“I’m not Bush”

That was enough to get my vote.

Some salient points:

- he claimed less of a deduction that he could have for charity so that he could say he never paid less than 13 percent taxes
- not a single dollar came from wages. It’s all investment returns
- his individual returns were not released

http://bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/general/view/20220919theres_no_stopping_nicolai_calabria_concord-carlisle_soccer_player_lets_nothing_get_in_his_way/

Except for the part where you still wonder if McConnell willingly wanted to cause destruction to our fiscal system. Perhaps I’m naive, or perhaps other peoples’ views are benighted, I’m not sure which but I do think that the vast majority of elected officials of all affiliation share many goals. It’s the means to get there that we all seem to disagree upon.

I agree with this. The vast majority of people in the rank and file do share many goals and get along quite well across party lines. Buuuuuuut, their role is to have their arms twisted by the leadership of their parties in order to carry out the agenda of the party. And as McConnell stated, the goal of his people was to make Obama a 1 term President.

This is the party that cost the US it’s AAA credit by not agreeing to the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles including Paul Ryan who was on the committee then voted against it while blaming Obama for its failure. A veterans jobs bill didn’t pass the Senate because 40 Republican (vote was 58-40) voted against it because it wasn’t funded yet had no problem with unfunded wars for a decade.

Taking a middle ground ironically means that sometimes I have to stick up for people I disagree with. Nonetheless, why was a large portion of the Republican caucus willing to risk our credit rating? To them there is far more value in cutting the tax burden and pushing back government spending than in maintaining a credit rating. They didn’t clash with Obama because they had nothing better to do. They have a belief system about how to improve this country’s finances. You and I might find it horribly misguided but once again, it’s not as though they fought Obama tooth and nail just for the thrill of it.

You’re right, there is. But I’m speaking to ultimate motives here. I doubt that McConnell, or any politician for that matter, sits at home at night and thinks “How can I fuck up this country for no apparent reason.”

He’s not thinking about fucking it up for no apparent reason. He specifically stated the reason, to defeat Obama in 2012.

This is the party that cost the US it’s AAA credit by not agreeing to the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles including Paul Ryan who was on the committee then voted against it while blaming Obama for its failure. A veterans jobs bill didn’t pass the Senate because 40 Republican (vote was 58-40) voted against it because it wasn’t funded yet had no problem with unfunded wars for a decade.

I don’t disagree with any of this.

It absolutely shatters my mind that people think that elected officials of any stripe actually wish to do harm to the country, the people, or to the economy. Warped does not even begin to describe this thinking. Both parties want great things of this country, but the manner which each prescribes to reach those goals are simply different. Why is that so difficult to digest? Why must it be boiled down to a “good v. evil” argument? It’s reductionist and counterproductive.

All of this. There are people on both sides that do what Mike has done in this thread: take a pretty good political discussion (at least for the internet) and turn it into personal insults, condescension and a mentality of “if you disagree with me you must be stupid or crazy”. Those attitudes are what ruins political debate.

I actually wrote about this topic previously (if anyone gives a shit).

Motives and means may be selfish or even misguided. But are you sitting there saying that you honestly think McConnell would love to see this country fall apart? I simply do not think that that is true.

as evidenced by the example of the debt ceiling fiasco, even if McConnell didn’t want to see it personally, which I still question, he has a faction in his party who don’t give a good god damn what happens along the way as long as it hurts Obama. The job of the Legislative Branch isn’t to limit the number of terms served by the President, it is to provide a legitimate check and balance. What ol Mitch conveyed in that message, there was no good in his intentions.

You’re right, there is. But I’m speaking to ultimate motives here. I doubt that McConnell, or any politician for that matter, sits at home at night and thinks “How can I fuck up this country for no apparent reason.”

Well I’m sure Democrats wanted Bush to be a one-term president and that was a four-year goal…they were just nice enough not to say it in front of a camera

There is a difference between wanting a president to be one term and actively obstructing him to make it happen while the country falls further down the tubes.

Well fine, how about I prefer darker colored cars to lighter colored cars. That work?

I’ll not only allow it, I’ll agree with it.

The truth is that the liberals don’t really care that Obama is making the economy a million times worse. I mean, that’s their goal — shared misery for all. If no one can get ahead, we all win. Their idea of equality.

The economy is worst now than where it was headed right about this time 4 years ago? Not worst, but a million times worst. Not 10 times worst, but a million.

And why does he want to do that? Because he dislikes Obama’s policies and wanted to limit his time in office so that a Republican could be elected to enact their measures to make this country great.

Motives and means may be selfish or even misguided. But are you sitting there saying that you honestly think McConnell would love to see this country fall apart? I simply do not think that that is true.

I guess it would depend on the dust…but I haven’t found one yet that shows up on white more than black.

Needs more Gob Bluth on that “Come on”.

Well fine, how about I prefer darker colored cars to lighter colored cars. That work?

It absolutely shatters my mind that people think that elected officials of any stripe actually wish to do harm to the country, the people, or to the economy.

Did you miss McConnell stating that the goal of the Republicans was to make Obama a one term president? I’d say wanting the president to fail during a time when we have 2 wars and the worst economy since the Depression to be pretty harmful.