POLL: Congressional Incumbant Reality Check?

dirtyharriet1010,

I obviously empathize with your assertion. So what exactly are you planning to do about how you feel?

2 votes

#1.2 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 10:56 AM EST

Coral Atlas

last I looked there are 500+ members of congress .... I suggest you all start paying attention to details .... it's simplistic to talk about congress as a whole .....

the problem has been the radical right wing of the GOTP house reps .... and the filibustering GOTP in the Senate ..

it is not rocket science .. and in-spite of that OUR President has managed to keep us moving ahead ... it would have happened faster without the obstruction from the GOTP ...

Who @!$%# on the floor and then pinch their noses and ask who made that mess??!!

The GOTP must go for America to move ahead.

8 votes

#1.3 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 11:56 AM EST

Coral Atlas,

I would argue (strongly) that is wasn't just the Republican Party that voted for congress to legally trade on the "peoples" insider information. Certainly Democrats either went along or at the very least did not sound the alarm to the American people. Quite the contrary, both parties are guilty.

So while I would agree that recent use of the filibuster in the senate has
been unusually high in the last decade. That is only mere politics at work in our democracy.

The Democratic Party chose not to prosecute the Bush Administration for war crimes.

The Democratic Party has let Wall Street banksters off the hook.

The Democratic Party continues to spy on Americans and now has unlimited detention without trial with only a classification of terrorist/enemy combatant.

Neither political; party seems willing or capable of justice or fairness at the expense of their political campaign funders up to now. So how is one supposed to believe anything will be different if the same funders are funding the same candidates, seems insane to me.

8 votes

#1.4 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:08 PM EST

dirtyharriet1010

Coral-

YOUR President is not a god and the Dems are as much at fault for the condition our country is in as the GOTP. Personally both parties STINK.

I plan on voting for the best person to do the job and it will not be determined by their political party. I do know I will NOT be voting for the 2 Democrat senators from my state.

Please don't give me your "holier than thou" attitude. Your opinion is as correct or as incorrect as mine.

Remember opinions are like a$$holes. Everyone has one.

7 votes

#1.5 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:09 PM EST

Luther28

I concur with Harriet, both parties stink, one just reeks more than the other. Party politics over the past forty years (along with plain old fashioned stupidity) is the main reason we find ourselves at the current juncture. Time to begin selecting leadership by merit, not party, connections or the rest.

7 votes

#1.6 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:27 PM EST

Spikegary

Didn't I just see on the Top News page that Unemployment applications are down to a 4 year low? It's the lead story on NV right now. We can argue all day on who gets credit and who doesn't, in the end, it's all opinions.

I haven't felt represented by most of the elected politicians from my district for a while-I will vote for who I think is best, regardless of Party as I have done in other elections. If you don't vote, as far as I'm concerned, you've given up your right to bitch about anything to do with politics. I do see lots of progress in New York, under the leadership of Andrew Cuomo, who is a liberal democrat, but is acting as a fiscal conservative in the state. Oh yeah, he's working on pulling the unions back and stripping powers form them-but that doesn't make the news very loudly, as, say, in Wisconsin.

4 votes

#1.7 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:46 PM EST

Coral Atlas

Remember opinions are like a$$holes. Everyone has one.

I agree and for the GOTP they are as clear as the hole on their faces! ;-)

5 votes

#1.8 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:06 PM EST

Spikegary

That was one of the more childish comments I've seen today.

6 votes

#1.9 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:56 PM EST

Olyman

Coral, it's quite evident to all who read any of your comments at any time, you're in love with Obama. It's also quite evident that people like you are part of the problem and not looking for a solution unless it's a Democrat controlled one. How about getting off the high horse and seeing things for what they truly are, f'd up. Personally I'm disgusted by both parties, the guilt needs to be shard 50/50 along with the successes.

The only thing your comments seem to do is stoke your own ego. How about joining the team and come on in for the big win.

5 votes

#1.10 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 6:45 PM EST

Coral Atlas

Olyman ..... do OUR Presidents detractors like yourself stand for anything but being against OUR President to the detriment of OUR Nation?

Being "in love with Obama" means being obsessed with Obama - that is a problem the right wing nuts have .... not I ... they are obsessed with OUR President.

My strong approval of OUR President is based on what he has accomplished, what he says and how he goes about doing his job - truth and trust. I 've seen at least five different Presidents over my lifetime ... none even close to being as effective as President Obama.

I am proud that he is representing OUR nation to the world at large.

Supporters of the GOTP have developed a fast food mentality when it comes to intelligence.

They check in daily with Fox to get the latest lies and talking points.

The GOTP stokes the flames of hatred, fear, anger, greed and bigotry in a raw naked attempt to divide OUR nation and garner support based on division.

The debates have exposed the GOTP for what it stands for - nothing.

Their platform is to "defeat Obama" ... and that is it.

That single minded purpose speaks volumes for what the GOTP stands for ..... ;-)

NOTHING.

#1.11 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 11:31 PM EST

Citizen Kane-473667

Olyman ..... do OUR Presidents detractors like yourself stand for anything but being against OUR President to the detriment of OUR Nation?

Yes! If you have any doubts about it, feel free to peruse my artcles here on the Vine. All kinds of things I stand for that eliminates me as a supporter of President Obama and every President before him for a long time back. We can start with the influence of Big Business on the Oval Office and Congress for one if you want...

3 votes

#1.12 - Fri Feb 10, 2012 10:55 PM EST

Olyman

Their platform is to "defeat Obama" ... and that is it.

Wasn't the intention of the Dems last election not to defeat the Republicans ? How would it be any different now? Of course the idea is to defeat Obama, how else would someone become president in 2013 ?

do OUR Presidents detractors like yourself stand for anything but being against OUR President to the detriment of OUR Nation?

This OUR that you so preciously talk about makes it seem like you think the nation only belongs to you and your left wing followers. How is disagreeing with the presidents policies and ideologies to the detriment of the nation ? It's evident that only half the people, at best, approve of his actions and policies. So there are as many of us who don't like what he's doing as there are who do.

Of course you like him, you approve of his policies and feel he's acting on your behalf. I and as you can see here, many others don't feel the same way. So your response is to call us less intelligent, dividers of the nation, single minded people who don't stand for anything ? This doesn't help make your argument, in fact it further divides us. But I get the feeling that's what your intention is. You seem to believe that if we aren't with you and your group, then we're the enemey. Fact is we all want the same thing, but have different thoughts in how to get there.

3 votes

#1.13 - Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:49 AM EST

LasVegasRocks

frugalgovernment

I was hoping for a lot more than this congress appears willing to give the country.

I knew as soon as the election results were published in my district (NV-3) that the new Representative, Joe Heck, would not actually represent his constituents. He took the narrow victory to be a mandate (typical of a right wing republican politician) to pursue a voting record that is the antithesis of what was/is needed by the people of Southern Nevada.

As far as I am concerned, the election cannot come soon enough to remove him from office.

8 votes

#2 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 10:42 AM EST

LasVegasRocks,

Interesting. So how do you think your fellow constituents feel about their elected representative? Do you know whether you are in the minority or majority at this time? Do you believe you maybe more or less involved in this up-n-coming election cycle?

3 votes

#2.1 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 10:59 AM EST

LasVegasRocks

The people I speak to in my district are of the same mind. Can't speak to the other constituents, since this is a geographically large district.

I did work on one campaign - two days a week for four months - but do not have the luxury of that free time, but I'll be as engaged as other elections.

I find this Congress to be an embarrassment to America. I feel most Representatives and Senators have a me first mind-set, not America first. Which is what was most disturbing about the republican/right wing criticism to the Chrysler/Eastwood Super Bowl commercial

2 votes

#2.2 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:02 PM EST

I agree with you that it appears to be that scurge of the baby-boomer generation; me, me, me syndrome. I am really supprised America is carrying as high a credit rating as we are given the partisan politics. I shudder to think where this country would be if we were not the world's currency.

5 votes

#2.3 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:15 PM EST

LasVegasRocks

frugalgovernment

appears to be that scurge of the baby-boomer generation

The me first mind-set crosses all demographics, not just the boomers.

2 votes

#2.4 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 8:55 PM EST

Problem is, that Congress has done virtually NOTHING. Am I better off than I was? Absolutely, but it had ZERO to do with Congress, they've done nothing but muddle it all up.

I have two Dem Senators, in a rather red state, and I think they are both doing a great job, I wish Webb wasn't stepping down, I think he's been a spectacular force in Congress. Warner was a good Governor, and has been decent as a Senator.

Wolf, my Representative, has been one of the few to stand against some of the silly partisan games of the House. He and I don't always see eye to eye, but I do genuinely believe he is doing his best, and representing his constituents as best he can. I would like to someone a bit more socially liberal in there, but we'll have to see who is running against him.

Who will I vote for? How can I know if we don't know the challengers yet?

5 votes

#3 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 11:29 AM EST

I don't know, collectively congress is a total failure. We've struggled with the same debilitating issues for decades now. Can't secure our borders, continue to insist employers provide health insurance when the rest of the G-8 have proved that to be a mistake. Federal tax law is an absolute joke and fully corrupt, infrastructure is decaying to the point we may never be able to repair what we have let alone regain our competitive edge. the list goes on and on ...

.. I am to the point, that I believe American democracy is failing and the sooner I can retire as an xpat the better.

3 votes

#3.1 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:00 PM EST

Can't disagree with the FACT that Congress is an embarrassing collection of yahoos, no doubt. But surprisingly, I still like my guys. I mean, we've seen intransigence and stupidity before, this Congress isn't the first, but it seems to be the MOST divided I have ever seen.

And from my perspective, it is almost entirely the neo-conservatives doing the ruining. Since when is COMPROMISE a bad word? I do it with my wife all the time, and then we compromise a bit too ;). When the only option is YOUR option, you are not working TOGETHER, you are exacerbating divisions. Yeah, Obama wants rich folks to pay more, but they can more readily afford it. I don't quite qualify as a 'rich person,' but I'll willingly pay more to decrease our bills. That's what you do when you have a lot of DEBT. You don't decrease your income, you INCREASE it. You tighten your belt, spend less, and then you take on overtime, your work a second job, you MAN UP, and PAY IT OFF. (and contrary to popular conservative belief, cutting taxes DOES NOT equal an increase in revenue, the last ten years are substantial evidence of that!)

And when you are more concerned about businesses than actual PEOPLE, you have taken your eyes off the prize Princess. Yes, businesses help feed every one of us, but businesses cannot go hungry, though they will take welfare. It's time to stop giving business ALL the perks, but few of the requirements of being American.

Penalize companies who export jobs, not products.

4 votes

#3.2 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:21 PM EST

Fred

Since when is COMPROMISE a bad word?

IMO it became a "bad" word when the left made it that way.

I mean let's get real here and actually look at things with a bit of honesty.

Every time the right HAS compromised what do the headlines read?

It's titles like "Obama forces the GOP to do things his way", or "GOP folds to the power of the white house", or something along those lines/in that vein.

That is NOT how you get folks to be willing to compromise in the future is it?

You tighten your belt, spend less, and then you take on overtime, your work a second job, you MAN UP, and PAY IT OFF.

Yet we haven't seen that have we? The tightening of the belt, the cutting back on spending. Nope we see only the demands for more income.

I mean come on now, on the SAME DAY that the president requested a raise of the debt ceiling it was announced that he signed a trillion dollar spending bill.

3 votes

#3.3 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:46 PM EST

Every time the right HAS compromised what do the headlines read?

When has the right compromised? Heck, Obama invited them to the WH to talk about Healthcare reform, and they blew him off, and then insisted that OBAMA was the one being obstreperous.

Yet we haven't seen that have we? The tightening of the belt, the cutting back on spending.

We haven't? How long has it been since feds got even a cost of living raise? What happened when Obama wanted to allow the Bush tax cuts to drop? (the right threw a hissy-fit) What happened when Obama folded the OFF THE BUDGET costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan back into the budget? The Republicans shrieked that Obama was 'spending recklessly' even though HE didn't spend that money!

We are out of Iraq, we are drawing down in Afghanistan, Libya was conducted for a PITTANCE compared to Iraq. When it comes to spending, that trillion dollar spending bill? Mostly military, and it was largely passed by a bipartisan group.

$8.4 billion for EPA, a $223 million cut over last year

• $518 billion for the Pentagon, an increase of $5 billion over last year

• $850 million for counterinsurgency aid in Pakistan

• $5 billion for AIDS

• $32 billion for energy and water programs

• $21 billion for agencies that regulate banking

• $12 billion for Treasury, a cut of $882 million over last year

• $71 billion for Education, a $153 million cut over last year

• $42 billion for the State Dept. and Foreign Operations

• $3 billion for Israel

• $39 billion for Homeland Security that includes nearly $12 billion for Customs and Border Patrol and nearly $6 billion for Immigration and Custom Enforcement.

Yeah, Obama's just throwing the money away.

1 vote

#3.4 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 4:56 PM EST

Whatever dude, keep deluding yourself.

I notice that all you could bring up was the Health insurance mandate as a compromise example.

Nothing recent, but it doesn't surprise me in the least.

Continue on as y'all have been with the cries "It's ALL Bush's fault", even thought that completely ignores the FACT that the Dems controlled BOTH houses of congress for his last 2 years and for the first 2 years of this administration.

1 vote

#3.5 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 6:28 PM EST

I notice that all you could bring up was the Health insurance mandate as a compromise example.

Sad how you ignore your own self-delusion, only to accuse another...

#3.6 - Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:39 PM EST

Boudicea

The only thing I can say about the House is that the "silly games" have had the end result of LESS legislation being passed. That's ALWAYS a good thing. Now we should have to repeal 100 old laws for every new one put on the books.

3 votes

#4 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 11:50 AM EST

I would certainly agree that while congress is sitting around waiting for the 2012 elections, the least they could do is clean-house (pardon the punn) on outdated legislation sitting on the books.

I really hope the next congress takes an aggressive look into federal tax reform. If America continues to decline, I certainly do not want to be paying more than I have to before I abandon this sinking ship. If the wealthiest Americans do not see value in paying their fair share of taxes, I certainly am not going to be there fool paying more than they pay.

3 votes

#4.1 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:52 PM EST

Spikegary

Agreed! We could get rid of Horse vs Mechanically operated carriages laws and many others!

2 votes

#4.2 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 12:52 PM EST

do not see value in paying their fair share of taxes

There we go with that whole "fair share" line again.

The funny thing is that NO ONE is willing to actually step forward and say what is "fair".

Is it "fair" that there are 36 or so white house staffers that owe taxes? I'm not sure how many members of congress are currently in arrears on their taxes, but I know that they are ALSO just as bad.

Is it "fair that the top 10% pay 80% of the income taxes?

Is it "fair" that something like 47% pay NO income taxes?

Is it "fair" that those who write the tax codes have been bought and paid for by those that benefit from those codes?

Until someone actually has the gumption to step forward and define just exactly what "fair" is in a manner that ALL can agree with, that argument will continue to piss me off.

Now just so folks know, I'm part of the 53% that PAYS income tax, and so far below the top 10% of income earners that they are out of sight to me.

Now as far as my reps, well I do wish that "Dr. NO" would decide to run again, but at least he's got another 4 years or so to try to make changes.

3 votes

#4.3 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:09 PM EST

I don't know somehow paying decades old tax rates and expecting the infrastructure to fix itself isn't quite working for me, I mean given two decades of inflation has occured, but, then I did take economics in college.

Citizens of great societies pay for what they get, America is getting what it pays for and I for one feel the decline. Of course if the military industrial complex didn't eat up so much of our treasury maybe we could be slightly more than a third world super-power as compared to the G-8. Factual comparisons of all the major competitive indexes do not lie.

4 votes

#4.4 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:42 PM EST

Of course if the military industrial complex didn't eat up so much of our treasury maybe we could be slightly more than a third world super-power as compared to the G-8

You know that old line is exactly that, old.

If you look at what is being spent, this year I believe the number is $700 Billion for defense, and that is out of a budget of 3+ Trillion dollars. Then look at the size of the deficit, projected to be a Trillion dollars this year and do some math, it would tell you that even if the defense budget was slashed COMPLETELY and NO money was allocated, it still wouldn't be enough to cover the deficit.

Go to the US debt clock web site and see which are the biggest outlays in the federal budget.

That's right it's those programs that are ALREADY having funding difficulties, social security and medicare. Yet THOSE are the payroll taxes being cut.

Tell me that makes any sense.

2 votes

#4.5 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 1:55 PM EST

We have debt because:
a. George W. Bush didn't budget for two wars
b. George W. Bush didn't budget for tax-cuts
c. Goerge W. Bush didn't budget for big pharma subsidary
d. We do not have enough employed Americans
e. Tax revenues are worfully inadequate for a society of 310 million citizens.

You want to live poorly, then pay to live poorly. We had a budget surplus until George W. Bush and the Republican majorities in the senate and the house spent America's surplus like drunken sailors. Then the precious capitalists on Wall Street needed a bailout after destroying the only sector that was safe in America which was residential housing market. Now America having been thoroughly out-sourced is a ruined country on the decline with two corrupt political parties selling themselves like whore each election cycle to the highest bidder. Unfettered capitalism is a failure and so is American democracy.

3 votes

#4.6 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 3:38 PM EST

Boudicea

Blame Bush? That's your answer? LOL! Haven't you heard? The new "rage" is blame the Kochs!

2 votes

#4.7 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 3:41 PM EST

frugal

I must say that you are NOT sounding very "independent" when you parrot the DNC's lines.

Or are you just calling yourself that so that people MIGHT listen to you while you parrot their lines?

Did you not notice(or did you ignore) that the current administration has added as much to the national debt in 3 years as the previous administration did over the span of 8 years?

Or does that simply not matter to you?

I also notice that you completely avoided the CURRENT debt multiplier going on(the payroll tax cuts). Don't tell me let me guess, that's Bush's fault ALSO, right?

2 votes

#4.8 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 4:14 PM EST

The Koch brothers are the corporate state who fund the cowards that have sold us out. I realize the citizenry has lost complete control. Voting for either political party is futile as the corporate state has rendered the American citizen impotent. But, its fun to vent as a independent in venues like this while some level of free speech still exists. They are probably tracking my every word and it won't be long before I'm labelled a terrorist and wisked away to an all expenses paid perminant vacation at GITMO until the war on terrorism is over (i.e. American is completely commoditized and looted).

Obama - Bush there is no difference, they all drink from the same campaign funding fountain. However, it is a fact the Bush started the real decline.

1 vote

#4.9 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 4:15 PM EST

Boudicea

OMG I was JOKING! I can't believe you really think that. I'm outta here.

2 votes

#4.10 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 6:18 PM EST

Reality sucks and the plain honest truth is America can never repay 15 trillion dollars worth of debt and the United States is now just a zombie soveriegn wealth being looted by the corporate state. No matter how far we shrink the federal government, the burden of a 310 million strong citzenry will only continue to grow and the needs will either be met or not. Meanwhile every aspect of American competitiveness is falling farther and farther behind the global competition.

Meanwhile every aspect of America is being commoditized, people and resources alike. As the so-called patriotic citizens demand to pay less and less federal taxes, the enevitable will be a third world super-power, barely able to take care of itself, let alone defend itself; eventually.

We can cut the government to the bone, live libertarian lives, take our chances everytime we eat, drink or buy products. The global economy will simply dump their toxic products on American consumors and watch us wither away as a society unwilling to be responsible citizen adults. That is the price we as a nation will pay for our rigid ideologies and selfishness.

3 votes

#4.11 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 7:29 PM EST

bmac-4314069

It is Harry Reid and the Democratic controlled Senate who are the great obstructionists in this country. The House has tried to pass numerous bills and Reid has not let them be heard on the Senate floor, or voted on in the Senate.

3 votes

#5 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 3:15 PM EST

Zero-

im nutral in this i say our congress has failed but its not there fualt there stiff necks

1 vote

#6 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 3:49 PM EST

Citizen Kane-473667

I voted against every incumbent and will do so again regardless of the stupid little letter after their name. I'm no better off now under Republicans than I was under Democrats and I really don't expect that to change until we dump the whole barrel of rotten apples we call Congress.

If given a choice between two new names vying for office, I will vote for the one that promises to cut spending before cutting taxes--for anyone!

2 votes

#7 - Thu Feb 9, 2012 6:09 PM EST