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General Category => Editorial/Opinion/Blogs => Topic started by: rangerrebew on December 30, 2013, 03:00:15 pm

Title: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: rangerrebew on December 30, 2013, 03:00:15 pm
If Juanbo thinks tyrannical minorities, like republicans in congress, are responsible for the nation's disgust with congress, it only follows that blacks are responsible for the nation's social problems.


Juan Williams: Republicans to blame for the public's disgust with Congress
   
 



By Juan Williams - 12/30/13 06:00 AM EST





As the year ends, Gallup reports that public approval of Congress averaged 14 percent during 2013. This, the polling firm points out, is “the lowest annual average in Gallup’s history.”

The pollsters added: “2013 is the only year in Gallup’s history in which all monthly readings were below 20 percent.”

Yet this is “the new normal,” according to Gallup, because in each of the last four years the congressional approval rating for the year has been below 20 percent.

It was such a bad year for Congress that Gallup predicts the 2014 midterm elections will not, fundamentally, be a fight over which party controls the House and Senate.


Instead, the campaign could hinge on the overwhelmingly negative view of Congress and the sense “that more Americans feel that problems are with the institution itself rather than with the particular party or people who control it.”

This brings us to the quote of the year about political life on Capitol Hill. It came from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), defending the Republican-led House.

“We should not be judged on how many new laws we create,” he told CBS in July. “We ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal.”

This Republican strategy is at the heart of why Congress is so unpopular. They will not work on the big issues, beginning with their failure to deal with the number one public priority: creating jobs and boosting the economy.

Instead, the GOP’s congressional focus, according to the influential Republican Study Committee, is on extracting what they term “reforms” — really, they’re talking about budget cuts — in “mandatory spending” programs including food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. There is practically no desire for those cuts reflected in any polling.

As Campaign 2014 gets underway, Republicans are threatening another government shutdown tied to refusal to approve a debt-ceiling hike to pay bills. Their demand is for President Obama to make major cuts to programs such as Social Security.

The reduced-government, reduced-spending, reduced-federal-power strategy extends to the Senate where Republicans have used an historic number of filibusters and threats to block nominees to Obama administration posts and judicial seats. That led Senate Democrats to the “nuclear option,” opening the door to simple majority votes on most nominees.

But even with rules changes intended to break gridlock, the economy continues to struggle partly as a result of the GOP strategy.

This is not winning Republicans friends or votes. Only after the awful start for the ObamaCare website did generic polls on voter preference briefly lean toward the GOP. But at year end, polling on the question of generic preference now swings back and forth between the parties.

Now the Speaker is disavowing his earlier desire to have his party’s success in Congress measured by how many laws it repeals. His new talking point revolves around the number of bills passed by the GOP House that the Democratic majority in the Senate has ignored.

But even if all those bills, about 150, are counted, it does not change Congress’ absurdly low approval ratings and this Congress’ ranking, at the mid-point of the 113th Congress, as the least productive in modern times.

Of course, about a third of those bills that did pass the House called for repeal or defunding of ObamaCare. They had no chance in the Senate and no hope of avoiding a presidential veto.

Even by the standards of a divided Congress, with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats in the majority in the Senate, there has never been such an unproductive session of Congress.

NBC’s “First Read” recently published a chart comparing the productivity of today’s divided Congress (57 laws passed) to the work undertaken by a divided Congress during President Reagan’s terms – when Republicans controlled the Senate and Democrats controlled the House. The 97th, 98th and 99th Congresses respectively passed 473 laws, 623 laws, and 663 laws.

The article concluded: “It’s not even a close call. That [Democratic] House got a lot more done with its GOP rivals than this GOP House has with its [Democratic] counterparts.”

The failure to deal with the nation’s big issues begins with the Republican refusal to help the economy get better. The public is aware of the damage the Republican majority in the House inflicted upon the country when they shut down the government in October — an action that came with a price tag of  $24 billion, according to the financial services firm Standard & Poor’s.

The Republican strategy of congressional inaction has not even won fans among Republicans. According to Gallup, Democrats give Congress a 14 percent approval rating, Independents an 11 percent approval rating and Republicans a 10 percent approval rating.

There is constant attention in the news to Obama’s falling approval ratings in the polls — Real Clear Politics’ average of polls has him at 54 percent disapproval to 42.2 percent approval, near his all-time low.

But even if this is the darkest hour for the president, he still holds close to a 30-percentage point lead in approval over Congress.

At a Christmas party last week a Republican who owns several television stations came over to me with an idea: How about starting a movement to throw out the entire Congress and start over?

I thought he was joking and politely smiled. But he recounted how two radio personalities in California started the movement that led to the recall of Gov. Gray Davis (D) in 2003.

Now he wants he wants me and major television personalities, columnists and editorial writers to call for a “housecleaning” of all current members of Congress.

Well, this is the time for New Year’s resolutions.

Juan Williams is an author and political analyst for Fox News Channel.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: GourmetDan on December 30, 2013, 03:31:38 pm

I'm a little bit surprised that the 'evil republicans' tune is still being played.

Low-information voters must be a lot lower than I thought...


Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on December 30, 2013, 04:10:56 pm
OK... Americans are disgusted with Congress. Poll numbers tell that tale with eloquence.

Yet, Congressmen are re-elected routinely, and in large scale.

Why is that?

Because (generally speaking) people hate other people's congressional representatives and generally like their own.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: flowers on December 30, 2013, 04:12:18 pm
I have nothing but disgust for Juan. He makes my blood boil, almost worse than Obama.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on December 30, 2013, 04:24:20 pm
I have nothing but disgust for Juan. He makes my blood boil, almost worse than Obama.

You know how far Juan has fallen when you like Bob Beckel better than you like Juan........
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: happyg on December 30, 2013, 04:31:11 pm
You know how far Juan has fallen when you like Bob Beckel better than you like Juan........

 :silly: The worse the numbers are for Obama, the harder Juan fights for him, even if it means making a fool of himself. He will do anything to cover for his black president, even though he must know deep down, his hero is a phony.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: flowers on December 30, 2013, 04:32:07 pm
You know how far Juan has fallen when you like Bob Beckel better than you like Juan........
Good grief you are absolutely right! I do like Beckel better!!  :laugh:
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: happyg on December 30, 2013, 04:35:34 pm
Quote
You know how far Juan has fallen when you like Bob Beckel better than you like Juan........

Good grief you are absolutely right! I do like Beckel better!!  :laugh:

For some reason, those posts made me laugh. I also like Beckel better.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on December 30, 2013, 04:36:34 pm
Good grief you are absolutely right! I do like Beckel better!!  :laugh:

Frightening, isn't it?

When Beckel seems like the reasonable liberal in comparison with Juan??

Juan is an Obama worshipper, and it has taken any shred of reason he once possessed away from him.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on December 30, 2013, 04:41:14 pm
Good grief you are
 absolutely right! I do like Beckel better!!  :laugh:


Now THAT is funny.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: SouthTexas on December 30, 2013, 04:43:47 pm
OK... Americans are disgusted with Congress. Poll numbers tell that tale with eloquence.

Yet, Congressmen are re-elected routinely, and in large scale.

Why is that?

Because (generally speaking) people hate other people's congressional representatives and generally like their own.

It's all about who gets the bacon.  Yours should be cut, but not mine.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on December 30, 2013, 04:46:30 pm
It's all about who gets the bacon.  Yours should be cut, but not mine.

Yep.

Which explains John McCain.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: flowers on December 30, 2013, 04:52:04 pm
]
Frightening, isn't it?

When Beckel seems like the reasonable liberal in comparison with Juan??

Juan is an Obama worshipper, and it has taken any shred of reason he once possessed away from him.
It is frightening...I used to detest Beckel :laugh:
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Rapunzel on December 30, 2013, 04:57:21 pm
[float=right][/float]
]It is frightening...I used to detest Beckel :laugh:


Same here, but at least you know his comments are what he believes in his heart and he really is a bleeding heart liberal, not a progressive, Juan is just plain ignorant.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: happyg on December 30, 2013, 05:11:30 pm
[float=right][/float]

Same here, but at least you know his comments are what he believes in his heart and he really is a bleeding heart liberal, not a progressive, Juan is just plain ignorant.

And to think he raised conservatives. There is something besides being ignorant going on. I think it's a lot about money and his racism.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: GourmetDan on December 30, 2013, 05:14:24 pm
And to think he raised conservatives. There is something besides being ignorant going on. I think it's a lot about money and his racism.

He's not ignorant.

Racist... probably.

Greed over integrity?  Definitely...


Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Rapunzel on December 30, 2013, 05:14:42 pm
And to think he raised conservatives. There is something besides being ignorant going on. I think it's a lot about money and his racism.

Yes he's been worse since he went got a personal visit with the prez a few weeks ago.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on December 30, 2013, 05:37:26 pm
He's not ignorant.

Racist... probably.

Greed over integrity?  Definitely...

Definitely agree.

It's got to be about greed.

The shame is that many of us thought that Juan did have integrity, but now know better.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on December 30, 2013, 05:38:40 pm
Yes he's been worse since he went got a personal visit with the prez a few weeks ago.

Wonder if there were some personal perks promised by the racist president to the racist, slobbering 'journalist' Juan.................
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Rapunzel on December 30, 2013, 05:43:17 pm
Wonder if there were some personal perks promised by the racist president to the racist, slobbering 'journalist' Juan.................

Good question.... he's like a rabid dog over OCare.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on December 30, 2013, 05:46:25 pm
]It is frightening...I used to detest Beckel :laugh:

I can stomach an honest leftist ideologue far more than an opportunistic politician who spouts leftist ideology in order to gain power, or a leftist tool spouting off talking points for political gain.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on December 30, 2013, 06:09:05 pm
Good question.... he's like a rabid dog over OCare.

Indeed.

I feel as though something has snapped inside him, and he's lost all rational thought.

No offense, but I always thought he could be a bit dopey, but now he's angry to a level that I don't think is healthy.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: happyg on December 30, 2013, 06:14:34 pm
Indeed.

I feel as though something has snapped inside him, and he's lost all rational thought.

No offense, but I always thought he could be a bit dopey, but now he's angry to a level that I don't think is healthy.

At NPR he was censored. On Fox, he took on the 'anything goes' mantra, and overdid he new found freedom of speech. Now, he thinks he can say anything and get away with it. His million dollar contract can easily be rescinded. He's using Fox by using his race. Besides, reporters and journalists on Fox also think he's nuts, and he's so easy for them. He makes them look even smarter.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Rapunzel on December 30, 2013, 06:15:01 pm
Indeed.

I feel as though something has snapped inside him, and he's lost all rational thought.

No offense, but I always thought he could be a bit dopey, but now he's angry to a level that I don't think is healthy.

I know... look at his eyes now days when he gets going.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on December 30, 2013, 09:22:32 pm
At NPR he was censored. On Fox, he took on the 'anything goes' mantra, and overdid he new found freedom of speech. Now, he thinks he can say anything and get away with it. His million dollar contract can easily be rescinded. He's using Fox by using his race. Besides, reporters and journalists on Fox also think he's nuts, and he's so easy for them. He makes them look even smarter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovkyiuu8oq4
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Lipstick on a Hillary on December 30, 2013, 09:50:43 pm
I know... look at his eyes now days when he gets going.

How you guys can even stand to watch the guy is beyond me.  I can't remember when I last listened to what Juan had to say. 
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Rapunzel on December 30, 2013, 11:07:22 pm
How you guys can even stand to watch the guy is beyond me.  I can't remember when I last listened to what Juan had to say.

anymore I change the channel.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Fishrrman on December 31, 2013, 02:38:37 am
[[ I'm a little bit surprised that the 'evil republicans' tune is still being played. ]]

Dan, you know that the "evil republicans" tune is ALWAYS going to be played.

And the music is gonna grow louder, and LOUDER, and L-O-U-D-E-R...

Seems like I just read something today elsewhere in the forum, that the Pubbies have lost the popular vote in five of the last six elections (I believe 2004 was the exception).

If there's a reason to worry insofar as the political future is concerned, this is it.

Conservatives and Republicans are simply running out of "enough numbers to win".
Unless something happens to radically change the game.

Those changes won't come from -- and will NEVER come from -- the "mainstream" (i.e., non Tea Party) Republican party and it's candidates. Too late for that now. The best description for the mainstream Pubbies today is, "maintain the status quo, don't rock the boat!"

Nope.... it's gotta be something else.
What could it be?
A new party, perhaps?
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: DCPatriot on December 31, 2013, 02:45:45 am
[[ I'm a little bit surprised that the 'evil republicans' tune is still being played. ]]

Dan, you know that the "evil republicans" tune is ALWAYS going to be played.

And the music is gonna grow louder, and LOUDER, and L-O-U-D-E-R...

Seems like I just read something today elsewhere in the forum, that the Pubbies have lost the popular vote in five of the last six elections (I believe 2004 was the exception).

If there's a reason to worry insofar as the political future is concerned, this is it.

Conservatives and Republicans are simply running out of "enough numbers to win".
Unless something happens to radically change the game.

Those changes won't come from -- and will NEVER come from -- the "mainstream" (i.e., non Tea Party) Republican party and it's candidates. Too late for that now. The best description for the mainstream Pubbies today is, "maintain the status quo, don't rock the boat!"

Nope.... it's gotta be something else.
What could it be?
A new party, perhaps?

I believe the average voter is going to have to suffer before they begin to show any common sense.   Like any addict coming off heroin.

Barack Obama's favorability numbers are in the mid-30's.  At least that's what they admit publically...it's probably worse.

And yet Gallop has Obama and Hillary as most favorable.

We're living in 1930's Germany, folks.  We're here. 


Be careful out there.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on December 31, 2013, 03:04:39 am
[[ I'm a little bit surprised that the 'evil republicans' tune is still being played. ]]

Dan, you know that the "evil republicans" tune is ALWAYS going to be played.

And the music is gonna grow louder, and LOUDER, and L-O-U-D-E-R...

Seems like I just read something today elsewhere in the forum, that the Pubbies have lost the popular vote in five of the last six elections (I believe 2004 was the exception).

If there's a reason to worry insofar as the political future is concerned, this is it.

Conservatives and Republicans are simply running out of "enough numbers to win".
Unless something happens to radically change the game.

Those changes won't come from -- and will NEVER come from -- the "mainstream" (i.e., non Tea Party) Republican party and it's candidates. Too late for that now. The best description for the mainstream Pubbies today is, "maintain the status quo, don't rock the boat!"

Nope.... it's gotta be something else.
What could it be?
A new party, perhaps?

I'm even more surprised that we're still talking about Democrats and Republicans as if they were two separate entities.

We are ruled, not governed. It's a sad state of affairs.

How did we get here for God’s sake?

This country brought the world out of darkness, driving human growth faster and farther than any other civilization before.

We cooked with fire and rode horseback in 1776, and less than 200 years later we walked on the Moon.

Eons of servitude to the elements and fear of common diseases, and four hundred thousand years from that first spark of fire in a cave to “We the People.”

One hundred and ninety-three years from Philadelphia to the Sea of Tranquility.

We built this, and now we are about to systematically destroy it, all in the name of getting sh#t for free.

The American Dream, once defined as an opportunity, is now an entitlement, and government of the people, by the people, for the people dies a slow death at the hands of the new ruling classes.

Patricians and Princes residing in DC.

Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: rangerrebew on January 01, 2014, 01:39:07 pm
Good question.... he's like a rabid dog over OCare.

Are he and Chris Matthews related?  They are so much alike in their thinking they must have been raised in the same family. :silly:
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: rangerrebew on January 01, 2014, 01:42:16 pm

We're living in 1930's Germany, folks.  We're here. 

Be careful out there.

Anyone who has read "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" KNOWS we are in the 1930s in Germany.  :da man:
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 01, 2014, 02:20:30 pm
Anyone who has read "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" KNOWS we are in the 1930s in Germany.  :da man:

William Shirer's "Berlin Diary" is also quite frightening in light of current national events and the direction that the nation has taken in recent years.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on January 01, 2014, 03:19:50 pm
I believe the average voter is going to have to suffer before they begin to show any common sense.   Like any addict coming off heroin.

Barack Obama's favorability numbers are in the mid-30's.  At least that's what they admit publically...it's probably worse.

And yet Gallop has Obama and Hillary as most favorable.

We're living in 1930's Germany, folks.  We're here. 


Be careful out there.

As difficult as it is to admit how far we've fallen, I believe you're completely right about this DC.

We are there.

And people like you, and like me, are the enemy of the Socialist Republic in which we live.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: rangerrebew on January 01, 2014, 11:51:06 pm
 :2gunz:
As difficult as it is to admit how far we've fallen, I believe you're completely right about this DC.

We are there.

And people like you, and like me, are the enemy of the Socialist Republic   in which we live.

Do you mean the National Socialist Republic?
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: musiclady on January 02, 2014, 01:13:41 am
:2gunz:
Do you mean the National Socialist Republic?

Yes....................actually, I do.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: DCPatriot on January 02, 2014, 01:27:29 am
I hope it's put into a clearer perspective for some of our fellow members...regarding the radical turnover of the top US military brass.

They're trying to pull a coup right under our noses.
Title: Re: Juan Williams: republicans to blame for the public's disgust with congress
Post by: happyg on January 02, 2014, 01:31:27 am
I hope it's put into a clearer perspective for some of our fellow members...regarding the radical turnover of the top US military brass.

They're trying to pull a coup right under our noses.

Yep! Let's hope this bungling administration bungles this, too, and it backfires.