2012 US Presidential Election - The All Important NSC Vote

[beorhthelm]

So, under Obama’s watch, debt held by the public had increased by about $4.5 trillion, or roughly 72 percent. Total debt had increased by nearly $5 trillion, or about 47 percent - and growing.

This is Obama's problem.

thats what happens when the previous administration has cut taxes. not enough income to pay the bills. hasnt the congress got final say on this and rolled over the tax cuts? pretty sure Obama wanted to end the cuts, but lost.

 

[Norman Potting]

Unfortunately, he was faced with a coalition-government situation in Congress, where there are three parties, but only two labels. There are the Republicans, who are Republicans. There are the Democrats, who are Republicans. And there are the Democrats who are Democrats. The latter make up maybe a third of the Senate. To get a majority, you need the Democrats who are Democrats and the Democrats who are Republicans. And then, since there's an effective 60-vote super-majority requirement to move anything through the Senate, you need one or two Republicans who are Republicans.

The upshot is, nothing happens.... almost.

(When I was a lad, there was a fourth party in Congress, Republicans who are Democrats. People like Ed Brooke, Jim Jeffords, Jacob Javits, Chuck Percy, John Chaffee... This species is now extinct, after the Confederate takeover of the national Republican party. And even when there were four parties, there were still only two labels.)

Good explanation RC. Way Way back a satirical programme (can't recall which) in the UK explained it as "In the USA there is the Democrat Party, who are their equivalent of the Conservative Party, and their is also the Republican Party, who are their equivalent of the Conservative Party."

 

[RexCathedra]

Generally, in Europe you fight the election, then build the coalition, and then govern.
In America you build the coalition, then fight the election, then wonder why you can't govern.

I expect things to improve dramatically when the Civil War finally ends.
It's getting on for a century and a half, so I expect progress on this front fairly soon.

 

[dingodan]