tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957366923512814537.post7426994371011451904..comments2023-10-26T02:05:15.270-07:00Comments on Offcenter with Ehkzu: New litmus test for discovering who puts their party before their country: the START treatyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957366923512814537.post-16988604596900791892010-12-23T14:46:14.294-08:002010-12-23T14:46:14.294-08:00Anymore, if 5 Senate Republicans break party ranks...Anymore, if 5 Senate Republicans break party ranks and vote with the Democrats on anything, you can be pretty sure it would be a bill that would pass 90-10 if a Republican were in the White House.<br /><br />That 13 Republicans actually voted against their party? Monumental showing of how easy the issue actually was. 13 Senate Republicans just gave in to voting for their beliefs and rather for party. Maybe Obama isn't finished as a politician just yet.Cinesiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14996950964848333121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957366923512814537.post-36517975682387088592010-12-23T12:58:30.610-08:002010-12-23T12:58:30.610-08:00re: who you can trust
I look for pols who are wil...re: who you can trust<br /><br />I look for pols who are willing to defy their own party poo-bahs (who don't just have oppositional defiance disorder!)--in both parties, to be sure.<br /><br />I look for pols who don't show up on Politifact.com rogue's gallery of "pants on fire" persistent prevaricators.<br /><br />I also look for pols from the rare swing districts and swing states, who must be centrist to be re-elected.<br /><br />And I look for pols who don't resort to demagoguic talking points in interviews and debates.<br /><br />Signs of intelligence wouldn't hurt either. Advanced degrees can't hurt, but there are other signs of course.<br /><br />But pervasive gerrymandering and campaign financing issues have forced even smart pols into partisan corners just to hang onto their jobs,Ehkzuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17090000685352164879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3957366923512814537.post-40184466247607401632010-12-23T12:21:34.124-08:002010-12-23T12:21:34.124-08:00This issue is easily clouded by partisan politics,...This issue is easily clouded by partisan politics, and that makes it frustrating. I can only think that the primary reason behind the treaty's opposition was to deny Obama credit for a political win. However, it's easy to for the main points of the treaty to be clouded. In the end, the only convincing evidence that this treaty is a good deal for Americans in that Republicans who voted on the issue seem to be well informed on the issue enough to put partisan bickering aside in order to pass something important. It's easy for opponents to say that the US has the short end of the stick regarding the treaty, because those who listen to them will never go through the treaty, line-by-line.<br /><br />And therein lies my problem with today's politics: I feel that even before I can decide on the merit of any upcoming political issue, I have to think about who stands to gain/lose from it. So yeah, I'd agree that the START treaty is a good litmus test. Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually trust elected officials to do what's right?Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07644544726160365344noreply@blogger.com