REJOICE DEMOCRATS ! MASSIVE VICTORY ON THE STIMULUS BILL!! HERE'S WHY :

[RBInMaine]

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL !! Obama WINS !! Dems WIN !! And in the process, even WITH REPUBLICAN pieces in the bill (and YES there were Republican pieces, several of them), even WITH all kinds of tax cuts, even with over 100 billion removed from the most expensive version, even WITH 60% national support for the bill, even WITH Obama AND Dems trying to work with them, the STUPID EXTREMIST RIGHT WINGERS STILL VOTED AGAINST IT while also ATTACKING AND DEMONIZING the three brave relative moderate Republican Senators (two from my home state) who broke ranks, thereby proving that they ARE NOT interested in bipartisanship, that they are wedded to the same old trickle down, pro rich, Bush/Cheney necon policies of the past, that they are entirely out of step with the nation, and that there is NO ROOM LEFT in the right wing fascist RePIGlican Party of today for anyone approaching moderate. THIS IS A HUGE, HUGE VICTORY FOR OBAMA AND OUR PARTY IN MANY, MANY WAYS !! REJOICE DEMOCRATS, EVEN IF SOME THINGS WERE REMOVED FROM THE BILL THAT YOU WANTED (and I understand that frustration, but please be happy with all we DID get here), BECAUSE IN THE BIG PICTURE THIS IS A WONDERFUL VICTORY FOR US OVER THE ROTTEN REPUBLICANS !!! WE SMACKED THE RIGHT WINGERS DOWN HARD HERE WITH NATIONAL SUPPORT, AND WE MADE SURE THEY UNDERSTOOD DAMN WELL THAT ELECTIONS HAVE THEIR CONSEQUENCES AND THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN. GOOD!! DAMN GOOD !!

[opihimoimoi]

1. Hard ass Pubs know not the ways of Good Humans...they are selfish assholes

and out of touch with Reason and Common Sense

[Optical.Catalyst]

2. We don't need the Republicans to govern

It is time to utterly crush the Republican party.

We need to rid our country of this blight called the Republican Party once and for all. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Give them the same treatment that they have been giving us for the last eight years.

[RBInMaine]

3. Agreed. I'd like to work with the R's, but they are TOO EXTREME to work with now.

[liberalla]

4. "ATTACKING AND DEMONIZING the three brave relative moderate Republican Senators"

The more rigid, angry and vengeful the Republicans become, and the more they harangue those Senators who are willing to work with President Obama from time to time... Well, I am hoping those Senators see that today's Republican party is not one they want to be a member of -- and I hope one or more may decide to switch their party affiliation (.).

Another Independent? That's fine with me!

[debbierlus]

12. Yeah, Collins is a friggin hero. Stripped whistle blower protections out of the bill

And, made her vote contigent upon weakening the bill SIGNIFICANTLY with tax cuts.

Snowe as well.

They weren't brave. They deliberately sabotaged the package with Republican demands to hurt it so that the GOP can run against the stimulus in the next elections.

Grover Norquest stated this week that this is the bill the Republicans will run against in the next THREE election cycles.

Vets benefits cut for upper income tax cuts

Infrastructure cuts for 50 billion to the nuclear industry

[Spazito]

13. Well, it seems the public overwhelmingly support what the Obama Administration is...

doing and Collins, Snowe and Specter helped in that so I don't think it matters at ALL what Norquist says. He is helping to shrink his own party into a size that can be put in his infamous bathtub and then drained.


The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey
Posted: 04:15 PM ET February 13, 2009


Obama is:

*providing strong leadership for the country -- 80%

*handling foreign policy -- 76%

*dealing with the economy -- 72%

*handling policies on terrorism -- 68%

*choosing his Cabinet -- 61%

*overall approval rating -- 76%

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/13/poll-trouble-signs-for-obama-picks-over-cabinet/

Thanks to Undercurrent for this info, here is the thread I found these delicious numbers:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8196629#8196676

[tblue37]

16. It happened with Jim Jeffords. nt

[pruple]

5. are there strong repubs in Maine

RB, if repubs try to primary are there strong candidates?

[RBInMaine]

9. Olympia and Collins have virtually assured themselves re-election in Maine with this.

That is why they voted for it. The damage would have occurred up here if they had voted against it. Serious damage. Olympia Snowe is talking about retiring after this term due to being tired of it and some health concerns. However, these two are extremely popular in Maine because they are "local heroes", very well known and liked as individuals, come back home a lot and shake TONS of hands and visit local venues all over creation, are considered "moderate," and the R's have no one to challenge them nor would any state level R except for maybe some right wing loonybin even try.
I do, however, hope like hell that the national R's attack them in Maine and do try to field challengers. I'm just waiting for the attack ads. I will love watching the Maine R Party deal with such a conundrum. It would be a beautiful gift to the Democrats here and all over the country.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

6. It could take decades 4 the Rethug party 2 recover.

[rox63]

7. I've thought for a while that Olympia Snowe should switch

from R to I, or even to D. I know she works well with Dems, at least on environment and small business issues.

[Terri S]

8. Honestly, you'd think Pubs would care about their jobs

It's not like the American people didn't overwhelmingly elect Obama and overwhelmingly support his stimulus plan. What exactly are they trying to accomplish by showing how much they could care less about a majority of the American people? Playing to their base doesn't even make political sense since their base continues to dwindle to the most laughably lower dregs of society.

[RBInMaine]

10. Damn well said. They are the Incredible Shrinking Party !

[janx]

20. I agree; it's as if they don't realize how few of the dregs there

are left. But the dregs are nothing if not LOUD, and some of these politicians play to the base because it's all they've known for the last 20 years.

[old mark]

11. I really think they will split off into several small parties, leaving the

GOP for the "Moderates", and several parties for the really crazies. They will of course hate each other, and it will be very interesting to watch.

mark

[grantcart]

17. they will divide on economic versus religious issues

[old mark]

18. And what they think of as "philosophy" - the snake handlers

hate more, while the moderates just want power in the hands of the "right" people.
Neither really has much to do with real religion.

mark

[Mudoria]

14. I just hope it works as they believe it will

Something had to be done and doing nothing is not an option so this, to me, is much needed, although I would have preferred more on building things. But this is the best we can get politically at this time. Here's hoping....

[wroberts189]

15. Well this is a knr if I ever saw one nt

[treestar]

19. Your state is very strange

2 republican senators?

[GreenPartyVoter]

21. I think a lot of people consider it to be balanced. Moderate Dems in the House and moderate

Repubs in the Senate. I myself voted for Olympia way-back-when.