Our Democracy Is at Stake (Smell the Fear of the Lying Left Alert)

NY Slimes ^ | 10/1/2013 | Tom "Bubble Boy" Friedman

[mojito]

This time is different. What is at stake in this government shutdown forced by a radical Tea Party minority is nothing less than the principle upon which our democracy is based: majority rule. President Obama must not give in to this hostage taking — not just because Obamacare is at stake, but because the future of how we govern ourselves is at stake.

What we’re seeing here is how three structural changes that have been building in American politics have now, together, reached a tipping point — creating a world in which a small minority in Congress can not only hold up their own party but the whole government. And this is the really scary part: The lawmakers doing this can do so with high confidence that they personally will not be politically punished, and may, in fact, be rewarded. When extremists feel that insulated from playing by the traditional rules of our system, if we do not defend those rules — namely majority rule and the fact that if you don’t like a policy passed by Congress, signed by the president and affirmed by the Supreme Court then you have to go out and win an election to overturn it; you can’t just put a fiscal gun to the country’s head — then our democracy is imperiled.

[skimbell]

"He supports majority rule? Really?"

Yeah, how's the majority rule that wants obamacare gone playing out?

[MEGoody]

The Dems are the ones who forced this shut down.

The Pubs sent a budget that funded everything but Obamacare. The Dems rejected it.

The Pubs sent an alternative proposal that funded everything but delayed Obamacare by a year. The Dems reject it.

The Pubs sent yet another proposal to fund everything but require Congress to terminate its Obamacare waiver. The Dems rejected it.

The Pubs sent emergency funding bill for military paychecks, the VA, the parks, and something else I can't remember. The Dems rejected all but the military paychecks bill.

This is NOT a Republican shut down.

[onedoug]

It’s obvious that this Freidman character has never read the Constitution.

High sounding nincompoop.

[mrsmel]

But a muzzie shooting up people at Fort Hood is just “workplace violence”.

[mojito]

...we have had Tyranny imposed on us by our own NINE SUPREMES....

Correction: by four communists and the traitor Roberts.

[Blood of Tyrants]

First, we do not have a democracy. We have a representative republic.

[nathanbedford]

Tom Friedman demands rigid adherence to "traditional" ways of governing which favor a man who always intended to "fundamentally transform" America.

Tom Friedman wants undeviating adherence to the last election but makes no mention of article 1 section 7, "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives…"

Tom Friedman wants undeviating adherence to the last election except when he doesn't as when it occurs in places like Colorado where the people spoke out against the very thing that Friedman rails against, the people's representatives isolated from the will of the people doing their own will. Suddenly, Friedman wants the will of the people to be ignored and the predilections of the state legislators upheld. To compound his error, Friedman blames the recall election on outside money when in fact it is the Democrats who flooded the zone with outside money, but lost.

Friedman declares, "if democracy means anything, it means that, if you are outvoted, you accept the results and prepare for the next election." Yet we hear not a word of protest out of Friedman when Obama rewrites Obamacare to favor his cronies and sues himself. Where, Mr. Friedman, is adherence to the last election done here? Friedman wants democracy respected but only where it suits him. The same a democracy that reelected Brack Obama elected the Republicans in the House of Representatives who declined to fund Obamacare. Evidently, democracy is only democracy at the time, place and manner to Tom Friedman's liking.

Friedman insists on democracy but only when he wants it. He claims that the Republicans are committing extortion by saying go along with us and you will get the money. But if Friedman were really interested in democracy he would advocate that the Senate Democrats accept the Republican continuing resolution to fund all the government but Obamacare and then move a Bill through The House and the Senate funding Obamacare so that democracy can speak about whether or not to have Obamacare. Apparently, it is only democracy at exquisitely precise points in time that are, according to Tom Friedman, really Democratic.

Friedman says that Obamacare should be followed because it was upheld by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is inherently an undemocratic institution and its only justification for deciding these affairs is because that procedure is provided for, at least by implication, in the Constitution. Apparently some parts of the Constitution are more important to Mr. Friedman than others including the part that says, "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives…"

[KittenClaws]

What is at stake in this government shutdown forced by a radical Tea Party minority is nothing less than the principle upon which our democracy is based: majority rule

---

What an idiot. How many times must it be pointed out that we are a Representative Republic and eschew “Mob” rule?

[Hojczyk]

How much are the minority collecting on welfare..both white and black

[Hardastarboard]

When extremists feel that insulated from playing by the traditional rules of our system, if we do not defend those rules — namely majority rule and the fact that if you don’t like a policy passed by Congress, signed by the president and affirmed by the Supreme Court then you have to go out and win an election to overturn it; you can’t just put a fiscal gun to the country’s head — then our democracy is imperiled.

He's talking about immigration laws here, right? Right?

[DannyTN]

"a small minority in Congress can not only hold up their own party but the whole government. "

No, majority still rules the House. A small minority is not holding up their own party. A small minority is LEADING their party to do what their party constituents want.

"When extremists feel that insulated from playing by the traditional rules of our system, if we do not defend those rules — namely majority rule and the fact that if you don’t like a policy passed by Congress, signed by the president and affirmed by the Supreme Court then you have to go out and win an election to overturn it; you can’t just put a fiscal gun to the country’s head — then our democracy is imperiled."

The so-called extremists are playing by the rules. And they did win elections. A majority in the house don't want Obamacare. This legislation never had the legitimacy that you ascribe to it. The Democrats passed a bill that they hadn't even read, and that the people weren't in favor of, and many of Democrats had to have their arm twisted to do it.

[griswold3]

Remind those saying ‘we’ had an election, that WE had an election, too. The House of Representatives is doing just that...Representing!

[CSM]

“What is at stake in this government shutdown forced by a radical Tea Party minority is nothing less than the principle upon which our democracy is based: majority rule.”

No need to read beyond this admission that they completely and utterly disregard the constitution! They are admitting that they have no concern for the individual, his liberty nor his freedom. It is all about two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch!

This is also an admission that they MUST increase the population that is reliant on the government, so that they can be cajoled into supporting an every growing, ever centralizing heavy handed, iron fisted federal government.

Reminds me of Goebles.....

[CSM]

Majority rule is great, except in California with regards to homo marriage or in the case of abortion. Other than that it is great!

[2ndDivisionVet]

When did we become a democracy in the first place?

[a fool in paradise]

This time is different. What is at stake in this government shutdown forced by a radical Tea Party minority is nothing less than the principle upon which our democracy is based: majority rule.

MAJORITY of the people do not want to be under Obamacare and the exemptions prove it.

"They gonna put YOU (back) in chains!"

[Jacquerie]

Mark Levin admits to being at a loss to describe our system of government, other than to say we are post-constitutional.

What is certain is that prior to the 17th Amendment, we were a federal republic. Post 17th, it is not inaccurate to say we became a democratic republic, and for practical purposes by WWII, not much different from a democracy.

As of late, our government has become consolidated, with little regard as to who makes the law. We chafe under oppressive made-up law from scotus, and especially despotic regulations from executive's administrative agencies.

What a mess. It is time to reexamine and reform the structure of our government before it consumes us.

[IronJack]

You can't really say we're a democracy. If we were, things like homo "marriage" and obabacare would not exist. The People never supported such trash.

We are ruled by a gaggle of self-absorbed elitists who have decided on a course of action, and are going to implement their agenda regardless of what The People want. They have to do it subtly enough to avoid an all-out revolution, so they continually test our pain points to see just how much sh_t we'll eat.

To our eternal discredit, we've eaten a pantload already. So it's no surprise that they keep feeding us more.

I don't know WHAT form of government you'd call THAT ...

[Blood of Tyrants]

IT is certainly true that we are post-constitutional. All three branches of government do pretty much anything they want, laws and Constitution be damned. Obama has performed hundreds of impeachable offenses, Congress thinks the Constitution gives the authority to make us do anything they want, and the courts make up bizarre and tortured logic for their rulings. We need a huge RESET button.

[Gene Eric]

Tom “Bubble Boy” Friedman is truly an idiot. Or a damn liar.