Republicans need to be taught that the will of the people is not optional. It is not contingent on convenience or the concurrence of special interest lobbyists. The people’s will is the compass with which public servants guide their path. And when 90% of a political party votes against the will of 90% of the people, that party must pay a price.
Americans must reject the Republican Party that has rejected them. They must elect a Democratic majority that respects the principle of democracy. They must vote against Republicans, not because of where the party stands on any single issue, but because Republicans have demonstrated that they are not above betrayal. This isn’t about guns. This is about trust. And every citizen has the right to expect their representatives to represent them.
Republicans have proven that they cannot be depended on to do that. They have declared their opposition to the people. They have positioned themselves as far-right obstructionists, determined to hold back the tide of progress. They oppose (for the sake of opposition) legislation, cabinet appointments, judges, and even people and policies they formerly supported. Their opposition has produced a record number of filibusters via a rank abuse of senate protocol. Yet Democrats have failed to rein in their recalcitrant Republican colleagues. Due to either weakness, naivete or excess good faith, Democrats have permitted this situation to fester.
Politics almost always produces conflict, but yesterday something rare occurred. There was near unanimity across the nation and the partisan divide. The only place where division prevailed was in Washington, D.C. And the only way to mend such a broken system is through the force that gives democracy its strength: the voting booth. The Republican Party is hereby on notice: The disappointment and rage of the American people will not be diminished in the eighteen months between now and the next election. Prepare to be cast out.
Mark, cut the bullshit, it is about guns. Senators are not elected by national polls and/or elections but by individual state – I’ll agree that if any senator voted against the will of their specific constituents because of some political calculation, they should be thrown out. I predict this will not impact anything – this is a lot of false outrage because clowns like you only want your anti freedom ideology to be the law just didn’t get what you want – big baby. If the second amendment – part of our bill of rights – is a problem, amend the constitution – at least be honest with what you want. The bill lost because enough people spoke up – i know I wrote my senator more than once to register my complaint – he wasn’t going to vote against it since he is one of the guys who authored it, but I figured I would tell him what I thought anyway.
You should seek some professional help with your obsessive issues.
You can believe that, but did I say anything in there untrue? Or do you just not like the truth stated in such a way?
Oh, and I forgot to mention one more thing – The senators are ALSO required to uphold the constitution – and lets not forget our right to bear arms is in there – they did the right thing 100%.
did you forget about the democrats that voted against it too??? I feel more free today than i did yesterday prior to that vote – it’s a great feeling!
So… The rights of criminals and injuriously ill shouldn’t be infringed, but only when it comes to the second amendment?
I guess you’re gonna be arming prisoners now, too?
Here is a clue for you – don’t overreach. Some type of background check I’m sure could be ok, but those who value individual freedom DON’T TRUST YOU AND THOSE WHO REPRESENT YOUR WAY OF THINKING. It all comes back to trust in government – and that is the biggest problem. Nothing will get done until that changes. It’s hard for you state lovers to understand, I know, but it won’t go away because you cry foul or whatever. You’re entire approach to this was a loser from the outset. Had the focus stayed on the causes related to the Sandy Hook thing, it would probably have turned out differently, but as is typical – you went for more than was justified.
The NRA has spent millions of dollars over the last fifty years perpetrating the myth that the second amendment guarantees private unlimited access to any weapons, no matter how deadly, available to anyone who wants them, with no regulation by the government no matter what the cost or damage inflicted on society as a whole. It has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with promoting the business interests of the gun manufacturers’ profits at everyone else’s expense. Here is a link to an article that explains how this fraud has been perpetrated on the American people. You may have to copy and paste to the address bar to get to this article if you’re interested.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/burton-newman/the-nras-fraud-fabricatio_b_3103358.html?utm_hp_ref=canada
There is way more cost and damage to society when laws are passed that compromise our liberty and freedoms – your collectivist beliefs, which you represent every time you invoke society, are also a much greater threat than anything that was defeated yesterday. Also, I take back that I feel more free today – those jerks in the house passed that CISPA bullshit today – 1 step forward, 3 steps back.
The link came up active so all you need do is click it to get to the article in my previous comment.
I read that article you linked, you so badly want to take away anything you can if you interpret it to be “bad” for society – fortunately the constitution included the bill of rights so as to provide a weapon against the likes of you and those who do not respect individual freedoms you don’t like.
And what’s even better is your gun grabbing nonsense has resulted in soooo many more guns getting into private hands due to the panic created – the genie is out of the bottle, just think how many more people are armed now – I feel safer already.
I do believe you just threatened Randy’s life there. What say we about that?
You wrap yourself in hyperbole as if it strengthens what you have to say. And every so often, you admit that your outlook is dominated by, what is made blatantly evident going by your comments on this site, irrational paranoia of our government. I’m not for gun control, but I am for this bill that failed. The idea that anyone can buy anything they want in whatever quantity, and then turn around and sell, or even give, those weapons, TO ANYBODY is fucking batshit! You don’t see the problem in that?!? I’m gonna need an explanation as to how this bill diminishes our freedom. Especially since you saw fit to come here and, apparently, not only threaten Randy’s life but everyone who was for this bill. And that’s all the troll food I offer for today.
Really, that’s what you came up with? Since you made the accusation – I’ll respond that your accusation is 100 percent false and a very lame emotional attack because you lost the debate and need to make yourself feel better.
Dude, we don’t need a Democratic majority so we can be a democratic country. We are a democratic republic, not a democracy. In a democracy the majority almost always oppresses the minority. We dont need that. Its bad enough to have liberals telling me what I need to do, but declare me a bigot or sell-out if I judge their behavior.
Mark isn’t interested in anything other than his progressive/collective ideal. He is concerned only in collectivist theory – individualism needs to be snuffed out for the betterment of society – hence his clear frustration over this rejection of gun control and the reduction in this individual right. It’s about the goodness of the state only – so get in line or get re-educated.
Steve, you speak with such robotic rhetoric, using undefined buzzwords that reveal nothing more than your ignorance.
And from your repeated postings on this thread (and throughout my web site) it is clear that you are obsessed with your paranoid delusions about an evil government that you believe seeks to enslave you (as opposed to a nation of “We the people”). Also clear is your fear that your failed ideology is being deservedly rejected by most Americans, just as it was last November.
And with that you can go back to your Alex Jones/Glenn Beck webcasts.
You don’t believe in we the people – your every post confirms it. As you so clearly noted here and in every article, you want democrats to run the country – so it’s not really about good government, it’s about the right government – and that government is the one that tells us how to behave at all times. You complain because I call you for what you are and don’t hide behind “reasonable” sounding rhetoric. Every utterance from you leads to the same miserable conclusion – we all serve the group, our individual identities are just not as important as society.
And I know the vote to reject that “compromise” background check bill is pissing you off – you were so close, but it just couldn’t get there, I’m sad for you, but pretty damn happy it failed.
Wow. The dementia is strong in you.
I take your point well, Mark, and agree. Sure the gun issue is just the latest example, but the repubs have done this throughout the entirety of the Obama administration. And as you stated, the repubs voted against bills they used to support just because Obama agreed to it. Hell, the minority senate leader once filibustered his own goddamned bill because his bluff was called.
So no, this isn’t just about guns; it’s about a party in our two party system that is willing to see Americans suffer and the countries reputation sink in an attempt to keep the President from fixing what ails us and then blame him for it. Their actions are despicable and I think a lot more people than not think so as well. The 2014 election cycle will be the first indication of whether people are paying attention and want to do something about it.
Although i agree with much of what you said with respect to the republican party as i have very little faith in them anymore myself, you seem to ignore the fact that the democrat party acts the same way – remember, the democrat party controls the senate so you blame one party here for all your disappointment. There is only 1 party anymore, not 2 as you suggest, and it isn’t about the people. And as far as 2014 goes, people may be paying attention, but you seem to think the people will all agree with you if they are, and that isn’t a reasonable assumption. Every representative and senator represents a small part of the country – so the progressive collectivism doesn’t work so well. Don’t hold your breath, nothing ever changes until people are will to throw out every single person in congress today and replace them with new blood – that includes democrats too.
This is what Joe Scarborough, not exactly a paragon of “libruls”, said on his show Morning Joe after the bill’s failure:
“Mark it down, this is going to be a turning point in the history of the Republican Party as well. And let those out there chattering, let them chatter away all they want to and scream like hyenas. … This party that killed this background check yesterday — this party is moving toward extinction. A new Republican Party is going to replace it. And this is going to be a vote that people will look back on and say, ‘That party, that extremism, that was unsustainable.’”
Do you vote in republican primaries? He is a pandering loser who is trying to protect his MSNBC audience and his paycheck. He speaks for no one but his own special interest – which is fine, but don’t make it out to be something more than it is.
American individualism, collectivism, progressive, democracy, Democrat, Republican, the Constitution, and freedom are words I certainly hear quite frequently. They have become rather cliche.
Why not keep it real? From life’s experiences, it has become painfully apparent. People in this country really do not like true individuals. If one holds unique politics, ideology, aesthetics, what have you, one would be marginalized and ostracized. This is such a truism, for which it has been the object of parody and introspection in TV shows and periodicals. Sure, there are exceptions. However, I would like to point out that you had at least one person who holds a different point of view, and most of you could not even disagree civilly.