What bones can we throw the Republicans?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

My understanding of the political situation now (N.B. I'm not an American, and I may have misunderstood how your system works) is that the Democrats can pass any legislation they want in the houses, give or take but can't get it past a presidential veto without Republican support, whereas the Republicans can't get legislation past either house without some Democratic support.

What that means, presumably, is horse-trading - if we (by which I mean "the Democratic leadership; I'm including myself in simply as a shorthand, on the gronds that they're "the team I support", as it were) want to pass laws that the Republicans don't like, we're also going to have to let them pass some that we don't like.

So what horses should we trade? What concessions are there that we can painlessly or least painfully make to the Republicans in exchange for getting legislation past the veto?

And what should be our top priorities to bargain *for*?

[enid602]

1. Try Geronimo's skull for starters.

Seriously, though I think we should offer them (for a very LIMITED time only) complete amnesty should they agree to step down and leave the country immediately and permanently.

[Webster Green]

2. Extra chairs for their basement cleaning closet meeting room?

Maybe throw in an extension cord!

[KansDem]

3. I might even go so far as to offer a space heater for the winter months...

But then, I'm generous to a fault...and the GOP has many!

[ShortnFiery]

5. Agreed.

Sorry right now I'm in a celebratory mood. Democrats always try to compromise and build consensus with SANE, NON-CORRUPT and REASONABLE Republicans. The foregoing is why we lose so many battles against these, often times, underhanded and greedy cheater-babies. :shrug:

[Donald Ian Rankin]

18. It's not a matter of consensus. It's about self-interest.

I think the way to look at it is to regard the Republicans as an occupational hazard, without either animus or compassion.

The question we should be asking is "how can we get these people to concede as much of what we want as possible", and neither saying please nor blustering will get anywhere; the only way to make them do what we want is to make them getting something they want conditional on it.

[me b zola]

4. LIEberman's thigh bone

:evilgrin:

[ShortnFiery]

6. The rest of Senator Macaca's deer caucus. n/t

[Robbien]

7. Republicans have had six years of passing every bill they liked

the only things they still want are privatization of Social Security and permanent tax cuts for the wealthy.

They got everything else.

[drm604]

8. We won't indict it they help us override ALL of Bush's vetoes

AND they help us impeach and convict.

[ljm2002]

9. Let's see...

...I'm thinking a visit to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, to obtain a nice big T. Rex thigh bone to thump them with.

}(

But I'm only partly kidding.

These people do not want to horse trade. They want to set the agenda and pretend to work across the aisle.

You are perhaps not familiar with how they have treated the opposition party for the last 6 years: trying to have Democrats arrested for using "unapproved" rooms for meetings; relegating John Conyers' hearings to a tiny basement room without appropriate equipment to conduct their business; allowing Republicans on the Intelligence Committee to see things that Democrats were never allowed to see; etc., etc.

These people are scum and I for one can hardly wait for some subpoenas to be delivered on their asses. The message of this election was *not* a call for bipartisanship, it was a repudiation of the so-called leadership we have had for the last 6 years. Americans are finally waking up from the nightmare that has been foisted upon us by corrupt, classist Republic lawmakers and their servile press enablers. Here's hoping it is not too late to undo the damage.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

13. You're missing the point.

The reason to trade horses with the Republicans is not because of "playing nice", it's because they have horses we want and trading is the only way to aquire them.

The Republicans have refused to compromise with the Dems for six years because they could afford to; I imagine that whichever party next controls all three branches of government will do the same. But right now neither side can afford that if they want to get any legislation passed.

If we want to undo the damage, we need to persuade the Republicans not to veto the relevant laws. Neither saying please nor blustering will achieve that; it's going to take horse-trading.

[ljm2002]

14. Actually I am not missing the point...

...it's just that I think your suggested approach, which makes sense in normal times, will simply not work with this bunch and will, in fact, be counterproductive.

I'm pinning my hopes on investigations.

I respect your position -- did not mean to be insulting or anything -- but in case it's not obvious, I really, really detest and distrust this bunch. And every time our side has attempted to negotiate with them, we lose. Now that we have at long last won a national mandate, and sent a clear message of repudiation -- it is not time, just yet, to reach across the aisle. First we need to spend a good 6 months turning the screws, and regaining a little respect on the Hill. As I've said many times before, the only way to get respect from this crew is to be tough. So that's what we should do.

Now of course, it's easy to make absolutist statements like the above; I recognize that it won't be so cut and dried. But I really, really hope that the Democrats do not lead with a "Kumbaya" attitude; it will erase the gains we have just so painfully achieved.

[aquart]

10. I'm sure the Iraqis have lots of them.

Throw those.

[Faux pas]

11. the middle finger bone. n/t

[porphyrian]

12. The anthrax investigation.

They finished that and found the guy responsible, right?

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. War crimes won't be punishable by torture. n/t

[democrat_patriot]

16. A splintered sharp chicken bone? I understand your post

however; for today at least I cannot offer them anything. They deserve nothing.

I believe that 60 votes in the Senate are needed to overcome a veto, so we'd need 8 Repubs (I've included Lieberman as a Dem).

I am sure there are 8 'moderate' republicans we can talk with, but the rest can choke on the chicken bone.

[democrat_patriot]

17. Would anyone trade impeachment for a "pass anything you want

clause" from the repukes?

[AntiFascist]

19. They don't deserve bones, they deserve threats n/t