The Winter Of America's Discontent: Voters Fed Up With Both Parties

LA Times:

It has been more than four decades since the Congress of the United States has been able to summon the will to pass a major piece of social legislation. Not since 1965, when Medicare and the Voting Rights Act both overcame decades of opposition to become law, has Congress proved itself up to the task.

Read the whole story: LA Times

Comments

[gevan]

05:32 PM on 02/08/2010

1965? Hmmm, Democrats had two-thirds majorities in both houses back then. I guess we need 67 Senators and 290 House members again. Then the bluedogs can squeek all they want to.

[robeson]

11:58 AM on 02/08/2010

There is really only one party, the corporate party. The only difference is in the amount of corruption and greed. Sen. Conrad said it best at the beginning of the health care debate. With a industry consultant by his side, he answered why single payer would not be discussed, because "they don't vote in the Senate". He could have added that they don't pay as well.

[bryanzth]

11:35 AM on 02/08/2010

Yeah, don't vote or vote non-Democratic, that is what the GOPers want.

Better be danged sure that the GOPers are so splintered that they look like a pile of toothpicks.

BZ.

[LORISNJ]

11:12 AM on 02/08/2010

Huff - please don't quote from A Tale of Two Cities - that led to the French Revolution - the Tea Baggers don't need new ideas.

[quorthon]

11:00 AM on 02/08/2010

Every other industrialized nation has a multi-party system. Time will tell whether this voter 'anger' will translate into real change, or further polarization.

[jerryatthebeach]

07:19 AM on 02/08/2010

We may be Fed up, but we will stick with centrist Republicans...

[quorthon]

10:58 AM on 02/08/2010

There are still centrist Republicans?

[gevan]

05:29 PM on 02/08/2010

Yep, center of the looney bin.

[RTIII]

04:10 PM on 02/15/2010

He's referring to the Democrats, of course; there is no left in the USA.
.

[BocaMom]

01:32 AM on 02/08/2010

That's because the White House and both Houses of Congress have done absolutely nothing for the past year to help the economy and the 15 million unemployed Americans. Throw all the bums out!

[exPatPatti]

06:35 AM on 02/08/2010

You don't get out much, do you?

[quorthon]

10:57 AM on 02/08/2010

I guess that explains my new home-buyer stimulus?

[eahce]

10:18 PM on 02/07/2010

After a long deep sleep americans are finally waking up to find their country has been hijacked by corporations, the MIC and greedy self serving politicians who don't give a damn about their constituents.

[Poorsarah]

11:33 PM on 02/07/2010

I knew this was happening even back in Tricky Dick Nixon's tenure.

[eahce]

11:51 AM on 02/08/2010

Yes and finally the citizenry is waking up, it was a very deep sleep.

[Chapmanp2]

08:55 PM on 02/07/2010

Is it time for a common sense party yet???

[porsche996]

08:19 PM on 02/07/2010

The SCOTUS has made it somewhat easier for us...next election we just vote for the Brand we like and relate to....none of this personalities stuff just vote the straight consumer party.....or Financial Services or Defense Industry ticket.....

[porsche996]

08:15 PM on 02/07/2010

Finally!!!!!!!

Some MSM outlet printing the unmitigated unspun truth....we're hatin on all y'all....

We need at least a two party system...not just one big party pretending to have differences of opinion.....

Trow da bums out...all of dem......start over.

[TxAnna]

07:40 PM on 02/07/2010

This was, of course, the real message from MA. However, it doesn't seem that either of the two major parties got it. For myself, I will be looking for someone without a "D" or "R" by their name in the next election and if no one is running, then I won't vote. Why should I exercise myself to go vote for a "D" or an "R" when neither does anything for We the People? As far as I can tell, my vote is wasted either way so why bother! I suggest that We the People get serious about the movement for a Constitutional Convention to get control of our electoral process so that we can begin to get good candidates and elected representatives again.

[gevan]

05:41 PM on 02/08/2010

I think the new Senator from Massachusetts has an "R" next to his name, no? If the Bay Staters didn't think much of the stalled legislation before the Congress on health care reform, could it have been because they already have a state system and didn't think they should pay for another? As for the deficits; the Federal Government has to spend money to take up the slack when no one else is doing it or else the whole economy collapses. Is that what the GOP would prefer? Just because they want Obama to fail?

[thrdr]

05:31 PM on 02/07/2010

Third part or indie.

[frappe]

02:10 PM on 02/07/2010

We most definitely are fed up with BOTH parties. If the Republicans think that they will win by default if the Democrats fail to pass needed reforms, they are so sorely mistaken. By the time the elections come around, people will clearly understand that the Republican party is overwhelmingly responsible for the mess that it now accuses President Obama of not fixing. Such disgusting hypocrisy....And let's not forget that the Republican party openly embraces SPECIAL INTERESTS and would do absolutely nothing in terms of reforms to control their inordinate political power that they control through what amounts to a legally sanctioned system of bribery. (And the conservative Supreme Court only made this situation much, much worse....America is heading down into a deep, dark spiral unless this ruling is reversed.)

[swift goat pet for truth]

02:01 PM on 02/07/2010

Unfortunately SOMEBODY has to govern the country.

[thrdr]

05:34 PM on 02/07/2010

But why does it have to be this set of ugly twins?