Did any of you guys watch Obama's town hall last night? I'll have more on my views of what Obama said later, but on the whole I thought he was masterful. I'll have more on what he said later.
But the Republican/gun rights/NRA response to the forum was so downright scary that I frankly had to turn off CNN's post-forum analysis.
Two of the three gun rights advocates that participated basically gave the following analysis: Obama lies; I can't believe a single word he says; he supported the Feinstein bill that wanted to crack down on assault weapons; therefore he wants to take our guns; therefore it doesn't matter what his proposal is saying, he really wants to take our guns; therefore there is nothing to discuss. Case and minds closed.
And I don't think this mindset is atypical of what's going on in the GOP these days. It's my way or the highway and we won't even discuss anything with the president because it doesn't matter what he's actually proposing. He's a liar and we hate his guts and that's all there is to it!!!!
This is just such a shockingly anti-American, and anti-democratic behavior. I don't think the left at its worst was even this bad. At this point I don't know what it will take to bring the right wing back from its current state of unreality. Maybe if they nominate Trump or Cruz and they get obliterated in the presidential election it might be a start. GOP leaders might figure out that they have to jettison some of these extremists if they ever hope to hold the presidency again. But the GOP is so far gone at this point that it might take several of these kind of bitch-slaps to snap them back, if that will even work.
Really, what's going on in this country is very scary.
Stock market is up because the dollar can be borrowed at record lows and invested for decent margins
Workforce participation is way down
Home values are down, wayyy down here in the northeast
Average income is off by a few thousand a year
Race relations haven't been this bad in decades
Don't EVEN get me started on his releasing of the scum at Gitmo
Insurance premiums increasing substantially every year with higher premiums
The high point?
It says he's in favor of gay marriage
Don't know about you, but I hate being lectured to by a smug arrogant guy with dubious credentials who has never held a job.
Oh, if my opinions limit the men I meet here, so be it. I wouldn't want you anyway
A. Approval by 2/3 of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House. (No way in hell)
And B. Approval by 2/3 of state legislatures (38 states, also a daunting task)
There is also an alternative way that has been supported by both Marco Rubio and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott:
3/4 of the states can call a constitutional convention, and amendments can be proposed that then must be approved by 3/4 of the states. Only thing is nobody is quite sure how this would work, as it's never been done. If something like this were to ever happen, it could have horrific consequences, as the floor would be open to amendments on anything. Fortunately, with the pronounced Red State/Blue State divide, the chances of this happening are extremely remote, to say the least.
The last proposed amendment that *might* have had a chance would have been the marriage amendment proposed in the late 1990s. Fortunately our Democratic friends in Congress were able to get enough support together to block that, because if it had hit the states early on, it might have had a chance. But the more time passed, the more support for such an amendment eroded.
You are so right! And it seems to be a worldwide problem.
When the spanish tv mentioned Obamas speech, many of us wondered if the problem really is that there are so many people with mental health issues in the usa. I doubt it.
I agree with the President that it's all our responsibility to take action. You make a point Bear, when people listen to the President's stated goals, what he plans to do under executive authority, which is extremely modest at best, and then those who oppose the President soberly look at the camera and say, "he lies" you realize it's beyond intransigence. Trying to restrict (limit in reality) gun sales to people with mental health issues and criminal records seems like a slam dunk, but the resistance to put any limitation on gun sales is met with callous resistance. It's disheartening.
In his speech and op-ed piece he was pragmatic that despite how many little children's heads are blown off or people ripped into pieces by high caliber rifles at close range in a movie theaters (the graphic descriptions are my words) that it will take time to bring about any meaningful change. Until "we" can be organized and become a force of change, nothing will happen, and it's going to take years.
It's interesting that here, when the discussion is clearly about the recent speech, town hall, and gun control that one of the responses deflects from the issue. It's SOP for the right to steer clear of the nuts and bolts--really, how many children have to be ripped apart by bullets to realize that something needs to be done?
O's NYT's piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/opinion/preside … ef=opinion
On the gun show, what bugged me isn't that the right opposes "gun control." I get that. NRA types believe any tiny thing on guns is unconstitutional (wrong), and other Republicans are afraid to upset a powerful special interest group.
What pissed me off is that their minds are completely closed. Their view was basically we hate Obama, he's a liar, we can't trust him. End of story. There is no negotiating with that kind of mindset. If that is symptomatic on other issues as well, there's little wonder that virtually nothing gets accomplished in Washington. You can't compromise with a closed mind.