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McDonnell takes Virginia. Christie take New Jersey. Maine denies gays their civil rights. Bloomberg--an Independent--bullied his way into a third term that didn't exist until he had the rules changed. Across the political landscape, the GOP had a pretty big night.
In all these instances, Independents swung the vote. Were these the same Independents that helped President Obama get elected? Probably. So what do we make of this recent development?
In the case of Mike Bloomberg, he was the uncharismatic billionaire people already knew up against an uncharismatic unknown. Bill Thompson put up an extremely respectable showing--due, in some respects, to Bloomberg pulling an Idi Amin regarding term limits--but Bloomberg just outproduced him. He spent $33M on TV ads alone. Thompson? $2.6M.
Virginia and, to a lesser degree, New Jersey, may very well be responses to the White House. Is this a response to Obama doing too much or too little in his first months as President? Either answer could be offered up.
Maine put civil rights up for a vote and said 'nay.' Why civil rights was brought to a hand-raising vote is anyone's guess.
Lots of questions and conjecture swirl around these races and others. What The Buzz is certain about is that the GOP have played these times since the inauguration beautifully. Seriously.
They were gracious for a few months while people reveled in the moment, then when the sparkles had worn off a bit, they went to work protecting their agenda and interests in whatever way they saw fit. They played bare-knuckle politics and let their hatchetmen and women go to work. And now, one year later, they--the political minority--have all the momentum going into 2010.
Fact: Barack Obama has gotten plenty of things wrong in his first few months. But not everything. In fact, he's done a few things right and gotten a few things done. But you wouldn't know it. Despite a Democratic White House and majorities in the House and Senate, the GOP--and its supporters--are still framing and controlling the debate. Why? Because they don't concern themselves with "fighting fair"; they understand that, in politics, "fair" is whoever says it first and loudest.
This isn't a matter of beliefs. It's downright foolish to assert that conservatives never have any good ideas about anything and that the left can do no wrong. Just dumb. This is not about beliefs; however, it is about approach. It is about how one side delivered its message. And like it or not, the GOP got this right again.
It's like a Michael Bay film: Maybe the dialogue isn't the strongest, but it's pro-America and a lot of things are blowing up in a delightfully appealing way.
They silenced the conservatives that weren't all the way on board. They stoked the flames of fear and divisiveness and did little to put them out. And why would they? However ugly, they furthered their agenda. Democrats, meanwhile, stood there and tried to reason with a mob mentality.
Not wanting to go the right wing "level", they allowed themselves to get outshouted. Again.
Comments
Exactly what I said.....
Humans can be genetically homosexual or they can choose to behave as homosexuals. It can be either.
In the same way, a person can be genetically bald or shave ones head to appear that way.
Either way, I think homosexuals should be required to endure the same rules of marriage that the rest of us do. They should not have special rights that allow them to skip alimony, property division, child custody issues and so forth just because they are gay. Make them get married to get the benefits of marriage.
"Homosexuality can be either a natural trait or a personal choice."
...so you're saying that homosexuality is either genetic, or it isn't? Way to cover all the bases there. Sounds like you're the one that doesn't understand evolution.
It's ridiculous to attribute homosexuality to overpopulation. There are/have been homosexuals in every society throughout history that we have any social knowledge of whatsoever, however small or dispersed a population. It's a personal choice towards which some individuals are genetically predisposed. Period.
The Democrats have no intention of dealing in a good faith to create a bipartisan consensus, they're all about the power, so maybe the Reps should push harder for their agenda and say...."Efff the donkey"
You don't understand evolution.
Homosexuality is a latent quality in humans (and in other species as well). It occurs in greater numbers as the stresses of overpopulation take hold. Homosexuality is natures way of dealing with overcrowding.
When there are too many monkeys in the cage...well you get the idea.
Certainly there are instances of people taking on homosexualy lifestyles for behavioral reasons (a form of mental illness); but also many homosexuals have taken on a heterosexual lifestyle as a mental illness in conflict with their inborn nature.
Homosexuality can be either a natural trait or a personal choice.
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...this decision isn't saying that it's illegal to be homosexual, but it is saying that homosexual unions shouldn't be recognized in the same way as heterosexual ones, and accorded the same social benefits. Given than homosexual unions are incapable of furthering the species (contributing to the perpetuation of society at the most basic and fundamental level), I can't really say this is an unreasonable position.
Being homosexual isn't like a skin color; it isn't a passive attribute, it's a behavioral one. If you want to argue that there's no personal choice (agency) involved, that it's genetic predisposition, then there's no such thing as free will and we're all slaves to our genetic predispositions. Alcoholism, violent tendencies, pedophilia: these are all things that cannot be overcome.
That argument is also crap because if people who are genetically homosexual didn't have any choice in their actions, homosexuality would've selectively bred itself out of existence eons ago, in accordance with evolution.
But where are these "rights" coming from, if not from the will of the people? Is there some higher authority that we're deriving them from? Most political theorists and figures including the ones which this country's basic ideals are based on didn't trust the masses for just this reason, which is why we have a republic and not a straight democracy.
Thus the great contradiction of American democracy...a country by the people, for the people, but that doesn't trust the people.
There are plenty of disagreeable votes that take place on both sides. Such is the essence of democracy.
But popular votes on civil rights are tricky and, at times, dangerous.
Should voting rights be put to a vote? Desegregation laws? Jim Crow?
Plenty of people don't like homosexuality and that is their right. But why should their right to dislike something translate into prohibitive law, particularly when it comes to contracts with the State?
Is the vote taking place for any other tangible reason than the voter's personal preference?
I love the underlying assumption of pieces like this that paean to the public consensus when it agrees with them and then dismisses it ala
"Why civil rights was brought to a hand-raising vote is anyone's guess."
when it doesn't. That pesky democracy, not toeing liberal party lines!
...seems to be paying off:
http://bit.ly/fxv3G
(satire)
The Republicans have no intention of dealing in a good faith to create a bipartisan consensus, they're all about the power, so maybe the Dems should push harder for their agenda and say...."Efff the elephant"