With all due respect, I see a lot of hot air on DU and no solutions.

[RandySF]

I understand the need to vent our collective frustration over what we are witnessing in Washington over the debt ceiling discussions. But what I do not see, is anyone or group trying to devise a strategy to fight it. Do I have one? No. However, I am sure there are people here far brighter than myself who can think of something. Perhaps that's where we should focus our energy. I know many have given up hope. But if that's what we're going to do, we might as well find another country to live in.

[robcon]

1. You want solutions? On a political board?

You ask too much from DU. Venting, throwing out ideas, arguing opinions and facts. That's what i expect from DU.

[Selatius]

2. It's a solution that's been repeated ad nauseam here for the longest time. Write letters, call them.

If you don't like what's going on, then write a letter to your congressperson or give them a call. Beyond that, there really isn't much that can be done.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. This is not the kind of problem that lends itself to a ground-up solution from Democrats

It's not as if there aren't ways to raise the debt ceiling, and someone need to think of a new one; it's that Republicans are treating this as a opportunity to take hostages. To fight it from DU, you need to persuade Republican politicians to listen to a group of people - Democratic voters - that they take delight in not listening to at all. A group of independent centrist voters, or Republican ones, would stand a better chance, because they'd have the credible threat of withdrawing their vote. DU saying "we're not going to vote for you - yet again" doesn't get us very far.

[regnaD kciN]

6. In other words, call your stockbroker...

...and tell them to call their Congressman.

The problem is, I think there's kind of a "runaway train" situation here -- even if the big money gets together and tells the G.O.P. to reach a settlement or else, enough of the teabaggers elected to Congress last November (under the assumption that they'd faithfully serve Big Money just like the other Republicans) turn out to be such zealots that they'd gladly risk blowing up the whole system -- which, of course, they don't believe will really happen no matter what the facts are -- unless they get everything they want...and their own Big Money backers be damned.

[SoDesuKa]

4. Send Money to ME

Sending money to me will help me with my debt problems, that's for sure. It also has the benefit of being something that actually can be done. Today, in fact.



I will pray for you.

[Syrinx]

5. I could solve the problems if I were king

Cut the pentagon budget in half... at least. Remove the cap on FICA. Raise income taxes on the wealthy. Problem solved.

As for actually getting something like that passed. No, I have no answers. The billionaires own the country, and they ain't selling.

I think we are screwed.

EDIT: Come to think of it... maybe default is the best way to go. Bring the economy to it's knees. Burn it to the ground. Hell, I don't know.

:shrug:

[regnaD kciN]

8. "If I were King..."

Well, for one thing, I'd remind the House G.O.P. of all those laws they passed under Dumbya, allowing the President to indefinitely imprison anyone he considered to be an "enemy combatant"...then point out that undermining America by causing it to go into default constituted working for the destruction of the our country, and let them do the math on their own.

:evilgrin:

[Syrinx]

9. sounds good to me Nick!

:hi:

[fivepennies]

30. "If I were King"

um, queen, I mean, I would nationalize the banks and the oil companies and offshore Wall Street to Timbuctu. That would be on my first day.

[tularetom]

7. Write a ginormous check to each congresscritter

And then contact their offices and tell them how you want them to vote.

If the check is big enough, they will do exactly as you request.

Simple, huh? That appears to be how the system works.

[aquart]

10. You don't know what to do so you condemn us?

Seriously?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. DU, as the fourth branch of US govt, should step in

If we give enough to Grovelbot, DU could hire Xe and really kick butt on this issue.

:hi:

[rucky]

12. Consensus seems to be that Obama should've demanded an up/down vote

from the onset.

Granted, this is playing monday morning quarterback, but that's still an option on the table that people are endorsing.

Just as many people are talking about invoking the 14th Amendment.

Then there's a few frustrated folks like myself who are endorsing that Obama call the GOP-bluff - knowing Wall Street would never let their party lop off the debt ceiling - and be willing to veto if anything in the bill contains entitlement cuts and/or extends the bush tax cuts.

These have all been talked about here extensively.

[TomClash]

13. Progressive caucus has a good plan nt

[KharmaTrain]

14. DU = Internet Water Cooler

...and to me that's the charm of this place. No matter what hour, you can pop on here and catch the latest headlines and all the buzz around it. Most of it can be spasmodic...ready to make pronouncements and judgements with the slightest amount of factual information or attempt to project it into one agenda or another. Other times its the battle of the personalities...screen names taking on other screen names in an electronic game of "so's your mother". Attempts have been made to use this place to organize but the "flavor of the moment" nature of this place makes it like herding cats.

If you're looking for activism and to make a difference, call your local Democratic party or that of a group like the DFA. The innertoobs is great for empowering information and people...not so hot on organizing them.

[ladjf]

15. Many of the ;posts on DU offer excellent solutions. We don't

have the power to put good solutions into action.

[mmonk]

16. How to fight it? Hard to do if the only solution is for the politicians

to lift the debt ceiling but they rather do damage first. All you can do is call your rep.

[Bryan Buchan]

17. DU is not a PAC or a movement...

...it is a collective of activists, wonks, and both party members and independents who come here to rant, rave, and take part in conversation.

And there are many, ( I used to be one ) who are part of a PAC or movement and report on what they are doing if you want to get involved...

I'd assume one with over a 1000+ posts to their credit would get this by now?

:shrug:

And while I am on this subject...everyone here ROCKS...just sayin.

[lunatica]

18. You know there are a lot of people here who are struggling just to make it through the day

There are people here who haven't had a job in 2 years and who are homeless. They've struggled and struggled and come up with the only solutions they have, which is to default on everything.

It really behooves all of us to remember that the solutions aren't obviously apparent because there aren't any obvious solutions other than the government helping us out with jobs. We aren't the only country who has had to deal with economic shock and awe. It's set up so no matter what we do it won't work.

[treestar]

19. I don't mind venting, just aim it at the Republicans

who are the real villains in this. The solution was to avoid a Republican Congress in 2010. Unfortunately that didn't happen.

Now they are being the assholes they can be expected to be. Don't know why the voters thought this was going to be a good thing.

[hobbit709]

20. that's because for the most part we have little or no power

over the clowns on both sides of the aisle in Congress. we can make calls and send letters but the majority of them only li$ten to their $pon$ors.

[raccoon]

21. Wait until the season changes; things will cool down. nt

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. We will be living in another country if the GOP has it's way.

and it won't be pretty.

[kenny blankenship]

31. Yes. If there is any capitulation it won't be the end of the crisis but the beginning of a take over

for want of better term that fits on these DU subject lines. If all they get is a trillion dollars in spending cuts, no taxes, and the creation of the Super Congress, the Republicans will have won an HISTORY MAKING victory. Forget the political symbolism of using ONLY spending cuts to address budgetary problems--although it is potent symbolism-- caused by Republican policies of promiscuous warmaking and sluttish tax cutting. The history shaping elements of the bargain are these:

A) the Republicans have established that they alone can use the periodic debt ceiling issue, which comes up even more frequently than Congressional elections, to mold US policy on a macro scale. Democrats talked about doing this during the Bush Presidency in order to rein in his military adventures in the sand traps of the MidEast, but like everything else about the Democratic Party, it was only talk. When the Repukes succeed this time, they will never let the debt ceiling come up again without getting another capitulation on core Democratic Party principles and programs. Once the GOP establishes that they can control us, we will end up having to buy policies from the Gingrich-Romney Private Assurance Company's Medical Savings Accounts, and to defecate on photos of FDR, just to get them to allow the US Government to continue functioning at all.

And, B) The Republicans will have succeeded in creating a SECOND elite institution within the legislative branch of the US government to protect and advance elite interests over those of the majority. The proposed "Super Congress" would augment the elite veto power of the US Senate with an elite power of proposing legislation as well. We all remember the civics class mnemonic - The House proposes, the Senate disposes. Well if a deal is struck that includes the elevation of the "Gang Of Six" into a so-called Super Congress, or Super-Committee that presents non-amendable bills to the Congress, then the PROPOSALS of major legislation would stand to become just as elite-focused and narrow in class motivation as the DISPOSALS of legislation have always been.

Now you can't put A + B into a spreadsheet or calculator to evaluate how much they would put the bite on Democrats (on the traditional interests and constituencies of the Democrats, let me hasten to clarify). You can't add up the damage from these points in the same way that you can for proposals to cut so many billions from Social Security, and so many from Medicare. But the damage from these two stealthy Republican victories is likely to be very large over time - maybe incalculable, as in off the scale.

It will become another country indeed: the Bush Family Republic of Jesusstan.

[TBF]

23. "Collective frustration"? You have no fucking clue.

The government is bought and paid for, and this little debt ceiling theatre is just the latest thing to keep us entertained. We ought to "focus our energy" on gathering in the streets - that is the only way there is going to be any change for the working class.

[spanone]

24. i called the President with my solutions and he wouldn't take my call, so i came here.

[myrna minx]

25. I know - we could quite following in the failed footsteps of Hoover.

:shrug:

[pipi_k]

26. Lots of "We need to do this" and "We need to do that"...

But that's where it stops.

And lots of criticism for the way Obama is doing his job.

Yeah, we all know what we would like to see him do. But there are some who think they know how he should be doing his job. What he should and should not be doing.

Without the slightest clue as to what his job entails. The things, and people, he has to deal with on a daily basis.


Hey. Whoever thinks s/he can do Obama's job better than he can...go wild. They can get themselves into politics and challenge the people whose jobs they think they can do better.

But no. It's just way easier to be armchair quarterbacks.

And just so nobody thinks I'm saying we shouldn't hold our politicians to their words, that's not what I'm saying at all. What I am saying is that I think it's naive to think politics is just a cutesy little garden party. It's nasty business. People want transparency in our government, but when we get it, some can't handle it without the Chicken Little hysterics and unfounded rumors which scare others just as much as the media scares us.

[KurtNYC]

27. Declare Victory in Afghanistan and let the Bush tax cuts expire = Problem solved.

[Generic Other]

28. I see DUers offer strategies every freaking day!

The frustration is over the fact no one listens least of all our own party!

I guess this is where you plan to share your strategy?

[Cool Logic]

29. Solutions, are the easy side of the equation.

The hard part is implementation thereof.