The Government Shutdown Countdown Lowdown MEGATHREAD

[Ideologue]

Shit, I hope they don't take it.

[KRonn]

Here's a shocker: Republican who tries to make government work, treats black people with respect and appeals to the electorate polls well

Christie won 21% of the African-American vote and 56% of the Hispanic vote - both more than double what he won last time. There's a lesson for Republicans there, if they want it.

I would agree as I'm a more center right, more fiscally conservative and more centrist/left socially. Christie works at the fiscal end of things that I like to see. But nationally the moderate Repubs haven't done too well in runs for President. McCain, Romney.

[Admiral Yi]

Christie won 21% of the African-American vote and 56% of the Hispanic vote - both more than double what he won last time. There's a lesson for Republicans there, if they want it.

The lesson is if Jesus Christ ran on the Republican ticket 60% of blacks would vote against him.

[DontSayBanana]

Christie won 21% of the African-American vote and 56% of the Hispanic vote - both more than double what he won last time. There's a lesson for Republicans there, if they want it.

It was all personality.  His camp was still milking Sandy and making him out to be something like a wartime president.  His agendas haven't fared as well.

- the federal courts handed his ass to him so thoroughly on the gay marriage issue that he dropped his challenges.

- we had a minimum wage question on the ballots that passed by over 60%.  The whole reason it was there was because Christie vetoed a bill to raise it to $8.50, so now $8.25 is going in the state constitution, with codified cost-of-living increases.

[DGuller]

I agree on that point, I think Christie is dangerously close to being "a noun, a verb, and Sandy".

[Admiral Yi]

I agree on that point, I think Christie is dangerously close to being "a noun, a verb, and Sandy".

I still think of him as the fat guy who saved New Jersey from the teachers' unions.

[Sheilbh]

I would agree as I'm a more center right, more fiscally conservative and more centrist/left socially. Christie works at the fiscal end of things that I like to see. But nationally the moderate Repubs haven't done too well in runs for President. McCain, Romney.

Republicans have done shit at Presidential elections. They've lost 5 of the last 6. Without the Supreme Court giving them a fluke or an incumbent war President they lose. That's a problem they need to address.

Romney wasn't a moderate candidate. Maybe once in a past life he was, but never on the national stage.

The lesson is if Jesus Christ ran on the Republican ticket 60% of blacks would vote against him.

Christie did half as well as Jesus. And that was just based on personality and respect.

It was all personality.  His camp was still milking Sandy and making him out to be something like a wartime president.  His agendas haven't fared as well.

Most of the time politics is about personality, as it should be.

[Admiral Yi]

Most of the time politics is about personality, as it should be.

Politics should be about policy.

[Sheilbh]

Politics should be about policy.

Maybe in a Parliamentary system where policies will be passed. Aside from that it's a bit abstract and hypothetical.

But in the US policy's enormously overrated (nothing's more tedious and often wrong than the wonkish end of DC's media). Personality is especially when you're voting for an executive like a Governor or a President. Their character and personality will matter a lot. Whether they just have to deal with a hurricane, a financial crisis or a war, many of those decisions will be made very quickly and very privately. They can assemble a great team of policy thinkers who worry about that. Ultimately what matters is their judgement and related to that their ability to sell and manage.

Even in the UK the reason I voted Labour in 2010 was because of Brown's response to the financial crisis vs Cameron's.

[Admiral Yi]

Our disagreement might be semantic Shelf.

[The Minsky Moment]

Christie won 21% of the African-American vote and 56% of the Hispanic vote - both more than double what he won last time. There's a lesson for Republicans there, if they want it.

The lesson is if Jesus Christ ran on the Republican ticket 60% of blacks would vote against him.

That's just silly.
Jesus would never run on a Republican ticket.

[The Minsky Moment]

(nothing's more tedious and often wrong than the wonkish end of DC's media)

Useful demonstration of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.
Call it the Niall Ferguson effect.

[grumbler]

Politics should be about policy.

Maybe in a Parliamentary system where policies will be passed. Aside from that it's a bit abstract and hypothetical.

But in the US policy's enormously overrated (nothing's more tedious and often wrong than the wonkish end of DC's media). Personality is especially when you're voting for an executive like a Governor or a President. Their character and personality will matter a lot. Whether they just have to deal with a hurricane, a financial crisis or a war, many of those decisions will be made very quickly and very privately. They can assemble a great team of policy thinkers who worry about that. Ultimately what matters is their judgement and related to that their ability to sell and manage.

Even in the UK the reason I voted Labour in 2010 was because of Brown's response to the financial crisis vs Cameron's.

I don't understand why you would think that the personality Brown showed when he presented his policy responses to the financial crisis, compared to the personality traits Cameron demonstrated when he presented his policies in response to the financial crisis, should be more important than the policies themselves.  Personality can be important, but the policies pursued seem almost by definition to be more important.  If a decision implements the wrong policy, it really doesn't matter whether the leader who made it has an engaging personality.

[DGuller]

I'm sure that back in the day, I would've taken issue with some of Hitler's policies, but you can't deny the power of his personality. 

[CountDeMoney]

His camp was still milking Sandy

LOL, "milking" Sandy.  The place is still a disaster zone.