Comments on: On Compromise and Reconciliation

By: On Ending Friendships Over Politics | Brute Reason

On Ending Friendships Over Politics | Brute Reason — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 21:25:52 +0000

[…] Zvan wrote something very wise about this: If you’re talking about reconciling relationships, however, ask yourself what […]

By: Christoph Burschka

Christoph Burschka — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:46:41 +0000

Seems to me that we need party of left-wing extremists, hippies perhaps, to propose a 100% capital gains tax, liquidation of the military, and outlawing of private property. Give the right a choice between relatively acceptable progressives and dirty-earth worshiping-commie-pinko-fag-hippies and they will be fighting to get in line with the progressives.

They’d still vote for the GOP, so that wouldn’t change.

What might have an effect would be the existence of a moderate fiscal conservative or libertarian/classic-liberal party. The GOP can currently unite every conservative (from the funeral-picketing Westboro Baptist to the business owner who puts his tax cut over other people’s civil rights) under their banner.
This has allowed them to chase themselves further and further into the fringe. An alternative centre-right party would put a stop to that.

The centre-right party would probably still endorse odious policies regarding social care, but at least religious fundamentalism would drop right off the mainstream.

By: Christoph Burschka

Christoph Burschka — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:26:37 +0000

The options:

No compromise: Obama refuses the demands of Republicans in the House. They hinder, boycott and outright sabotage his administration every day for the next four years, after which they blame him and Democratic leaders for getting nothing done.

Compromise: Obama reaches out to Republicans, and accedes to everything they ask for. They hinder, boycott and outright sabotage his administration every day for the next four years, after which they blame him and Democratic leaders for getting nothing done.

By: lorn

lorn — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:57:59 +0000

Seems to me that we need party of left-wing extremists, hippies perhaps, to propose a 100% capital gains tax, liquidation of the military, and outlawing of private property. Give the right a choice between relatively acceptable progressives and dirty-earth worshiping-commie-pinko-fag-hippies and they will be fighting to get in line with the progressives.

A wildly far left party would give Limbaugh, Beck, and the rest of the right-wing talking heads and bombasts, something to talk about. Having to divide their fire between Progressives and a Peace-and-Love party would make them less coherent to their own followers and less effective overall.

By: sawells

sawells — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:25:10 +0000

There is the handy feature that if the Republicans don’t compromise by New Year, tax rates go back up to (gasp) the rates under Clinton, and (gasp) defence spending has to be cut back a bit. “Fiscal cliff” my ass. And Obama can very publicly say: let’s lower the rates for 98% of the country and leave them a tad bit higher for the 2% who make the most money. Let the Republicans oppose that, see where it gets them.

By: Shripathi Kamath

Shripathi Kamath — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:57:25 +0000

Compromise to Republicans means do it the way Mitt Romney would have had he been elected President.

By: Setár, genderqueer Elf-Sheriff of Atheism+

Setár, genderqueer Elf-Sheriff of Atheism+ — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 05:51:46 +0000

How he says he’s willing to work with the President and compromise on the tax issue as long as Obama agrees to no tax increases.

Progress!

the umpteenth re-statement of “we’ll compromise with you as long as you agree to our demands in full” is not progress. at all.

By: Dalillama, Schmott Guy

Dalillama, Schmott Guy — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:44:59 +0000

I agree wholeheartedly with this post. Compromise is a two-way street, and so is biopartisanship. If the Republicans want any, they’re going to have to offer some concessions themselves, or there’s just no point in treating with them. Honestly there’s only a marginal point even if they were willing to compromise on some things; their policies are so catastrophically non-reality-based that giving them any of what they want is actively harming the country.

By: Martha

Martha — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 01:49:40 +0000

Might they still be in the denial stage of grief, poor dears?

By: Jafafa Hots

Jafafa Hots — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:25:49 +0000

Well Boehner has signaled that he is willing to compromise.
Before the election he insisted on no tax increases as his main issue, and blockaded everything based on that.

How he says he’s willing to work with the President and compromise on the tax issue as long as Obama agrees to no tax increases.

Progress!