Extremist Senators

[Harlan Huckleby]

A handful of conservative posters are adamant in rejecting the notion that the U.S. Senate is strongly centrist. I'd really like to read their list of Senators from the right wing that they would label "extremist." This should be damn interesting. RetailGuy, Bobblehead, AynRand: let her rip.


(The U.S. House is very different, plenty of people on the fringe of both the Democratic and Republican parties spring-up in the many safe congressional districts.)

[bobblehead]

I reject the centrist label outright, the senate is more LIBERAL than the house so your premise is flawed from the start....not uncommon.

Problem is that liberals like yourself define liberal as centrist and conservative as radical right out of the gate....you also consider bi-partisan to mean republicans caving to the policies of the left, but would never call 20 democratic senators voting to drill in anwar bi-partisan.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I reject the centrist label outright, the senate is more LIBERAL than the house so your premise is flawed from the start....not uncommon.

Problem is that liberals like yourself define liberal as centrist and conservative as radical right out of the gate....you also consider bi-partisan to mean republicans caving to the policies of the left, but would never call 20 democratic senators voting to drill in anwar bi-partisan.

Your rant of old canards and generalizations is predictable. I take it you are conceding that there are no "extremist" right wingers in the Senate, so you resort to calling the Senate a liberal institution, which allows for some "extremists" on the left.

The Republicans have controlled the House and Senate for most of the last 20 years, so suggesting Congress inherently is left or right is plain ignorance.

Look, this discussion began when some knee-jerk partisians thoughtlessly claimed that Senate voting records, as interpreted by advocacy groups, can show Joe Biden to be an "extremist." I just made the OBVIOUS point that extremists are rare in the Senate, and a Senator who votes along party lines is not necessarily extremist.

[bobblehead]

The Republicans have controlled the House and Senate for most of the last 20 years, so suggesting Congress inherently is left or right is plain ignorance.

Huh?? rewriting history again. First you tell me it was the democrats that pushed thru civil rights, now the republicans have been in control for 20 years. What was that republican revolution thing 12 years ago all about then...you know, where they got control of house and senate for the first time in 40 years?

[Harlan Huckleby]

The congress closely reflects the politics of the country.

I was really trying to avoid the issue of whether the House or the Senate is liberal/conservative. That is irrelevant, it fluxuates. The argument is over distribution, and you don't want to concede the obvious truth that extremists, as judged by the mood of the country, do not pop-up in the Senate very often, the fringy people are almost entirely in the House.

Give a list of extremist, right-wing Senators, and maybe you got a leg to stand on.

Call the left-leaning Senators "extremist" is just an irrational cheap shot.

[bobblehead]

I reject the centrist label outright, the senate is more LIBERAL than the house so your premise is flawed from the start....not uncommon.

Problem is that liberals like yourself define liberal as centrist and conservative as radical right out of the gate....you also consider bi-partisan to mean republicans caving to the policies of the left, but would never call 20 democratic senators voting to drill in anwar bi-partisan.

Your rant of old canards and generalizations is predictable. I take it you are conceding that there are no "extremist" right wingers in the Senate, so you resort to calling the Senate a liberal institution, which allows for some "extremists" on the left.

The Republicans have controlled the House and Senate for most of the last 20 years, so suggesting Congress inherently is left or right is plain ignorance.

Look, this discussion began when some knee-jerk partisians thoughtlessly claimed that Senate voting records, as interpreted by advocacy groups, can show Joe Biden to be an "extremist." I just made the OBVIOUS point that extremists are rare in the Senate, and a Senator who votes along party lines is not necessarily extremist.

I have no idea how you define extremists republicans? You mean guys against big government and tax hikes...sure, there are plenty of those. You mean guys beholden to the oil companies? there are some of those too I'm sure.

I'm not sure what you mean about "Your rant of old canards and generalizations is predictable" but you sure sound really smart and that is all that matters to the left...education over accomplishment right? I didn't speak any generalizations at all, I very specifically stated my opinion, I can back it with certain facts. Like this. Most every bill that the house sends to the senate ends up about 10% higher in spending. You call that centrist, I call it leftist.

[Harlan Huckleby]

You, personally, are just to the right of the average american. That's all there is to it. So you want to label the centrists "liberal" and the liberals "extremists."

Same thing goes for Kiwon, Ayn Rand, and I suppose for RetailGal.

[SkinBasket]

You, personally, are just to the right of the average american. That's all there is to it. So you want to label the centrists "liberal" and the liberals "extremists."

Ah, Harlan, Prince of Double Standards and Duke of the Isle of Tard. When bobblehead uses this argument, you make accusations of old canards and generalizations. Then you turn around and use it 4 posts later. That isn't very sporting of you.

[The Leaper]

Obama and Biden are extremely liberal. Anyone with half a brain can figure that out.

One comes from the poor neighborhoods of Chicago and the other is a Northeast elite.

It just pisses the liberals off that the GOP nominee for once actually is more of a mainstream politician than their guy, and is using that mantra against them. They aren't quite sure what to make of it yet.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Still waiting for the extremist republicans.

[bobblehead]

Still waiting for the extremist republicans.

I'm still waiting for a definition....like what policies make one extreme republican, then I can answer it, I'm sure there are some.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Still waiting for the extremist republicans.

I'm still waiting for a definition....like what policies make one extreme republican, then I can answer it, I'm sure there are some.

What makes an extreme democrat?

[SkinBasket]

What makes an extreme democrat?

Well, in an effort to further this enlightening debate, I googled "Xtreme democrat." Because, really, whats more extreme than Xtreme?

Well this is what the internet tells me is an extreme democrat:



There. Now you guys have something to work with.

[Freak Out]

What makes an extreme democrat?

Well, in an effort to further this enlightening debate, I googled "Xtreme democrat." Because, really, whats more extreme than Xtreme?

Well this is what the internet tells me is an extreme democrat:



There. Now you guys have something to work with.

That should be enough to get Tex to jump the fence over to the lefty side.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

I tried the same thing for extreme repubs.