"Don't Blame Me, I Voted for McCain"

[danielh41]

I figured items like these would hit the market when things went bad: http://americanelephant.com/cgi-bin/sto ... sa/6158279

But they are already here. I think it is way too early to stick these on the market. I'm at least going to give Obama a chance now that he has been elected.

I'm trying to find a silver lining in this election. Perhaps this will pull the Republican Party back to the right and to the principles on which the party was founded. McCain as a candidate didn't appeal to a lot of us. I know when I was faced with the prospect of McCain vs. Obama, it was like a choice between seeing things in the country get bad versus seeing things in the country get horrendous.

I won't be buying any "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for McCain" items because I'm just not that proud of my vote for him. And how much better would he have been over Obama or any other liberal? A little, but not much...

[VAdame]

Like Barry Goldwater, perhaps?

Google "Joanne Goldwater" & "Abortion" just in case you're not familiar w/ the story.

[franktangredi]

Perhaps this will pull the Republican Party back to the right and to the principles on which the party was founded.

Stopping the extension of slavery into the western territories????????

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

[TheCalvinator24]

Perhaps this will pull the Republican Party back to the right and to the principles on which the party was founded.

Stopping the extension of slavery into the western territories????????

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

I'd say we're still for that.

For many Republicans, if they really knew what Lincoln did, they probably wouldn't be so quick to embrace "The Party of Lincoln."

[sunflower]

I thought we were supposed to blame Rexer, anyway??

??

[silverscreenselect]

I'm trying to find a silver lining in this election. Perhaps this will pull the Republican Party back to the right and to the principles on which the party was founded. McCain as a candidate didn't appeal to a lot of us. I know when I was faced with the prospect of McCain vs. Obama, it was like a choice between seeing things in the country get bad versus seeing things in the country get horrendous.

Republicans and conservatives in general always claim that their principles are valid, but whenever anyone actually tries to enact them, they just never do it quite right. It's sort of like the medieval alchemists who tried to convince their patrons that they actually had the formula to turn lead into gold but they just hadn't worked out the details exactly right.

There has never been a time in our recent history in which the following three things have gone together: cutting taxes, keeping spending in check, improving the economy.

Reagan has been hailed as the patron saint of the conservative movement but he never quite managed to keep spending in check. Of course, conservatives blame it on Congress, but the fact is that Reagan had veto power and the Republicans controlled the Senate for the first six years of his administration. In the house, a lot of seats were held by veteran Democratic Congressmen who usually gave the Republicans a working majority. Reagan wasn't interested in cutting spending; he was interested in campaigning about cutting spending.

Before that, JFK cut taxes, but almost immediately after that, LBJ opened the coffers with spending on the Great Society and the Vietnam War. Eisenhower, on the other hand, had a highly progressive tax structure, but the fifties featured massive first time home ownership, steady jobs and overall prosperity.

Clinton made no bones about his intent to raise taxes, and his first budget passed without a single Republican voting yes, but it got the 90's boom kick started and eliminated the deficit. Bush couldn't wait to cut taxes and we got massive deficits and the mess we're in now. The conservatives claim that somehow Bush and the others just lost their way, but the fact is that if he'd tried to cut spending to the level that his tax rates would have dictated, the mess would have been even worse.

Conservatives blame either Democrats or Republicans who have "lost their way" for the failures of Reaganomics in practice. It's not the people trying to implement the plan; it's the plan itself that is badly flawed.

[danielh41]

Conservatives blame either Democrats or Republicans who have "lost their way" for the failures of Reaganomics in practice. It's not the people trying to implement the plan; it's the plan itself that is badly flawed.

The country was in an economic mess in 1980. Reagan came in with a plan that launched 25 years of unprecedented economic growth. I wouldn't call that "badly flawed." He did what was needed at that time.

There haven't ever been true spending cuts in government. What they will do is reduce the amount a budget item is scheduled to increase on the next year's budget and call that a "spending cut." What we need now is someone who isn't afraid to make real cuts in the government. Yes, a lot of people will whine and cry about different things that they've become accustomed to or think that they're entitled to, but it would be better for the future of the country in the long run. Neither Democrats or Republicans have been able or willing to institute the reduction in government that is needed. I'm not holding my breath that Obama will, but maybe one day...

[silverscreenselect]

Conservatives blame either Democrats or Republicans who have "lost their way" for the failures of Reaganomics in practice. It's not the people trying to implement the plan; it's the plan itself that is badly flawed.

The country was in an economic mess in 1980. Reagan came in with a plan that launched 25 years of unprecedented economic growth. I wouldn't call that "badly flawed." He did what was needed at that time.

It's not Reaganomics... it's borrow and spend like crazy. And it's one thing to do this as a short term economic boost; it's another to try to make it a way of economic life as Reagan did.

I have the ability to launch my own "unprecedented economic growth" as well. All I have to do is to start charging and charging until I max out my credit cards. I can buy all kinds of goodies and really improve my lifestyle. Unfortunately, it won't take me anywhere near 25 years to have my house of cards collapse.

Money spent by the government in the US helps boost the US economy, whether it's defense contractors or entitlement recipients. However, whatever the government spends on interest payments that goes overseas does not boost the US economy, and the more we borrow, the more interest we have to pay. Reagan blithely ignored all that.

Clinton was able to reverse the trend with little help from the Republicans and keep the economy going. Bush tossed it all in the toilet with the economy as well. Unfortunately, Obama will probably do the same as Bush. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a tax increase on anyone, but we will get more tax cuts... it just won't be the same people getting them as under Bush. And we'll keep going in debt. Look for the spin to really start when the Bush tax cuts are due to expire. My guess is that we'll see virtually all of them return in one form or another but whatever miniscule tax increase remains will be heralded by Obama as "proof" of his progressivism.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

How bout "Don't Blame Me I voted for [insert candidate of choice] in the Primary"

[Rexer25]

How bout "Don't Blame Me I voted for [insert candidate of choice] in the Primary"

I'll have to get Mrs. Rexer a "Don't Blame Me, I'm a British Citizen" sticker

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

How bout "Don't Blame Me I voted for [insert candidate of choice] in the Primary"

I'll have to get Mrs. Rexer a "Don't Blame Me, I'm a British Citizen" sticker

I'm thinking "Don't Blame Me, Blame My Husband"

[Rexer25]

How bout "Don't Blame Me I voted for [insert candidate of choice] in the Primary"

I'll have to get Mrs. Rexer a "Don't Blame Me, I'm a British Citizen" sticker

I'm thinking "Don't Blame Me, Blame My Husband"

Rec

[Jeemie]

Clinton was able to reverse the trend with little help from the Republicans and keep the economy going.

a) The deficit was never eliminated under Clinton. This is accounting fiction.

b) If Clinton had been allowed to enact even half the stuff he wanted to enact, the deficit would be even worse today.

c) Many of Clinton's policies/non-policies helped contribute to the mess we are in today. The Dems and GOP BOTH had a hand in the economic mess we're in today.

d) Clinton's policies did little to "kick-start" the economic growth of the 90s. Cheap oil and technological innovation, along with increased markets for all our junk (real and paper), did more to do that than anything Clinton ever did.

Do not make the mistake you claim conservatives make of Reagan and hold Clinton up as a patron saint either.

[sunflower]

Rexer, if we blame you for the whole election, is that still $10?

Or do we have to multiply it by the number of voters or something? Just trying to figure out if it is in fact feasible to blame you for the whole damn thing!

[Rexer25]

Rexer, if we blame you for the whole election, is that still $10?

Or do we have to multiply it by the number of voters or something? Just trying to figure out if it is in fact feasible to blame you for the whole damn thing!

Well, it should be everyone who blamed either me, or politics in general, or McCain, or Obama, or Bush, but I'll give a special discount rate this once. I don't want my income to go above $250,000.

[minimetoo26]

I think we just all give 10 bucks to Rexer, he sends it to the government (minus a small processing fee) and see just how tiny a dent we can make in the deficit.

I had One Of Those kinds of friends who had a batch of "Impeach Clinton" bumper stickers printed up about this time in 1992. The kind of people who don't give a guy 8 years of leeway to screw things up like we had to do with this current guy we have....

[danielh41]

I think we just all give 10 bucks to Rexer, he sends it to the government (minus a small processing fee) and see just how tiny a dent we can make in the deficit.

I had One Of Those kinds of friends who had a batch of "Impeach Clinton" bumper stickers printed up about this time in 1992. The kind of people who don't give a guy 8 years of leeway to screw things up like we had to do with this current guy we have....

While I'm certainly not happy with the results of the election, and I'm truly afraid of the direction our country will take under President Obama, I do not agree with the "Impeach Obama" groups that are popping up on places like Facebook. Let's give him a chance. We can't impeach someone because we disagree with their policies, but only for "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Of course, I consider his stance on abortion and the Born Alive Infant Protection Act to be a "high crime," but the people of the country knew about that and elected him anyway...