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16 Feb 09 - 12:23 PM (#2568298) Subject: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Ebbie Here is video with views of Hillary Clinton, Holbrooke and Mitchell as well as Congress and the President himself. Interesting stuff. Morning Joe |
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16 Feb 09 - 03:10 PM (#2568474) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Ebbie Hey! I think the video is interesting. Anybody agree? |
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16 Feb 09 - 04:51 PM (#2568558) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Ebbie One of Carl Bernstein's contentions is that Congress itself is morally bankrupt and needs to be eliminated. |
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16 Feb 09 - 09:30 PM (#2568765) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: GUEST,heric I can't tell you until my new desktop computer arrives - 275 bucks to replace this 6 year old clunker what costed $2,500, 4 times the space and 8 times the RAM. But without seeing the video: who needs'm. I used to think that federal government paralysis and ineptitude was intentional design and probably a good thing, but the SAVINGS if we just get rid of them all, elect cabinet members and the President instead, and run things on rulemaking and executive orders. Fine by me. |
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16 Feb 09 - 09:37 PM (#2568771) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: GUEST,heric For starters, just for starters, I wouldn't have to pay ungodly sums to feed and clothe prisoners like Duke Cunningham. |
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16 Feb 09 - 09:40 PM (#2568775) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Riginslinger Okay, for a lot less money I watched the video, and here's my take on it. People get elected to public office in this country as a direct result as to how much money was spent on their campaign. Barack Obama is a perfect example. Once they're elected, they become dancing fools for the interests that got them elected. The key to success here is not to eliminate Congress, but to educate the public so they know what and who they are voting for, and that will put an end to all of this buffoonery. |
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16 Feb 09 - 10:27 PM (#2568804) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Ebbie The panel- actually on 'Morning Joe' a Joe Scarborough political talk show - consisted of Carl Bernstein, journalist/writer, Pat Buchanan, iconoclast, Chuck Todd, NBC White House reporter and Michael Halperin, writer. Scarborough started with the question of whether Secretary of State was a good fit for Clinton. |
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16 Feb 09 - 11:14 PM (#2568845) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Riginslinger But Bernstein went off into Never-Never Land. Is this the same guy who screwed Richard Nixon? |
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17 Feb 09 - 01:01 AM (#2568885) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Ebbie Boy. You and I are certainly not on the same page. Richard Nixon did his screwing up his own se'f. But yes, Bernstein and Bob Woodward did the legwork in pursuit of Watergate. |
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17 Feb 09 - 01:32 AM (#2568897) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Barry Finn It looks like educating the public can start with you Ring. Barry |
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17 Feb 09 - 03:48 AM (#2568934) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: JohnInKansas I think the point that Bernstein pressed regarding the Senate seniority system is quite valid. The longer a senator has been there, the more "power and authority" he has, via appointments to committees and as head of them. There is absolutely no regard for whether the appointee is a blithering idiot or actually can read (the Constitution would be a good starting point) or add 2 + 2 and come up with something closer than 17.9. Compounding the seniority problem, several states have "term limit" clauses in their own laws, effectively preventing any Senator representing them from ever achieving, under existing seniority rules, a position within the Senate from which the state can be heard. (For some states this may be a blessing - Kansas has had Brownback for more than long enough.) Even if "the people were to be educated" and good persons could thereby be elected, there is no way - in the Senate especially, but also in the House - for personal merit or moral rectitude to succeed within the existing systems (except by outliving/outlasting those more senior, by which time the original "innocence" is unlikely to survive). John |
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17 Feb 09 - 09:02 AM (#2569103) Subject: RE: BS: Political Appointments & Effectiveness From: Riginslinger John - You make a good point. Term limits might well be the answer. I don't see how you could just do away with both bodies of Congress, however. Imagine what George W. Bush would have done if he hadn't had to deal with Congress at all. |