We do not live in a One Party State, the Democratic Party has simply widely failed to connect with the American people. I have a strong feeling that had the results of Election 2004 been reversed in the favor of the Democrats, you two would be singing a very different toon.

Should the American people decide they made a mistake in electing the GOP almost universally to represent them in American government, they will have the chance to review and reverse that decision in Election 2006 and later in Election 2008.

Actually, Hans, I find the poll kind of interesting right now:

43% - Yes
43% - No
12% - Maybe

This is probably a pretty good representation of our country - split down the middle. While it is true the Republicans won (as catboy keeps reminding me), we don't have an overwhelming majority on either side. If the country were something like 75% to 25%, that would be an obvious mandate. But a big part of the polarization right now is because one party is shoving every rule down the other sides mouth without consideration.

Very much not what America is all about. If you think about the mechanisms setup to protect our liberty, the idea that we are a Republic, not a Democracy, it becomes all the more absurd.

Much of our country is based on consensus, checks and balances, etc. These need to remain in place, regardless of who is in power.

__________________
"What does a former president's son know about the Iraq war anyway?"
-- GW Bush when asked about Ron Reagan's negative comments, 6/25/2004.
www.BushZombie.com

The United States quite simply is not a Democracy and never has been. The United States has throughout it's history been a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC.

Our society is Democratic by nature, which is where much confusion comes from.

Moving on, you're belief that the will of the American voter and taxpayer should be overturned and you're party returned to power even when you cannot win elections, is not only anathema to the spirit of our Constitutional Republic, but also to the ideal of Western Democracy.

The Left-Wing side of this debate brings to me reminders of how Lenin used his Red Guard to disband the Russian National Assembly at the end of the Russian Revolution when Bolshevik parties widely lost.

The justification was that this was "true democracy" because only the Bolsheviks truly understood the will of the people.

It was inconsiderate of me not to ask how your PETS therapy is going...

Funny how Democrats didnt seem to feel that way when they were the ones in power...

Actually, that IS what America is all about. That is how our system is set up. Since Democrats arnt the majority, they dont get to have the power. It's been like that from the beginning.

What Checks and Balances are being removed? (Filibuster doesnt count...it is an exploit, not a law. It was never intended as a check or balance).

The fact that the people you like arnt getting to make the decisions anymore does not mean the system is unbalanced. Sorry.

Like most Europeans, they were naive and short sighted. Americans, both liberal and conservative, are extremely aggressive in defending their rights. Questioning is in our nature...it is a very basic aspect of our society.

Those people were not like us in that respect.