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2014 Election Results

Results are coming in from today's elections. Here's a thread to discuss them, and your take on their significance.

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    Well (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 07:21:17 PM EST
    so far it looks like Kay Hagan in NC is going to hold onto her seat. Grimes in KY lost which was pretty much expected. There is a 28 point gender gap here in GA which is good for Michelle Nunn. She's very close to avoiding a runoff.

    It seems it's too early for a lot of the races yet. Crist seems to be walking away with it in FL and pulling a few Dems along with him. Apparently the most endangered Dem in the house has kept his seat and one of the Republicans in FL has lost.

    McConnell held onto his seat. :-( (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 07:56:43 PM EST
    Also, Jay Rockefeller's old seat from West Virginia went to the Republican, and Pryor lost in Arkansas.

    So far, not so good for the Dems.

    All that was predicted. (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:14:29 PM EST
    The GOP needs an inside straight so far to take the senate. There were 8 competitive races the GOP won one AR and in NH Shaheen held on. PA stayed Dem and so did MI. So far NC is looking like the R is going to lose. I don't see how they take the senate without NC.

    Parent
    Pennsylvania did not elect a senator today (none / 0) (#6)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:26:40 PM EST
    The Democrat may be winning for Governor, but that doesn't affect the Senate calculus.

    Parent
    You are (none / 0) (#8)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:31:58 PM EST
    correct. I'm sorry. It was the gov not the sen.

    Parent
    Raised the minumum wage in AR (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:13:22 PM EST
    fron 7.25 to 8.50.  May not sound like a lot but it will make a difference at the dinner table for a lot of people.

    And you voted for (none / 0) (#5)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:15:42 PM EST
    two candidates who were against raising it. Well, at least you're going to know what it's like to have a nut job as a governor now with Hutchinson. Is that really the best the GOP could do in AR? A guy who has been out of politics for a decade or more?

    Parent
    Nebraska, Alaska and (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:52:57 AM EST
    South Dakota all passed increases as well.

    Parent
    Honestly (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:34:25 PM EST
    so far this has been the stupidest election ever. Hagan was supposed to lose in NC according to the beltway nimwits and she's going to hold on. Shaheen was supposed to be in a tight race and she walked away with it. It looks like Warner is going to squeak out a win. Stupid. Stupid.

    CNN shows Tillis slightly ahead. (none / 0) (#13)
    by Angel on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:45:32 PM EST
    Yeah (none / 0) (#15)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:52:50 PM EST
    but apparently she's out polling Obama by 5 points so she's looking to win and the rural counties turn in first.

    Parent
    One thing hasn't changed (5.00 / 7) (#21)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:09:18 PM EST
    Chris Mathews is still a tool.

    MSNBC called it for Gardner in CO (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:29:57 PM EST
    I guess that was expected based on recent polls, still surprises me since I thought CO was trending blue in general. Not a good sign.

    It's the gun thing (none / 0) (#50)
    by Militarytracy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:31:47 AM EST
    Some of my seldom voting rural cousins turned out in droves to vote against him.

    Parent
    We (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:33:07 AM EST
    have got to start defining the NRA as a tool of the gun manufacturers and as being run by a bunch of radicals. All of which is the truth.

    Parent
    ABC has called Colorado for Gardner. (5.00 / 3) (#26)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:32:08 PM EST
    Mark Udall will be a real loss for the Dems, especially those fighting to preserve some shred of civil liberties.

    News from #Ferguson Roorda lost YEA! (5.00 / 3) (#35)
    by Palli on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 10:01:16 PM EST
    Jeff Roorda, Police Union business manager in St Louis County MO, lost his bid for State Senator.  That is a win for the Protestors and their supporters. Roorda supports Darren Wilson and fights against any police accountability, body cameras & car videos tooth and nail.

    Several towns in the county ran out of paper ballots long before evening .  BOE did not expect they needed paper ballots for write-in votes?  Where have they been-Paris?  In fact some protestors asking for paper ballots have had police called in against them.

    line of the night! (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by Jack203 on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 10:19:19 PM EST
    http://fivethirtyeight.com/liveblog/special-coverage-the-2014-midterms/

    "So voters want a higher minimum wage, legal pot, abortion access and GOP representation. Ok then."

    Ben Casselman

    Haha

    Legal weed wins in Oregon. (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 10:32:56 PM EST
    Oregon joins Washington and Colorado as states where marijuana is legal.

    DC too? (none / 0) (#56)
    by smott on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:42:34 AM EST
    I think?

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#59)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:18:16 AM EST
    The Pacific Northwest... (none / 0) (#74)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:30:40 AM EST
    the most civilized corner of the republic.

    Be proud Cap'n Casey!

    Parent

    that, and Warshington state (none / 0) (#84)
    by leap on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:52:45 AM EST
    passed a gun control bill, which is about background checks for firearm sales and transfers, basically closing gun-show loopholes among other things; and nixed the NRA bill that would have negated the gun control bill.

    So, there's that.

    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#102)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:43:41 AM EST
    ^^^^This, this, this!^^^^^

    Happy to say I live in the gorgeous PNW as well...

    Parent

    Harry Reid shows the shrewd reading (5.00 / 3) (#41)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 11:08:20 PM EST
    of the political landscape that got him where he is tonight:

    "I'd like to congratulate Senator McConnell, who will be the new Senate Majority Leader. The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together. I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class," Reid said in a statement Tuesday night. "

    Huh? They want you to work together, so they elected the party pledged to not working together?  I don't know what these results really mean, except for red states want red senators, but I'm pretty sure it does not mean that.

    This is (none / 0) (#65)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:27:57 AM EST
    the only reason I can manage a faint smile at these dismal results - the graying out of Harry Reid.

    With friends like him...

    Parent

    Michigan Wolf Hunting Voted Down (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Mr Natural on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 11:14:28 PM EST
    The Upper Peninsula's 636 wolves are safe, for a while.  Before you click on the following background story, be aware that the first image you will see is a small dead wolf in the bed of a pickup, and beside it, the grinning idiot who shot it.


    Thanks for the warning, I'll pass. (5.00 / 2) (#67)
    by Angel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:35:32 AM EST
    Total flame wars in the comments (5.00 / 1) (#107)
    by Mr Natural on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:08:40 AM EST
    sections of the online articles about the Wolf vote and elections.

    If you ever wonder what it was like in prewar Germany's Kroll Opera House, where the Reichstag and Reichstrat met to enact the 1933 Enabling Act, there it is, (virtual) hallways lined with brutes, hooting, hollering, derision, intimidation, and guns.

    Parent

    This will be interesting (5.00 / 2) (#45)
    by MKS on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 01:45:58 AM EST
    A huge majority in the House means very radical bills.....

    Forget the Senate.  Ted Cruz will control the House.

    David Ige is Hawaii's next governor. (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 03:27:30 AM EST
    He routed former Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona (R) and former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (I), despite having a war chest of less than $300,000. The Democratic ground game and GOTV effort proved the difference.

    But the biggest shocker of the night out here was not for an elected office, but a local ballot question in Maui County that calls for a moratorium on GMO crop production until an environmental impact statement is prepared. Similar statewide measures in 2012 were rejected by voters in Washington and California, and also tonight by voters in Colorado and apparently in Oregon.

    The measure drew the attention of Monsanto and Dow Chemical, which have been doing extensive GMO testing on Molokai and poured a record $7.9 million into Maui County to defeat the proposed ordinance, making this the single most expensive election campaign in the history of the State of Hawaii. Early returns tonight showed the measure 19 points down and apparently headed for defeat, which reflected absentee ballots and early voting before today.

    But last week's campaign spending reports, which first revealed the extent to which Monsanto, et al., was prepared to go in order to win, raised the ire of those Maui County voters who didn't vote absentee or early. They surged to the polls today, and the final printout shows that the GMO moratorium has been approved, despite its proponents being outspent 87-to-1. Monsanto's $8 million gambit backfired badly.

    Monsanto promises a lawsuit to overturn the ordinance. But as tonight's results in Hawaii show, a well-planned ground game and extensive person-to-person contacts can still trump big money in an election, if enough people are truly dedicated to achieving a desired outcome.

    Aloha.


    California: Gov. Brown wins 4th term. (5.00 / 3) (#47)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 04:03:08 AM EST
    In 1974 at age 36, Jerry Brown became the youngest person ever to be elected California's governor. 40 years later at age 76, he's now provided an equally historic bookend, as the oldest person to be elected to that office. And such is the extent of his personal popularity right now that he won handily, without even bothering to run a single campaign ad on TV.

    I owe the guy a thank you card (none / 0) (#126)
    by nycstray on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:51:41 AM EST
    for his non-campaign :P I only saw one commercial, and that was him asking us to vote for props 1&2  . . . 42% of registered voters did not realize Brown was running for reelection . . .

    I must say, on a morning like this one, it's good to be living in norcal. My Rep ran pretty much unopposed. The voter guide had him with no opponent, but the ballot did have a name of some dude running against him from an undeclared party. I'm guessing he was a conservative since he declined to state party, lol!~

    Parent

    On the other side (none / 0) (#134)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 12:38:31 PM EST
    The youngest woman ever elected to Congress won last night - she's a Republican from NY-21.

    And in West Virginia, the youngest state lawmaker in the entire United States was elected - she's an 18 year old college freshman who ran her campaign from her dorm room. (She also defeated the incumbent in a primary last spring).

    I think the Republicans are wising up and getting more female candidates interested and in the pipeline.

    And woo-hoo!  Women are almost 52% of the population and come January, we will have 100 female members of Congress for the first time in history!  18.7% baby!

    Parent

    Oops (none / 0) (#135)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 12:39:41 PM EST
    that's as of last night because of a special election.

    Parent
    For those of you looking for a 3rd party (5.00 / 3) (#57)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:45:53 AM EST
    I believe it has been found by Gallup in a poll on election eve:

    ...the 41% of U.S. adults saying they have given `quite a lot' or `some' thought to this year's election is the lowest Gallup has recorded on the eve of any of the last six midterms.

    The 3rd major and far and away the largest party making up 59% of the electorate is the "I Don't Give a Damn" Party.

    I think (5.00 / 6) (#63)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:25:13 AM EST
    instead of "I Don't Give a Damn", the dominant party is the "Both Parties Are Controlled  By The Same Corporations and Lobbyists And My Vote Doesn't Count For Anything" party.

    Parent
    Yep yep... (5.00 / 2) (#73)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:24:24 AM EST
    the "what's the point?" party...and I'm thinking more and more they are smarter than us suckers who are still voting are.  

    It's not necessarily apathy, though I don't doubt that is a chunk of it.  It's sound logic too.

    Parent

    On the (5.00 / 1) (#79)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:40:57 AM EST
    other hand, d'ya hear about Alaska and D.C.?

    People will vote if they feel it is in their interest to do so.

    That is good news.

    Now - if we could only vote for someone who runs against the wars...

    I heard on CNN that many male voters also found the invasion of privacy to be a major issue for them.

    Now - who could we have voted for to express support for ending the abuses of the NSA, CIA and FBI? Nobody comes readily to mind...

    Anyway - Goin' to Alaska asap.

    Parent

    I voted for a House Rep... (none / 0) (#86)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:55:31 AM EST
    who might have made some noise about NSA/CIA/FBI abuses...but alas, he got less than 2%.

    Parent
    Why (none / 0) (#142)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 05:29:23 PM EST
    did you say he "might" have made some noise about the abuses?

    Did he or didn't he?

    Not being confrontational, just interested.

    Parent

    I say might... (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by kdog on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 08:24:22 AM EST
    because ya never know what anybody is actually gonna do if they are elected, these are politicians we are talkin' about after all;)  But part of the candidate's platform was the abolishment of the NSA & CIA.  Not reform, abolishment.

    His name is William Stevenson, he ran under the Green Party label and got 2% of the vote.  

    Parent

    Abolishment! (none / 0) (#161)
    by lentinel on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 09:50:53 AM EST
    I like that guy!

    Green Party explains the 2% I guess.

    What are we going to do?

    Parent

    Get locked up/get shot... (none / 0) (#162)
    by kdog on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 10:04:24 AM EST
    or get used to it Brother.  As far as I can tell these are our choices.  

    I, for one, welcome our surveillance state overlords! ;)

    Parent

    Obama (none / 0) (#163)
    by lentinel on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 10:58:34 AM EST
    mentioned the - what is it -- like 60% of voters not voting...

    I wonder how many people would have made it to the polls if there were people or referenda on the ballots that people could identify with - as in Alaska if you know what I mean.

    If he or anyone is seriously interested in why so many didn't budge on Tuesday, they should take a serious poll.

    I'm would not be surprised if the majority of non-voters stayed home because they had no progressives to vote for. Only Repubs and Repub-lites.

    Parent

    "Might" is a bit of an overstatement (none / 0) (#154)
    by CoralGables on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:05:38 PM EST
    because less than 2% of the vote is worth nary a whimper much less a noise. That's less than 1 out of every 50 voters. You'd think a candidate could drum up more votes than that kissing babies at the local foodmart.

    Parent
    I (none / 0) (#155)
    by lentinel on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 05:24:23 AM EST
    was interested in what this representative actually had to say about confronting abuses from those draconian government agencies.

    If he was forceful and vocal - I would be surprised that so few voted for him since - according to a CNN poll - this issue weighed heavily on many men's minds.

    CNN - well - forget that.

    It weighs heavily on my mind - and I would have liked to know what the man had to say.

    Parent

    In years past (5.00 / 1) (#104)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:47:14 AM EST
    I would have had a melt-down and implosion over a night last night.  I remember not sleeping for 3 days over the Bush-Gore recount.  I was intrenched.  

    Now, my new saying is:

    "I used to be <imploded>, now I'm just amused."

    Policy-driven apathy has made me a generally happier person.  Thanks, Democrats.  I'm just glad my genetic-based life expectancy is about 14 more years and I have no kids.  Neither side of the uni-party can hurt me much more in that length of time.

    Parent

    Kinda sums up my feelings... (5.00 / 1) (#108)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:09:24 AM EST
    Policy driven apathy...nail on the head!

    To actually get emotionally invested in elections is a waste of human emotions, imo.  But to each their own.

    Parent

    I made oatmeal cookies (none / 0) (#144)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 05:34:38 PM EST
    with chocolate chips and cranberries.  

    And sugar

    And butter

    And the i ate about half of them warm with milk.  I felt better.

    Parent

    Let's face it -- (5.00 / 1) (#87)
    by Uncle Chip on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:56:59 AM EST
    It was a Bloodbath -- with red all over the map and in places where it hasn't been for years.

      I recommend turning off the TV and staying away from the internet bloviating.

      The Republicans will be claiming a mandate and that the election heralds a new era of ascendancy.

      The Democrats will be mostly split between screeching of doom and pointing fingers at each other.

      In the long run, this election likely represents little more than an expression of dissatisfaction with the current regime.

      It seems every time an election results in a decisive victory for one side, the political class overstates its significance. If you listen to the noise, each Party has alternately conquered or  been buried multiple times.

     The frenzied aftermath of  death knells and triumphant gloating are the one true constant in politics, together with the reality that they are never correct.

      Life as we know it will change relatively little and the change will be incremental not transformative.

      It's new era only to the next election.

     

    Parent

    The only (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:47:37 AM EST
    thing you can guarantee is that the GOP will always overreach. It's what they've done every time over the last 20 years.

    Parent
    Another thought (none / 0) (#120)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:03:50 AM EST
    Why the GOP Blowout Is So Scary for Democrats

    Does Tuesday night's GOP blowout presage anything for the presidential election that starts in earnest on Wednesday? The conventional answer is probably still no. First, as a million pundits have correctly noted, midterm voters are older, whiter and thus more Republican-leaning than voters in presidential races. Second, the key 2014 Senate races were disproportionately located in red states (although Democrats fared poorly in purple ones too). Third, the GOP trained its fire on President Obama, who won't be on the ballot in two years.

    But despite all this, there is one big takeaway from tonight's Republican landslide that should worry Democrats a lot: The GOP is growing hungrier to win.

    It's about time. As a general rule, the longer a party goes without holding the White House, the hungrier it becomes. And the hungrier it becomes, the more able it is to discard damaging elements of party orthodoxy while still rousing its political base. Between 1932 and 1952, it took Republicans five election defeats to convince their partisans to rally behind Dwight Eisenhower, who accepted the New Deal. Between 1980 and 1992, it took Democrats three defeats to convince their base to get behind Bill Clinton, a former head of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council who supported cutting taxes and executing murderers.

    SNIP

    This year has been different: GOP activists have given their candidates more space to craft the centrist personas they need to win. First, in senate races in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alaska, Tennessee, Georgia, Kansas and Texas, comparatively moderate Republicans triumphed over Tea Party-backed challengers. Then many of those Republicans downplayed their opposition to gay marriage and highlighted their support for greater access to contraception in an effort to win over the young and women voters who in past elections spurned the GOP as too extreme. "On social issues," wrote Slate's Will Saletan, "Republicans are mumbling, cringing, and ducking. They don't want the election to be about these issues, even in red states."

    Sincere or not, these efforts to not appear retrograde and extreme helped Republicans s[t]ay close among women voters. And yet conservatives turned out for them in huge numbers nonetheless. Thus, Republicans in 2014 combined candidate impurity with grassroots passion, which is what they'll need to do to win in 2016.



    Parent
    And they (5.00 / 1) (#123)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:17:57 AM EST
    are completely wrong about Georgia. Perdue did not have a centrist message. His far right message is the one that one the day for him.

    Parent
    Whatever it was (none / 0) (#149)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:13:16 PM EST
    It took the day.

    Deal with it.

    Parent

    James has to deal with the wreck (none / 0) (#158)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 06:36:29 AM EST
    the Kenyan Ursurper has made of his life on a daily basis, but you don't hear him whine about Obama(very much).</s>

    Parent
    I'm sure (none / 0) (#122)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:16:18 AM EST
    they're growing hungrier to win but if you look at yesterday's nominees they think that the far right is going to win the day. Yesterday justifies in the mind of tea partiers that they are on the right track moving further right.

    Parent
    Thank you. I agree. (none / 0) (#98)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:25:05 AM EST
    but I needed to hear someone else say it.

    Parent
    One highlight of the night (5.00 / 3) (#101)
    by CST on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:42:40 AM EST
    is the ballot questions.  Especially with regards to the 99%.  Increases in minimum wage in a lot of places, here in MA we now have 40 hrs mandatory paid sick time in any company with more than 10 employees (40 hrs unpaid for less than 10).  These issues are going to affect a lot of people's daily lives in a positive and powerful manner.  I think they said something like 1 million people in MA don't have sick time (total population 6.7 mil). Service industry and retail people getting sick time - that's huge.

    Meanwhile gay marriage bans are going down in flames, pot is becoming legal and it's making people re-examine the war on drugs, healthcare is on the books - it just has to keep swinging, and the economy is on the rebound.

    I'm trying to look on the bright side at the forest today, because there are some ugly trees.  But now that Republicans have power, they're gonna have to actually govern, and 2 years from now we get to do it all over again.

    Due to my TL & Jeralyn Merrit exposure (5.00 / 4) (#125)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:26:09 AM EST
    I voted for CA prop 47 which reduces penalties for some crimes. It passed.

    Oh good! (none / 0) (#129)
    by nycstray on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:59:14 AM EST
    I was following local sh!t last night and haven't looked at the whole state yet.

    Parent
    I hope you folks won't be angry (1.00 / 3) (#80)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:41:01 AM EST
    But I have to give some of you, and you know who, a horse laugh.. a loud and long horse laugh.

    I will now return to being my usual sweet lovable self.

    ;-)

    I think when it comes out of the (5.00 / 4) (#81)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:46:18 AM EST
    rear end of the horse, it's called something else.

    And, as a self-proclaimed "social liberal," the last thing you should be doing this morning is laughing.  Or gloating. Or whatever it is you're doing.

    Really wish you'd give up on that whole "social liberal" charade; no one's buying it.

    Parent

    Yeah (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:10:29 AM EST
    if he's excited by the far right winning then he's pretty much a far rightie.

    Parent
    Ga, read what I wrote to Anne (1.50 / 2) (#97)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:23:41 AM EST
    and remember my comments re immigration and some other positions and then keep on calling me a right winger.

    Parent
    You're doing (5.00 / 2) (#150)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:13:57 PM EST
    the same thing the GOP is trying to do: hide the fact that they're conservative. You vote for the far right so therefore that's where you belong. You're not a swing voter, you're not a D voter you support the far right. Get over it.

    Parent
    Thanks (3.50 / 2) (#94)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:18:41 AM EST
    Anne, I needed that to remind me of who I am dealing with.

    But here are the facts. Rather than moving forward on healthcare for all, Obama and the Left, gave us Obamacare. Welfare for some, increases for many and really stupid mandates. Single payer could have passed. But they did what they always do, they took of care of their base.

    They could have had a complete rationalization of our crazy drug laws. Everyone knows how screwed up and unfair they are. But he didn't.

    Obama could have made a forceful speech supporting gay marriage. But he didn't. Instead he chose to, basically, hide behind the courts.

    He could have admitted that Benghazi was a major mistake, fired Hillary and some other top dogs to get everyone's attention.... But he chose to send his minions out to lie.

    And he could have told Iran, no nuke for you guys...but he didn't.

    And he could have noted that he screwed the pooch in Iraq, but he didn't, instead choosing to watch, with everyone else, beheadings and massacres...

    That would have done wonders to make "h/she voted for Obama" a proper and meaningful thing to do.

    Parent

    You didn't vote for Obama and neither did I. (5.00 / 4) (#106)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:57:35 AM EST
    I voted for Jill Stein, just in case you forgot.

    The reality is, jim, that you don't vote for candidates who support single-payer, support changes to the drug laws, or support gay marriage, and so on, do you?

    Your mouth says one thing, jim, but your votes tell the truth; you're not fooling anyone here.

    Parent

    And if I had voted for Obama none of the things (2.00 / 1) (#146)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:05:52 PM EST
    I listed would have happened.

    So I am as guilty as you.

    lol

    Parent

    Jim (3.67 / 3) (#100)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:40:40 AM EST
    you are truly clueless if you think single payer would have passed. The insurance lobby would have spent trillions to see it defeated. Yeah, Obama could have stood his ground and had a public option or opened up Medicare but he did not.

    The Benghazi stuff shopped by the GOP is pure conspiracy theory. These crackpot conspiracy theories and scandal mongering is what I expect the GOP to do over the next two years because it's all they have. When your approval rating is 16% you have to go with that type of thing. Again, compared to the disastrous foreign policy of the GOP and their support of the Bush Doctrine which I fully expect them to campaign on restoring in 2016 it's nothing. You guys are apparently apostles of Josef Stalin who said one dying is a tragedy but thousands dying is a statistic.

    Parent

    Ah Ga (none / 0) (#147)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:07:54 PM EST
    your partisan frustration is shining through.

    Tell me again how Nunn is gonna beat Perdue.

    lol

    BTW - When Bush left Iraq and Afghanistan were under control.

    Parent

    I never said (none / 0) (#148)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:12:29 PM EST
    Nunn was going to beat Perdue. I said the polls were showing a run off.

    Tell me again why Governor Ebola Perry isn't president of the United States?

    Parent

    Ducking and weaving (2.00 / 2) (#151)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:16:18 PM EST
    she retires from the field.

    lol

    Parent

    That's risible (none / 0) (#157)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 06:31:07 AM EST
    coming from the guy who accuses people of being his shadow if they persist in telling him things he doesn't like.

    LOL!

    Parent

    That's okay, Jim. We laugh at you every day. (5.00 / 2) (#90)
    by Angel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:10:12 AM EST
    Heh (2.00 / 1) (#96)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:20:05 AM EST
    I am here to serve, Angel.

    See what I wrote to Anne.

    Parent

    Your service is worth (none / 0) (#112)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:26:21 AM EST
    what you charge for it ;-)

    Parent
    Send TL a check for (none / 0) (#145)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:03:59 PM EST
    $500 and tell her it is from me.

    Parent
    I'll send you 10$ (none / 0) (#156)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 06:17:42 AM EST
    so you and your grandson can go out to a Micky Ds, and you can have some meat in your diet as well.

    The next time Free Speech TV has a fund-raiser, I'll send them a donation of 1K$ in your name.  

    Deal?

    Parent

    Ha-ha-ha (5.00 / 4) (#99)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:39:20 AM EST
    As an extreme social liberal, I am laughing with you.

    Democrats got the shelacking they deserved.  

    Parent

    Trolls sound like horses? (none / 0) (#141)
    by Yman on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 05:12:52 PM EST
    Who knew?

    Plus, Anne had it exactly right about which end is making the nose.

    Parent

    You're a grouchy, mean-spirited (none / 0) (#159)
    by Mordiggian 88 on Thu Nov 06, 2014 at 06:42:51 AM EST
    egoist who can't debate people without sliding into insult and stupid guesses about the people you respond to that aren't true 99.9% of the time.

    And those are just your good traits!

    Parent

    Not looking good for Crist (none / 0) (#7)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:30:41 PM EST
    i want to feel worse about it than I do.

    Scott's (none / 0) (#9)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:32:44 PM EST
    numbers are going down now that Broward and Dade are starting to report.

    Parent
    Ican't believe that Floridians ... (none / 0) (#22)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:19:31 PM EST
    ... are about to double down on stupid. Most disappointing result of the evening thus far.

    Parent
    Yeah, it is disappointing (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:26:20 PM EST
    I never heard Crist make a good case though. He is not very appealing. Even his negative ads against Scott, which you'd think would be like shooting ducks in a barrel, missed the point by a mile. That's why it just is hard to feel bad he will not be in office - as bad as I feel that Scott will still be in.

    Parent
    No medical mj in FL (none / 0) (#11)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:35:26 PM EST


    I thought it was 'Yes'. I must have read it (none / 0) (#12)
    by vml68 on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:41:18 PM EST
    wrong.

    Parent
    Maybe I read it wrong! Will check again. (none / 0) (#16)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:53:18 PM EST
    Ah, it got 57% yes....but it needed 60% for a (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:54:39 PM EST
    constitutional amendment.

    Parent
    Yeah, I went back and checked. Was so (none / 0) (#19)
    by vml68 on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:58:01 PM EST
    surprised to see the 57%, forgot it needed 60%.

    Parent
    The NH result (none / 0) (#14)
    by CST on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:47:55 PM EST
    makes me very happy.  Go away Scott Brown.

    Looks like mandatory sick leave is gonna pass.  Unfortunately Question 1 on the gas tax may pass as well.  The question phrasing is terrible.  A lot of people, including apparently my sister, thought a yes vote meant tying the gas tax to inflation when in fact a no vote meant not changing the law (it is currently tied to inflation).  So she voted yes when she meant no, because the language was super confusing on the ballot.  Yay Democracy - that's also the closest race of the questions right now.

    Not a great night but (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:52:13 PM EST
    Brown losing makes me very happy as well.

    Parent
    Yeah, not as bad as I feared. (none / 0) (#34)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:58:19 PM EST
    If Hagan and Shaheen hang on it stops any huge sweep talk. Those are swing states.

    Parent
    I hate (none / 0) (#17)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 08:53:55 PM EST
    those ballot questions. It seems they try to make them as confusing as possible.

    Parent
    GA6th, all the talking heads on TV are insisting (none / 0) (#31)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:53:45 PM EST
    that Perdue and Deal are winners. Is this what you are getting in Georgia?

    Parent
    looking (none / 0) (#20)
    by CST on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:00:02 PM EST
    at the exit polls in NH a couple things stand out:

    • Brown won the southern part of the state where all the MA transplants live.  Shaheen won every other part of the state.

    • NH is so white the other races are N/A for exit polling

    • Brown won men, Shaheen won women more.

    • Scott Brown won the paranoid vote.  Also known as people in NH worried about a major terrorist attack (that's somewhat unfair, many of those southerners work in Boston - but kinda funny).

    • Only 31% of NH residents were born there.  33% were born in MA.  So the fact that Scott Brown blatantly crossed the border to run for senate may not have been as big of an issue as it would be elsewhere.  MA Republicans have been running away to NH for years.


    Let's hope their next stop is Quebec. (5.00 / 4) (#23)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:20:58 PM EST
    He's not going quietly! (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:55:53 PM EST
    Still insists its not over. Feel the Bromentum!

    Parent
    MA tax and spend (none / 0) (#113)
    by Juanita Moreno on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:31:56 AM EST
    NH draws people from MA because of taxes and the perception of social service programs in Mass.

    Parent
    no kidding :) (5.00 / 1) (#119)
    by CST on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:56:47 AM EST
    Well aware.  NH can have them as far as I'm concerned.  I'll take MA's services and economy over NH's any day of the week.  Many of those people still commute to MA every day for work.  You don't see too many people going the other way for jobs, so obviously MA is doing something right on the economy.  I'd rather not drive from NH daily, but that's just me.  The really ironic thing about it is that NH has higher property taxes and MA has higher income taxes so if you live in NH and work in MA you are getting it from both ends, although I imagine the cost of living in NH is still lower in general.

    Honestly it's a mutually beneficial relationship in some ways.  Here's a pretty good rundown of the connection between the states.

    "The two states' often contrasting policies actually complement each other, allowing employees and employers to flow back and forth across the border while keeping dollars and jobs within the region, Gittell said. For example, nearly 100,000 New Hampshire residents work and file income taxes in Massachusetts. Their cross-border earnings and spending help support the economies of both states."  

    Parent

    called Georgia (none / 0) (#27)
    by CST on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:40:48 PM EST
    for Perdue - rough night for Dems.

    GOP now has 5 of the 6 wins they (none / 0) (#28)
    by caseyOR on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:44:09 PM EST
    need to take the Senate. Are there any states where the Dems will take a seat away from the GOP?

    Possibly the independent can still (none / 0) (#30)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:53:37 PM EST
    take Kansas. Still too close to call.

    Parent
    Well, so much for that (none / 0) (#36)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 10:02:39 PM EST
    Roberts is back. They are saying Dole campaigning for him turned the tide, probably in return for getting some GOP votes on the treaty for disabled rights that they screwed him on a couple of years ago. If that is true at least something good would come if it.

    Parent
    It's over (none / 0) (#33)
    by Slado on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 09:58:12 PM EST
    Roberts wins.

    Impossible now for Dems to win.

    Scott and Walker hold on along with some other R governors.

    Good night for republicans.  Only a question of how much.

    Uhhhhhhhhhh...... (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:11:58 AM EST
    Jesus.   I decided to go to sleep and wake up early.  I wish I had stayed in bed.

    Uhhhhhhhhh

    I was prepared for the senate loss but the governors are really disappointing.

    I'm going back to bed for a couple of days.

    Parent

    Uhhhhhhhh(cont) (none / 0) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:07:48 AM EST
    Obama is supposed do do a pressed later.

    What he does on immigration will could be an indicator of seriously he takes the "can't we all just get along...." talk.
    He has to do it.  He has made a big point about saying he will.  The question is how big will he go.  Saw a couple of Latino congress people last night giving Obama no room.  The pressure is high to go big.  But if he goes big (Chris Wallaces number was 4million I think) so, 4 million or more he basically expects confrontation and willing to be in-your-face.  If he goes small, couple million, just enough to say "I'm doing something", he might expect some republican sanity.

    Personally, I expect him to go big.  But, uh...., I've been wrong before.

    Parent

    Immigration reform should not be about (5.00 / 1) (#116)
    by Juanita Moreno on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:45:14 AM EST
    prioritizing Hispanics. As a Hispanic, I can tell you that this approach will backfire. It pleases those of us who want more of our friends and relatives to come, but it drives away Independents who otherwise might vote for our Democrats.

    Parent
    I will (none / 0) (#71)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:11:52 AM EST
    be very surprised if Obama goes big. It's just not been in his nature to do something like that.

    Parent
    I expect him to talk about (none / 0) (#72)
    by MO Blue on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:24:16 AM EST
    working with the Republicans to pass legislation and then I expect him to do it.

    The promised immigration EO, I expect him to either punt entirely or go small with the excuse that the Republicans have promised to work on immigration reform legislation.

    Would love to be wrong on both - guess we will soon see.  

    Parent

    Mitch McConnell (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:31:52 AM EST
    Hasn't even taken his congratulatory call yet - Obama had to leave a message, which is pretty astounding in and of itself.

    But, I say let the Tea Party fly its freak flag for the next two years.  Anything really crazy and extreme they pass won't get signed into law anyway, and all it will do is highlight their insanity, which can only be good for Dems.

    Parent

    Guess we will see how (none / 0) (#140)
    by MO Blue on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 04:03:57 PM EST
    Obama defines crazy and extreme.

    Obama has a tendency to validate some Republican positions rather than highlight them as insane.

    Parent

    Just saw Hispanic voters (none / 0) (#76)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:33:13 AM EST
    did not turn out yesterday.  Big surprise, huh.  Will that influence the big or small decision?  Logically it would tell he something needs to be done to show them they are not cannon fodder.  It could possibly be a short term benefit to go small but a bad long term decision.

    I decided I should not predict for a while.  But it will be interesting to watch.  I don't think we will learn how big today.  

    Parent

    I quit (none / 0) (#83)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:49:39 AM EST
    predictions back in 2010 when the GOP was supposed to take the senate.

    Parent
    Looks like MD is going to have (none / 0) (#38)
    by Anne on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 10:30:37 PM EST
    a Republican governor...Larry Hogan, a "businessman" who last served in the Bob Ehrlich administration (ugh).

    Anthony Brown, Lt. governor to Martin O'Malley for the last 8 years, looks to be losing by a convincing margin.

    Brown ran arguably one of the worst campaigns I've ever seen.  Relentlessly negative, made no effort to define himself.  

    I supported Heather Mizeur in the primary - she was a breath of fresh air, decidedly liberal, and while willing to work on Brown's behalf, was thoroughly rejected by his campaign.  Here's the op ed she wrote last week.  She wanted him to be positive, to lay out a real progressive vision for where Dems could take the state, and he chose negativity, outright lies and little substance.

    Not to mention he was the one O'Malley put in charge of rolling out the MD health exchange that was an unmitigated disaster.  

    I suppose it could be worse - Hogan's not a batsh!t crazy Republican, but he is one of those who is all about business and deregulation and rolling back taxes.  Hasn't said how he's going to pay for all the things MD needs.  Usual Republican magic, probably.

    Ugh.  Depressing evening.  Best part was spending time with my older grandson - at almost-2, he's just Mr. Chatty, and just so loving and funny.  Not much that is better than rocking that little guy to sleep as I tell him another made-up bedtime story.

    The Maryland governor's race (5.00 / 2) (#58)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:17:29 AM EST
    Was one that actually shocked me.

    That, and the fact that my Senate race is still too close to call.  Ed Freakin' Gillespie?? Are you kidding me?

    And Illinois has a new Republican governor. And Shaheen had a close race to begin with.

    But unlike others around here who wrongly kept telling us that Nunn would win in Georgia, Hagan would win in North Carolina, and Pryor would win in Arkansas, and that the Dems would keep 52 seats, well, I am not surprised at all.  They were right about one thing though - the polls were wrong - they greatly underestimated they Republican vote.

    Parent

    Oh (1.00 / 1) (#62)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:21:46 AM EST
    and I hope you're happy that your psychopaths got elected.

    Parent
    You know, GA (5.00 / 4) (#88)
    by Zorba on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:01:07 AM EST
    That's an ugly and inappropriate statement.
    I thought you were better than that.
    Apparently, I was wrong.

    Parent
    Oh, sorry. (2.00 / 1) (#89)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:09:16 AM EST
    It's just the dancing up and down that got to me.

    Parent
    We (5.00 / 1) (#92)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:13:56 AM EST
    are going to have some real cruelty coming down the pike here in GA. Deal is going to come after women, minorities, everybody he doesn't like and it's going to be really ugly. I guess I flew off the handle.

    Parent
    I understand that (5.00 / 4) (#114)
    by Zorba on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:35:47 AM EST
    You are horrified at the results, especially in Georgia.
    It's just that I didn't expect such a cruel comment, coming from you.
    We'll put it down to your disappointment over the election.
    I'm disappointed, as well.  Not necessarily surprised, but sad.
    Hogan beat Brown here in Maryland, and I'm very unhappy about that.  Our only saving grace is that the state legislature is controlled by Democrats, and hopefully they won't let him gut Maryland's social programs and educational funding in his zeal to slash taxes.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#115)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:43:20 AM EST
    it is pretty horrifying down here in GA. We are going to have rights stripped left and right and it is going to be higher unemployment than it already is down here. I don't know. Maybe over the next two years people here in GA will have had enough suffering to do something. We shall see.

    Parent
    These kind of statements make you (none / 0) (#128)
    by Slado on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:59:06 AM EST
    sound as kooky as the boogeyman Tea Partiers you seem so scared about.

    What exactly are they going to do to come "Get you".

    Will the secret police round them up?

    Not sure what you're talking about.  Might be time for a nap.

    Parent

    You (none / 0) (#132)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 12:22:41 PM EST
    don't live here in GA and haven't seen what the tea party is capable of doing. These people are insane and cater only to the far right. We have the highest UE in the nation here in GA Slado. If you want to defend that go ahead. We have radicals pulling guns on legislators because they won't vote for a bill they think should be passed. Legislators have had to file police reports against these gun nuts and yet Deal does nothing but enable them to terrorize more people. If that kind of third world thing is what you advocate for just go ahead and say so. Do you think calling African American women ghetto whores is a positive thing? It's what Nathan Deal did. If you want to defend these crackpots then go ahead. I'm not making any of this up.

    Parent
    Stop it. (5.00 / 4) (#127)
    by sj on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:53:42 AM EST
    Just stop it. Stop conflating analysis with support.

    This comment is just as ugly as the original. But it is consistent with lots of other ugly comments you and others have thrown her way. I've been really surprised these last few months at the level of hostility and complete lack of understanding of the intent of jb's analysis.

    jb is not the knee-jerk GOP supporter you make her out to be.

    Now if we were talking police and other authorities...

    (I kid. Kind of)

    Parent

    They aren't MINE (none / 0) (#64)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:27:45 AM EST
    I know you like to confuse looking at polls and reporting on the ground and actual data with "support", but that would be just plain wrong. (BTW - Hagan was tied, and Nunn was losing ground in the couple of weeks, so no, they weren't wrong - you were). Might I suggest that you have a narrower view of what is going on, and that's why you were so off in your predictions?

    Parent
    No (none / 0) (#69)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:06:06 AM EST
    all the polls showed a runoff here in GA. But that is what you get for going with conventional wisdom.

    You are wrong about me and keep confusing me with other people. I don't know why you keep on doing that. What I said was the polling was tight and I would make no predictions other than it looked like a runoff here in GA.

    Anyway get ready for the jihad that going the be coming down the pike.

    Parent

    Clearly, you and jb differed in your (5.00 / 4) (#95)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:19:46 AM EST
    analysis and interpretation of polls and other information out there.

    But you continue to conflate analysis of polls and trending numbers with candidate support; they are not the same thing.

    But that conflation has allowed you to reach new lows, going so far as to toss off that uncalled-for comment that you hoped jb was happy her psychopaths won.

    Maybe it's too early to gloat, but given how you and others have been hammering jb about how she was going to see just how wrong she was, I can't completely blame her for doing it.

    Parent

    What (none / 0) (#103)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 09:45:36 AM EST
    I said was that she was devoted to the beltway narrative which has been wrong twice in the past regarding the senate. So having bought into that narrative in the past two elections I wasn't going to automatically buy into it a third time. You know twice burned etc.

    And yes, I know I went over the top with that one comment. And I apologized.

    Parent

    A little revisionist history (none / 0) (#130)
    by Slado on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 12:02:21 PM EST
    If I may say so.

    You gave lots and lots of reasons why republicans weren't going to win.

    I warned you repeatedly that you were looking at the data with partisan eyes.  Reflecting on my same mistake in 2014.

    Now that you've been proven spectacularly wrong you seem to be naturally recounting your positions and lashing out.

    I know, I've been there.  It hurts.

    Remember that when a party goes too extreme in one direction or the other and fails to do what they say (both in the case of this president) historically the American people deal them a blow.

    That's all that happened last night.  

    Parent

    I said (none / 0) (#152)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:18:27 PM EST
    the polls were close and within the margin of error. Twice we've been told by the beltway that the GOP was going to take the senate. Twice it didn't happen. I just wasn't going to go down that road again.

    I'm not shocked that the GOP took the senate. I knew it was a possibility. I am however shocked that we did not have a run off here in GA. I quit the whole denial thing back in 2004 when Kerry lost and I was sure he was going to win.

    Parent

    Well (none / 0) (#61)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:21:14 AM EST
    the polls said Hagan was going to win. So they were wrong in NC and in NH. They also were wrong here in GA. I predicted a run off which did not happen.

    Parent
    What is the MD legislature like? (none / 0) (#44)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 11:28:47 PM EST
    Will Hogan get the cutbacks and such passed?

    Parent
    It's a Democratic majority, so we have that (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:27:42 AM EST
    going for us.  Plus, we have a Democratic Comptroller and a Dem Attorney General.

    I guess what's so galling is that Brown could have won if he'd given the people his vision and spent less time and money just attacking his opponent with some pretty bad ads.  I mean, it's all well and good to attack someone on his record on reproductive rights, but if you have to go back 25 years for your authority for it, you might not be on solid ground.

    There were things Brown could have challenged Hogan on - like his budget plan, which no one thought added up.  Hogan hit Brown on taxes - talked endlessly about the 40 taxes O'Malley had raised or created - but Hogan's plans for getting rid of them just didn't make sense.  

    Essentially, Hogan ran against O'Malley - and Brown did little to separate himself from O'Malley by giving the people a positive, fresh vision.  He gave the people no reason to think the next four years would be any different from the last eight.  

    So many wasted opportunities, really.  The ad Hogan ran about the 40 taxes could have been countered with a Brown ad telling the people what they got for those taxes, but no...Brown could have pulled Heather Mizeur into his campaign and used the excitement she generated in the primary to energize Democrats about him, but no...

    For the love of God, Brown had both Clintons and Michelle Obama rally for him, and the president doing radio ads; Hogan had four or five Chris Christie appearances.  Chris Christie.  Mr. Sit Down and Shut Up, Mr. Bridgegate, Governor Ebola.

    That's how bad Brown's campaign was.  And the truth is, Anthony Brown didn't excite me, either.  His years in the military, while admirable, don't qualify him to be governor.  The debacle of the health exchange, which he was in charge of, did not inspire confidence.  

    Well, I told myself this morning that if we could live through four years of Bob Ehrlich, I suppose we'll survive Larry Hogan.  Now I guess we have to cope with the national outlook, and wonder about things like why Obama would call someone like uber-conservative Tom Cotton when he hasn't reached out to some of the Dems in 6 years.

    Not a good morning.

    Parent

    He called Tom Cotton? (none / 0) (#53)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:37:04 AM EST
    Great

    Parent
    Well (none / 0) (#54)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:40:24 AM EST
    that's Obama for you.

    Parent
    I think he called all the winners (none / 0) (#78)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:40:41 AM EST
    GMO labelling (none / 0) (#40)
    by Natal on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 10:50:16 PM EST
    in Oregon in tight race.  Early results:

    Measure 92: Oregon Mandatory Labeling of GMOs Initiative
    Yes: 49.26%
    No: 50.74%

    One trope that I bet will be laid to rest (none / 0) (#43)
    by ruffian on Tue Nov 04, 2014 at 11:24:47 PM EST
    It takes 60 votes to pass a bill in the Senate!

    If the Dems filibuster even one thing I will be astounded.goid thing they might not have to, since I doubt the GOP will actually legislate.

    One thing that surprises me (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:35:43 AM EST
    a little is the tone republicans are taking.  Maybe it's just for the next 24 hours but they are sounding very much like they may actually try to govern.  At least in the senate.

    Is so THATS much more troubling than hearings and imoeachment.   Governing is the last we want they to do.

    Parent

    We'll (none / 0) (#55)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 06:42:00 AM EST
    see if that lasts. There are some real crazies that have been put into office by the GOP and they've said if their agenda does not get addressed then they are going to start shooting.

    Parent
    YeeHa! (none / 0) (#66)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:33:23 AM EST
    You're right. Governing is the last thing. (none / 0) (#109)
    by Mr Natural on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:10:12 AM EST
    The first priority is to reestablish control of the taxpayer dollar feeding trough.

    Parent
    I'm trying (none / 0) (#60)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:19:40 AM EST
    to balance my smirky pleasure between seeing bumbling Harry Reid's loss of his useless position in the Senate leadership, and my stomach-turning revulsion at the prospect of seeing Mitch McConnell, the tightest-arsed person I have even seen in public life thrust into the position over which he had drooled lo these many years.

    I guess I have to come down on the side of being revolted over the ascension of Mitch.

    When I think of the beginning of Obama's tenure --- I have never seen such glowing hope all over the world at the election of this man who seemed to represent the end of the horrific years dominated by grungy GWBush. And he had the Senate and the House with him.

    Now, a mere six years later, Bushism is alive and well, we are at war just about everywhere, politicians are avoiding being associated with Obama, and the Senate and House are firmly in the hands of the gargoyles.

    I could try to assign blame for this, but I think for the moment I'll just have a coffee and try to turn the page.


    Michael Grimm wins (none / 0) (#68)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:46:48 AM EST
    You remember him - the Republican congressman from Staten Island who once was caught on camera telling a reporter he would throw him off a balcony at the US Capitol?  Oh yeah, he also was indicted on 20 counts of tax fraud and other charges for his business dealings in running a restaurant before he was elected.

    So, you knew it was going to be a good night for Republicans when even people like this were winning.

    The question is this (none / 0) (#77)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:37:28 AM EST
    How bad was Grimm's opponent if he couldn't beat a guy with 20 indictments.....????

    Reminds of William Jefferson, the N.O. congressman, now in prison, who demanded an army truck to go get his (cold) cash in his freezer during Katrina.. yet he got re-elected.

    Parent

    Bummer... (none / 0) (#82)
    by kdog on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 08:49:15 AM EST
    with 99.53% of the vote counted, Howie Hawkins came up just short of the key 5% number in the NY Governor's race, 4.88%.  

    And I wanna puke over Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice (Brand D) winning her a House seat...she's the worst kind of "law and order" Democrat.  But on the brightside, she will no longer be Nassau County DA, maybe the county next door will get a DA who is smart and reasonable on crime this time.

    Some interesting first demographics (none / 0) (#110)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:16:35 AM EST
    from last night

    Based on preliminary exit poll data on Tuesday night we were able to say with some certainty how the 2014 electorate compared with 2012 and 2010. In short: It had more white, older voters -- the sort of voters more likely to vote Republican.

    As it turns out, the effect of that shift was multiplied by the fact that voters across the board were more likely to support Republicans than in past elections....

    SNIP

    Support for Democrats was down slightly among black voters. In 2012, black voters backed the president by an 87-point margin; in 2010, black voters supported Democratic House candidates by 80 points, per exits. Last night, they backed Democrats by 79 points. Reduced support plus reduced turnout multiplies the effect for Republicans.

    Note the big swing in the Asian voting bloc, too. In 2012, strong support for the president among Asian-American voters was a surprise. Asian voters preferred the president by 47 points. In 2014, the (low turnout) group split about evenly. It was a 46-point swing.

    SNIP

    Elections come down to turnout, yes, and Tuesday night was great turnout for the Republicans. But when every demographic group votes more heavily in one direction than two years prior, that effect is multiplied significantly.


    Apprently (none / 0) (#111)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:20:26 AM EST
    those exit polls showing a less white voting bloc showing up were wrong.

    Parent
    Obama's leadership next two years (none / 0) (#117)
    by Juanita Moreno on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:54:49 AM EST
    From Politico:

    He's gone almost two years without a major legislative achievement, leaving him "very willing" to start cutting deals, a senior administration official said, possibly on trade, corporate taxes and patent reform. Still, this posture isn't much different than the one he's projected for years.

    Cut deals on trade, corporate taxes and patent reform? Our Plutocrat in Chief had these goals the entire time. "No Obama pivot" indeed.


    The minute (none / 0) (#118)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 10:56:39 AM EST
    he and McConnell come to an agreement on something the tea party is going to start wailing and threatening to sit home in 2016. I don't see anything passing.

    Parent
    The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by Juanita Moreno on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:11:48 AM EST
    and other middle class destroying trade agreements are bipartisan. The TPP will have many unique components that one side could say they agree with while still differentiating themselves from the opposite/exactlythesame political party.

    Parent
    Do you really (none / 0) (#124)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 11:20:08 AM EST
    think that the GOP is going to sign onto anything with Obama? After yesterdays' outcome and the campaign promises they made I highly doubt it.

    Parent
    The TPP could make most members of (none / 0) (#136)
    by Juanita Moreno on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 02:18:58 PM EST
    Congress rich beyond their wildest dreams. I think they'll work together to screw the middle class and continue to destroy the environment. All they have to do is remember to tell their respective constituents that they voted for X part of the bill, not Y.

    Parent
    What a surprise, the GOP likes Obama on this one (none / 0) (#164)
    by Juanita Moreno on Mon May 18, 2015 at 11:30:44 AM EST
    Now we know it's Obama and the Repubs teamed up with a few turncoat Democrats who are forcing this TPP Terrible Public Policy down our throats.

    Parent
    One Tea Party darling down (none / 0) (#131)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 12:02:53 PM EST
    probably, for 2016.  Paul Ryan will most likely be the Chair of House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful committees on the Hill.  If he does that, I don't see him giving it up to run for president and be lumped in with the other kooks.

    Grand Bargain, here we come! (5.00 / 2) (#133)
    by Anne on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 12:34:39 PM EST
    Yeesh.

    Parent
    Losing (none / 0) (#153)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 07:20:31 PM EST
    VP candidates hardly ever do well. So he'd be well advised to not run even without getting a plum assignment.

    Parent
    Your potential new (none / 0) (#137)
    by jbindc on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 02:20:15 PM EST
    Senate leadership

    Sen. John McCain - expected to become the next chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

    Sen. Thad Cochran  - expected to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

    Sen. Jeff Sessions - expected to become chairman of the Budget Committee.

    Sen. John Thune - expected to become chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

    Sen. Lisa Murkowski - expected to become chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

    Sen. Jim Inhofe  - expected to become chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee.  (Scary - a climate denier in charge of the Environment)

    Sen. Orrin Hatch  - expected to become chairman of the powerful tax-writing Finance Committee.

    Sen. Bob Corker  - expected to become chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

    Sen. Ron Johnson - expected to become chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

    Sen. Lamar Alexander - expected to become chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee.

    Sen. Chuck Grassley - expected to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

    Sen. Richard Burr is a likely candidate for two chairmanship positions. He is currently the ranking member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, but is also the next in line to chair the Intelligence Committee and has expressed interest in that panel. He has yet to decide which post he will take.

    If Sen. Burr does not accept the Veteran Affairs Committee chairmanship, Sen. Johnny Isakson is rumored to take up the gavel.

    Sen. James Risch will likely lead the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. If Sen. Burr decides not to chair the Intelligence Committee, the Idaho Republican would be the next in line.

    Sen. Richard Shelby will become the chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

    Oh, the comedy. (none / 0) (#138)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 02:25:53 PM EST
    Inhofe and Sessions with leadership roles. Crazies with face time on TV.

    Parent
    Thinking it's a good thing I don't have cable (none / 0) (#139)
    by nycstray on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 03:37:43 PM EST
    crazy face time will be severely limited here :P

    Parent
    oof... (none / 0) (#143)
    by lentinel on Wed Nov 05, 2014 at 05:32:38 PM EST