Sen. McConnell's solution to Obama-gration (Immigration Reform)

[Naxere]

The number is falling.

Does that graph track filibusters by the majority party too?

[Jaxi]

Waiting and seeing if history repeats itself with the Boehner deadlocking the House is one of the poorer plans I could think of. I'd rather not wait and see, and would rather contact my congressman now.

The GOP is playing a dangerous and harmful game. They're counting on blocking every single action made by anybody else in order to make everybody else seem ineffectual, in the belief that in doing so it'll allow them to win more elections. Instead of taking action or doing anything to make themselves look better, they have been wholly in every way focused on make everybody else look worse. This is bad for our government, it's bad for our citizens, it's bad for politics in general, pretty much everybody loses because of these kinds of shenanigans.

You can't do anything but wait, and what they have said contradicts what you think they are planning. Unless you have evidence otherwise, I again will caution you for condemning them for something that has yet to take place. Also, try to keep in mind that the GOP is not always unified on every issue. If Boehner says something, that does not guarantee all others are on board with it, as was already shown with their disagreement of a government shutdown.

[Espe]

Which is basically the entire current problem with this country. Without those fucking TeaBaggers we'd probably have a good start on infrastructure rebuilding, immigration reform and the ACA would have been appropriately modified to be better than it is now.

Remind me again: what's the difference between the Tea Party and the Republican party?

[Herecius]

You can't do anything but wait, and what they have said contradicts what you think they are planning. Unless you have evidence otherwise, I again will caution you for condemning them for something that has yet to take place. Also, try to keep in mind that the GOP is not always unified on every issue. If Boehner says something, that does not guarantee all others are on board with it, as was already shown with their disagreement of a government shutdown.

The past six years have basically been like this. I haven't seen much to reassure me that the GOP will start acting differently now that they control Congress. I find it reasonable to assume that it will continue until they also control the Presidency. What makes you so sure that they'll reverse course from the past 6 years and actually begin working on and passing legislation?

And you're right, there isn't much I can do but wait, but I can still call my congressional reps, and write them as well. More than most people do, I wager.

[Rukentuts]

Does that graph track filibusters by the majority party too?

If your claim is that the Dems are massively filibustering Obama by all means prove it.

[Herecius]

Remind me again: what's the difference between the Tea Party and the Republican party?

Significant. The Tea Party is effectively its own party these days.

[Espe]

You can't do anything but wait, and what they have said contradicts what you think they are planning. Unless you have evidence otherwise, I again will caution you for condemning them for something that has yet to take place. Also, try to keep in mind that the GOP is not always unified on every issue. If Boehner says something, that does not guarantee all others are on board with it, as was already shown with their disagreement of a government shutdown.

That OR, ORRRR, they're talking out both sides of their mouth in order to appeal to their uneducated, aging voting base while playing lip service to moving forward in order to snatch up a few votes from the younger and minority crowd.

You know, standard operating procedure for conservatives in the US.

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Significant. The Tea Party is effectively its own party these days.

Of course it is

[Rukentuts]

Significant. The Tea Party is effectively its own party these days.

In beliefs, but their influence is still extensive due to the fact they are not their own.

[Herecius]

Of course it is

Attaching a rolling eyes emoticon to all of your posts does not make you right. Many republicans view the Tea Party with loathing, due to the fact that they are conservative extremists.

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In beliefs, but their influence is still extensive due to the fact they are not their own.

Oh for sure. I was never implying that the Tea Party did not (very unfortunately) have a good deal of influence. Only that to conflate the Tea Party with all Republicans is patently wrong.

[cubby]

Attaching a rolling eyes emoticon to all of your posts does not make you right. Many republicans view the Tea Party with loathing, due to the fact that they are conservative extremists.

I agree, but while they aren't really Republicans, they do vote with that party, so their influence is extreme, and the GOP is forced to deal with them.

[Herecius]

I agree, but while they aren't really Republicans, they do vote with that party, so their influence is extreme, and the GOP is forced to deal with them.

As much as I dislike how the GOP has treated the US with its ineffectual, useless Congress, I can't help but feel some sympathy for them. They can't cut out the Tea Party members in their ranks without essentially gutting their own party. To be fair though, they kinda dug their own grave with this. Their policies have created serious conservative divisions in politics, and basically giving conservative extremists the platform they needed to become 'legitimized' in the Tea Party.

[Rukentuts]

As much as I dislike how the GOP has treated the US with its ineffectual, useless Congress, I can't help but feel some sympathy for them. They can't cut out the Tea Party members in their ranks without essentially gutting their own party. To be fair though, they kinda dug their own grave with this. Their policies have created serious conservative divisions in politics, and basically giving conservative extremists the platform they needed to become 'legitimized' in the Tea Party.

Whatever helps them get rid of nuts, like this example from my state.

[Jaxi]

The past six years have basically been like this. I haven't seen much to reassure me that the GOP will start acting differently now that they control Congress. I find it reasonable to assume that it will continue until they also control the Presidency. What makes you so sure that they'll reverse course from the past 6 years and actually begin working on and passing legislation?

They did work on and pass legislation. I'm not sure what that even means. There were 186 bills enacted by the 113th congress, 284 by the 112th, and 385 by the 111th. Do you mean total bills proposed? There hasn't been that much of a dip, all still well above 10 thousand.

[Wildtree]

I said waiting to make conclusions is a great plan.

The GOP has already said they will fight tooth and nail against the president regardless of what he said.

Hence why he needs to propose the harshest, most radical enforcement of immigration laws ever.
Consequently, the GOP has then to enact the relief so many immigrants are waiting for lol

[Jaxi]

That OR, ORRRR, they're talking out both sides of their mouth in order to appeal to their uneducated, aging voting base while playing lip service to moving forward in order to snatch up a few votes from the younger and minority crowd.

You know, standard operating procedure for conservatives in the US.

You're certainly welcome to be extremely biased. However, I am going to withhold my judgement till this next congress actually is able to do something. You know, the future, when they take control.

[Herecius]

They did work on and pass legislation. I'm not sure what that even means. There were 186 bills enacted by the 113th congress, 284 by the 112th, and 385 by the 111th. Do you mean total bills proposed? There hasn't been that much of a dip, all still well above 10 thousand.

I don't know about you, but you basically just listed off numbers showing how Congress has been passing less and less legislation from year to year. The 113th Congress ends in just over a month from now, and hasn't even passed half the legislation of the 111th. Numbers of course never tell the whole story, and legislation is also not about quantity, but quality.

[Rukentuts]

There hasn't been that much of a dip

A dip of about 1/3 since the end of Bush.

[Jaxi]

I don't know about you, but you basically just listed off numbers showing how Congress has been passing less and less legislation from year to year. The 113th Congress ends in just over a month from now, and hasn't even passed half the legislation of the 111th. Numbers of course never tell the whole story, and legislation is also not about quantity, but quality.

So by saying to reverse course and actually work on passing legislation, you mean that they are actually passing legislation, just not as much as you would like? Also, keep in mind there was still a democrat in the white house, and a democrat led senate.

A dip of about 1/3 since the end of Bush.

Sure, compare it to the peak and not the other congresses which were all at the same number.

[Rukentuts]

Sure, compare it to the peak and not the other congresses which were all at the same number.

So about a 15% drop from the 112th Congress.

[Jaxi]

So about a 15% drop from the 112th Congress.

And your point is...?