Caltrops - Balance of Power





	[quote name="skip"][quote name="Mischief Maker"]Yeah, Edwards did cheat on his wife. I guess that has everything to do with being a trial lawyer and the quality of his ability to govern.[/quote] The reason that term stuck is because Edwards absolutely was slimy and most people noticed it, even if "trial lawyer" was the only term they could give it. He was such an asshole I feel for Andrew Young who tried to take the lovechild bullet for him. Many talking points are vetted. The ones that stick are the ones that have some element of truth to them. Witness what Clinton can and can't shake off. [quote]Anyhoo. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe chopping your starting offer in half before the negotiation even begins in order to entice Republicans to the table <I>is</I> a winning strategy and the past eight years have been a golden time for progressive legislation in America.[/quote] There's been a lot done in the past 8 years: - the ACA passed (leftist whining about public option aside and I have my own reservations about some of the details, but it's cut the number of uninsured dramatically) - Paris Pact - creation of Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 which cut military waste and spending - the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which also put a lot of money in K-12 education and research - increased funding for the NEA - strengthened the Endangered Species Act - eliminated Bush era restrictions on stem cell research - had a foreign policy that didn't involve invading every country in turmoil (Syria) or run by an asshole (too many to count). Note that this has pissed off some of the Leftist crowd who start wailing about how the US is doing nothing while a lot of foreigners die. - Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act which yanked student loans from Sallie Mae and put it into Pell Grants The <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/obama-biggest-achievements-213487">list goes on</a> and is even more impressive when you realize that Congress has refused to do anything for the past 6 years. At least when the libertarian right-wing bitches, they are completely correct that the federal government has not shrunk in decades and Bush was a complete disappointment in that regard. Almost all Republican victories have been on a state level and federally they've been ineffectual including wasting their time on multiple ACA repeal bills that never went anywhere.[/quote]