A Message to Liberals on the Eve of the GOP’s Big Mid-Term Win

[cleanhippie]

--snip--
If you already think you’re defeated, you are. Republicans will certainly hold the House tomorrow and they very well may take the Senate. That’s how it works. You win some. You lose some.
America lurches back and forth, left and right and left and right again, like a drunk staggering into the future. Sometimes your party and your ideology is going to win, sometimes it isn’t. And it for damned sure won’t if you don’t get out there and vote for it.
But you know what’s going to happen if Republicans do take the Senate tomorrow?
Do you know what’s going to happen if Conservatives control both houses of Congress?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Literally nothing.
That’s what will happen.
For the next two years.
Nothing.

--snip--

And so what if they take the Senate?

Fix the debt? They won’t do that.

Balanced budget? They won’t do that. In fact, if history is any guide you’ll be lucky to see an unbalanced budget. More likely they’ll just shut the government down again, blame Obama, and go home.

Jobs bill? They won’t do that either. Minimum wage? Forget about it.

Immigration reform? Nope, they sure won’t do that. They won’t even “secure the border,” because that will cost hundreds of billions and require huge amounts of assets, organization, oversight, and a bigger government. And they’ll need the cooperation of the president they just tried to impeach.

Energy policy? They won’t do that. Fixing America’s aging infrastructure? I wouldn’t hold your breath. Banking reform? Middle East policy? Action on climate change? Education? Gun violence? Tax reform? Trade?

Instead we’ll hear endless, endless debate over gay marriage and Benghazi and government overreach, but in the end they’ll do nothing and count it as a victory.

--snip--

They’ll do nothing and count it as a victory because stopping Obama is all they care about.
Republicans have no big vision, they don’t even have a small vision.
They have no fresh ideas.
The GOP’s message is one of revenge and sullen resentment and fuck you I got mine and nothing more.
They’re on the wrong side of history and they’re going extinct and they know it and it makes them small and mean.
And the very best they can offer for the next two years is … nothing.
But if you want more than that, more than nothing, then shrug off your defeat and gather up your friends and all the like-minded Americans you can find and get your ass to the polls.
Sure it’s hard.
Sure it’s an uphill battle.
Sure the odds are stacked against you and the game is rigged.
So what?
If your vote didn’t matter, then these rotten sons of bitches wouldn’t be working so damned hard to take it away from you.

http://aattp.org/a-retired-navy-officers-message-to-liberals-on-the-eve-of-the-gops-big-mid-term-win/

Read the entire thing at the link, because it's a good read and the guy is right.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. He is right.

[cleanhippie]

2. Especially about policy items such as...

Fix the debt? They won’t do that.

Balanced budget? They won’t do that. In fact, if history is any guide you’ll be lucky to see an unbalanced budget. More likely they’ll just shut the government down again, blame Obama, and go home.

Jobs bill? They won’t do that either. Minimum wage? Forget about it.

Immigration reform? Nope, they sure won’t do that. They won’t even “secure the border,” because that will cost hundreds of billions and require huge amounts of assets, organization, oversight, and a bigger government. And they’ll need the cooperation of the president they just tried to impeach.

Energy policy? They won’t do that. Fixing America’s aging infrastructure? I wouldn’t hold your breath. Banking reform? Middle East policy? Action on climate change? Education? Gun violence? Tax reform? Trade?

Instead we’ll hear endless, endless debate over gay marriage and Benghazi and government overreach, but in the end they’ll do nothing and count it as a victory.

[Hissyspit]

8. Not necessarily:

"That’s how it works. You win some. You lose some.
America lurches back and forth, left and right and left and right again."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/28/study-citizens-united-elected-more-republicans/

Study: Citizens United elected more Republicans

By Reid Wilson
August 28, 2014

The 2010 Supreme Court decision that helped usher in a new era of political spending gave Republicans a measurable advantage on Election Day, according to a new study.

The advantage isn’t large, but it is statistically significant: The researchers found the ruling, in Citizens United v. FEC, was associated with a six percentage-point increase in the likelihood that a Republican candidate would win a state legislative race.

And in six of the most affected states — Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee — the probability that a Republican would be elected to a state legislative seat increased by 10 percentage points or more.

In five other states — Colorado, Iowa, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming — Republican candidates were seven percentage points more likely to win.

Republican election probability spiked in states like North Carolina, Michigan and Minnesota. Click for a larger version.

- snip -

Before the ruling, labor unions were more freely able to spend on campaigns and elections. But by freeing corporations to spend their own money, the study found, “Citizens United has, on balance, increased the political influence of corporations relative to that of unions.”

- snip -

In the 22 states where independent expenditures were suddenly allowed, Republicans took advantage. The Republican State Leadership Committee raised about $30 million in 2010 through its RedMap program, targeting states such as Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The RSLC spent about $1 million each in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, all of which swung to Republican control after 2010.

Other conservative groups, organized under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, spent heavily in North Carolina, Montana, Colorado and Tennessee, all states where Republicans made gains. The bulk of those groups raised funds from corporations and other politically active groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The researchers also found evidence that the ruling led to an increase in the number of Republicans who ran for reelection, and a decrease in the number of Democrats who ran for office, especially in state House races. One Democratic candidate dropped out of about every 10th race in states affected by Citizens United, the researchers found.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Citizen's United didn't exist in the past when similar...

changes happened when the people got pissed off in midterms.

It didn't help Reagan get two terms, Carter to lose, or cause LBJ and Nixon to quit.

It could be argued that it helped flip the House in 2010, but the decision came out in 2010, so it's not so easy to believe the wingnuts could mobilize that much money in a few months.

I'm not discounting the decision in the least, but I would caution against using it as a ready excuse for our losses-- we still have plenty of ways to get our message out.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. Didn't read it all yet...

But the portion you posted is spot on.

Lots of whinging and whining on DU yesterday and today. But as he says, and as is the case for as long as I can remember (over half a century), the political fortunes are a pendulum. It always swings the other way.

[dhill926]

4. Nails it…

[ballyhoo]

5. This was excellent. A real thinker.

[cleanhippie]

6. Glad you liked it.

[pscot]

7. K&R

[malthaussen]

9. I figure the President will get cramp vetoing bills.

The rhetoric, though, is going to be enough to gag a wolverine. Harry Reid has already started the "let's work together" rap.

-- Mal

[Jon Ace]

10. My sentiment exactly (K&R / nt)

[nolabels]

12. I really feel liberated now

Republicans were able to this same thing to California for a couple of decades before we got wise and disenfranchised enough. Now they don't have a snowballs chance in hell in California. Just like always and for maybe for the last the last fifty years plus, California can be an example of what the future looks like.

Don't get mad just get even

[cleanhippie]

13. THAT'S the spirit!

We may likely look back at this mid-term election as a pivotal moment.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. Remember when the Dems took over the House?

The GOP whined that Nancy made them work like ordinary Americans.

As soon as they took over they cut back on the schedule, giving themselves LOTS of six week vacations.

Watch the GOP take the next two years off.

[Kablooie]

15. I disagree.

I expect the Republicans to get a lot of bills passed through Congress in the next two years.
Obama will be expected to kill every one of them so the Republicans can delightedly point to him as the only thing dysfunctional in government.
Since the bills won't be passed the public will never learn the consequences of the Republican philosophy and won't reject them.
They can also point to Democrats as being the problem before.

The big unknown is Obama. He's always been so open to bipartisanship that he may actually approve some of them which would give the Pugs validation and he would only approve bills that wouldn't have disastrous consequences so the GOOP will rise in the public's estimation.

Sorry but the Republicans are wily and won't let this opportunity pass.

[ALBliberal]

16. Excellent

Control of both houses will force the GOP to actually govern or explain why they can't. The bills they put forth (probably few if any) will be put under the microscope demonstrating what they really stand for and that ain't pretty. Gridlock can now be placed at their feet. The American public is getting what they voted for. It seems the average voter can't or won't analyze the complicities of our government unless it is painfully played out in real time hurting the entire electorate.

[AlinPA]

17. They will try to make it tough for gay people, the poor, non-whites, and seniors. IMO, their agenda

will also be focused on pushing their religion and anti-science stance into everything and anything, especially schools.

[Erose999]

18. More middle east war is what will happen, as well as more giveaways to the MIC and the 1% from the

taxpayer's dime.

[ismnotwasm]

19. Exactly how I feel about this