Our one party democracy

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/opinion/09friedman.html?em Our One-Party Democracy
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: September 8, 2009

Watching both the health care and climate/energy debates in Congress, it is hard not to draw the following conclusion: There is only one thing worse than one-party autocracy, and that is one-party democracy, which is what we have in America today.
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One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages. That one party can just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century. It is not an accident that China is committed to overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, energy efficiency, batteries, nuclear power and wind power. China?s leaders understand that in a world of exploding populations and rising emerging-market middle classes, demand for clean power and energy efficiency is going to soar. Beijing wants to make sure that it owns that industry and is ordering the policies to do that, including boosting gasoline prices, from the top down.

Our one-party democracy is worse. The fact is, on both the energy/climate legislation and health care legislation, only the Democrats are really playing. With a few notable exceptions, the Republican Party is standing, arms folded and saying ?no.? Many of them just want President Obama to fail. Such a waste. Mr. Obama is not a socialist; he?s a centrist. But if he?s forced to depend entirely on his own party to pass legislation, he will be whipsawed by its different factions.

Look at the climate/energy bill that came out of the House. Its sponsors had to work twice as hard to produce this breakthrough cap-and-trade legislation. Why? Because with basically no G.O.P. representatives willing to vote for any price on carbon that would stimulate investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, the sponsors had to rely entirely on Democrats ? and that meant paying off coal-state and agriculture Democrats with pork. Thank goodness, it is still a bill worth passing. But it could have been much better ? and can be in the Senate. Just give me 8 to 10 Republicans ready to impose some price on carbon, and they can be leveraged against Democrats who want to water down the bill.

The art of compromise is missing from our political debate and has been missing for some time. Our practice of demonizing those with differing opinions diminishes us all. The media culture sucks us all into this dispiriting type of discussion and I am not better for it.

It's Bush's fault ...... and I'm a moderate republican ashamed of southerners - signed Bob.

what a completely bogus article and an incredibly irresponsible piece. its complete propaganda and provides no proof of any of its political claims and is plain as day ideology. theres so many ways to debunk this its almost unbelievable that the editor would release it. but wait, its not interested in providing information in the least. It is however interested in playing politics. its so wonder why so many in our society are so misinformed on the world around them. and than theres the simple mind that will take this as informative and even perhaps, fact. journalistic malpractice is at an all time high in this country. leave it to the left to take for granted one our greatest freedoms, freedom of the press. playing politics is more important i suppose....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/opinion/09friedman.html?em Our One-Party Democracy
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: September 8, 2009

Watching both the health care and climate/energy debates in Congress, it is hard not to draw the following conclusion: There is only one thing worse than one-party autocracy, and that is one-party democracy, which is what we have in America today.
*
One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages. That one party can just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century. It is not an accident that China is committed to overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, energy efficiency, batteries, nuclear power and wind power. China?s leaders understand that in a world of exploding populations and rising emerging-market middle classes, demand for clean power and energy efficiency is going to soar. Beijing wants to make sure that it owns that industry and is ordering the policies to do that, including boosting gasoline prices, from the top down.

Our one-party democracy is worse. The fact is, on both the energy/climate legislation and health care legislation, only the Democrats are really playing. With a few notable exceptions, the Republican Party is standing, arms folded and saying ?no.? Many of them just want President Obama to fail. Such a waste. Mr. Obama is not a socialist; he?s a centrist. But if he?s forced to depend entirely on his own party to pass legislation, he will be whipsawed by its different factions.

Look at the climate/energy bill that came out of the House. Its sponsors had to work twice as hard to produce this breakthrough cap-and-trade legislation. Why? Because with basically no G.O.P. representatives willing to vote for any price on carbon that would stimulate investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, the sponsors had to rely entirely on Democrats ? and that meant paying off coal-state and agriculture Democrats with pork. Thank goodness, it is still a bill worth passing. But it could have been much better ? and can be in the Senate. Just give me 8 to 10 Republicans ready to impose some price on carbon, and they can be leveraged against Democrats who want to water down the bill.

you lie!

Bob, if you and Thomas like China so much, hop you commie loving @sses on a plane. Not a scientist one has proven global warming exists, so saddling ourselves with a carbon tax is about as sharp as the marbles rolling around inside your head. And centrist is a wishful thinking term used by Obama to sucker you into feeling good about the vote you cast. Wishing Obama would fail...how many Dems sat there for 8 years hating Bush hoping sincerely that he would fail. The man spewed more BS out of his mouth last night painting the rosey colored portrait of how though government has run everything like cr@p in the past, yet healthcare was going to be the time they got it right. Your crowd would suck on a terd popsicle if Obama gave it to you. The euphoria of that played out "hope and change" message has obviously retarded your good judgement and ability to decyfer lies from truth. Your inability to think for yourself is the mental disorder known as Liberalism...which because of that negative stigma surrounding this sad way of thinking has now morphed into the term "Progressive." Your people constantly say how proud of their country they are, yet every elected official on the left's first order of business is the desire to change what has made us great, rather than building on our successes, traditions and principles. You and Thomas can saddle yourselves with as many taxes and losses of freedom as you like. This country was not formed in an aim to become a communist or socialist nation, and your version of America is one in which I have no desire to live in!

Heard that and it dawned on me that we are well on our way to European style democracy. Lets hear it for bigger government, less wealth, double digit unemployment and more whistling, booing and boorish behavior during Presidential speeches. It's enough to make a moderate republican proud.

like i've said, my party abandoned me, not vice versa.

Bob, if you and Thomas like China so much, hop you commie loving @sses on a plane. Not a scientist one has proven global warming exists, so saddling ourselves with a carbon tax is about as sharp as the marbles rolling around inside your head. And centrist is a wishful thinking term used by Obama to sucker you into feeling good about the vote you cast. Wishing Obama would fail...how many Dems sat there for 8 years hating Bush hoping sincerely that he would fail. The man spewed more BS out of his mouth last night painting the rosey colored portrait of how though government has run everything like cr@p in the past, yet healthcare was going to be the time they got it right. Your crowd would suck on a terd popsicle if Obama gave it to you. The euphoria of that played out "hope and change" message has obviously retarded your good judgement and ability to decyfer lies from truth. Your inability to think for yourself is the mental disorder known as Liberalism...which because of that negative stigma surrounding this sad way of thinking has now morphed into the term "Progressive." Your people constantly say how proud of their country they are, yet every elected official on the left's first order of business is the desire to change what has made us great, rather than building on our successes, traditions and principles. You and Thomas can saddle yourselves with as many taxes and losses of freedom as you like. This country was not formed in an aim to become a communist or socialist nation, and your version of America is one in which I have no desire to live in!

Well then you should tell the Democrats to move even further to the left so that you can jump back on board. God save the Queen and the trees at Redfish Village.

hey now, you're telling me to get on a plane, but you say you have no desire to live here. you might want to try mainstream sources of your info instead of csn/savage. it's getting you agitated.

You lie. Also want to add, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.

Our President broke the meter that was counting lies last night, so pipe down.