Massachusetts Special Election

Absolutely. The best tactic for the GOP is to tread lightly and the best for the Dems is to grab the job creations issue and run with it. If that doesn't happen, credibility and seats will be lost and for good reason.

It's going to be an exciting year for all. Can't wait for tomorrow's speech.

MFB/VP

No, I'm not being obsessive over a minor issue of wording.

I don't -- at all -- begrudge people their desire to vent at a situation that Bush (et al.) takes a major share of resopnsibilty for creating, but that Obama (et al.) is arguably (mis)underestimating and mishandling.

The Republicans have a fundamental problem with honesty (which works in their favour), as well as a fundamental problem with managerial competence in government, the impacts of which are mitigated by their ability to be brazenly dishonest.

The Democrats have a fundamental problem with political incompetence, which is large enough to offset their relative managerial competence, and they don't handle the Repubs' ability to lie out loud, again and again, at all effectively.

I think the Dems have to sort their own shit out, which might be asking too much. (Just see Jon Stewart's despairing take on the Mass. election outcome.)

But asking Republicans -- not the elected officials and Fox News spin doctors and buttlickers, but the registered supporters! -- to ask sensible questions and expect honest answers seems a relatively small thing, to me.

The "precognition" argument got under my skin because it suggests that nobody knew the budget deficit was spinning out of control until last year. Give me a fucking break. That's the kind of slippery dishonesty that's a key part of the problem.

I was being uncharacteristically snarky with that. Thought that was the price of admission around here.

Yeah, no.

Let's move on, shall we?

Sounds good.

For better or worse, the "left" will be harder on their own than the "right" will be. Judging by discourse on this board since my time at this site, the typical "SG Conservative" group member would have spent their time on this board during the Bush years defending or rationalising just about every action the Bush administration took.

(I stress the typical SG Cons member, not every single member. There are people in that group I like and respect.)

A year into Obama's tenure and already people who supported and voted for him are openly questioning his performance and his capability.

The conservative voices who criticised Bush and his administration were mostly marginal and marginalised.

It's not the conservatism of conservatives that I take issue with. One can have a sensible and reasonable debate about conservatism. It's the reactionary nature of so many conservatives that grates. And I include the DJFarces and Sarges of this site as prime examples. One cannot debate them.