Madbrian's Things To Watch After This Election

If Reid loses, Dick Durbin will be Leader. He'll do an excellent job.

Republicans will shut down government at some point.

I'm wondering if Michele Bachmann might not challenge Boehner as "queen of the Tea Party."

Total gridlock.

Perhaps rather than being a GOP strategist, you should think about what the Democrats have done and should do in the future.

They had control of both houses and a Democrat POTUS, and yet they drove the misery index up further, got us much deeper in debt and did nothing for the millions suffering on unemployment.

If the GOP takes power, perhaps the Democrats could start by agreeing to leave the Bush tax cuts in place.

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Updated On: 11/2/10 at 11:08 AM

Could you please reconcile your desire for the tax cuts to stay in place with your concern over our debt?

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"Could you please reconcile your desire for the tax cuts to stay in place with your concern over our debt?"

The economy is locked up right now. Everyone is too afraid to spend money and so they are only buying what is necessary.

Obama and his free spending government have not been able to change that, despite stupid programs like "cash for clunkers" and his numerous "stimulus" ideas.

If tax cuts elapse, people will be seeing more tax taken out of their paychecks and it will freeze the economy even more.

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So, you don't really care about the deficit? And by the way, Obama did cut taxes, a fact which most people tend to ignore. The Dems agree on middle-class tax cuts, the sticking point is the cut for high-earners. Is it your argument that the top earners are more likely to spend a tax cut than the middle or lower classes? That would fly in the face of all logic and experience.

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So YOU are telling me that what DID happen, actually didn't?

Why does no one talk about the fact that Obama's first budget was $200 Billion dollars less than Bush's last?

Because, YWIW, that would be talking about the FACTS - and those have been 'off the table' for quite some time.

JoeKv99, will you admit here and now that Obama is a failure because he couldn't even get two Democrats to vote in line the the Democratic platform.

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I know. It's always hard to accept the truth. But it is true that two Democrats voted against gay rights.

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1) If the Dems hold only 50 or 51 seats in the Senate, will the GOP be able to draw Lieberman and/or Ben Nelson into their caucus?
This is why I am hoping for some positive developments. I have more faith in a schizophrenic on crack than those two. Nelson is already one of them but Lieberman would definitely be a symbolic move that will piss more people off.

2) Irrespective of 1), will ANYTHING get through the Senate, given the GOP's affinity for filibusters?
It would have to be something completely inoffensive but even that has gotten smaller in possibilities.

3) Is Boehner a lock for Speaker? Believe it or not, he may not be conservative enough for the House GOP.
Yes he's a lock. There may be a push for a 'young gun' like Ryan or Cantor but those two will be probably rewarded with being a WHIP or in some chairmanship in the House.

4) Can the GOP stick to their guns (figuratively)? There will likely be an immediate vote to raise the national debt level, something the GOP has campaigned against. Will the GOP vote it down? If so, Social Security checks may stop, and the government could shut down.
I call semantics on a shut down.

5) If Harry Reid loses, who will be the Senate Majority Leader? The Dems couldn't do any worse than Reid.
I think Durbin will not be Majority Leader figuring he is too close to Obama as his senior former colleague in Illinois. I say it will be Schumer but I also think Harry Reid survives to null this discussion.

6) Can the GOP stick to their guns (figuratively), part two? Will they really try to defund healthcare? This could also shut down the government.
Doesn't the real meat and potatoes of healthcare hit in 2014?