Enjoy the holidays

Red/Blue

This is fascinating...

But without context, it doesn't represent what we see today. Keep in mind, all that blue in the South was largely Jim Crow Dixiecrats, and the fact that Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan and #41 Bush would never be the Republican nominee given today's environment.

• (Ike: "Military Industrial Complex" warning speech; maintained FDR and Truman's liberal agenda.)
• (Nixon: Opened relations with Communist China; created the EPA; signed Title 9 legislation.)
• (Reagan: Raised taxes to historic levels; negotiated with Soviet Union/Russia.)
• (Bush 41: "Read My Lips".)

None of these would meet the current Republican bar, and in fact would automatically disqualify them. Today's Republican party bears little resemblance to the party of even Reagan, much less Lincoln. (There's virtually no resemblance in the latter comparison.)

To be fair, the Democratic party is a far cry from what it looked like in the 40s or 50s. But I think a Kennedy or a Clinton could conceivably be nominated today.

Regardless, one should digest this info with the following reality regarding the country's debt:

Under the radar

Over the weekend, the Senate has gotten all the press: Harry Reid's keeping the Senate in session over the inter-holiday week, Sen. Kyl loudly complaining that this move was anti-Christian (and then proposing that the bills be read out loud, to run out time and force them to stay in session longer,) the votes on DADT repeal, the DREAM Act, and soon to come, START.

But since the focus has been on the Senate, one may have missed this disgusting bit from the House: via TPM.

And Boehner, Cantor, et alia are celebrating this. I guess they felt they had to one-up the Senate (who campaign on 9/11 heroes, but filibustered the bill which would help the ailing 9/11 heroes.)

So...

What would the reaction have been if Democrats used the filibuster-based procedural rules to block a Military funding bill when the Republicans were in power?

Same can be said for filibustering the START Treaty -- these usually pass by over 90%.

In either case, the vitriol would have been political fodder. But it rolls right off of the Republicans. The Dems need to learn that trick.

And I'm not even talking about legislation that the Republicans write and sponsor, but when it comes time to vote, they don't want to give the White House or the Democrats a win -- and so vehemently oppose their own bills (DREAM Act, almost all of the Health Care Act, among others.)

Might it be explained by the fact that the use of the filibuster has more than doubled since the Republicans fell out of absolute power?

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