Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis Terrible Joke Explains the Midterm Elections
This Terrible Joke Explains the Midterm ElectionsBy Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/this-terrible-joke-explains-the-midterm-election.html
SNIP.......................
Fifty years ago, the philosopher Abraham Kaplan used what was already an old joke to describe a social science phenomenon. The old joke is a drunk man searching under a lamppost for his missing keys late at night, which he later reveals to have lost somewhere else entirely, but he is searching under the lamppost because thats the only place that is illuminated. Kaplan argued that the principle of the drunkards search describes a great deal of behavioral science. It certainly explains how people are thinking about Washington and the midterm elections.
Washington is gridlocked for a simple reason: President Obama and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives cant agree on any legislation. Or, to put it in less neutral terms, President Obama and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives cant agree on whether Obama is a socialistic tyrant who poses a fundamental threat to American freedom and must be stopped at all costs. Or, to put it in even more opinionated (but, Id maintain, even more accurate) terms, the Republicans in the House are, by and large, barking mad.
The barking madness of the House Republicans stands in the way of Congress passing even relatively popular measures that command bipartisan support, like investing in transportation infrastructure, or some form of immigration reform. If Democrats gained control of the House, those sorts of measures would pass. Alas, Democrats stand no chance of gaining control of the House. The House map, which packs Democratic voters into urban districts where their votes are wasted on overwhelming margins, makes the Republican majority invulnerable to anything but an overwhelming national landslide. (Republicans hold a 33-seat majority in the House despite having garnered 1.1 million fewer votes.) Democrats arent even pretending they have a chance to win the House anymore.
And so people who want to pass bills are looking on the side of the street where the streetlights are on, rather than where the keys are located. Some pro-compromise figures have speculated on Obama, whose frustration with gridlock they see as a cause of gridlock. A Politico story about Obamas frustration quotes both Democrats, who think Obama can end gridlock by attacking Republicans publicly, and Republicans, who think he can end it by treating them more nicely. (Bob Corker, a frustrated dealmaking Republican, says, if he can get motivated and reenergized, I think this is a tremendous opportunity for the country.)
........................SNIP
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
1 replies, 836 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (0)
ReplyReply to this post
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
This Terrible Joke Explains the Midterm Elections (Original Post)
applegrove
Nov 2014
OP
Bob Corker is a nasty snake, not a "frustrated dealmaker", Chait you dimwit.
TwilightGardener
Nov 2014
#1
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)1. Bob Corker is a nasty snake, not a "frustrated dealmaker", Chait you dimwit.