23 Comments
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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.

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.

bobbert's avatar

Leftist purists, represented by the website Firedoglake.

𝔅𝔢𝔢𝔩𝔷𝔢𝔟𝔲𝔟𝔟𝔞's avatar

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

The Quirk's avatar

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

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.

TundraGrifter's avatar

Nepotism - the other game the whole family can play.

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.

TundraGrifter's avatar

I miss "The Far Side."

TundraGrifter's avatar

Is Calvin taking a pee on something?

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).

Jared James's avatar

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

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.

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>?