| Text 13567, 204 rader
Skriven 2005-06-13 08:26:03 av John Hull (1:379/1.99)
  Kommentar till text 13555 av Gary Braswell (1:123/789.0)
Ärende: Washington "Mod-squad
=============================
12 Jun 05 21:56, Gary Braswell wrote to John Hull:
 John Hull ->> Gary Braswell wrote:
 TR>>>>>> Sort of. `Moderates' are individuals who are completely in 
 TR>>>>>> love with themselves. They think their shit don't stink.
 GB>>>>> You should take this show on the road.<g>
 TR>>>>>> I've heard it said of `moderates' that, during the sex act, 
 TR>>>>>> they shout out their `own' names!
 GB>>>>> Hey, its better than shouting out "Rush".<g>
 JH>>>> I can see where Rush would make you uncomfortable.  He has less
 JH>>>> tolerance for moderates than I do, and less use.  In our system,
 JH>>>> moderates are, by definition, fence riders.  They can't make a
 JH>>>> solid commitment to either side of an issue, so they seek to 
 JH>>>> find a middle ground that does nothing to resolve a problem - 
 JH>>>> only prolong it.
 GB>>> Rush does not make me feel uncomfortable in the least. I used to
 GB>>> listen to him all the time, watch his TV show while it was on, I
 GB>>> even have two of his books.
 JH>> Haven't learned much from then.  He has done more for the cause of
 JH>> conservatism than anybody else except for Ronald Reagan.  There 
 JH>> are people who would murder him gleefully because of that if they 
 JH>> could.
 GB> I think Newt did quite a bit as well, surprised you left him out. 
 GB> As for learning, well lets say I was informed. I like hearing the 
 GB> points and stand of both sides. They both have good ideas and 
 GB> plans....well at least until recently. The Democrats have little.
Newt did a lot, but he wan't around for nearly as long as Rush has been.  And
he let personal problems (or foibles) interfere to the point he got forced out.
 Didn't help us much then, did he?
 GB>>> I have heard his opinion of moderates before. So what?
 GB>>> Time took a funny shot, so I figured why not do the same?
 JH>> I assume you meant Tim, not time, but I even so, I didn't see 
 JH>> anything funny in your comment, the <g> notwithstanding.
 GB> I know you take Rush as sacrosanct John.
He isn't Christ reincarnated, if that's what you mean.  Nor do I think he walks
on water.  But he is an extremely smart guy politically, and has a proven track
record predicting what the left (and the right) will do.  You dismiss him at
your peril if you intend to stay politically astute.
 GB>>> As much as you hate to admit it, moderates are often the group
 GB>>> that puts an election over the top or provide just enough votes 
 GB>>> to pass legislation. They broker between the hard-liners who do 
 GB>>> not want to lose face in the political ring and at times, they 
 GB>>> bring a little sanity to their own party if affiliated.
 JH>> No, those aren't moderates.  Each party has a range of members, 
 JH>> right to left within the basic structure of the party.  Moderates - 
 JH>> those who CLAIM to be moderates - have carved out a neutral ground 
 JH>> in the middle that is like the DMZ in Nam, and then try to pretend 
 JH>> they are significant.
 GB> I like to see you twist.
People in the normal range of opinion within a party are not moderates. 
Moderates are those who would rather work with their counterparts in the other
party than help their own party find the best solution.  You can't trust 'em.
 GB>>> They have their parts to play, just as partisans do.
 JH>>>> Some of those Bush appointees have been waiting for a
 JH>>>> Constitutionally guaranteed up or down vote for four years.  The
 JH>>>> only reason they haven't gotten it is because the Democrats are
 JH>>>> obstructing the process.
 GB>>> I know the things leading up to this.
 JH>>>> Everybody knows it.  The Gang of 14 did nothing but further
 JH>>>> obstruct things and added insult to injury by letting only three 
 JH>>>> of the 10 go through.
 GB>>> Lets see, they obstructed a situation where none of the 10 got
 GB>>> through.
 GB>>> Huh?
 GB>>> After they did what they did, 3 got through and with who knows 
 GB>>> how much more to come.
Yeah, and the question of the filibuster on judicial appointees has still not
been resolved.  I agree with Brit Hume's assessment that it only prolonged the
agony, and may end up ultimately hurting both parties.
 JH>>>> And then, two days later, Harry Reid started a defacto 
 JH>>>> fillbuster against Bolton and blows the whole deal up just as I 
 JH>>>> predicted would happen.  What has your moderation gained, Gary?  
 JH>>>> How has it helped?
 GB>>> Well, it got 3 though. Maybe would or even will get more.
 JH>> Oh, well, gee.  3 got through.  Let's have a party.  If McCain and 
 JH>> his damn cronies had let things play out, we would have set things 
 JH>> straight again in the Senate vis-a-vis the rules on filibustering, 
 JH>> and done it according to the Constitution.  We would be well on the 
 JH>> way to having ALL of those nominees getting their guaranteed up or 
 JH>> down vote.
 GB> Maybe, until whatever next the Democrats had in store. Still more 
 GB> may come through.
 GB>>> And without the tit-for-tat soon to follow. But who knows, maybe
 GB>>> it will come too.
 GB>>> A conservative friend of mine said I should have been happy to 
 GB>>> see the two parties go all the way and see which or both got 
 GB>>> damaged in the process and suffered for it in upcoming elections.
 GB>>> Maybe he has a point.
 JH>> You really ought to listen to your friends.
 GB> Probably.
 GB> Congress' popularity is really a massive low now.
Their rating certainly wasn't helped by this deal.
 GB>>> But I don't want the potential damage to become a reality that
 GB>>> might harm the country.
The Democrats are losing support and becoming marginalized because not only
have they run out of ideas, but because they've spent the last 40 years telling
everybody how there is too much partisanship while all the while they were
engaged in it up to their necks.  People think everybody is supposed to make
nice and play kissy face in Congress, and the founders didn't intend for it to
work that way at all.
All McCain and his crew did was perpetuate that myth and prevent a chance to
set the train back on the tracks from taking place.  That time is still coming,
but when it does it will be a lot harder to get done and a lot more bloody.
 JH>> To bad fence riding is more likely to do the very damage you are 
 JH>> afraid of than to help.
 GB> Fence riding can certainly cause damage as well.
 GB>>> To hell with the parties.
 JH>> That's about the most un-American thing I've ever heard you say.  
 JH>> This country was founded by men who believed fiercely in the two 
 JH>> party system, in partisanship.  The structure of the Constitution 
 JH>> is dependent on the party system to function properly.  Without the 
 JH>> natural animosity and partisanship of a strong party system, the 
 JH>> checks and balances built into our system cannot and will not 
 JH>> function.  We have 229 years of peaceful political transitional 
 JH>> change to show the success of the party system and partisanship, 
 JH>> two of which took place during the bloodiest civil war in human 
 JH>> history.
 JH>> For someone who claims to be so politically astute, its rather 
 JH>> chilling to find out you don't understand that.
 GB> Every nation has parties some two, some more. Some just one. 
 GB> Parties have come and gone here in our history.
 GB> I understand how things have been and benefited.
It doesn't sound as if you get it.  The Founders specifically designed the
system around two strong parties.  Its bicameral, it doesn't lend itself to a
setup like in Britain or Israel where two or more parties have to form a
coalition to stay in power.  
 GB> But things change...everything changes.
Not necessarily for the better.
 GB> Its not un-american at all to questions parties or anything else 
 GB> in our Republic.
 GB> It is to suggest otherwise.
 GB> I am glad you are chilled, John.
 GB> Its good to be, every now and again.
One doesn't try to effect change by going outside the system design.  That is
known as anarchy or revolution.  You don't go to that level to change Senate
rules.  THAT is what is chilling, in that apparently you are willing to do so.
John 
America:  First, Last, and Always!
LIBERALS AND DOGS KEEP OFF THE GRASS!
--- Msged/386 TE 05
 * Origin:  (1:379/1.99)
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