23 Comments
User's avatar
Vienna Woods's avatar

Oliver Cromwell?

Expand full comment
Vienna Woods's avatar

Ahem. Civics teacher here. A democracy is any country with an elected body making the laws. A republic is a democracy with an elected head of state. Thus, Canada is a democracy but not a republic. The United States is both.

Expand full comment
bobbert's avatar

I take it as given that Harry Reid knows more about politics than you or I do.

I disagree with his clearly-held position that the concept of the filibuster (Senatorial privilege) should remain intact, with occasional threats of the nuclear option to dislodge specific Repubic obstruction.

OTOH, I think it's pretty obvious that he reflects the views of most of the Democratic Senate caucus (Hint: He's Majority Leader). So, if we want to make major changes to the filibuster rules, we have to elect different Senators.

Other than the filibuster/privilege rules, I'm pretty happy with Harry. There's a reason that the teabaggers like to vilify Reid and Pelosi, along with Bamz. The reason is, Reid and Pelosi are damn good at politics.

Expand full comment
bobbert's avatar

Leftist purists, represented by the website Firedoglake.

Expand full comment
𝔅𝔢𝔢𝔩𝔷𝔢𝔟𝔲𝔟𝔟𝔞's avatar

I'm <i>so</i> going to steal that.

Expand full comment
The Quirk's avatar

Where's that Chinese student Democracy protester when we need him?

Expand full comment
TundraGrifter's avatar

Rep. Chris Van Hollen or a young James Caan?

Meanwhile, another version of the game: TEGWAR - The Exciting Game Without Any Rules.

Expand full comment
TundraGrifter's avatar

Or was it a Snit?

Expand full comment
TundraGrifter's avatar

Nepotism - the other game the whole family can play.

Expand full comment
TundraGrifter's avatar

There were huge economic forces at play, as well. Slavery, of course, was the backbone of the economy of the Southern States. The North had an industrial-manufacturing base open to import taxes to protect itself (unlike the South, that had to import everything except cotton, tobacco and indigo).

There is a powerful argument the War was over slavery - not to free the slaves, but between the two economies, one of which had slavery as its foundation.

Expand full comment
TundraGrifter's avatar

I miss "The Far Side."

Expand full comment
TundraGrifter's avatar

Is Calvin taking a pee on something?

Expand full comment
Incoming Ham's avatar

Can you imagine if the democrats tried to do this? There would be republican gnashing of teeth and tearing of clothes (some interns, not their own).

Expand full comment
Jared James's avatar

[Obligatory "you know who <i>else</i> liked rules?" joke.]

Expand full comment
Jared James's avatar

Of course they understand how fundamentally repugnant to the concept of a constitution their authoritarian rule is; they also trust the rest of us not to.

Expand full comment
Lot_49's avatar

How much do we miss "Calvin and Hobbes"? How much do we respect Bill Watterson for never selling his creation out to Disney or whoever? And for fighting with newspapers to secure adequate page space for his <a href="http:\/\/images1.fanpop.com\/images\/photos\/1300000\/Calvin-and-Hobbes-calvin-and-hobbes-1395531-1024-768.jpg" target="_blank">art</a>? And for quitting when he exhausted the possibilities?

And for <a href="http:\/\/www.strangehorizons.com\/2006\/20060313\/verbing_weirds_language.gif" target="_blank">this</a>?

Expand full comment