Massachusetts - WTF?

No, is there any doubt the measure will pass?

Nobody said they were obligated to care. This is just reduction of the argument to "I don't care what your opinion is". Of course, it's your prerogative to resort to but it's a pretty pointless point.

There's a difference between saying I don't care (which I haven't said), and saying that Massachusetts doesn't care and should decide its own destiny (which is what I said).

Lots of people have opinions about how I should raise my kids, but ultimately it's none of their business.

Lots of people have opinions about how I treat my parents, but ultimately it's none of their business.

Lots of people have opinions about how Massachusetts should pick a Senator, but ultimately it's none of their business.

Whatever, if that's all you've got then there's obviously no point in discussing it with you.

Good lord. You better take your ball and go home then.

Sounds like an interesting topic. You should start a thread and discuss it. But, this is about the state of Mass. and it's hypocrisy regarding it's selection of the next Senator.

I'm not angry, I'm not pouting, there's just not much of a line of discussion from the position you've staked out DrewDad. I suspect you'd feel the same in your own forays outside your local politics if someone's refrain was just that it's not your senator so they don't care what you think. That's nice, but there's not much to say about that.

Portraying this as being a bad sport and walking away from a discussion is more of the same level nonsense. You aren't making arguments, you are just taunting. I haven't got anything useful to say in return.

I agree with that, and I suspect Robert does too. However we do have the right to be amused at the venality and hypocrisy of slavish Massachusetts voters who still bear so much affection for their royal family.

Again, I never said that I don't care what you think. I'm not sure why you keep coming back to this.

If I didn't find the discussion interesting, I wouldn't be here.

I'm curious to find out how more Massachusans (Massachusites?) feel about this. Freeduck's upset. Ebrown's happy. That's not much of a sample size....

I'll confess I don't understand the outrage. The Massachusetts legislature is following the rule of law, set forth in the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They have the power to authorize the appointment, and they have the power not to authorize the appointment. The amendment doesn't say anything about how often the legislature is allowed to change its so-called mind.

<snork>

I remember them trying to hunt down the Democrats....

I also remember the redistricting being thrown out by the courts.

There is an interesting logical fallacy-- the idea that if there are two parties; Democrats and Republicans (actually there are more than that in Massachusetts)... that they should be equal.

Of course this is nonsense. The Democrats are in power because we the people want them to be in power. The Republicans in Massachusetts have very little power... all they can do is act like whiny little children.

If the Republicans want more influence... they are going to have to figure out how to get more of themselves elected-- personally I think moving them all to Texas might be the best thing for everyone.

Massachusetts Republicans would be Texas Democrats.

Someone made an interesting comment recently - stating that if JFK were here today his politics would be considered that of a conservative republican.

I think that's reasonably true.

Conservative Democrat, maybe--but hardly the same as conservative Republicans, who are, after all, reactionaries--on the fringe, just like the most "left-leaning" of Democrats.

Yeah right, let's compare...

Show us a "left-leaning" democrat who is anywhere near as far out looney as Michelle Bachmann or James Inhofe?



Saying that the Democrats are as bat-crap crazy as the Republicans is sweet. Believing that no one is any worse than anyone else might give you that warm fuzzy feeling...

But look at the record... in fact that craziness coming from the right is unmatched in extremism, or in the fact it comes from people of prominence.

Whenever you feel tempted to claim that bat-**** crazy leftists are not as bat-**** crazy as bat-**** crazy reactionaries, i advise you to look up the threads started by Zippo, Blueflame and Solve et Coagula. It may give you the warm fuzzies to think that reactionaries are worse (in the bat-**** crazy category) than leftist loons, but it has no basis in reality.

Jesus you're stupid.

There is a big difference. Conservatives like Michelle Bachman (the Congresswoman who headlines conservative conventions) and Glen Beck (national television host) are prominent people at the center of the conservative movements. Glenn Beck is loved and cheered by millions as are Bachman .

Let's compare apples with apples here. Find me a national politician as crazy as Bachman (or Inhofe or even Boehner) who is not a Republican. Find me liberal figure in the national media as crazy as Beck or Dobbs. Find me the equivalent of Sarah Palin being prayed over by a pastor who hunts down real witches.

You are comparing the liberal fringe with what is the core of the conservative movement.

You have alleged, but you have not demonstrated that the individuals to whom you refer are the "core" of the conservative movement. That the Democrats don't run loonies of that type is evidence of the power which conservatism has amassed in recent years, to the extent that many people are not willing to admit that they are liberal, let alone retail the rhetoric of the far left.

But all it takes is to visit sites such as Prison Planet or Third World Traveler and to consider that they have operated successfully for years to know that the left-wing lunatic fringe is not only alive and well, but comprises at the least millions of individuals.

Come back when you have an argument worth making.

You're suffering from observer bias.

You're on the left, so those on the right seem crazy. To those on the right, folks like Pelosi seem equally crazy.