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A comment on Remind HN: Vote. Parent comment

Re:Remind HN: Vote by hnal943 on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @10:29AM (#1860523)
No one has brought up socialism in this campaign at all. Ron Johnson has run a specific, issue oriented campaign. His major focus is stopping the run away spending of the Obama agenda. He entered the race when Obamacare passed, because he felt that was the last straw.

Feingold on the other hand is standing by his vote for Obamacare. I haven't forgotten the disdainful smirk on his face when he addressed his enraged constituents at last years' health care town hall meetings, and I don't think my fellow Wisconsinites have either.

This election is all about consequences for those who ignored the will of the people, and Russ Feingold is chief among them.

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by jbooth on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @10:30AM (#1860529)
Where were you guys when Medicare Part D passed?

It's way worse for the deficit, and was a way bigger spending bill.

Oh, wait, that was a Republican.. I get it..

This is how Rome fell - if beating your domestic enemies is more important to you than improving the country, you are hurting the country.

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by orangecat on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @11:01AM (#1860658)
Where were you guys when Medicare Part D passed?

Libertarians were loudly protesting. To no effect of course, because Republicans were behind their guy and Democrats were primarily complaining that it wasn't expensive enough.

if beating your domestic enemies is more important to you than improving the country, you are hurting the country.

I agree completely. Please mention that to the President if you run into him: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69929420101101

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by jbooth on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @11:17AM (#1860742)
No, democrats were primarily complaining that it was outrageously expensive, budget busting, and didn't even do any good because all of the money went straight to the drug companies (see my above comments on lobbyists).

RE: Obama, you must be kidding. The man is a born compromiser, the problem is that Republicans haven't been willing to compromise on anything. They voted against their own deficit commission, for crying out loud, after Obama decided to support it.

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by hnal943 on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @12:05PM (#1860980)
Blaming the Republicans doesn't make any sense. Democrats have the votes to do whatever they want to do, which is why it's so easy this year to hold incumbents accountable.
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Re:Remind HN: Vote by moxiemk1 on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @12:43PM (#1861179)
No, they don't? The Republicans have used filibuster as a threat at an unprecedented level. The Senate has only nominally been in the Democrats' control.

EDIT: Punctuation

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by hnal943 on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @04:16PM (#1862144)
Until Scott Brown's election last year, the Democrats could have ended any filibuster attempt immediately. Democrats had a free run for a year. For the a year and a half now, the public has been screaming for them to stop. Brown's election was the first shot across the bow, but the Democrats paid no heed.
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Re:Remind HN: Vote by moxiemk1 on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @11:33PM (#1863535)
It's been a traditional courtsey in the Senate for the party in power not to shove through votes often, in respect that in the future they would eventually be the minority party, and occasionally need to filibuster as well. The possibility of removing the ability to filibuster has been discussed, but not undertaken for this reason.

By filibustering so often, the Republicans are showing that this is no longer the custom. Which is fine; I think it's a silly custom, and we'd benefit as a nation if blocking legislation like that were impossible. But it is absolutely a break from common procedure.

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by CWuestefeld on Wednesday November 03, 2010 @06:42AM (#1864375)
I think your memory is fuzzy. For example, under GWB, the Democrat's use of the filibuster was also frequent and controversial. There were judicial appointments that went unfilled for years because the Dem's refused to discuss them.

(as much as it pains me to defend the GOP)

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by sigstoat on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @04:00PM (#1862070)
i've never felt politicians were particularly courageous if they were afraid of the possibility that someone might talk for awhile. if something is so important, at least give it a shot. worst case you have to listen to somebody read his grocery list to you. (and he ends up looking like an idiot on national tv. the news will ensure that.)
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Re:Remind HN: Vote by moxiemk1 on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @11:34PM (#1863539)
This isn't the issue in a filibuster; the cowardice is on the part of the senator who refuses to give up the floor. The whole point is that you talk until the bill expires, and so cannot be voted on.

Filibustering senators are declaring that they are unwilling to allow the issue to be voted on, not that they think their voice hasn't been heard enough.

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Re:Remind HN: Vote by sigstoat on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @11:54PM (#1863579)
uh, yeah, i know what a filibuster is. try reading again in light of that fact.
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Re:Remind HN: Vote by nollidge on Tuesday November 02, 2010 @01:13PM (#1861332)
He didn't ignore my will, and I'm a people and a fellow Wisconsinite. Please don't act like you speak for me, or any more than 50±10% of the Wisconsin public.
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