Time's Duffy and Tumulty declare Republicans lost, in part, for "spending like drunken Democrats"
In a November 8 Time magazine online article, "It's a Good Morning for the Democrats," Time reporter Michael Duffy and national political correspondent Karen Tumulty, while reporting on the results of the midterm election, wrote that "the Republican Revolution that began in 1994" came to "an end," in part because the Republican Party "found itself spending like drunken Democrats."
From the November 8 Time online article:
But even before the outcome of Montana and Virginia is known, it was already clear that the vote was the biggest defeat of George W. Bush's presidency, depriving him of a governing majority in Washington and raising new doubts about his effectiveness and agenda for his final two years in office. Bush has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon.
The outcome brought an end to the Republican Revolution that began in 1994 but lost its way as the party that came to Washington to cut government spending and clean up a corrupt institution ran into scandals of its own and found itself spending like drunken Democrats. Meanwhile, the vote increases the onus on Democrats to go beyond merely criticizing the President and show voters they have a constructive agenda of their own.
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The kind of spending those Republicans were doing makes drunken Democrats look like paupers.
spending like a Bush (or Trump) heading for a Bankruptcy.
Sincerest hopes for the future. Let's see what the Dems can do.
Probably all they can do with control of one chamber is put the brakes on the administration for the next two years. Still, that's better than the alternative.
My guess is that with Dems in control of the House, Bush in the White House, and the Senate more or less evenly divided, there won't be much monumental or controversial legislation passed.
That would be my guess as well. Dems will have my support fully in the investigation of war profittering. Other items not so much (minimum wage for instance) but let's see what can happen.
the people wanted representation by those who are capable of thinking for themselves.
If, two years from now, the Democrats fall into the same pattern, will they be accused of spending like drunken Republicans? Somehow, I doubt it.
When a democrat was running the White House, we had a budget surplus, yes, surplus. Insert republican into White House, we have a record deficit.. Hmm... Who is more financially responsible again?
get out of that reality based world and listen to the news.
Dems are not fiscally responsible. No matter how much better they are at handling the country's money.Whew.
One of the minor reasons the Republican lost so many seats. This was a referendum on George W. and his misguided policies in Iraq.
maybe they won't just sit on their anus'(or is it ani) like those wonderful Republicans who acted like drunken Democrats. If anything gets done, anything, it will be one more thing than the last six years.
Ma'am, I don't know you but quit crying, you lost. And may I add that the Democratic Party won because of jerks like rUSH, bILLY O' and especially hANN"RAT"TY. Thank you guys for mobilizing the Democratic Party.
Certainly the Limbaugh comments about Michael J. Fox and his Parkinson's Disease probably made people more aware of the issue of stem cell research and could have turned away some Republican-leaning voters and/or mobilized some Democratic-leaning voters.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
Besides, us Dems took care of that yesterday. Your welcome.
The war cry of the 'winning' demcrats seems to be that "America wants change", but actually, the truth is that America jsut wants the republicans to do what they said they would do and didn't get done. NOBODY wants the demcrats to do what the demacrats WANT to do - they are hoping that they do what the republicans wanted to do and didn't finish. Democratic party ideas are still unpopular. The republican ideas are not - the republicans just didn't do a good job of bring ing those ideas to fruition. Hopefully the democrats will come to their senses and successfully implement REPUBLICAN ideals and policy - but that would be asking for them to do the right thing, not the selfish thing.
After all of these years, the answer for the Democratic Party is to become the Republicans?
What color is the sky in your world?
The 'answer' is to stop all the partisan fighting and actually WORK TOGETHER to make this country great again, and a place of pride. What a concept, huh?
together means to do what the Republicans want to do? Up is down, right is left.....
No, it does not necessarily mean that. But history shows that the demacrats WANTED the same goals as the republicans wanted in Iraq. the republicans just failed in their execution. Believe me, I am upset with my own party for that. It's PAST time for all of us to work together for common goals and sto blamong each other when something doesn't work as well as intended. Instead, we should step back and figure out a better solution. BOTH parties are to blame for this. Even when one party comes out with a great idea or policy, the other criticises it jsut becasue they didn't think of it themselves. Pathetic. We'll NEVER make any progress that way.
There's only one party to blame for the Iraq policy and lack of oversight. If things aren't better in 6-12 months, then you can blame it on both.
Fair enough, but I'm almost positive that if things aren't better in the next 6 -12 months (or even a bit longer) then the democrats will blame it on the previous actions of the republicans instead of shouldering the blame themselves, or just moving forward and try to find better answers and solutions. I sincerely hope that whichever party is in office, they do what's best for all of us. I for one, am tired of all the whining and blame on both sides.
and you really want whats best for America then you need to learn how to discuss without making the Republicans the ultimate model for everything considered "good".
That IS the case. I just heard that if you come on this site and state ANYTHING that the majority on here disagrees with, you'd be called a troll. And it proved true. Now that I know that this site is NOT treated and respected a serous site to a lot of the 'regulars', then I'll know better how to post my comments on it. In other words, I can have any ideas or comments and criticisms that I want, as long as they are the same as almost everyone elses' on this site, right?
The only one you've floated so far is that because the electorate rejected Republican policies, that the Democratic party should take up the rejected Republican policies. I'm trying to be nice and I don't usually resort to name calling, but that is just insane.
Yes, some policies were bad, others jsut weren't executed succesfully. The democrats should expel all policies that are bad, and continue to work on the ones that are not. That should be the case no matter who controls the Senate or the House.
Yes, Democrats should do good things as opposed to bad. Why didn't anyone ever think of that before?
and avoiding responsbility for your words. You did not say Democrats should do good for America you said Democrats should do what the Republicans want to do and did not do. That is not fair and balance thinking. That is partisan thinking.
All of the sudden all of the conservoes on this site want bipartisanship. They all want cooperation and reconcilliation. Shameless bunch they are, where the hell was this spirit of compromise 2 years ago? 4 years ago? 6 years ago?
You bet, I believe in compromise. Just excuse my contempt for your pathetic blubbering for a while. I'll be over my dismay and elation in a few days, we can carry on a civil discussion then.
Did I miss something? Were you called a troll in this thread? This strikes me as a straw man.
I know that Rush Limbaugh expects to be able to toss out his assertions without refutation. However, posters to MMFA should not expect the same. If you post arguable assertions, you should expect a response...and that's how it should be.
Mea culpa, I called him a troll. But only because his first posts were trollish.
I missed it. Scratch the first part of my post. The second part is still generally applicable.
You can have any opinions you want, just be prepared to defend them. Regurgitating stale talking points isnt going to win you admirers from among most of the posters here. As for being called a troll, who did that, I must have missed it somewhere. See this is how it works you get your opinion they WE get to tell you what we think of it. Did you think that YOU had some special right to have an opinion and anyone that disagrees with you was somehow doing something wrong? Do you have a soapbox and we are obligated to clap admiringly? Get over yourself
It's interesting that you say to give the Democrats 6-12 months or a little more. I keep hearing that everything was Clinton's fault after 6 years out of office. Why don't dems get 6+ years to undo the Bush fiascos.
It is hard for me to remember any blogs by republicans that called for bipartisanship before Tuesday.
I voted for Bush in 2000 and one reason was that he proclaimed himself a "uniter, not a divider". I found out since that he has this speech problem that reverses the phrases.
I am for bipartisanship even though it is cynical of republicans who now call for it when they have no more legislative power.
The 'answer' is to stop all the partisan fighting and actually WORK TOGETHER to make this country great again, and a place of pride.
Tell that to what remains of your party in Congress. For the last six years they've shown no interest in working together. It's up to them to change.
I agree with you, but I disagree with you saying that the republicans are the only guilty party in not working together. Down here in Texas, a lot of people voted for a goober named Kinky Friedman jsut to make a statement again partisan politics. We're all tired of it.
I voted for some dems, and some repubs last night.
Anyone, and I mean anyone that votes strictly based on party line is as stupid as someone that voted for the best looking canidate. You do this country no good by doing that.
Why not vote straight down the party line? If you are a Democrat and vote for a moderate, pro-choice Republican, you're still voting for the pro-life, religious fundamentalists in the end. Likewise, if you're a Republican and are voting for a pro-life, pro-Bush Democrat, you're still voting for a pro-choice, anti-war party in the end.
The key word there is "strictly". If the Dems forward an unpalatable candidate as opposed to a moderate Republican, I'll vote for the Republican, as a rule. However, in an atmosphere like this, where it's important that control of congress shifts just to curb the one-party rubber-stamping festival, then I have more incentive to vote for any Democrat just for the greater purpose.
And that's the whole problem with the two-party system. Sometimes you have to get rid of decent people just to curb the power of the more extreme elements.
because you could be voting a complete idiot into office. You vote for complete idiots?
"You vote for complete idiots?"
No. We didn't vote for any Republicans.
I'm looking forward to seeing republicans who just spent the last 6 years passing legislation by PURPOSELY ignoring democrats and passing with only replican mustered votes do just what you said - compromise. I know y'all can say it without choking...
First order of business: implement private account for SS, outlaw abortion, make tax cuts for top 1% permanent, outlaw gay marriage, ignore global warming, and get that darn flag burning amendment passed.
Then will we be loved?
Now you're commin' around!
NOBODY wants the demcrats to do what the demacrats WANT to do - they are hoping that they do what the republicans wanted to do and didn't finish. Democratic party ideas are still unpopular. * - patriot_games / Wednesday November 8, 2006 11:35:28 AM EST
You're right. NOBODY wants universal health-care, a balanced budget, an end to a misguided war, equal rights and government transparency and accountability. Why would anyone want those things?
The problem is, you think you know what the Democratic party stands for because you let people like Rush tell you what the party stands for instead of figuring it out on your own.
As an olive branch, I will say that I admire your ability to spell "democrat" three different ways in one post.
"Patriot Games" is some kind of joker like "RIGHT-WINGER". He or she is just trying to fool around and deliberately make conservatives and Republicans look bad by posting idiotic posts like that. Either that or there really is someone that stupid posting here. We've seen it before are still seeing it now with certain Republican-leaning posters here.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
>>>"Hopefully the democrats will come to their senses and successfully implement REPUBLICAN ideals and policy"<<<
How pathetic is THAT?? You guys -with control of the Congress and the Executive- have no excuses for not successfully implementing your ideals and policies--except that the voters came to THEIR senses, and they have rejected you and your "ideals".
Do not reflect the ideals of the Conservative Base.
At least traditional conservatives. They sully the good name of conservative. I remember the days of Goldwater and Danforth I didnt agree with them but they had integrity they were honest. This administration is more like a band of radicatl statists. The sooner they are histories punchline the better.
Conservatives have been ruining his country for years. They are very bright people; they will follow any anti-liberal moron leader and follow him over a cliff.
I know some very good conservatives there are a few on this site.
Dem ideas ARE popular, look at the stats above. GOP ideas are NOT popular. Like invading Iraq, NOT POPULAR. Tax cuts for the rich while starving domestic programs NOT POPULAR. HUGE deficits NOT POPULAR.
First thought - oxymoron. No republican has ever been caught with "ideals", except as a figure of speech.
Second thought: yeah, I would be willing to tear up the Constitution, get rid of the controls on Corporations, forsake the role of the Feds as protectors of the masses against the rich and ruthless - right after we purge the world of Corporations, the rich and ruthless, and Repugnants.
Nobody wants the Republicans anywhere NEAR power. (at least as much as nobody wants Democrats to do what they want done.) They have proven that corruption, monumental incompetence, arrogance and overwhelming stupidity while pretending reality doesnt apply to them is not a good governming strategy.
Pathetic, really. The old man in the corporate office isn't going to be too thrilled about the Democrats controlling Congress. Got to please him. This will be the new norm now. Make these comments about Democrats controlling Congress and blame the Republicans' loss of Congress on "Democrat-like behavior." At least one of the new norms. I was watching FOX AND FRIENDS this morning, and something that Gretchen Carlson kept repeating was "Nancy Pelosi and her San Francisco values" when she was talking about Pelosi becoming the House Speaker. Apparentlt Roger Ailes had the memo ready right away. Watch out for new troglodyte talking points for the Democratic Congress. They will probably be talking about how the Democrats are now "in control of the legislative agenda" and how things are now their fault as much as the President's. Sad.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
They can say whatever they want for the next few months. It can all be countered with two words: "sore loser."
Have a wonderful day. I look forward to hearing from our conservative friends.
The Republicans lost because they deserved to lose, primarily because they failed to govern in a conservative fashion as they were elected to do. Spending excesses were just part of that. The war was the major thing. The Republican base sees what is and isn't happening regarding their agenda. They had no reason to go support Republicans yesterday.
That said, I congratulate the Democrats on your well-deserved victory yesterday.
Very well said. The Republicans deserved to get spanked yesterday, as does any party when they get drunk on their own arrogance and power. The Democrats ran good campaigns and are no longer just minority thorns anymore. Hopefully they will become vital and vibrant with good substantive ideas to thoughtfully debate, with the people's business foremost in their mind.
Two strong parties are good for this country, I don't see it as gridlock at all, I see it as bringing out the best of ideas and policies for all.
The country did the right thing yesterday, let's hope the politicians listen and respond in kind.
To the Democrats who won in this election!
God bless America!
drunken democrats , hahahah that is funny
I fail to see the humor in a drunken democrat - we all know what happens when a democrat is a drunk....He crashes his car in a river and leaves his mistress to drown, then crawls into the 'bushes' to hide. The ironic thing about all that, is that he continues to be relected into office by other democrats!! I wonder what would have happened had he shot her instead? - A surefire bid to the presidency?
Which freshly-renamed troll are you? Leatherhelmet? Wesley? Reluctantrepublican?
Sorry - first time here. Just stuck around for the humor and entertainment factor.
has to go back almost 40 years to make a crack on a Democrat, yet to illustrate Republican wrong doings one can go back a day, wait there went another one, an hour.
Newsbreak. There will be corruption coming out of Montana! Trust me. The harder they fight the more they are trying to cover up something.
Laughing at your ignorance is just as amusing as can be
"Sorry - first time here." --Patriot Games
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The first posting I could find by you was more than a year ago on:
- patriot_games / Friday September 23, 2005 11:00:53 AM EST
With 36 subsequent MMFA pages with posts by you:
Google search for 'site:mediamatters.org "patriot_games"'
I am finding him quite amusing Rusty!
God I hope we head in the right direction. Please, not too Liberal, not too Conservative.
I think he's funny too, EL. This one really cracked me up:
"NOBODY wants the demcrats to do what the demacrats WANT to do...Democratic party ideas are still unpopular."
It's absurdist humor, considering the election results.
"God I hope we head in the right direction. Please, not too Liberal, not too Conservative."...by evillib1727
=====
The middle ground. I honestly believe that's what MOST Americans would like to see.
Congratulations to the Democratic Party for their well deserved victory. And to my Democratic cyber-buddies here at MMFA.
Enjoy! You won fair & square. So did democracy :-)
what happens when a spoiled rich frat boy who is a drunk until the age of 40 becomes President. He allows himself to be fooled by a bunch of parasites called "Neo-cons" who take advantage of his weak, shallow, and lazy mind in order to persuade him to invade a country that has not attacked us and then create a huge disaster and then they distance themselves from him and let him get all the blame like the idiot that he truly is.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
he forgot there is a big difference between the Shia comunity and the Sunni's. he did not know they existed. And not they are floating the idea of dividing up the country in three, Shia, Kurds and Sunni's. My first reaction .........who is going to control the oil revenues ? "Where have all the smart men gone " sung to the tune of " where have all the flowers gone? )
the vice-presidency.
The "Neo-cons" actually persuaded Cheney as well, since he is probably the one calling the shots in the Bush White House. Cheney, and even Rumsfeld, are not really "Neo-cons." Rumsfeld might be a little bit of a "Neo-con" in some senses. All three of them were persuaded by parasites like Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowiz and Douglas Feith. All of those people are now gone from their Pentagon positions. Even Chalabi is blaming Wolfowitz. If you read the cover article in this week's New York Times Magazine on Ahmad Chalabi, he says that Paul Wolfowitz is the "real culprit" in all of this, or something like that, and all the while still says that he is "friends" with Wolfowitz. We don't need weak-minded Presidents who are easily influenced by sweet-talking parasites and charlatans.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
>>>"I wonder what would have happened had he shot her instead? - A surefire bid to the presidency?"<<<
Didn't Mr. Last Throes/25%-approval Dick Cheney really shoot someone in the face? He's still at large. Raising money. Republicans apparently think what he did was admirable.
You state that you are tired of the partianship (thank rove for that remember 9-11, whole country was united- loved bush's first state of the union speech). Then you state that country is really republican, country doesnt believe in dem's ideas. Then you bring up Ted Kennedy's worst moment. Laura Bush killed her best friend while drunk driving. Your drunken frat boy started a war on bogus claims. Mmm what is relevant to us today? Yes you are definitely ready to reach across the aisle. I want the debt down, I want the minimum wage raised, I want the waste on the war investigated (Halliburton is still raking in millions in waste), I want the christian right out of my life and schools, I want global warming addressed/alternative energies developed, I want ESCR, I want an honest discussion about Iraq realizing that no good options are left, I want corporations to stop writing our laws (loved that bankruptcy law- 24% interest is not usury and corporations can still claim bankruptcy not the average joe), well I could go on but you get the drift. Yes I am an extreme leftist for these ideas.
You state that you are tired of the partianship (thank rove for that remember 9-11, whole country was united- loved bush's first state of the union speech). Then you state that country is really republican, country doesnt believe in dem's ideas. Then you bring up Ted Kennedy's worst moment.
Then he complains about being called a troll.
Actually, I agree and want everything you jsut stated. Maybe some of these others will actually admit to the same and will put their efforts into them as well. I don't see our politicians doing it though. I don't know what the answer is, and I'm not sure that a Democrat majority is the answer - but I'm willing to try alomst anythign at this point. I am not happy with my party, but I'm not happy with the behavior of the democratic party either. I sincerely hope that they make huge steps forward. If they don't, I hope that maybe that will be the catalyst that brings both parties closer together to work on real solutions.
These people taught you something...The correct spelling of Democrat and Democratic in your post
A guy breaks up with a Republican woman like Laura Bush, she crashes her car into him and kills him.
You beat me to it - shoulda read the rest of the comments before I stuck a reply on!
Laura's (very former) boyfriend?
I don't know if it's because I am in a good mood today. But I thought that line was kind of funny.
In America!
We need to keep our eyes on the Dems too. Some of them--Hillary included--voted to allow Busch to torture "detainees." And some of them--Hillary included--supported the crime that's going on in Iraq.
And, for the record, NO, I'M NOT A HILLARY BASHER. In fact, I laugh that, while my inlaws are reading all the screeds that make Hillary look like a dominitrix/socialist/commie and wouldn't support her presidential bid, I won't either, but for different reasons.
Sorry. My point is that it's not as "us vs. them" as we'd like to think. We still need to keep our eyes on the Dems to keep them in line too!!!!
You know that "tax and spend" stereotype of Dems really pisses me off. Reagan was opposed to big government and outspent nearly all prior administrations COMBINED developing a federal deficit beyond comparison. Bill Clinton delivered us from that deficit.
Bush now has us indebted to Third World countries, burying the Clinton surplus in mountains of red. Yet these media morons still say stuff like that? Stuff them!
the size of the Federal Government has increased to the biggest it has ever been in the history of the United States of America, spending has increased more than all other previous Presidents COMBINED, and we went from the biggest budget surplus in history to the biggest deficit in history.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
And we Dems are "tax and spend." Go figger....
Figured out that their base was not like liberals. They could lie to them all day. So for many of them its not about what they DO, its about what they SAY. So they can spend all they want, as long as the borrow it, and STILL portray Dems as the party of drunken spenders. It really does pay to have a base that hates reality. For them its all about the story.
for the Republicans. And they deserve it. It was a long time coming.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
According to CNN. Yes! Another victory for common sense!
It's about damn time!
stand outside a certain male page's dormitory and yell sexually explicit advances, after visiting the local bar all day?
whoops, wrong party....my bad!
a drunken democrat cheats on his pregnant wife with one of his brother's female employees then drives his car off a bridge into the drink, saves himself but leaves the young lady to drown after drinking at a cookout all day.
How many times is this going to be brought up today? In what universe does this represent anything relevant?
It was decades ago. Give it a rest already.
Before or after I was born in 1969?
His feelings are hurt this morning.
I guess its ok though when a jilted Republican girly kills her former boyfriend as long as she then marries a future GOP President.
40 years from now some genetically corrected TAZ-clone will probably post...some former drunk and druggie was installed as President and caused the deaths of thousands of people...Think anyone will care?? I think not, because they care now. Kennedy was wrong so what about Pres. Bush??
He is in shell-shock right now. Just like his hero George Bush. For the first time in George Bush's life, he actually has to face accountability. He is soiling his little Texas rancher jeans thinking about all of the investigations. Jimmy Baker isn't going to bail him out of this one, and he can't. Taz does not want to face reality so he is obviously distracting and also conveniently ignoring certain things which show him and his hero George Bush to be hypocritcal and everything else that they really, truly are. It will be hard, Taz, but learn to deal with it. We've been going through it for six years now, you go through it for 2 years, just 1/3 of the time that we had to go through it.
THANK YOU. njguy93@yahoo.com
Thank God. That was a 12-year nightmare!
"The Republican Revolution Will No Longer Be Televised"
I seem to recall a budget surplus during the Clinton years. Not completely a Dem time, certainly, but clearly a Dem leadership with a sense of appropriate spending. How much has the war cost? What did we give Haliburton?