How were Reagan and W able to push through piles of nasty, evil, vile, legislation

while any good and progressive legislation has the chance of a snowball in hell? (even under Democrats)

My own conclusion is that we will never get progressive legislation without real election/campaign reform.
Do you ever wonder why we even bother getting worked up over trying to get a system that is so corrupt to work?
Time has pretty much run out.

...appealing to the worst in people has a pretty solid track record.

so they bought it.

the republicans blame the internet for losing the last two elections and when republicans blame something for losing an election (like the media in 1976) they try to exert influence over that entity.

Pretty simple answer. Back in the 1980s they realized that their best course of action was to buy politicians in both parties.

exactly

That is the way on Wall St.

but progressive policies are...

Republicans don't want to make corporations less powerful or wealthy, so those corporations and their lobbyists don't make a fuss when republicans control things.

Reagan bill, Reagan then shut down the government which meant everything paid by the feds didn't get paid. Seem's people forget just how nasty republicons can get when they don't get their way. You think Reagan gave a rats ass if grandma couldn't pay her bills or that doctors and hospitals started demanding granny coming up with the money for her treatments? Then to make matters worse Dem's got the blame for forcing Reagan to shut down the government. You think Bush 1 or * wouldn't have pulled the same crap to get their way?

Pukes have no problem with shutting government down, they don't give a rats ass who that hurts or how it effects those without power.

nafta
wto
doma
telecom act
banking deregulation.

Just thought I'd pick on the Republican presidents today, but Clinton certainly played a decisive hand in the mess we are in today.

so it's ok to pick on him.

While Obamas Democratic legislators have brains but no balls

GOP eat their own boogers. Dems look the other way.

Legislation that helps people is evil & socialist.

That's how they try to sell it, anyway.

majority of corrupt, venal and self-serving Congress-critters who will vote for nasty, evil, and vile legislation and a President who will sign such legislation into law. :P

you can not have an overarching philosophy or set of principles
to sell to rank and file voters. Therefore, the leadership cannot
go on TV or anyone else for that matter. They may say something
that disturbs the other side(withing the Democratic Party).

Resgan and Bush had practically every Republican vote. Even if it is
wrongheaded, they have a philosophy and set of beliefs which holds
them together when it is down to crunch. Republicans are careful
not to promise too much. Reagan and Bush had their plan. They
were to move the governance of the country as far right as would
be tolerated. Tom Delay was their best asset from GOP perspective.
He had a simple strategy. He would have a piece of legislatuon
written as very FAR RIGHT. They would then approach the members
in order. Far Right Members to Moderate to Conservative Democrats.
By following this order and only making adjustments when a member
absolutely refused to vote for it without changes, he ended up
with Center-Right/Far Right Laws which passed. When it comes to
legislation, the Righties put party first in order to gain and keep
power.

Our Party starts with GOP Right Legislation. So what can we expect.

This country has not seen the Center in years, much less just a little
left of center.

Why did we elect Democrats???? I am being cynical and sarcastic here.

That slimy bastard was completely artful in hiding things in amendments to completely unrelated legislation and had a habit of doing it right before recess. We need not only election and campaign reform, but stopping unlrelated amendment sneaks.

Simply put, they're better at playing the game of politics than progressives or liberals.

Hell, conservatives designed the game of politics we currently have.

Yet he was motor-mouthed delusional. But looking back, I guess one could say that America in early 80's was also going through a change....a change that can be attributed to the Iranian hostage crisis coupled with lack of national pride that evaporated after the Vietnam war. Indeed there were other reasons Americans felt the need to feel nationalistic, but, IMO, these two main reasons might of contributed to Mr. Reagan's popularity.

Democrats won big.

Now they can fix the things that have made it hard for them to get elected: campaign finance, media consolidation, etc.

"The system." If you're not part of the solution, you're.... you know the rest.

I think the excuses have pretty much run out.

your money , corporate money and one big cluster fuck party you are not invited to!

We're being played by both sides. For the most part it seems like the Democrats roll in this is to look outraged and the Republicans look mean.

And the rich get richer. Get it? We've been getting gamed for years.

They know who they are. They used to be known as the "Boweevils". Corporate media likes to call them "moderates" or "Reagan Democrats."

There's really only one and a half parties in this country.

K & R cuz :yourock:

I also like Nader's idea of the choice to vote "none of the above".
:hi:

Or, in the spirit of the season .....

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KMjHfqqmal8/Sn4Gb0eXadI/AAAAAAAABOs/SuLpD_Uhx1k/s400/scaredy+cat.jpg

a few years ago of a bunch of donkeys freaking out over a spine leaned up in the corner. OMG! OMG! What is it? What is it?

It was funny--and sadly appropriate when thinking of many of the elected Dems inside the Beltway.

And Reagan had a conservative majority, made up of conservative Republicans and conservative southern Democrats (boll weevils).