The Many Faces of US Politics...

[screenexile]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/05/us-midterms-republican-governors-scott-walker-larry-hogan

The Armalite in one hand and The Bible in the other . . .

Ever here of separation of Church & State?


Walker is an Arsehole,  the problem over here is that the system is rotten to the core from the Pres on down, the fact thst the NDA give walker an A plus plus rating tells you all you need to know about him!!!!

I was referring more abstractly to the fact that Republicans as a whole are taking over with their gun toting bible thumping ways.

Given the hand he was dealt I think Obama will go down in history as having a successful 2 terms. . . he presided over the economic recovery, introduced obamacare, ended the war in Iraq, got Osama, repealed don't ask don't tell and a few other notable achievements. All with a Republican congress.

The problem for Democrats now is they don't have that charismatic personality to bring the people with them. Fox News has taken over and Republican doomsday scenarios seem to have scare mongered people into believing Obama bad/Republlican good. If the GOP send up a half articulate person they will win as there's no real force coming from the left.

Next up is the Presidential election... who are the main players for that at this stage?? Will Clinton get a shot? I hope not because she has zero chance of winning.

[manfromdelmonte]

you have to laugh at the absurdity of american politics.

[J70]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/05/us-midterms-republican-governors-scott-walker-larry-hogan

The Armalite in one hand and The Bible in the other . . .

Ever here of separation of Church & State?


Walker is an Arsehole,  the problem over here is that the system is rotten to the core from the Pres on down, the fact thst the NDA give walker an A plus plus rating tells you all you need to know about him!!!!

I was referring more abstractly to the fact that Republicans as a whole are taking over with their gun toting bible thumping ways.

Given the hand he was dealt I think Obama will go down in history as having a successful 2 terms. . . he presided over the economic recovery, introduced obamacare, ended the war in Iraq, got Osama, repealed don't ask don't tell and a few other notable achievements. All with a Republican congress.

The problem for Democrats now is they don't have that charismatic personality to bring the people with them. Fox News has taken over and Republican doomsday scenarios seem to have scare mongered people into believing Obama bad/Republlican good. If the GOP send up a half articulate person they will win as there's no real force coming from the left.

Next up is the Presidential election... who are the main players for that at this stage?? Will Clinton get a shot? I hope not because she has zero chance of winning.

Zero chance of winning? Hillary Clinton??

The Republicans are scared shitless of her. Expect numerous more investigations into Benghazi, this time in the Senate, in an attempt to finally smear her.

Nothing is ever certain, but at this point, Clinton is the presumptive Democratic nominee. I don't see any Obama around this time to steal it from her, but you never know.

From the Republican side, I've no idea. Rand Paul is abandoning some of his libertarian views to try to appeal to the wingnut end of the party, but Ted Cruz already has that end sewn up. The problem for them is that the likes of Ted Cruz is not electable. Extremely conservative right wingers can do well in state races, especially in midterms, when the electorate is skewed towards old, conservative white people. However, a much broader spectrum of people come out to vote in presidential years. Obama has got hammered in both his midterms, but has easily won election both presidential years when he himself was on the ballot.

Another reason why not too much should be read into this particular midterms is that the Democrats were defending 21 seats, the Republicans only 12. The seven Senate seats the Democrats lost were mostly in conservative states, seats that they took off the GOP on the back of Obama's election in 2008. In 2016, the Republicans will be the ones defending more tenuous seats, and that combined with a presidential year voter turnout should see the pendulum swing back towards the Democrats.

Off course, again, nothing is certain. Had the midterms been held this time last year, the Republicans would have been in big trouble after they shut down the government. But the shit that happens in the months leading up to the election, in addition to the long term stuff like the economy, is what counts most. Its no coincidence that the Republicans have been going around screaming about Ebola and the administration's supposedly disastrous handling of it!

[seafoid]

It looks like the GOP are going to have problems agreeing on a pres. Candidate. They still haven't figured out how to appeal to women and latinos.

[FL/MAYO]

Elizabeth Warren will give Hillary a bit of a problem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren

[screenexile]

Uh Oh . . .

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/11/06/3589464/gordon-klingenschmitt/

[LeoMc]

Uh Oh . . .

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/11/06/3589464/gordon-klingenschmitt/

Holy sh1, he could almost be a caricature but he is real and he is in the Senate!

[whitey]

Uh Oh . . .

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/11/06/3589464/gordon-klingenschmitt/

Holy sh1, he could almost be a caricature but he is real and he is in the Senate!

STATE SENATE.....think County Council

[whitey]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/05/us-midterms-republican-governors-scott-walker-larry-hogan

The Armalite in one hand and The Bible in the other . . .

Ever here of separation of Church & State?


Walker is an Arsehole,  the problem over here is that the system is rotten to the core from the Pres on down, the fact thst the NDA give walker an A plus plus rating tells you all you need to know about him!!!!

I was referring more abstractly to the fact that Republicans as a whole are taking over with their gun toting bible thumping ways.

Given the hand he was dealt I think Obama will go down in history as having a successful 2 terms. . . he presided over the economic recovery, introduced obamacare, ended the war in Iraq, got Osama, repealed don't ask don't tell and a few other notable achievements. All with a Republican congress.

The problem for Democrats now is they don't have that charismatic personality to bring the people with them. Fox News has taken over and Republican doomsday scenarios seem to have scare mongered people into believing Obama bad/Republlican good. If the GOP send up a half articulate person they will win as there's no real force coming from the left.

Next up is the Presidential election... who are the main players for that at this stage?? Will Clinton get a shot? I hope not because she has zero chance of winning.

You're painting in very broad strokes there.

Reason Republicans did so well is that they have (in a lot of places) come much closer to the center.

Bluest of blue states, Massachusetts, just elected a Republican governor as did Illinois

http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Charlie_Baker_Gun_Control.htm

The only meaningful Congressional race in MA, the Republican cadidate was a married gay guy-Richard Tisei.

Repubs arent as dumb as many people think and they are moving very swiftly to the center

[LeoMc]

Uh Oh . . .

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/11/06/3589464/gordon-klingenschmitt/

Holy sh1, he could almost be a caricature but he is real and he is in the Senate!

STATE SENATE.....think County Council

Thank fc for that, I was too busy looking at the speeches and missed that detail.

[J70]

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/05/us-midterms-republican-governors-scott-walker-larry-hogan

The Armalite in one hand and The Bible in the other . . .

Ever here of separation of Church & State?


Walker is an Arsehole,  the problem over here is that the system is rotten to the core from the Pres on down, the fact thst the NDA give walker an A plus plus rating tells you all you need to know about him!!!!

I was referring more abstractly to the fact that Republicans as a whole are taking over with their gun toting bible thumping ways.

Given the hand he was dealt I think Obama will go down in history as having a successful 2 terms. . . he presided over the economic recovery, introduced obamacare, ended the war in Iraq, got Osama, repealed don't ask don't tell and a few other notable achievements. All with a Republican congress.

The problem for Democrats now is they don't have that charismatic personality to bring the people with them. Fox News has taken over and Republican doomsday scenarios seem to have scare mongered people into believing Obama bad/Republlican good. If the GOP send up a half articulate person they will win as there's no real force coming from the left.

Next up is the Presidential election... who are the main players for that at this stage?? Will Clinton get a shot? I hope not because she has zero chance of winning.

You're painting in very broad strokes there.

Reason Republicans did so well is that they have (in a lot of places) come much closer to the center.

Bluest of blue states, Massachusetts, just elected a Republican governor as did Illinois

http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Charlie_Baker_Gun_Control.htm

The only meaningful Congressional race in MA, the Republican cadidate was a married gay guy-Richard Tisei.

Repubs arent as dumb as many people think and they are moving very swiftly to the center

No they're not.

Perhaps they might put up a more moderate candidate for governor in a place like MA, but that is certainly not the case among their congressional delegation, especially when it comes to the south. They don't want to do anything about immigrants, they want to repeal Obamacare, they won't cede anything whatsoever on guns, they don't give a f**k about the environment beyond getting rid of environmental protections, they'd like to see anything that regulates worker and consumer safety abolished, they have nothing but contempt for poor people,  considering them all "moochers", they're doing all they can to make it as difficult as possible for poor minorities to vote etc. etc.

Now sure, they may have toned down the rhetoric this time around after the country rejected it in 2012, but the beliefs and intentions are still there. Years of climate denialism suddenly became the Frank Luntz style "we are not scientists" and (implied) don't want to discuss this issue till the election is over (new chairman of the Senate committee in charge of combating climate change will be Inhofe, of all people).

And I don't think they're dumb.

I think a lot of their followers are. Why worry about what can help you in your life when you can vote on an irrelevant wedge issue like gay marriage or the "threat" from Ebola or the government coming for your hunting rifle or to shut down your church.

[armaghniac]

And I don't think they're dumb.

I think a lot of their followers are. Why worry about what can help you in your life when you can vote on an irrelevant wedge issue like gay marriage or the "threat" from Ebola or the government coming for your hunting rifle or to shut down your church.

A bit like the unionists here. The leaders, who are not dumb, spend their time thinking of some topics, here it is flegs etc, which will get the unwashed riled up. It is difficult to oppose the beating of a drum with a more nuanced argument to people who are accustomed to nuance.

[whitey]

No they're not.

Perhaps they might put up a more moderate candidate for governor in a place like MA, but that is certainly not the case among their congressional delegation, especially when it comes to the south. They don't want to do anything about immigrants, they want to repeal Obamacare, they won't cede anything whatsoever on guns, they don't give a f**k about the environment beyond getting rid of environmental protections, they'd like to see anything that regulates worker and consumer safety abolished, they have nothing but contempt for poor people,  considering them all "moochers", they're doing all they can to make it as difficult as possible for poor minorities to vote etc. etc.

Now sure, they may have toned down the rhetoric this time around after the country rejected it in 2012, but the beliefs and intentions are still there. Years of climate denialism suddenly became the Frank Luntz style "we are not scientists" and (implied) don't want to discuss this issue till the election is over (new chairman of the Senate committee in charge of combating climate change will be Inhofe, of all people).

And I don't think they're dumb.

I think a lot of their followers are. Why worry about what can help you in your life when you can vote on an irrelevant wedge issue like gay marriage or the "threat" from Ebola or the government coming for your hunting rifle or to shut down your church.
[/quote]

You put up the candidates that will win in their own area...simple as..the Democrats do exactly the same thing, but the main stream media seem to gloss over their more extreme positions

Re Obamacare: it was unpopular before it was passed and its as unpopular today as ever.  Why do you think certain aspects were delayed by Obama so they wouldnt kick into until after the election

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/08/01/obamacare-hits-a-new-low-in-popularity-but-its-not-a-dominant-issue/

We could debate back and forth all day on all of the topics you bring up but watch out....the Republicans have wised up big time.  New Governor of IL just appointed former Obama cabinet member Bill Daley (brother of Mayor Daley) as a member of his transition team.

Best presidents of the past 30 years Bill Clinton and Ronald Regan.....had one thing in common....they came to the center.  The worst two GW Bush and Obama played to the fringes and we see what the result is

[J70]

Wised up = tone down the rhetoric.  It doesn't mean a change in policy. Their victory in IL says more about the corruption and ineptitude of the Democratic party and that candidate there than it does about the GOP.

As for Obamacare,  the constituent parts are popular,  so popular in fact that the GOP didn't campaign on it anywhere near as much as two years ago. Sure, Fox News and Limbaugh and his clones rail against it constantly,  scaring the f**k out of the old white bastards who constitute their main, dependable base, but the component parts are popular.  It was a Republican idea from 20 years ago FFS.

[seafoid]

According to the FT the Scrooge McDuck twins aka the Koch bros spent 300 million on Republican candidates who signed up to climate change denial. Dumb f**kers. US gdp contracted by 0.75% in q1 2014 because of the polar vortex caused by melting arctic ice.