tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post4877355406021389746..comments2023-10-26T01:59:40.483-07:00Comments on The Dividist Papers: Carnival of Divided Government Septimus et Vîcênsimus (XXVII) - Special Inexcusably Late Edition!mwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-36778328145268173982008-10-31T14:57:00.000-07:002008-10-31T14:57:00.000-07:00"I wonder whether Bob Barr may actually be pulling..."I wonder whether Bob Barr may actually be pulling more support from Obama than McCain, contrary to conventional wisdom."<BR/><BR/>Not in my case. I would have voted for McCain were my state actually up for grabs.Dyre42https://www.blogger.com/profile/16111899832534493251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-63114183840341644812008-10-21T19:48:00.000-07:002008-10-21T19:48:00.000-07:00@Ray,Thanks for the kind words and clarification. ...@Ray,<BR/>Thanks for the kind words and clarification. After re-reading my comment, I think it is ambiguous and I need to re-write it. I actually agree with your point that there is no fundamental difference between one party rule by either Democrats or Republicans. We get remarkably similar effects from One Party Rule regardless of which party is in the driver seat: faster rates of growth in spending; less fiscal discipline; more abuse of power; more erosion of freedom; more corruption; more war. <BR/><BR/>My intended point was: There is a real documented historical difference between divided government and One Party Rule regardless of party,and there are real practical benefits in a divided government state for those who would like to see the erosion of liberty slowed. I was trying to make sure this distinction not be obscured by your point that there is no fundamental difference in the parties themselves.mwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-76593492937824744022008-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:002008-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00@HDWI have decided that I now need to embrace the ...@HDW<BR/>I have decided that I now need to embrace the full quote - My new standard sign off:<BR/><BR/><I>One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the Democrats will soon be here. And <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkQTFOEd788" REL="nofollow">I for one welcome our new Democratic overlords</A>. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted independent blogger, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their <A HREF="http://www.victoriousopposition.com/index.php/site/comments/obama-on-mandatory-volunteerism/" REL="nofollow">mandatory volunteer</A> service corps.</I>mwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-31569936964327650262008-10-21T15:04:00.000-07:002008-10-21T15:04:00.000-07:00Hello friend, Thank you for the shout out. You've ...Hello friend, <BR/><BR/>Thank you for the shout out. You've done a phenomenal job with your blog here, and I mean that very sincerely. <BR/><BR/>I would like to quickly clarify, if I may, your articulate but slightly misbegotten recapitulation of my post: <BR/><BR/>I didn't say, nor mean to imply (in the <A HREF="http://blog.the-thinking-man.com/" REL="nofollow">http://blog.the-thinking-man.com/</A> post above) that "there is no difference between a divided government or one party rule under either the Democrats or Republicans." In fact, what I say in the article is that the difference, which does indeed exist, is purely one of form. <EM>Fundamentally,</EM> however, there is no distinction -- insofar as it's all a variation of the same principle: the principle of neomercantilism. <BR/><BR/>But in terms of the concrete manifestation, yes, you're absolutely correct: for example, the left will allow you your freedoms, more or less, in the bedroom but wants to get into your wallet, whereas the right will, in theory, allow you your wallet, but wants to interfere in your bedroom. <BR/><BR/>A witty political commentator, whose name suddenly escapes me, once compendiated the essential difference between the right and the left as follows:<BR/><BR/>"The right is pro-business except when it comes to things like strip clubs, which they then want to outlaw; the left, on the other hand, says it's okay to have strip clubs as long as the dancers are making the minimum wage."<BR/><BR/>My point was not that there's no difference, but rather that the difference is merely a difference of concretes, not principles. <BR/><BR/>Thank you again.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.the-thinking-man.com/individual-rights.html" REL="nofollow">Ray</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-22120018088056507792008-10-21T11:49:00.000-07:002008-10-21T11:49:00.000-07:00As do I:http://czabe.com/the_daily_czabe/podpic/p...As do I:<BR/><BR/>http://czabe.com/the_daily_czabe/podpic/podpic_insect_overlords.jpgHarlan Wallachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14683506200702943499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-51827294857379407352008-10-21T06:45:00.000-07:002008-10-21T06:45:00.000-07:00Wow that is great! That makes all the difference. ...Wow that is great! That makes all the difference. More evidence, as I have been saying all along that the election is over and we can go straight to the coronation. Some may have had had some doubts about crowning BHO with monarchical powers, giving a rubber stamp congress with no meaningful opposition, and the ability to govern by fiat. But Adelman should convince everyone that his vast experience as a community organizer and running for President means we can trust him with that power. <BR/><BR/>But for those who think this sort of thing is important...<BR/><BR/><I>"Governor Sarah Palin, like John McCain, is a reformer who has taken on the special interests and reached across party lines. She is a leader we can count on to help John shake up Washington.<BR/><BR/>That’s why the McCain-Palin ticket is the real ticket for change this year.<BR/><BR/>The Washington bureaucrats and power brokers can’t build a pen strong enough to hold these two mavericks.<BR/><BR/>And together, you can count on John McCain and Sarah Palin to fight for America and to fight for you! And that’s what our country needs most right now.<BR/><BR/>What we need most is not more party unity in America but more national unity!<BR/><BR/>Especially at a time of war, we need a president we can count on to fight for what’s right for our country — not only when it is easy, but when it is hard.<BR/><BR/>When others were silent, John McCain had the judgment to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, when Barack Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge, and because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor!<BR/><BR/>Before I conclude, I ask the indulgence of those in this hall tonight, as I want to speak directly to my fellow Democrats and independents who are watching.<BR/><BR/>I know many of you are angry and frustrated by our government and our politics and for good reason.<BR/><BR/>You may be thinking of voting for John McCain but you’re not sure. Some of you have never voted for a Republican before and in an ordinary election, you probably wouldn’t.<BR/><BR/>But this is no ordinary election, because these are not ordinary times, and John McCain is no ordinary candidate. You may not agree with John McCain on every issue.<BR/><BR/>But you can always count on him to be straight with you about where he stands, and to stand for what he thinks is right regardless of politics.<BR/><BR/>As president, you can count on John McCain to be a restless reformer, who will clean up Washington and get our government working again for you!<BR/><BR/>So tonight, I ask you whether you are an independent, a Reagan Democrat or a Clinton Democrat, or just a Democrat: This year, when you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for the country, not for the party you happen to belong to."</I><BR/> <A HREF="http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/09/02/excerpts-from-liebermans-convention-speech/" REL="nofollow">Joe Lieberman - Lifelong Democrat and Democratic VP Candidate in 2000.</A><BR/><BR/>Of course, that is nothing compared to Adelman, who showed extraordinary judgment as one of the neocon architects of the Iraq war and calling the war a "cakewalk". Truly a neocon's neocon. Nice bookend to Colin Powell, who, behind Cheney and Bush, was the man most responsible for our involvement in Iraq when he sold it to the American people and the world at the UN. Powell opposed the first gulf war, supported and sold the Iraq war, and oposed the surge. Wrong on all three counts. Great general, terrible political judgment. There is a special place in hell for Colin Powell. Right next to Bob McNamara. <BR/><BR/>Personally I think all three of these guys are assholes, and would not trust any of their judgment as far as I could throw them. But I've learned that if you are going to drink the kool-aid you don't need an asshole's endorsement to believe what you want to believe anyway. <BR/><BR/>I welcome our new Democratic Overlords.mwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11181222537529037359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26542777.post-75221045939029714852008-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:002008-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:00cripes...whats this guys problem ?" Why so, sin...cripes...<BR/><BR/>whats this guys problem ?<BR/>" Why so, since my views align a lot more with McCain’s than with Obama’s? And since I truly dread the notion of a Democratic president, Democratic House, and hugely Democratic Senate?<BR/><BR/> Primarily for two reasons, those of temperament and of judgment.<BR/><BR/> When the economic crisis broke, I found John McCain bouncing all over the place. In those first few crisis days, he was impetuous, inconsistent, and imprudent; ending up just plain weird. Having worked with Ronald Reagan for seven years, and been with him in his critical three summits with Gorbachev, I’ve concluded that that’s no way a president can act under pressure.<BR/><BR/> Second is judgment. The most important decision John McCain made in his long campaign was deciding on a running mate.<BR/><BR/> That decision showed appalling lack of judgment. Not only is Sarah Palin not close to being acceptable in high office—I would not have hired her for even a mid-level post in the arms-control agency. But that selection contradicted McCain’s main two, and best two, themes for his campaign—Country First, and experience counts. Neither can he credibly claim, post-Palin pick.<BR/><BR/> I sure hope Obama is more open, centrist, sensible—dare I say, Clintonesque—than his liberal record indicates, than his cooperation with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid portends. If not, I will be even more startled by my vote than I am now."<BR/><BR/>Ken Adelman is a lifelong conservative Republican. Campaigned for Goldwater, was hired by Rumsfeld ....<BR/><BR/>http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/georgepacker/2008/10/not-quite-colin.htmlHarlan Wallachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14683506200702943499noreply@blogger.com