoax, an exaggeration, a fabrication, fib, spoof, rumor or swindle. It’s history, in the fact that only landed, white men were allowed to vote when our democracy was founded, and it’s present in the fact of widespread voter suppression and elections with a majority of non-voters.
Perhaps you meant to use the word chestnut
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I think both fit, as it is a canard in the sense that a republic and a democracy are not mutually exclusive. The former comes from the Romans, the latter from the Greeks. One comes from res publica (a public matter), the other from δημοκρατία (rule by people). Saying that it is one but not the other can be considered a canard (groundless belief) that is now a chestnut (something repeated to the point of staleness).
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Oregon isn’t my state, but I couldn’t resist…
As a former, Kansan, it’s great to see Kobach out. Maybe this means the people are waking up to the damage the GOP caused over the past few decades?
And heck yeah, Stacy Abrams! You take that fight to the bitter end!
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This is true. I was so looking forward to the end of Cruz’s senate career, but taking the House is a good beginning for the demise of Trumpism.
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In fact, in modern Greek the word δημοκρατία means “republic” as well as “democracy”. The official name of the country is Ελληνική Δημοκρατία in Greek, or the Hellenic Republic in English.
The US political parties are referred to in Greek as the Δημοκρατικό Κόμμα and the Ρεπουμπλικανικό Κόμμα. And there have to be various work-arounds for the Greek names of countries that are officially Democratic Republics.
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Crosstabs coming in:
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It’s exactly what I meant. America is both a republic and a democracy. All modern liberal democracies are “limited” as you describe, to whatever extent. But America’s is one where a prevailing faction falsely casts those limitations on its democracy as an essential quality of its republic, which is why “not a democracy” is, truly, a canard.
cf. https://mises.org/wire/stop-saying-were-republic-not-democracy
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Well, the election turned out better than I feared. Hopefully, the Democrats will use control of the lower house to be as obstructivist as the Republicans were under Obama and show them what it is like to try to govern without compromise.
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Still, there is a large chunk of the US that saw the last two years of Republicans and thought, “hmmm, not so bad.”
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Lets get on with investigating a few things:
- President Trump’s tax returns
- Trump family businesses — and whether they comply with the Constitution’s emoluments clause, including the Chinese trademark grant to the Trump Organization
- Trump’s dealings with Russia, including the president’s preparation for his meeting with Vladimir Putin
- The payment to Stephanie Clifford—a.k.a. Stormy Daniels
- James Comey’s firing
- Trump’s firing of U.S. attorneys
- Trump’s proposed transgender ban for the military
- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s business dealings
- White House staff’s personal email use
- Cabinet secretary travel, office expenses, and other misused perks
- Discussion of classified information at Mar-a-Lago
- Jared Kushner’s ethics law compliance
- Dismissal of members of the EPA board of scientific counselors
- The travel ban
- Family separation policy
- Hurricane response in Puerto Rico
- Election security and hacking attempts
- White House security clearances
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That seems unlikely while Nancy “Hindenburg” Pelosi remains in position.
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Yeah, these are the people who think: “Sure, I might not have health insurance, but at least those undeserving [insert derogatory term for minorities] won’t be getting it either, and making me pay for it!” And others who have internalised the “both sides do it” so deeply that they see it more like a popularity contest, ignoring that there are consequences.
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Y’know what? Why not start by not swallowing each smear that the Republicans toss out, ok? It doesn’t matter who the Democrats choose, conservative pundits, concern trolls and Fox news are going to accuse the person of every crime under the sun and at the same time keep stating that Person X is weak and ineffective.
The whole reason why people hate Nancy Pelosi is because she is so fecking effective behind the scenes!
Sheesh!
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Would like to note here that down ticket made me smile when I got to the list of 15 or so female democrat judges running unopposed here in TX.
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I haven’t the faintest what the GOP says about Pelosi; I don’t watch Fox.
But I do read this:
And this:
And this:
And so on. Pelosi has been like this for her entire career.
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/cq/2006/11/08/cq_1916.html
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Impeachments aren’t going anywhere with 53 GOP senators, so she’s reasonable to tamp that talk down when there are a myriad of better things to do.
Not that I have high hopes for Pelosi, but she does have a very expansive and satisfying todo list.
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Oh, p[lease. Talk of impeachment is also just a waste of time. The current head of the GOP could commit murder on camera, and the Republicans would vote Not Guilty in impeachment proceedings. Unless you think you can get 67 senators to vote guilty, impeaching Dear Leader or Judge Beer Lover is futile.
She has patience and can herd the cats called Democrats. I have faith in her leadership skills.
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