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Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Another view?
View more of the Las Vegas Sun's opinion section:
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The nation’s drastic political divide, which has widened over the past two years, has fractured civil discourse and, more importantly, any real progress toward addressing serious problems facing the country.
This campaign exacerbated the situation. From the top of the ballot down, serious discussion and debate about the issues was largely missing, replaced by a flood of negative ads and nasty campaign tactics. The entry of third-party groups with millions of dollars to spend added to the frenzy, and in the process, the truth took a beating and facts became malleable. Voters, including us, are tired of it all.
To use the tired campaign cliche: America deserves better than this.
There’s a chance for elected officials to deliver better now that Election Day has come and gone. There’s a big job ahead for those elected. The nation, particularly Nevada, needs help, and the way the campaigns were run can’t be the way our officials govern. The nation has seen the effect of that in the way Congress has operated, particularly in the past two years.
Republicans misread the 2010 election when they won control of the House, thinking it was a mandate for their ideas. Instead, it was a mandate for change; Americans wanted to see the economy recover more quickly. What the Republicans brought was more gridlock. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has acted as if it was in a parliamentary, winner-take-all form of government. And Republicans in the Senate have put politics over doing the business of government.
To use another campaign cliche: We can’t afford four more years of that.
For the nation to handle the so-called fiscal cliff, the debt and the problems with Social Security and Medicare, it will take a real bipartisan effort. The question is whether the newly elected leaders are up to the task.
Four years ago, we held out some hope that might happen. President Barack Obama came ready and offered an extended hand to the Republicans. However, he was harshly rebuffed and attacked. There has been a chorus in the Tea Party-fueled conservative movement that Obama’s policies have been “too extreme,” and thus they can’t compromise. Some people have been brazen enough to label Obama and his policies socialist, communist and even Marxist.
Seriously? Have we lost perspective? Protecting Social Security and Medicare are on the same level of the policies of the old Soviet Union?
That’s ridiculous, and that type of rhetoric needs to stop if America is to move ahead. The nation needs to have a rational discussion about the issues, and it needs to focus on the middle class, the backbone of America.
Voters understand that. Despite all the outrage from the far right about the auto bailout, which became a campaign issue, CNN exit polling showed that nearly 6 out of 10 voters in battleground state Ohio were in favor of it. It’s understandable why: Ohioans didn’t see it as socialism or some sort of extreme policy; it was good for the middle class and those dependent on the auto industry in Ohio.
It won’t be easy to push off the nastiness of the election, but elected officials need to consider what’s good for all of their constituents and not hew to a narrow ideology. We hope the newly elected are up to the task. The state and country need it.
The Sun admits that "This campaign exacerbated the situation. From the top of the ballot down, serious discussion and debate about the issues was largely missing, replaced by a flood of negative ads and nasty campaign tactics."
Obama's election will established that SUCCESS IS BAD. As shown by the eight months of character assassination of successful businessman Romney and taxing job creators.
Obama exhorted for people to vote for REVENGE on Romney's SUCCESS. "You didn't build that." Instead espousing trickle-down government.
Obama won ugly
No Mandate Obama win
Obama won ugly and his acceptance speech showed his arrogance
So the 2012 campaign keeps the status the same Conservatives keep the House, a weaken Obama stays in, and keeps the do nothing Reid Senate.
In a clear repudiation Obama was snubbed by Americans. Obama, who won with a landslide 53% in 2008, LOST independents, LOST seniors, LOST working Americans, LOST married women, and LOST veterans lost ground with Americans.
Obama ran a campaign that was joyless, passionless and without meritoriousness - much like the last four years. But Obama got an outsized boost for his Sandy photo-op, won huge vote counts based on free abortions, and giveaways of Government largess.
Obama got his REVENGE on Americans.
With Obama's win FAILURE IS THE NEW NORMAL.
Congratulations to liberal extremist Obama for his mediocre lame duck win -- or did they really vote for moderate Bill Clinton.
Pie in the sky. It will never come to pass. The "divide" began long ago - around 100 years ago, to be exact - when Woodrow Wilson began to "transform" the United States and has accelerated under Osama Obama. Now, with Osama Obama given 4 more years to finish wrecking our country, I'm afraid the party's over and the "greatest" country on Earth will become the Third World State so many seem to be longing for. I hope they will be happy when the yoke of government is pulled even tighter around their scrawny necks!
All the points mentioned on spot on. What we can expect is House Speaker John Bohener to move his party to take action on the up coming fiscal cliff issue, and the debt ceiling.
The voter's of this great country have spoken with the re-election of Pres. Obama.We do not need any more gridlock that has been going on in the past few years in our country,between republicans and democrats
I would hope Senator's such as Sen.Mitch McConnell Republican minority leader will dump his attitude for not wanting to work,with democrats in solving our nations problems.Early indications are he wasn't ready to roll over.
It's not about the party's future,but more about America's future and what's best our people and country.
Now I can't wait for Obama to start fulfilling his promise to start taxing the "one percent". This would include his celebrity supporters like Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, George Clooney etc and of course the wealthy one percent owners of the LVSun. Make sure loopholes are closed too, we all know how rich liberals like to talk the talk when it comes to spending other peoples money. They don't like to walk the walk though, when it comes to their own.
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/who-kne...
Excellent. The GOP platform "allowed" RNC to attack topics that are NOT ISSUES. There was no call to attack women's health or rights. There was no call to invade Syria or anywhere else. But the GOP included an out-dated platform that unethical campaigners attacked. GOP overall approves of a safety net for people facing hard times but not for people who make dependency a way of life.
A disturbing point that was touched on again and again last night (at least on CNN) was how much the Obama campaign was counting on a strong African-American turnout to carry Obama in urban areas. I heard no reports of a similar strategy based on overt racism about the Romney campaign (but one can presume a covert attitude was present given the now-infamous 47% remarks.)
I say disturbing because it indicates a deliberate effort to make the election about race and also implies that voters will place that issue above all others.
I should also point out that both camps, in fact both parties in many of the individual races, were clearly trying to put entire groups of people into pigeon-holes as single-issue voters. Consider how immigration was made to be the primary issue for (only?) Hispanics, or how support for Israel was being held out to American Jews.
This election has taken the strategy of breaking apart our American identity into its ethnic origins even further than previous elections (and they have all done it.) I find that strategy distasteful to say the least.
boftx,
'Special interest' groups were introduced by Ronald Reagan, as a means of division. He used the term over and over as a reason for not paying attention to whoever was labled as a 'Special Interst."
It stuck in the lexicon, and has been used ever since by both parties.
In reality, people are going to vote their interests, regardless of how parties divide them.
The parties themselves have been labeled with their special interests for all the time I can remember.
I grew up with the idea that Republicans were for big business and Democrats for the rest. It still holds to this day.
As far as ethnic origins go, there are many mixed marriages, so the ethnic pool is getting more diluted.
The issue was not so much ethnicity as it was who people believed would to them the least damage or the most benefit.
The reality is that the working class is all full of ethnicity, and big business is ethnic as well. There is a clear division.
That is reality, and to pick that as a strategy is lacking and understanding of the real issues and motivations of voters.
There is nothing abnormal about people thinking in terms of what is best for them. Who doesn't?
Phooey, on politicians and pundits who think ethnicity or racism is a tool to use for their own interests.
That is life!
The overriding issue for a large majority of people this election was the economy (including jobs and the national debt.)
Yet many, if not most, of the ads we saw were targeted at wedge issues that often dealt with gender or ethnic groups.
This might be political life today, but why should we continue to accept that?!?
I didn't accept it. I didn't watch network TV where ads appeared. I avoided most of the ads. I could probably count on one hand the ads I saw, either switched channels or laughed at the stupidity of the ads I saw.
I hung up on surveys and polls.
I won't play the game.
Attempt to recognize a serious problem that wasn't created without benefit of government actions inspired by significant political campaign contributors, and then try to imagine the amount of excessive risk that would have been undertaken if risk takers weren't able to recognize indebted Legislators to call on in time of need!
How is it not Harry Rieds's fault no compromise was done? Why not dwell on Obama and his followers holding up progress? The stock market tanked today, wiping out millions from elderly retires and middle class accounts, same as it did last time Obama was elected..there is a reason for that, Wall street feels nothing will get done for the next 4 years, it portrays our president as a "present" type person, one who can not get anything done. I do hope Obama sees change needed by the citizens and works with the Congress to get deals done. I am betting the stock market will fall another 5% maybe more..
Jerry Fink is about 140 years too late in his timeline. The divide started about 10 minutes after the signing when Hamilton pulled the rug out from under Jefferson and established the central bank. federal power has expanded ever since, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. The divide is not along the lines of liberty v. totalitarianism,it is along the lines of who uses Federal power to gain for their supporters AND diminish the power of their opponents. That tide is likely still flowing in although it is possible that it could ebb in 2015 after the mid-terms. Call me a cynic but I really don't see any kumbaya moments in the next couple of years unless the Republican Party goes through a night of the long knives.
"President Barack Obama came ready and offered an extended hand to the Republicans"
Funny, i thought he locked them out of the room as he slammed through Obummacare> Delusional.
Voted GOP down the line and have since 1980 (except for that one time I got crazy and went with Perot) -- but now is not the time for the GOP or Dems to pursue their pet partisan agenda. Neither has a mandate, just a victory that preserves the status quo. They were elected to address the major issues that confront us -- not refight the last election, not funnel taxpayer dollars to their cronies or pet projects, not make partisan attack speeches. DO SOMETHING! Unemployment, sagging economy, debt, deficit, Sandy cleanup, conflict in the mideast -- start working on those NOW, before you go on yet another vacation.
"Four years ago, we held out some hope that might happen. President Barack Obama came ready and offered an extended hand to the Republicans. However, he was harshly rebuffed and attacked."
I remember differently; 'elections have consequences' and 'I won' along with ObamaCare which was shoved through without a single republican vote in reconciliation with a very suspect Al Franken election.
You are delusional if you believe that a status quo election with a vote total that barely exceeded John McCain's losing number is a victory let alone a mandate. We are a house divided which has no equivalence in our history except 1860. But the issue now is not whether we free men from slavery but if we will allow ourselves to become slaves to the collective. And yes...I do know what socialism is; every pernicious strain of the fungus.
All it will take to bring the house of cards down is the inability to financially support the welfare state and it is coming. Either that or Texas telling Washington to back off with every red state and the productive rural areas of California, Washington and Oregon following suit. All followed by a mass exodus of the most productive and wealthy Americans; the evil white man.
This is just beginning...and the collective will fail as it has in every other socialist experiment over the last 100 years. I pray the human toll of over 120,000,000 is not added to. But that will be up to the Gramsci "progressives" who will not relinquish power without violence. So be it.
"By samspeaks (sam pizzo) Nov. 7, 2012 :48 a.m
"The voter's of this great country have spoken with the re-election of Pres. Obama. We do not need any more gridlock that has been going on in the past few years in our country,between republicans and democrats."
- - - - -
Seems the country differs with your assessment. Returned is the same makeup of Congress and the Executive as before the election.
And that includes the same obstructive House Democrats and same, if not worse, obstructive Democrats in the Senate.
And the same arrogant, won't-compromise, back-stabbing, megalomaniacal, anti-America, anti-Constitution liar in the White House who already shows scary defiance and yet more misinterpretation of the election results.
We'll be blessed if there is more gridlock, save for solution to this fiscal crisis.
But, then, Obama wants more taxes, hates business and desires to steal from those of us who produce and disperse to those who now desire to live off the government's milk.
And among those who do not currently produce, I include only those who've learned or are learning to scam the system -- and that includes illegal immigrants.
I'm in the middle class and don't want the GOP to do me any favors by becoming the Dems. The party already caves on issues and drinking the arsenic laced solutions offered by the incumbent isn't being bi-partisan or moderate, it's being stupid. When the Dems hand you the knife and tell you to cut off your arm as a compromise, tell them where to put the knife themselves.
The letter was well written, and spot on. The Republicans have disrespected this President from day one. He has been callied "LIAR" from floor, called a Kenyan, Marxist, Socialist, Muslim, Arab, and Gingrich called him "Entertainer in Chief". They demanded to see his birth certificate ad nauseum.
When Obama proposed policy that was originally proposed by Republicans, they voted against it. During the midst or economic crisis, the Republicans said job #1 was making Obama on one term President.
Now, after 3.5 years of egregious, daily, mudslinging, the Republicans call him out for being muddy. They stopped everything he tried to do, then said he didn't accomplish much. Wow, that's classy. We all saw this.
Here's the bottom line, the people voted AGAIN for Obama, and punished the Republicans for their actions.
If these posts are representative, Repubs have learned NOTHING, and now want to double down on the same obstinance that cost them the election. Not too smart.
The Republican mindset in these comments amazes me....but I'm actually happy about it. Allow me to explain:
They vote to force women, who neither want nor can afford another child, to have it or face the full force of the US Government. Then, once she has the child and can't afford it, they call her part of the 47%...a 'taker' not a maker.
They vote to break unions, fire teachers, fire policemen, cut social security, cut medicade, cut medicare. They've voted down every job bill Obama proposes. Then, when the people on government assistance increases, again it's part of the 47% 'problem'.
Debt ceiling: They demand that tax rates on wealthy not increase or it will hurt the economy. They allow the country to nearly default. The US gets downgraded and the economy is hurt. Meanwhile, a congressional study is published that says there's no correlation between upper tax rates and the economy. (Duh)
The US citizens have had enough of this constant steam of stupidity and voted for a BLACK MAN WITH A TERRIBLE ECONOMY rather than opt for further idiotic behavior from the Republicans. Simple fact, read it again.
What do the Republicans say to this clear message? "Vote doesn't mean anything" You can cut the Republican insanity with a knife.
I'm happy about this because the routing the Repubs will get if they don't wake up will be generational.
Gotta love lefties, using every slimy mud-slinging tactic in the book to get elected and then after winning immediate jump to the high horse about "bipartisan" or, that is, do everything we say or else. Guess what, we're about to see what "else" looks like. I for one am praying that Mr. Boehner is not fooled twice and holds his ground as we sail over the (imaginary) fiscal cliff, leaving Obama twisting in the wind and looking for more and more conservatives to blame. Sorry, Barry, but Dems voted on sequestration too, so who will you blame now, Pelosi? Reid? I can't wait to see how he tries to blame "Bush era policies" 5 years (and counting) into his own term lol.
I urge all conservatives to write your representatives and ask them to NOT BARGAIN WITH THIS President. We don't need government to "save" us, please do us all a favor and DO NOTHING. Let the cuts come, we're already over the fiscal cliff, just a matter of how big the splat will be. No need to bargain with Barry now so he can run to his Zombie supporters saying how he worked with Republicans see how wonderful I am, Much better for him to run to his Zombie supporters pointing the finger "not my fault" as his constituency watches their government largesse slashed