The Tea Party

[tigerbob]

Do you consider that the next Republican administration / Rep congress is likely to devolve power and curtail public spending, or do you think they will centralize and increase spending?

If you believe the next Republican Congress will devolve power and curtail public spending, I have a bridge to nowhere in Alaska to sell you.

Clearly you haven't read my other posts.

But if, from me simply asking an open question, you think you know what I believe then it's no wonder you already own the aforementioned bridge.

 

[tigerbob]

Do you consider that the next Republican administration / Rep congress is likely to devolve power and curtail public spending, or do you think they will centralize and increase spending?

If you believe the next Republican Congress will devolve power and curtail public spending, I have a bridge to nowhere in Alaska to sell you.

How much is the bridge? I've been saving to start my own business but that bridge sounds like a good investment.

tigerbob i'll say this. I expect them to NOT do that and I expect that the people will be even louder about it then we being are right now if they do.

As I said in an earlier post I don't think they'll do that, but I also think that many of the protesters come that time will be ones who are sitting on their hands today.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

If you believe the next Republican Congress will devolve power and curtail public spending, I have a bridge to nowhere in Alaska to sell you.

How much is the bridge? I've been saving to start my own business but that bridge sounds like a good investment.

tigerbob i'll say this. I expect them to NOT do that and I expect that the people will be even louder about it then we being are right now if they do.

As I said in an earlier post I don't think they'll do that, but I also think that many of the protesters come that time will be ones who are sitting on their hands today.

Well if that time comes I'll be standing there with whomever wants to stand with me against it.

 

[tigerbob]

How much is the bridge? I've been saving to start my own business but that bridge sounds like a good investment.

tigerbob i'll say this. I expect them to NOT do that and I expect that the people will be even louder about it then we being are right now if they do.

As I said in an earlier post I don't think they'll do that, but I also think that many of the protesters come that time will be ones who are sitting on their hands today.

Well if that time comes I'll be standing there with whomever wants to stand with me against it.

I think a few more years of the kind of spending we are currently experiencing and those of us who want to protest it (and have, I might add) will need to balance their protests in the face of fiscal reality.

The name of the game will be very different 5 or 6 years from now. By that time the money that is currently budgeted will have been spent and will need to be accounted for somehow. Whoever is in the oval office / controls congress at that time will have a huge headache.

As, I might add, will the people who have to foot the bill (joe public).

 

[eagleseven]

First of all, where was the Tea Party prior to 2008? It wasn't like the Federal Government during the Bush adminstration was "small government".

Secondly, my personal opinion of the Tea Party will go up significantly if they continue to operate with gusto during the next Republican Presidential Administration and during the next Republican controlled Congress.

Until I see that, the Tea Party is just an anti-Obama, anti-Democrat, pro-Republican organization.

The Republicans are praying that you are correct.

 

[xotoxi]

Let me humor your assumption and lets say that I didn't start caring, speaking out, or protesting until 6 months ago. Whats wrong with that? So what if I didn't protest under Bush. I may have been asleep to the issue a year ago but at least I'm awake now, saw the error of my inaction, and am doing something about it.

Would you rather once people realize something is wrong they just remain ignorant about that fact? Hell under the mindset you present here Xotoxi you would be yelling at people protesting against hitler killing jews..."Yeah well where were you in 1938 huh?"

Dont worry I still like you but you just really dissapointed me with your lack of thought on this one.

Not really lack of thought...it was just a question. And thank you for being honest.

Based on what you've said, you might have protested under Bush for the same reasons you are protesting now. And I assume that you will not stop protesting as soon as a Republican has been voted in.

Yes I will be protesting or whatever is going on about it with the national debt until the government uses the same fiscal policy as me, no defecit spending unless its an utmost emergeny, then cutting back on anything extra until the defecit is paid back from the emergency.

Still though I made a different point to you that i'm curious about your opinion on. What is wrong with people, once they come to the realization that something is wrong/bad, changing their minds and speaking out against it?

I bet a lot of people though it was A-OK for bush to cut taxes while increasing spending at the same time....then all of a sudden with the 2 wars and all bush's domestic spending stuff we end up with a spotlight on the debt which wakes people up....then the bailouts hit and peoples eyes are opened wide and they finally pay attention, then obama takes office and gets the heat for decades of government frivolity and irresponsibility.

I mean once someone realizes something is wrong they have a duty to stand against it or try to fix it. With the attitude you presented in the OP doing this is a bad thing. I dont understand why people do that and i figured my little "speaking out against hitler" example was a firm way to make the point obvious without having to make a post like this about it.

What is wrong with people finally waking up now even if they were unintentionally ignorant to the problem under bush?


Just so you know I do understand the attitude you appear to hold. There ARE some people who, like me, understood just how bad what bush was doing with the budget and debt was. However, unlike me, these people never spoke out about it because "their guy" was in office but now that its "the other guy" they are. I get that, but i think you are attributing this quality to a lot of people who are not doing this...that is why i had a problem with the first post, thats what bothered me.

I have no problem with the above bold face questions, as long as the individual in question admits that there was also a big spending problem with the last administration...and that in hindsight, they probably would have tried to do something about it had they noticed.

I do not respect someone who complains that Obama's administration is fiscally irresponsible while at the same time saying that the Bush administration was fiscally responsible.

 

[eagleseven]

I do not respect someone who complains that Obama's administration is fiscally irresponsible while at the same time saying that the Bush administration was fiscally responsible.

Likewise, I do not respect someone who complained that the Bush administration was fiscally irresponsible, and now gives the Obama administration a free pass.

Deal?

 

[jillian]

Tea Parties The Other White Meat:

Trying to read the tea leaves

These data points from the Center for Survey Research at the University of Washington released last week are pretty dismaying:

The Tea Party, the incipient movement that claims to be committed to reining in what they perceive as big government, appears to be motivated by more than partisanship and ideology. Approximately 45% of Whites either strongly or somewhat approve of the movement. Of those, only 35% believe Blacks to be hardworking, only 45 % believe Blacks are intelligent, and only 41% think that Blacks are trustworthy. Perceptions of Latinos aren’t much different. While 54% of White Tea Party supporters believe Latinos to be hardworking, only 44% think them intelligent, and even fewer, 42% of Tea Party supporters believe Latinos to be trustworthy.
Nate Silver looks over the numbers and notes:

Avid white tea party sympathizers do not even hold mainstream attitudes among whites. If we included the attitudes of non-whites, the views of white tea party sympathizers would be even more aberrant. Some conservatives believe there is a systematic attempt to demonize the tea party movement and their supporters. There is probably some truth to that. But in the same vein, aberrant opinions espoused by tea partiers or their sympathizers should neither be ignored nor papered-over.

Change of Subject: Trying to read the tea leaves

You really are smart enough to formulate your own thoughts, mo chara. You don't need a blog to tell you what to think.

i never rely on blogs. this one happened to link to my guy nate silver and relied on sources, not opinions. so i was good with it.

 

[xotoxi]

I do not respect someone who complains that Obama's administration is fiscally irresponsible while at the same time saying that the Bush administration was fiscally responsible.

Likewise, I do not respect someone who complained that the Bush administration was fiscally irresponsible, and now gives the Obama administration a free pass.

Deal?

I agree.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Not really lack of thought...it was just a question. And thank you for being honest.

Based on what you've said, you might have protested under Bush for the same reasons you are protesting now. And I assume that you will not stop protesting as soon as a Republican has been voted in.

Yes I will be protesting or whatever is going on about it with the national debt until the government uses the same fiscal policy as me, no defecit spending unless its an utmost emergeny, then cutting back on anything extra until the defecit is paid back from the emergency.

Still though I made a different point to you that i'm curious about your opinion on. What is wrong with people, once they come to the realization that something is wrong/bad, changing their minds and speaking out against it?

I bet a lot of people though it was A-OK for bush to cut taxes while increasing spending at the same time....then all of a sudden with the 2 wars and all bush's domestic spending stuff we end up with a spotlight on the debt which wakes people up....then the bailouts hit and peoples eyes are opened wide and they finally pay attention, then obama takes office and gets the heat for decades of government frivolity and irresponsibility.

I mean once someone realizes something is wrong they have a duty to stand against it or try to fix it. With the attitude you presented in the OP doing this is a bad thing. I dont understand why people do that and i figured my little "speaking out against hitler" example was a firm way to make the point obvious without having to make a post like this about it.

What is wrong with people finally waking up now even if they were unintentionally ignorant to the problem under bush?


Just so you know I do understand the attitude you appear to hold. There ARE some people who, like me, understood just how bad what bush was doing with the budget and debt was. However, unlike me, these people never spoke out about it because "their guy" was in office but now that its "the other guy" they are. I get that, but i think you are attributing this quality to a lot of people who are not doing this...that is why i had a problem with the first post, thats what bothered me.

I have no problem with the above bold face questions, as long as the individual in question admits that there was also a big spending problem with the last administration...and that in hindsight, they probably would have tried to do something about it had they noticed.

I do not respect someone who complains that Obama's administration is fiscally irresponsible while at the same time saying that the Bush administration was fiscally responsible.

Yes I hate hypocricy also . Both ways too, the ones complaining now who didn't care under bush because it was their guy and the ones complaining under bush who wont say anything now. Those people are a big part of the problem.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Federal debt wasn't at 63% of GDP either numbnuts.

 

[xotoxi]

Yes I hate hypocricy also . Both ways too, the ones complaining now who didn't care under bush because it was their guy and the ones complaining under bush who wont say anything now. Those people are a big part of the problem.

My only major complaint about Bush was invading Iraq. I was for invading Afghanistan, but thought invasion of Iraq was not smart.

I'm not complaining about Obama's strategy because he is focusing on Afghanistan and is just having to deal with what he inherited in Iraq by trying to lessen our status over there.