Comments (28) (Please sign in to comment)

1. 

   Uncle Joe said, 4 months ago

   Apparently, this one is so true that it left the usual suspects speechless.
2. 

   Radish said, 4 months ago

   There are still plenty of mean people as some of our commenters prove daily.
3. 

   lifebyc said, 4 months ago

   What does Ted like? Honest question. I share his frustration. I voted for Gary Johnson. He wins Pulitzers bashing everybody. What/whom does he like? Support? Are you reading comments today, Ted? Thank you.
4. 

   braindead08 said, 4 months ago

   Besides homage to Grover Norquist’s no tax increases on the wealthy, what are them cherished Republican principles again?
5. 

   mickey1339 said, 4 months ago

   “Starving our government?”
   

   
   If you tried to fit our government spending on a BMI type scale they would have to invent new categories for the present government spending…
6. 

   Ted Rall said, 4 months ago

   @lifebyc I like street protests. Direct action. Revolutions. I like electoral democracy when it represents a wide swath of the public, is responsive to the needs of the people, and doesn’t just become a system of sinecures for privileged elites who turned politics into a lifetime career.

   In the United States, I hate electoral democracy. The two-party system is a joke. The Republicans are evil right-wing idiots trying to drag us back into the 18th century. The Democrats are slightly less evil slightly less right-wing somewhat smarter cynics who know better but refuse to act like it or do anything about making the country a better place.

   The third parties are pretty useless. Many of them have ideas that I find appealing, especially the Greens and to a lesser extent the Libertarians, but their only purpose is to serve to legitimize an illegitimate two-party system. No third party is allowed to participate in the system. They’re not allowed to participate in the debates, they are blocked by ballot access rules from appearing on the ballots in most places, corporate media refuses to cover them or invite them on to discuss the issues, and so they are nothing more than useless idiots brought on to serve as window dressing for a fake democratic system.

   So what do I like? I like thinking for myself, I like people who do the same, I like people who don’t think that voting has anything to do with politics. Politics is what you do and talk about with your friends and your neighbors and your coworkers or your fellow unemployed people and it’s about picking up a sign and protesting the bastards who are making everything worse for most of us and occasionally it’s about picking up a rock and throwing it at a limousine.
7. 

   Ted Rall said, 4 months ago

   @mickey1339 Well, yes. I’m just talking about the rhetoric here. Republicans/conservatives always talk about how they have a small government message. Like the Democrats, they just keep increasing the size of government. One of the funny things is that they don’t even really take any heat from the Democrats for this. For example, the Department of Homeland Security increase the size of government by 120,000 useless and in fact counterproductive employees, and that was under Pres. George W. Bush. But nobody ever talks about that, do they?
8. 

   Uncle Joe said, 4 months ago

   @Ted Rall

   I think it’s interesting that you like both the Libertarian & Green Parties. I think the Occupy crowd & the Tea Partiers are both disgusted with the Federal Government. The Tea Party is confused about who their real enemy is, though: the corporatization of our political process.
   
   The Tea Party falsely believes that decentralizing power is the solution. State level politicians are much cheaper to bribe than national ones, & usually have less scrutiny.
   
   I think the solution is to keep building alternative parties at the local/regional level. Term limits & strong campaign finance laws will need to be passed, but I hold hope that eventually enough people will get sick of the insanity.
   
   It worked for the Republicans in the 1850s, but they weren’t battling anything like the current money machine. This time, it’s going to be much harder.
9. 

   I Play One On TV said, 4 months ago

   Thank you, Mr. Rall. Great cartoon, and I appreciate your graciousness shown by answering questions posed to you.
10. 

    lonecat said, 4 months ago

    Good cartoon. But you assume that the Democrats had principles.
11. 

    braindead08 said, 4 months ago

    @Uncle Joe

    Nice post, UncleJoe
    -
    I have my doubts about term limits, especially because it would take a constitutional ammendment. Lobbyists and special interests have no limits.
    -
    Campaign finance laws are essential, though. When Republicans published their Contract with America, the campaign finance reform part disappeared. Newt said there just weren’t any votes. So much for ‘contracts’.
    -
    Also, we need to build a wall between lobbyists and Congress and its staffs. Once you go to work for Congress, especially as a legislator, you should be forever banned from being a lobbyist, working for registered lobbyists, or performing lobbying activities as defined by law.
    -
    And thanks to Mr. Rall for wading through all these comments.
12. 

    ahab said, 4 months ago

    @lonecat

    Principled enough to get Obama reelected.
13. 

    Radish said, 4 months ago

    @HOWGOZIT

    You prove my point.
14. 

    edinbaltimore said, 4 months ago

    Orthodox assumes that all of the young people at the March for Life are, were or will continue to be Righties. Opinions change, life circumstances change. There are many who have switched positions in both directions. The problem, as Ted shows, is that those Republicans who have half a brain realize that whites will soon be a majority minority in this country. Relying on attracting future members by continuing to be a party of “no”, and a party of “no one else”, will mean they will be a minority party.
15. 

    Uncle Joe said, 4 months ago

    @edinbaltimore

    True, most were catholic school students who were bused out to DC. Based on my time in a catholic school, I’m sure many were just enjoying the trip, rather than having strong or lasting attitudes.
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