And you need to get real on “getting things done”. Getting things done for the sake of getting things done is almost universally a bad thing for this country if Ted Kennedy is for it. Why do you think it is being amped up by the media now? Because their left-wing agenda is not getting implemented like they hoped. Sure, there are some issues we want action on, but action will be slow in coming until there is a solution path that a majority can get behind. Our country is simply too split for “quick” action, and this is certainly nothing new and in fact is how our govt was basically designed to function (re-read my initial post).

The dazzling young phenom out there who is cleaning Clinton’s clock is polling ahead of most if not all Republicans and his stance on illegal immigration makes Juan McAmnesty look like Michael Savage.

Think about that.

People are tired of people who are more interested in making life difficult for the other side, than they are in getting things done..and that cuts both ways.

In fact by throwing a hissy fit in 06, the right pretty much abandoned Bush, so they do not need to be using him to justify their hatred of John McCain today.

I don’t think any fence you build will be good enogh for people like Malkin or Tancredo. I don’t think they really care about illegal immigration so much as they see the issue as a flame thrower. It is useful to them.

No, the last thing the drug dealers and the hardliners want is a solution to this problem. So long as they can sabotage compromise they will. They like things just the way they are.

Rudy is out of the race, but I thought he was a credible candidate much more because of how he turned around a dirty, crime-ridden, financially desperate city with strong dem/liberal opposition, than for what he did in aftermath of 9-11. Point is, it can happen and based on the rhetoric, we’ve been heard. We’ll see …

There will never, ever be a fence, for example. The drug cartels would never stand for it. It would take millions of dollars to build one and a few hundred bucks to destroy it. I like the “virtual fence” idea because there is nothing for the drug cartels to blow up or punch holes into. Use UAVs, electronic sensors, and other technology to watch the border. And that way the border people can conveniently look the other way when the drug shipments come across.

The illicit drugs business is literally billions of dollars. Spending a couple of million to protect billions isn’t such a bad cost of business.

Consider the 2006 congress. What if they had been successful implementing their agenda when they took control? Since this didn’t happen, the activist far-left wing remains angry and amped, but the rest of the country are probably content they’ve been stymied on Iraq, FISA-surveillance, Patriot Act, etc.
On other issues, there’s enough popular support and/or urgency that govt action does happen, and even quickly at times (e.g., Afghanistan War, original Patriot Act, the current economic stimulus package). Something like the minimum wage increase reflects an issue with enough support to get implemented, but a strong enough opposition to limit the amount; most people were reasonably content with this outcome.

The current volume of discontent traces back to 2000 for the left, and to the undoing of the GOP majority for the right. We all know about BDS, and until “W” leaves office anything he is for or tries to enact will be met with loud and knee-jerk opposition. And much of this opposition has been amped up by a liberal/dem biased MSM. On the right, the run-away spending, illegal immigration, too few conservative judges, growing entitlements, and congressional scandals were some of the drivers for rising frustration.
And what about those in the middle? Well, they hear non-stop partisan attacks from both sides. On some issues they may lean left, others right, but all that seems to happen is attacks hurled and political posturing. All the while, the media is only too happy to play this anger up.

For those like myself, a common-sense conservative, I was generally pleased with what got done during Bush’s tenure. Obviously, I wanted more in some areas (judges, stopping/slowing illegals) and less in others (spending, entitlements). But, the thing that has me angered is how the GOP congress fell prey to the corrupting influences of power & money, thus squandering chances to get more things accomplished and allowing the dems to re-gain control with the potential to enact some long-term damaging, liberal and lefty policies. Not surprising, the dem congress hasn’t learned a thing and continues earmarking and borderline ethical practices. This, no doubt, is the one area (corruption, scandal) that unites from across the political spectrum.

I’ll wrap this up with illegal immigration. Most are frutrated or angered that no legislation has been passed to address this issue. While I want our govt to stop the onrush of illegal aliens flooding our country, I am glad that the McCain-Kennedy bill was not passed because I think it was a lousy bill that would have made the problem worse. While no legislation has been passed, there have been some incremental measures to improve border security. And with most of the candidates singing the same tune on the priority of border security, I think the debate/solution space has improved. So, in this instance, voters are frustrated that no legislation has been enacted, but the flip side is a bad bill (or one perceived bad by many) did not get implemented. This is an important issue, and eventually the popular will is pushing the political class to come to a more comprehensive solution (not the fake comprehensive measure in McCain-Kennedy) that most can live with. Of course, this outcome is not a certainty, and I’m less confident with dems in control (the GOP’ers learned too late). But there has been a loud enough outcry in local districts across the country that I’m cautiously optimistic.

The press and the blogs are deeply innumerate and incapable of interpreting simple voting data. For instance:

1. Kansas – 1.6 million Reg. voters| Rep. primary turnout?

Geesh, what a way to display the “can’t do” attitude! No wonder she doesn’t get anything done!

To hell with the rest of us. I think the reason Bush’s numbers are not as bad as some is that a lot of people think the president does care about the country. They are not sure about some of the rest of these people.

CP, when the Democrats campaigned back in November 2006 that they would clean up the corruption, I knew that they would not change.

Both parties have failed to keep their promises to us. Remember Newt’s 1994 Contract to America? Have they honored that contract to America since? I don’t think so.

I think Bush is the ONLY one that managed to keep MOST of his promises to us in the last twenty years.

congratulations on your new appointment to the FUMING party. HA!

Merlin, we watched for 4 years now as hyper-partisans on the left and right could not do anything but torpedo each other. Failed GOP Congress followed by a failed Dem Congress….

Yeah, watch and learn how good folks like Leiberman and Warner and Bush pull together to solve problems (imperfectly as is always the case) and you will see how zero-sum results in zero-support and some progress results in opportunities of more progress.

LOL! The exaggerations left and right are becoming ludicrous and silly.

Now some seem willing to just do something even if it’s wrong.

Fine I will watch all the lemmings run as they must to the altar of compromise and see the new cooperations as Reid and Pelosi are enabled to get about 85% of what they wanted to start with.

But it’s going to be progress I tell you! Movement will be done!