Why is the Rep Party so hypocritical and the Dem Party so gutless?

[howaboutme]

I can't explain the hypocritical nature of the Republicans, but I do put the blame on the "gutless" perception of the Democratic Party because Party leadership has become conflicted between people interests, Party interests, and big money interests.

That's why the President is now leaning towards sacrificing the needs of average people, so that the rich will retain their low taxes. Organized labor was once the source of political power for the Democratic Party. Today it is more likely CNBC, Goldman Sachs and many wealthy people on Wall Street and elsewhere that predominantly fund the Democratic Party. The interests of wealthy capitalistic people will never represent the interests of average people except for those few with a strong desire for philanthropy.

When organized labor was powerful the Democratic Party based their entire platform on egalitarian, pro working class issues, and would never enrich big business or tout free trade. I've come to the belief that the Party began changing its allegiance to free trade and capitalism just as Wall Street people became extraordinarily rich starting with the 1980s bull market. That led to a relative decline in political capital of organized labor relative to the clout of bankers.

The kiss of death for the people was when Bill Clinton signed NAFTA and MFN for China. That is when the Democratic Party became the DLC and represented average Americans not as the priority that it always did, but as a political sideline.

The big question is how to reverse this? I believe "card check" would have gone a long way to restoring political power that has been progressively lost for the last 30 years to us average Americans. Without that daily power and average Americans are left with only a vote for the lesser of two evils.

Edited: added "so gutless" to Ds.

[mikehiggins]

1. because the pukes can afford to be as hypocritial as they want to

because the Dems are too spineless to fight them on any front.

Actually, that is generous. The Dems are not spineless, they are simply bought off.

[ladjf]

2. Fundamental differences in thought processes. Those different

thinking styles cause them to gravitate to either the Democratic or Republican Parties.

[TexasObserver]

3. Republicans aren't diverted by compassion or reason.

[crazyjoe]

4. I believe it's all about getting elected, and keeping thier job. nothing else matters

except of course to people like Alan Grayson, who actually put his district and the people in it first, but alas, look what that got him.

[piratefish08]

5. it makes collusion less visible while maintaining the illusion of a rivalry.

[RandomThoughts]

6. The Republicans are trying to win the arguement not trying to be honest.

That is why they are hypocritical. They are not trying to tell you what they want to do, they know you would not vote or support them. Although some can become self delusional, many are fronting for an ideology they don't think about if it gives them perks. Or they don't want to think about.


The Economic side has been the same since at least Reagan, and that is not conservative, nor even liberal, but control to move money and power to a few people, while removing restrictions like regulations from those people.

Free trade is race to the bottom, but that helps the top few at the top, because they get obscenely wealth paid if they are willing to push policies that hurt most people.

Capitalism normal restraints broke 100 or 200 years ago with advent of production efficiencies. So people just skim money, and try to keep goods scarce for control when they don't have to by production ability. Back when production was less then demand that single component allowed people to move to somewhere else, or start any business, since there was always plenty of demand for goods and services that also added to society, now they have to create demand, and a few other bad effects, it is really messed up to be honest.

[howaboutme]

10. Good point

There is a relationship. Hypocrisy + Dishonesty = Philosophy with basis in lies.

I consistently get emails forwarded from my Republican friends that are never written/composed by the sender. They are generally totally smoke screen pre-packaged bullshit that probably originated from the desk of Rove or one of Limbaugh's staffers. Republicans seem to stick together and propagate propaganda. I often ask them why they don't write their own lies instead of depending on garbage in garbage out.

Democrats seem to lack fight and an argumentative ability, and instead compromise and lose the argument.

[villager]

7. Your question has sent the head/sand crowd into their usual furtive unreccing frenzy...

n/t

[howaboutme]

16. May I ask your opinion?

Why in the world would some Democrats prefer not to discuss this?

[villager]

because it acknowledges weakness and betrayal in their own party...

...and that, in the Manichean world inhabited by aparatchiks in both parties, is not allowed...

[villager]

17. because it acknowledges weakness and betrayal in their own party...

...and that, in the Manichean world inhabited by aparatchiks in both parties, is not allowed...

[OHdem10]

8. We vote the Democrats into office/ Start getting candidates

who have beliefs and convictions. If they
have already sold their souls to Business, it
is a lost cause.

[TheKentuckian]

9. Only way to maintain the theater????

[howaboutme]

11. How do you mean?

"Only way to maintain the theater????" Thanks.

[TheKentuckian]

13. To keep up the act that they are in opposition.

All the rhetoric and bluster is for the benefit of the parties different constituencies not actual policy differences.

Democrats must be "spineless" to allow the Republican position and Republicans must be hypocrites to hold up their end and throw away the bullshit they run on as soon as the elections are called every time.

[Scruffy1]

12. you are right about card check-but that is why we

won't get it. having been through several union organizing efforts I would say that the current system completely favors the employer. To make a long story short the long bureaucratic delays and the small penalties for violations coupled with the ability to hang recognition in legal limbo makes it nearly impossible. This was my main reason for supporting democratic candidates in the last election and they let Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln filibuster it. They should have both been stripped of their committee assignments, but instead they got supported. I have a feeling they just ran cover for other "professing" democrats to say they were for it so they should get labor votes.

I think that the belief among Americans that their taxes went up speaks volumes of how out of touch the Democratic Leaders are with the average American. Not one worker in a hundred knows how much taxes they paid for the year. What we do know is how big a refund we get or how much we have to pay in. We don't live by the year we live from payday to payday, and that few bucks a week more no one noticed including me. I think its hard for the well to do who always have money in the bank to comprehend this reality. We don't have accountants and tax planners and all we know is were out of money at the end of the pay period, or maybe in debt to the banksters. I make a fair wage and am constantly in this situation. If they would have turned the tax cut into a tangible refund upon filing it would have been something the people would understand. No one notice 8 dollars a week but they might notice $400.00. I used to think most working people were just dumb about taxes until I realized I was really no different.Some look at over withholding as enforced savings and count on a refund for major purposes, which actually makes sense given the low interest rates. The reason they don't get it is that not us. They are all rich and hardly any have worked a blue collar job in their lives.

[howaboutme]

15. Organized labor was what gave average working and middle class clout

I agree totally with your analysis. Democratic leaders have lost touch totally with their former constituency. They are comfortably in bed with the elites that always come from Harvard, Columbia, Yale or Berkley instead of Ohio or Penn State and that gives them an aloof perspective instead of being grounded in reality.

We Americans deserve to have intelligent average Americans in charge of our government that understand our woes instead of just elites that have no concept.

The biggest threat to America is not conservatism but fascist corporatism and a caste type of government.

[patrice]

14. Because one has a spine, although a poisonous one, and the other doesn't and that goes for the whole

party, not just its President.

[kctim]

18. Because you are a Dem?

[howaboutme]

21. Not sure I get that but thanks for the reply - nt

[discocrisco01]

19. Sports

The Dems do not treat like politics like the NFL championship football. In football, beating the other team is war.

Politics is like a long football game. It is long slog to the Superbowl and the other side needs to go down. The victory is the total and permanent defeat of other side. That means the goal is the elimination and fragementation of the Republican party and the conservative movement.

It is black or white. It is Superbowl aka the total permaent defeat of the conservative movement where they go down in flames for good. It is the end of Plutocracy and

For me, politics is war. War means defeat as the other side.

Obama is weenie because he does not macho man and smoke out of the other guys.

[lame54]

20. The repugs are hypocritical because it works, I don't know what the dems excuse is