Aa
It's a 50-50 nation, give or take
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/new_with_new_subject?forum_id=621
Nov 7, 11:05 AM (ET)
By CALVIN WOODWARD
WASHINGTON (AP) - The election laid bare a dual - and dueling - nation, politically speaking, jaggedly split down the middle on the presidency and torn over much else. It seems you can please only half of the people nearly all of the time.
Americans retained the fractious balance of power in re-electing President Barack Obama, a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, altogether serving as guarantors of the gridlock that voters say they despise. Slender percentages separated winner and loser from battleground to battleground, and people in exit polls said yea and nay in roughly equal measure to some of the big issues of the day.
Democracy doesn't care if you win big, only that you win. Tuesday was a day of decision as firmly as if Obama had run away with the race. Democrats are ebullient and, after a campaign notable for its raw smackdowns, words of conciliation and healing are coming from leaders on both sides, starting with the plea from defeated Republican rival Mitt Romney that his crestfallen supporters pray for the president.
But after the most ideologically polarized election in years, Obama's assertion Wednesday morning that America is "more than a collection of red states and blue states" was more of an aspiration than a snapshot of where the country stands.
Compromise was a popular notion in the hours after Obama's victory and an unavoidable one, given the reality of divided government. But the familiar contours of partisan Washington were also in evidence, especially the notion that compromise means you do things my way.
As Democratic Rep. Steve Israel of New York put it, "If you refuse to compromise, we are going to beat you." Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the election showed "if you are an extremist tea party Republican, you are going to lose."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was grudging in interpreting the election as any kind of mandate for Obama, saying voters "have simply given him more time to finish the job they asked him to do together" with Congress, and did not endorse his "failure or excesses."
In New York's bustling Times Square, hope, skepticism and familiar polarities were all to be found when people talked about the president. "He may not have done a great job in my mind but I kinda trust him," said Jerry Shul. "I have faith he will get with the Republicans and get something done."
A less-flattering George Dallemand called this "a moment of truth" for the country. "I guess we have to wish for the best now, but I still think he is socialism."
In Miami, Karen Fitzgerald, 55, wore a black dress and said she was in mourning over Romney's defeat.
"It's an upsetting day," she said. But she took some comfort from her Democratic friends on Facebook, who have stopped chiding the other side in their posts. "Now they're all saying we need to work together and be united," she said. "Maybe we can."
In Chicago, Obama supporter Scherita Parrish, 56, predicted the president will reach out to Republicans but may not get much back.
"But the people have spoken," she said. "They need to lick their wounds, get on with it and start working with the president."
Indeed, unity is a challenge not just for Obama but for the Republicans, who won less than 30 percent of the growing Hispanic vote and not even one in 10 black voters. Obama built a strong Electoral College majority, if only a narrow advantage in the popular vote, despite losing every age group of non-Hispanic white voters.
Surveys of voters found Obama's health care law to be as divisive as ever, with just under 50 percent wanting it repealed in whole or part, and 44 percent liking it as is or wanting more of it.
But democracy doesn't care about exit polls, either, and the election almost certainly means Republicans can forget about trying to roll it back now.
In reaffirming divided government, though, Americans all but ensured colossal fights are ahead over the shape of government and Obama's agenda. He is out to break a wall of Republican opposition to tax increases on the wealthy - a move that about half the voters in exit polls thought was a good idea. And extraordinarily difficult negotiations are imminent as the president and Congress try to make a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" - steep spending cuts and a variety of tax increases in January.
In the end, voters split about equally on whether Obama or Romney would be better at handling the economy.
Then again, they were divided down the middle on whether Obama or his predecessor, George W. Bush, deserves most of the blame for the economy's problems.
So it goes in the 50-50 nation, give or take.
---
Associated Press writers Christine Armario in Miami, Michael Tarm in Chicago and David Martin in New York contributed to this report.
Nov 7, 11:05 AM (ET)
By CALVIN WOODWARD
WASHINGTON (AP) - The election laid bare a dual - and dueling - nation, politically speaking, jaggedly split down the middle on the presidency and torn over much else. It seems you can please only half of the people nearly all of the time.
Americans retained the fractious balance of power in re-electing President Barack Obama, a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, altogether serving as guarantors of the gridlock that voters say they despise. Slender percentages separated winner and loser from battleground to battleground, and people in exit polls said yea and nay in roughly equal measure to some of the big issues of the day.
Democracy doesn't care if you win big, only that you win. Tuesday was a day of decision as firmly as if Obama had run away with the race. Democrats are ebullient and, after a campaign notable for its raw smackdowns, words of conciliation and healing are coming from leaders on both sides, starting with the plea from defeated Republican rival Mitt Romney that his crestfallen supporters pray for the president.
But after the most ideologically polarized election in years, Obama's assertion Wednesday morning that America is "more than a collection of red states and blue states" was more of an aspiration than a snapshot of where the country stands.
Compromise was a popular notion in the hours after Obama's victory and an unavoidable one, given the reality of divided government. But the familiar contours of partisan Washington were also in evidence, especially the notion that compromise means you do things my way.
As Democratic Rep. Steve Israel of New York put it, "If you refuse to compromise, we are going to beat you." Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the election showed "if you are an extremist tea party Republican, you are going to lose."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was grudging in interpreting the election as any kind of mandate for Obama, saying voters "have simply given him more time to finish the job they asked him to do together" with Congress, and did not endorse his "failure or excesses."
In New York's bustling Times Square, hope, skepticism and familiar polarities were all to be found when people talked about the president. "He may not have done a great job in my mind but I kinda trust him," said Jerry Shul. "I have faith he will get with the Republicans and get something done."
A less-flattering George Dallemand called this "a moment of truth" for the country. "I guess we have to wish for the best now, but I still think he is socialism."
In Miami, Karen Fitzgerald, 55, wore a black dress and said she was in mourning over Romney's defeat.
"It's an upsetting day," she said. But she took some comfort from her Democratic friends on Facebook, who have stopped chiding the other side in their posts. "Now they're all saying we need to work together and be united," she said. "Maybe we can."
In Chicago, Obama supporter Scherita Parrish, 56, predicted the president will reach out to Republicans but may not get much back.
"But the people have spoken," she said. "They need to lick their wounds, get on with it and start working with the president."
Indeed, unity is a challenge not just for Obama but for the Republicans, who won less than 30 percent of the growing Hispanic vote and not even one in 10 black voters. Obama built a strong Electoral College majority, if only a narrow advantage in the popular vote, despite losing every age group of non-Hispanic white voters.
Surveys of voters found Obama's health care law to be as divisive as ever, with just under 50 percent wanting it repealed in whole or part, and 44 percent liking it as is or wanting more of it.
But democracy doesn't care about exit polls, either, and the election almost certainly means Republicans can forget about trying to roll it back now.
In reaffirming divided government, though, Americans all but ensured colossal fights are ahead over the shape of government and Obama's agenda. He is out to break a wall of Republican opposition to tax increases on the wealthy - a move that about half the voters in exit polls thought was a good idea. And extraordinarily difficult negotiations are imminent as the president and Congress try to make a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" - steep spending cuts and a variety of tax increases in January.
In the end, voters split about equally on whether Obama or Romney would be better at handling the economy.
Then again, they were divided down the middle on whether Obama or his predecessor, George W. Bush, deserves most of the blame for the economy's problems.
So it goes in the 50-50 nation, give or take.
---
Associated Press writers Christine Armario in Miami, Michael Tarm in Chicago and David Martin in New York contributed to this report.
China CAN'T just call in their chips (make us pay the debt we owe them) according to the video RIVLL posted.
It's explained in the video, although I didn't really understand that part.
Something to do with them owing US money as well, and the fact that we export a lot of stuff to China, if they called us and asked us to "pay up", we could leverage off the exports to them to pay down the debt.
I have to admit, international-economics wasn't my strong-suit in college. International FINANCE I did well in, but econ is a different ball-game.
It's explained in the video, although I didn't really understand that part.
Something to do with them owing US money as well, and the fact that we export a lot of stuff to China, if they called us and asked us to "pay up", we could leverage off the exports to them to pay down the debt.
I have to admit, international-economics wasn't my strong-suit in college. International FINANCE I did well in, but econ is a different ball-game.
Chaos does always accompany the collapse of an empire. What is so interesting though is that almost every collapse has been brought on by politics, and was avoidable. Roman Empire, etc. etc. The theme is consistent throughout - when you start to read up on it, it's very eye opening. The drive for power is so strong and when a country reaches super power status, the corruption that accompanies is almost a given. It's truly interesting, although parts of the book are a bit dry. Makes sense though.
Historically, empires rise and fall. Chaos accompanies the fall of empires and I wonder if that is what we are witnessing. .
I've thought of that too. My hubby believes in this bigtime. He said, according to history, every nation has risen and fallen. He thinks our hey days are over. Not that he's all doom and gloom, and he doesn't think we're going to see it in our lifetime, but he thinks there will be a day where we could technically be like a 3rd world country. Scary to think about, but not impossible.
I think we're sometimes a bit too cocky for our own good, and let's face it, there are a lot of people in the world who don't think very highly of us. We have a lousy reputation in many parts of the world, yet we're pretty stuck on ourselves, thinking that everyone envys us.
Interesting to think about. We need to get our sh*t together to make sure that doesn't happen, for a long time anyway. Can't be successful when we're drowning in debt, and all of our leaders have played a role in that...no one man gets the credit for that.
What happens when China sends the repo men? ;0) Yikes.
I've thought of that too. My hubby believes in this bigtime. He said, according to history, every nation has risen and fallen. He thinks our hey days are over. Not that he's all doom and gloom, and he doesn't think we're going to see it in our lifetime, but he thinks there will be a day where we could technically be like a 3rd world country. Scary to think about, but not impossible.
I think we're sometimes a bit too cocky for our own good, and let's face it, there are a lot of people in the world who don't think very highly of us. We have a lousy reputation in many parts of the world, yet we're pretty stuck on ourselves, thinking that everyone envys us.
Interesting to think about. We need to get our sh*t together to make sure that doesn't happen, for a long time anyway. Can't be successful when we're drowning in debt, and all of our leaders have played a role in that...no one man gets the credit for that.
What happens when China sends the repo men? ;0) Yikes.
Thanks. I'll see if I can find it.
That brings to mind another topic that I generally avoid but I do often think of with the mess we currently face, the collapse of the empire.
Historically, empires rise and fall. Chaos accompanies the fall of empires and I wonder if that is what we are witnessing.
That brings to mind another topic that I generally avoid but I do often think of with the mess we currently face, the collapse of the empire.
Historically, empires rise and fall. Chaos accompanies the fall of empires and I wonder if that is what we are witnessing.
I know I'm risking sounding like a broken record, but you really all should read that book Collapse. One common denominator in every super power that collapsed......political corruption brought on by the desire for power. It's such an eye opener.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it"
William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham
"It is not only the slave or serf who is ameliorated in becoming free... the master himself did not gain less in every point of view,... for absolute power corrupts the best natures."
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine
John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it"
William Pitt the Elder, Earl of Chatham
"It is not only the slave or serf who is ameliorated in becoming free... the master himself did not gain less in every point of view,... for absolute power corrupts the best natures."
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine
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