2008 Elections

**concretist** · 10 November 2008, 12:14 AM

Add stem cell related companies as well, Mr. Obama just announced he was going to act by executive order immediately upon taking office, that would be an opportunity to reverse the Bush administrations Stem Cell ban. Watch the domestic drillers for a downside move for the same reason.

**concretist** · 12 November 2008, 08:00 PM

**tamtagon** · 13 November 2008, 02:03 AM

I notice there's a state by state obesity map posted to a thread about politics.

**capcity** · 13 November 2008, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by concretist

[IMG]image of no relevance[/IMG]

Diggbat.

**concretist** · 04 December 2008, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Spjz

I voted for Barack and I for one am thanking god almighty that the Dems didn't get a filibuster proof majority. We just gave the keyes to one party and the solution has become to take them away when we disapprove and hand them to another? Concretist, you put too much faith in fallible human beings. Try and remember how you felt when George Bush gave his 2004 acceptance speech using expressions like "conservative mandate" and "political capital." The humble and gracious promises that Obama made last night will be meaningless if the Democrats marginalize the 47 percent of the country who did not vote like you or I.

Let them have their filibuster.

41 or 42 really is an ineffective number of Senators for the GOP to mount a fillibuster, so they are deluding themselves if they think this will be much help. Let's take a couple of examples:

Freedom of Choice Act - will Snowe and Collins and Specter vote to fillibuster it? No.

Immigration Reform- Will McCain, Graham, Snow, Collins and Specter vote to fillibuster it? No.

Global Warming/Environmental legislation - Will McCain, Graham, Snow, Collins and Specter vote to fillibuster it? No.

Healthcare Reform- will Snowe and Collins and Specter vote to fillibuster it? No.

With the Dems breathing down their necks back home, just think of the kind of pressure there will be on Snowe and Collins to jump ship, especially given they are now in what looks like permanently blue states. Hell, they're liberals anyway. Same with Specter, the guy might as well be a Democrat.

Bottom line and IMO, the Dems have effectively a filibuster proof Senate now for all but the most partisan bills - even with the Chambliss win and a possible Coleman win. And if they don't, why, they can just reintroduce the Republican-authored "Constitutional Option" and just do away with the filibuster, a move just about all of the Republicans are on record of supporting. I say, let's compromise, split the difference -we'll make it 55 votes.

**Spjz** · 04 December 2008, 11:40 AM

^You're also assuming that the Dems can keep all 58 or so of their team members in line on a consistent basis.

**concretist** · 04 December 2008, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by Spjz

^You're also assuming that the Dems can keep all 58 or so of their team members in line on a consistent basis.

On the most important legislation I outlined above, that isn't going to be a problem. FOCA - there are no pro-life Democrats in the Senate. Healthcare - all the Dems won election on a promise of healthcare reform - Immigration Reform, any defections from border state Dems will be counter-balances by McCain's pro-amnesty block. Environmental reform my be little iffy, as Democrats from oil states tend to vote against it.