Are things going too far?

[junior chįmp]

I kinda think I see where liberals are coming from. They believe the country elected Bill Clinton twice, then elected Al Gore, then Bush won (but should have never been there), then the country twice elected Obama and then a year and a half ago elected Hillary Clinton.

They believe the country is more left than right. That the only reason the Supreme Court is right is because of George W. Bush and Donald Trump putting Alito, Roberts, Gorsuch and another conservative on the courts, and that those should have been Al Gore and Hillary Clinton (or Obama) appointments.

See, this type of arrogance drives me nuts. You say all that, but then your party fails to even recognize mandates for Democrats when they do win elections. I'll never forget 2008, when the Republicans lost the popular vote AND electoral college, and then proceeded to act like the Obama administration had no legitimacy, and were determined to do everything possible to make it a one term anomaly. And then people like you have the gall say that its people like me who just want to cover their ears and ignore the accomplishments and actions of Republican administrations. Honestly Reaganfan, you are part of the problem.

He’ll never see it.

One of the qualities of being a Republican today is a complete disregard of all fact when it does not fit their worldview. Everything is fake news or in some way just didn’t happen.

What are "mandates" and where, exactly, do they come from?  That's not snark; that's a serious question.

There's no such thing as a presidential mandate. Lopsided election results or even slim victories are mostly the result of circumstances out of either parties control. (economic downturn, unforeseen circumstances, changing demographics, bogged down in some war, etc..)

For more info see Robert Dahl's Myth of the Presidential Mandate

Also see number 4 in this article: Ten Things Political Scientists Know that You Don’t

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[junior chįmp]

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but when did Republicans question the actual legitimacy of Obama's victories? They may have sought to minimize his political footprint, but that's what the opposition does in politics.

Frankly, I'm getting sick of hearing that Republicans obstructed Obama from Day 1. Dems took control of the White House, the Congress, and the Senate in January 2009. If Republicans were able to do so much damage while they held no power, then that's on the Dems. It seems the only thing Dems accomplished in those two years was to piss America off, and the proof in the pudding is that Republicans won a resounding victory in 2010. You can canonize Obama all you want, but the fact is that he oversaw every federal and state body of government go from Dem-controlled to Republican-controlled over his eight years.

And as far as 2016 goes...if the Democratic Party is such the inevitable colossus that this board makes it out to be, then maybe, just MAYBE they would've won the NPV by more than two points and the PV/EV split wouldn't have been an issue.

Fact check: False!

The Republicans actually planned to obstruct Obama BEFORE he was even inaugurated.

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[junior chįmp]

Republicans could've planned anything they wanted...they had no power. How did a party that controlled the White House and 59% of both houses of Congress manage to let Republicans "obstruct" them?

Easy. Because Democrats are weak and they believe in that pie-in-the-sky theory that there's a purple America and that its possible to engage in bipartisanship with the GOP.

[junior chįmp]

Republicans could've planned anything they wanted...they had no power. How did a party that controlled the White House and 59% of both houses of Congress manage to let Republicans "obstruct" them?

Easy. Because Democrats are weak and they believe in that pie-in-the-sky theory that there's a purple America and that its possible to engage in bipartisanship with the GOP.

Then you should be angrier with the Dems than the Republicans. They were given a government monopoly on a silver platter and they blew it.

Fact check: True!

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There is no and there has never been bipartisanship in American politics. (unless the legislation at hand doesn't benefit either party) Unless dire circumstances force differing sides to put their ideology aside then the political side that dominates the narrative calls the shots. During the New Deal days, Republicans had to vote for liberal policies to ensure their electoral viability. After the Reagan realignment...Democrats (especially during the Clintoon years) had to do the same. The problem with people like Obama, Schumer, Pelosi, etc... is that they think the GOP is interested in bipartisanship....just lol, nope. As long as obstruction, treason, and borderline criminal activity give you electoral victories then theres no reason to stop.