The Government Shutdown Countdown Lowdown MEGATHREAD

[Sheilbh]

It's not a bug, it's a feature.

Absolutely. As I say it's only in the US that that system has managed to survive.

I think part of it is structural. You've got a two-party, first past the post system. Politics is an absolute zero-sum game.

So I think, for example, the Republicans should have worked with Obama on healthcare. I think he would've more or less let them write the law if it managed to provide universal coverage. They could have significantly advanced their policy agenda. But had they done so chances are they wouldn't have got much of the credit, which would've drifted to this post-partisan President and it would've given a bipartisan (the most fetishised aspect of American politics) imprimatur to Obama in general.

To get their policy agenda moved forward and to stop the Democrats writing their own law they should have cooperated. But on a political analysis they were entirely right to try and destroy. I think that's a feature of many reforms lately. The Republicans it seems to me end up in more extreme positions because they're a more unified, ideological party and far less likely than the Democrats to buckle and collapse under pressure.

[Razgovory]

Term limits.

That's actually part of the problem.

[CountDeMoney]

Personally, I disagree when it comes to term limits;  after all, every election is a term limit, and every election there's somebody out there that gets the shit surprised out of them in either the primaries or the general election.

Seniority plays an important part in the procedural aspects of both houses, and quite frankly, if a constituency wants to keep sending the same person back to DC for whatever reason, they should have the ability to do so.

[Habbaku]

Term limits.

That's actually part of the problem.

[garbon]

Personally, I disagree when it comes to term limits;  after all, every election is a term limit, and every election there's somebody out there that gets the shit surprised out of them in either the primaries or the general election.

Seniority plays an important part in the procedural aspects of both houses, and quite frankly, if a constituency wants to keep sending the same person back to DC for whatever reason, they should have the ability to do so.

I don't know I mean would things be so bad if being a congressman wasn't a life long career? After all, they have staffers to tell them what is important and just about ever other political position comes with a limit.

Bloomberg.

[CountDeMoney]

Bloomberg.

[DontSayBanana]

Personally, I disagree when it comes to term limits;  after all, every election is a term limit, and every election there's somebody out there that gets the shit surprised out of them in either the primaries or the general election.

Seniority plays an important part in the procedural aspects of both houses, and quite frankly, if a constituency wants to keep sending the same person back to DC for whatever reason, they should have the ability to do so.

The House in particular is ridiculous.  Since they're worried about being primaried/re-elected every other year, they're only actually doing their jobs half the time.  I've probably said this before, but it bears repeating.  10 year term for executive branch positions and the Senate, single term only.  5 year term for the House, limit two per customer.  There would be some real teeth in setting policy, and Americans might put a little more thought into who they're sending to DC and why if they know they're going to be stuck with the yobbos for a decade.

[Caliga]

Term limits are a nice idea, but they'll never happen.  Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

[CountDeMoney]

The House in particular is ridiculous.  Since they're worried about being primaried/re-elected every other year, they're only actually doing their jobs half the time.  I've probably said this before, but it bears repeating.  10 year term for executive branch positions and the Senate, single term only.  5 year term for the House, limit two per customer.  There would be some real teeth in setting policy, and Americans might put a little more thought into who they're sending to DC and why if they know they're going to be stuck with the yobbos for a decade.

Interesting points, but I bet representatives would do their jobs better if they weren't allowed to design their own districts, more so than if they didn't have to worry about term limits.

[DGuller]

What are term limits going to accomplish?  Send even more dilettante nutso to the Nut House?

[PDH]

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Who cleans up the custodian's mess?

[merithyn]

Interesting points, but I bet representatives would do their jobs better if they weren't allowed to design their own districts, more so than if they didn't have to worry about term limits.

Oh hell to the yeah.

[dps]

Personally, I disagree when it comes to term limits;  after all, every election is a term limit, and every election there's somebody out there that gets the shit surprised out of them in either the primaries or the general election.

Seniority plays an important part in the procedural aspects of both houses, and quite frankly, if a constituency wants to keep sending the same person back to DC for whatever reason, they should have the ability to do so.

I agree with the man from Baltimore on this one.

What are term limits going to accomplish?  Send even more dilettante nutso to the Nut House?

Yep, instead of the idiots we have I Washington now, we'd have to replace them with the even worse idiots we have in our state legislatures.

But that's not really the point---Seedy's 2nd paragraph is the point:  if voters want to keep having the same person represent them, they should be able to do so.

[Razgovory]

Term limits.

That's actually part of the problem.

The problem is coming from entrenched interests but newbies.

[Habbaku]

Clear as mud.