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Presidential Candidates Make Empty Promises to the Gullible

Gridlock to continue regardless of which candidate is elected president in November.

I have to laugh as I watch the presidential candidates making empty promises about what they will do when elected or re-elected, as if they have free reign and shall serve as Emperor ... and many cheer them on, seeming to believe that their platitudes will become reality. Forget it!

The American people consistently vote for divided government, rarely providing control of the executive and legislative branches to one party. This is a formula for gridlock in today's hyper-partisan environment, in which most members of Congress vote to do what is politically expedient rather than what is appropriate for the good of the general public.


What are the chances that Republicans or Democrats will control the House and Senate and have a president of their party in the Oval Office on Jan. 20 2013?  History and current events tells us that it is extremely slim.

Even when the Democrats controlled the White House, the House and Senate for Barack Obama's first two years, they were unable to come together on legislation, not even demonstrating the ability to approve a budget!

I wonder if the American people are aware that the country currently continues to operate with no federal budget, rather with continuing resolutions that repeatedly extend temporary lifelines to avoid government shutdown. This has not stopped the spending spree, however; we continue to incur annual deficits in excess of $1 trillion and are spending $1 trillion more per year than we did in 2007, amounts which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Anyone that believes that the federal government will be able to operate efficiently no matter who is president next year is naive. Most of those who serve in Congress do not care about us; their interest is in continuing to feed at the public trough for the compensation, benefits, and power that they derive from it.

The nation is burning, folks, and those who purport to represent us are stoking the flames.

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William McCloskey October 8, 2012 at 02:00 pm
... how is it helpful to call voters naive and gullible?
Mike October 8, 2012 at 02:02 pm
Exactly! I want you to see my point of view, even though you're gullible and naive. What a sales pitch!
John Linko October 8, 2012 at 03:03 pm
I agree with you that who is President is largely immaterial so long as Congress remains dysfunctional. As you appear to be from the Upper St Clair area, I'd like to solicit your input on Rep. Murphy. My municipality was just added to his district and I'm kind of unfamiliar. Thanks.
Oren Spiegler October 8, 2012 at 04:48 pm
Thank you, Mr. McCloskey, for the note and for the courage to state your full name and have your photo appear in this medium which is dominated by Mr. and Ms anonymous. I did not mean for this comment to be offensive, but obviously it was. Your point is well-taken.
Oren Spiegler October 8, 2012 at 04:58 pm
Thank you, Mr Linko. I have been an Upper Saint Clair resident for more than ten years. My impression of Representative Murphy is that he is a disingenuous individual that will adopt the position which he believes is most likely to garner him votes, someone who seeks to have it both ways. He proclaims his Republican credentials as primary elections approach, but plays both sides of the street at other times.
He engaged in a stunt a couple of years ago which I shall never forget in which he feigned outrage over the League of Women Voters not opening a debate with the Pledge of Allegiance, something which is rarely done at such events unless requested in advance. His timing was interesting; precisely such a protestation had occurred in another part of the country in the days preceding the local event, and was covered on Fox News. Murphy is likely to use the advantage of the incumbency to return to his position in January.
Tim October 8, 2012 at 07:46 pm
I don't think the comment was offensive. Most of the voters simply repeat the rhetoric of their favorite candidates. The :10 sound bite is gospel. Gone are the days when voters took the time to research the candidates to find out who best aligned with their true values.
Speaking of :10 sound bites...is it me or does every political ad identify the candidate's opponent as a deficit-increasing, job outscourcing, no-good do-nothing? In the many campaigns both candidates are using the same lines against each other. That tells me the campaigns are relying on 'hot-button' catch phrases their research has indicated with resonate with the voters...alas...naive and ill-informed we are as they try to pull the wool over our eyes. Time to take back America. Don't fall for the political operatives nonsense...check out the candidates and make up your own mind.
William McCloskey October 9, 2012 at 01:44 pm
... didn't consider the remarks "offensive" so much as naive in their own way. You and I both are gullible compared to some individuals. It's just a fact of American life that our political system operates at the lowest common denominator and that outrageous claims and attack ads often DO work in politics. Couldn't agree with you more on Patch's failing to require real, full-name attribution for published comments.
Erin Conners October 9, 2012 at 03:38 pm
Do you think this falling for the :10 sound bite is at least partially due to the American people no longer really having a candidate that they can believe in? When one does not have a candidate they can support, they are forced to fully sink their teeth into the opposition, having to believe everything terrible about that candidate in order to justify voting for someone that is sub par.
It is just a thought. I could certainly be wrong.
Erin Conners October 9, 2012 at 03:43 pm
I would also add to your comment that it is time to stop falling for the Democratic and Republican operatives nonsense and demand candidates outside of the parties that we all know have been bought and paid for by the same financial interests that are entangled with government. We do not have to choose between the two candidates with the most money behind them, but we do every time. Now, there could be other reasons for this and there is probably no real solution here because as Oren Spiegler pointed out, most of us are so easily swayed.
Oren Spiegler October 9, 2012 at 09:23 pm
Thank you, friend. You are absolutely right. Most citizens do not begin to pay attention to a presidential election until the October preceding it, if then, and at that point, they are vulnerable to what they hear in brief messages and in "hit" pieces like the anti-State Representative Matt Smith mailing I received today (one in a series). If negative ads and distortion did not work, they would not continue to be presented to us. They do not work for me. When a candidate or his or her party degenerate into unabashed slime-slinging, I will not vote for the individual. Other countries do not allow the amount of money into the political sphere that we do. Dr. James Winer, noted natural healing expert who appears on local radio 35 1/2 hours per week, quoted an individual who said that in France, the government is afraid of the people, and that it is the opposite here: food for thought. I do not endorse making our country France by any means, but there are facets of life and health there that are superior. If we believe that the Democrats or the Republicans will always act for the common good and bring us salvation, we are sadly mistaken.
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