- Joined
- Jul 19, 2012
- Messages
- 14,185
- Reaction score
- 8,768
- Location
- Houston
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian
Remember back when Obama had supermajorities in both houses of Congress, 2008 to 2010? Remember how he got everything on the liberal wish list passed. Single payer health care, gun control, immigration reform, and so on?
No, neither do I. And why not?
Because people in his own party opposed him on those things or made it clear they would not support them from the outset. The Republicans weren't supporting him at all on these things, not a single vote. He was having to negotiate and compromise with the rightward half of his own party.
So instead of single payer health care we got got this huge wet kiss for health insurance companies, big pharm, etc. Instead of any of the rest we got nothing.
What happened in 2008 was that the political center moved a little to the left. In other words, if the Democrats win one year it doesn't mean that the leftists get all their hearts desire. Far from it, because even in the two parties there is a spectrum of political positions from the center to the edge. When a party is in the majority that spectrum reaches even further to the center because more purple districts and states get drawn in.
This year we saw another good example of this. On the assault weapons ban we saw just how far to the right a lot of Democrats in the Senate are on gun control.
No, neither do I. And why not?
Because people in his own party opposed him on those things or made it clear they would not support them from the outset. The Republicans weren't supporting him at all on these things, not a single vote. He was having to negotiate and compromise with the rightward half of his own party.
So instead of single payer health care we got got this huge wet kiss for health insurance companies, big pharm, etc. Instead of any of the rest we got nothing.
What happened in 2008 was that the political center moved a little to the left. In other words, if the Democrats win one year it doesn't mean that the leftists get all their hearts desire. Far from it, because even in the two parties there is a spectrum of political positions from the center to the edge. When a party is in the majority that spectrum reaches even further to the center because more purple districts and states get drawn in.
This year we saw another good example of this. On the assault weapons ban we saw just how far to the right a lot of Democrats in the Senate are on gun control.