Comments on: Stare At My Brilliant Political Analysis

By: I'm a Hick

I'm a Hick — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:32:46 +0000

The disheartening thing is that a year ago Obama was someone they could get behind – he was sincere and wasn’t just looking out for himself. Now they’re repeating the talking points – he’s getting a free ride on his pastor, his supporters are fainting fanatics; I’ve even heard (not totally unseriously)the Anti Christ argument. There’re legitimate reasons one can oppose his candidacy, but this other stuff is starting to stick.

By: Enlightened Liberal

Enlightened Liberal — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:20:16 +0000

It must take some strange mental gymnastics to be a Republican. You know your party has fucked up the country, and just hope they’ve screwed it up bad enough so that the Democrat can’t fix it, so that another Republican can take over in 4 years and screw up the country!

Now who hates America?

By: I'm a Hick

I'm a Hick — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:14:19 +0000

I have several conservative friends who are hoping for a Democratic win so that their inability to address the coming problems (which they concede no one could solve) will fininsh the party once and for all. I agree with Sean, be a “Happy Warrior” and accept the challenge.

By: Sean D. Martin

Sean D. Martin — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:47:40 +0000

Which is why whoever does become the next president should make it VERY clear from the proverbial Day One that the situation is not good. I’d like to see whoever it is flatly declare exactly what Nyhan says. “The previous admin has left numerous messes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Medicare etc etc that we’re going to have to clean up. It won’t be easy. It won’t be painless. But here’s how we’re going to do it.”

Accuse the next President of raising taxes? Face it head on: “Yeah, I’m cutting the tax breaks for the rich. They were irresponsible and contributed to the problems that we have. Anyone out there seriously want to argue for giving millionaires a break while working folks are struggling? Bring it on.”

Of course, that would mean the Democrats have to grow a spine, so…

By: Quaker in a Basement

Quaker in a Basement — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:16:55 +0000

Yeah, it was a lame post, but you’ve called out just the closing “time will tell” line. Elsewhere, Nyhan recaps what the next president will face:

But this presidency still isn’t some great prize for the Democrats. Even if they have a “mandate” for a few months, George W. Bush has created an almost impossible set of problems for the next president. Is there a historical precedent for a president leaving so many unsustainable policies to his successor? The exhaustion of the overstretched military will eventually require the troop surge in Iraq to come to an end. Our strategic failure in Iraq will require a humiliating and potentially bloody withdrawal. The situation is Afghanistan is deteriorating. The financial system is in near-collapse. Medicare is on an unsustainable financial course. And President Bush’s backloaded tax cuts for the wealthy are scheduled to expire in 2010, setting up the next president to be accused of raising taxes.

He argues that these circumstances are ripe for a one-term presidency for whoever succeeds Mr. Bush.

By: Crusty Dem

Crusty Dem — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:32:36 +0000

Yeah, but dude, he’s at Duke. Slightly more seriously, the difference between a PhD candidate and a college grad is that most college grads are smart enough to know that a PhD is worthless. If only I could get back the lost wages I spent pursuing mine…