Game on...

[peggy]

Ok, as we are the government, and the government is us, let's take a look at how WE are doing.
And by we I mean us, those of us who vote. Not for Micky Mouse or Pat Paulson, or (forgive me) Jill Stein, but for people who will actually run this country. Locally, State and Feds.
Not that I have anything against folks who want to throw away their vote, but they have to understand that this is exactly what they are doing. You can't claim helplessness in how things are run, then vote for someone who has absolutely zero chance of affecting how things are run. That's abdicating your vote/voice IMO. You vote for your best choice, then work to make that choice better. Again, voting for Ralph Nader accomplished exactly zero for Nader or those who liked his policies, and a lot for Bush and his band of ner' do wells.

OK, so, I don't want to live in a bubble and I hope my friends on the other side don't either. Which party is best for the country? We've managed to solve most other world problems here, so I think we can figure this out.

I'll start. with the obvious of course. Merrick Garland. or rather the republicans refusal to even consider him. This is their constitutional duty. Obama has done his duty and now they need to do theirs.

Not only do they refuse to consider him, they have stated quite clearly they won't consider ANY pick of President Obama's. Any! So it isn't a case of objection to a particular pick, like it was with Bork, but to the President himself, who they refuse to recognize as the legitimate President.
They don't want any trace of this man's Presidency to exist. They want to wipe him from history, even though he will possibly go down in history as one of the greatest presidents of modern times. They don't even care how history will treat them. They are a bunch of petulant 5 year olds stomping their tiny feet in a temper tantrum.
And the most infuriating thing is McConnell saying "the people should have a say in this so we'll wait", as if all the people who overwhelming voted for Obama aren't citizens some how. We did have a say, as it turns out. Just he doens't like what 'the people' said, he's going to wait for, what, real people? Like, republican people. Unfortunately hes not up for reelection but he should still lose his job.
http://www.standard.net/Letters/2016...t-Obama-letter

[Alan]

Which party is best for the country?

Libertarian.

Although most voters don't really care what is best for the country. They save their vote for any random scalliwag with the party designation which best validates their feelings of worth. For this, I blame 24 hour news channels filled with opinion journalism where pundits spend hours at a time, each and every day, twisting the words/deeds/accomplishments of anyone who disagrees with them.

[LDAHL]

This is a particularly difficult year to answer the question of which party is best for the country in that we seem to have multiple flavors within both major parties. On the GOP side, we have Trump populists and traditional Republicans. On the Democrats' side we have your basic establishment Democrats and Democratic Socialists.

Since my preferred flavor in presidents is unavailable at this time, I'll probably vote for Gary Johnson in November.

My preference would be for giving Garland his hearing and Borking him or not as the case merits. I would also prefer the President "do his job" by not picking and choosing which laws are worthy of enforcement. But then, I'm an old fashioned sort of guy.

[bae]

You vote for your best choice, then work to make that choice better.

[creaker]

“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"
"What?"
"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?"
"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."
Ford shrugged again.
"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happenned to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it."
"But that's terrible," said Arthur.
"Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.”


― Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

[Zoe Girl]

The entire thing about not considering the nominee for the Supreme Court has me both baffled and really really angry and frustrated. Obama was voted in twice, like it or not. I have had presidents I really didn't like and I lived through it. I would not have been supportive if their nominees were blocked by people I agreed with politically. I mean WTF, I don't even comprehend it. We ALL have had presidents that we have voted against, what is so special about this case that they think the people have not already voted twice. Any ideas on how to address this? Is there a petition or can you call these politicians? Driving me nuts that we have serious issues that are not being dealt with to drag this out.

[RoseQuartz]

.

[Tenngal]

maybe their pay should be linked to job performance like many of us.......no excuse for this.

[peggy]

the point being, if the contest is between the lion or the wolf, either THE LION OR THE WOLF will become President. No protest vote for Micky Mouse will change that. So, in the real world, we need to choose either the lion or the wolf. That's the facts on the ground.
Now, having said that, and acknowledging the reality of the situation, we need to think carefully and decide who will be easier to manipulate/convince/control, whatever. who understand how it works, how the world works, and hopefully a bit of history. It would be nice also to have a President who didn't go around mucking it up and making an enemy of all our allies, no matter how much we dislike them. We, our country, has to live in this world and at least try to get along with everyone else. We need to maintain influence if nothing else.

Now, I really wish these outsider folks would get serious and start now building a serious third party. Don't just show up in the last 5 minutes for the snacks but build a real coalition starting yesterday. Do the hard work of forming a viable third party and not one just based on one issue. One trick ponies are just that, without staying power. And you can't build a sustainable party on "I'm angry". There has to be viable and sustainable ideas and policies. On everything. Again, one trick doesn't cut it when the other 99 'tricks' want representation. I think this is Sanders biggest problem. Trumps too although to hear him tell it, he has a solution for EVERYTHING. Just ask him, he'll tell you he does.

[Ultralight]

Uh... I think the point is that one might as well stay home if the choice is between a Wolf and a Lion. No need to vote. You're mutton either way.