Thursday, November 9, 2006

The Macaca Election




So I wonder what Karl Rove thinks of strategic realignment today? All that talk of turning America into a country with a permanent Republican majority rings hollow now that the voters have repudiated George W. Bush and his party. But Democrats ought not reach any dramatic conclusions about grand political shifts. While there are no doubt political tectonic plates that move and grind, politics often turns on small surface-level details. Were John Kerry a slightly better candidate--or had he cast one different vote in his long Senate career (and voted to oppose granting Bush the authority to invade Iraq)--the 2004 election might have ended much differently. Instead of being viewed as a reaffirmation of the invader of Iraq and his Republican comrades, that election would have been characterized as a rejection of a failed commander in chief. (As it were, 49 percent of the public did vote to reject Bush.)

This year, there is a better example of how a major political turnabout can rest upon a tiny pebble. One word decided which party would win the U.S. Senate. One word gave the Democrats full control of Congress and the power to pass whatever legislation they fancy and to block the president's appointments, including his Supreme Court nominations. Because of one word, the Democrats can now dictate funding for the Iraq war. That word is "macaca."

Because incumbent Republican George Allen uttered that racially-charged word--and because he was captured doing so on video--he lost his bid for reelection. Because of his defeat, the Republicans fell one seat shy of retaining control of the Senate. Reaganite-turned-Democrat Jim Webb appears to have beaten Allen by about 7000 votes. There can be no question that Allen's "macaca" gaffe was the decisive moment in the race and that it cost him at least 7000 votes, if not more. Had he called the Webb campaign volunteer a different term ("jerk") or had the comment not been taped and widely disseminated (thank you, YouTube), Allen likely would have won reelection. That one moment changed the contest.

Certainly, there was a political wave in this election. Ask Republican Senators Lincoln Chafee, Mike DeWine, Jim Talent, Conrad Burns, and Rick Santorum, and the two dozen-plus House GOP incumbents handed pink slips by the voters. This wave was triggered by a specific event: the Iraq war. That war has rudely interrupted any realignment Rove was trying to orchestrate. The lesson? Reality has a way of interfering with the well-crafted and clever plans of political strategists. But there's another lesson as well: small matters that have nothing to do with the larger forces can tip much. Just ask the outgoing junior senator from Virginia. Analysts conducting an election post-mortem can probably identify other decisive events in key races. After all, the bottom-line election result--Democrats take the House and Senate--is an amalgamation of the results of hundreds of individual campaigns. But in the next two years, whenever a Republican bemoans what is happening in the Senate, he or she will be right to curse, "Oh, macaca!"

Posted by David Corn at November 9, 2006 10:57 AM

58 comments:

Saladin said...

Capt, hope I'm not one of the people pissing you off. If I am just say so and I will go.

capt said...

Saladin,

I hope you know better than that.


capt

O'Reilly said...

Clean house!

O'Reilly said...

hello?

O'Reilly said...

Capt,
Where's A Nona Mouse now? HA!

O'Reilly said...

'Macaca' was the word that alerted voters to Allen's perspective.

The statement that his family ate 'ham sandwiches and pork chops' - despite their Jewish ancestry - sealed the deal.

Allen wanted the world to understand that while he was Jewish, he wasn't THAT Jewish.

I hope the Democrats hit the ground running in January. They should have legislation ready to go
on single issue bills according to their priorities. Bring them to the floor and rule out emndment process. Vote them, pass them and put them on Bush's desk.

O'Reilly said...

Where are some of those cornbloggers who have been willing to share their alternative realities? Spy on This! comes to mind. Ha! James Ha!

capt said...

Iraqis skeptical Democrat gains will bring change



BAGHDAD, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Iraqi leaders predicted no change in U.S. Iraq policy and ordinary citizens doubted any U.S. party could restore their wrecked country after Democrats swept mid-term elections and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld quit.

U.S. President George W. Bush said Rumsfeld, one of the main architects of the war in Iraq, had resigned because there was a need for a "fresh perspective" on Iraq. He also conceded his Iraq policy was "not working well enough, fast enough".

Nadim al-Jabiri, an academic and prominent member of the dominant Shi'ite Islamic bloc the United Iraqi Alliance, said Rumsfeld's resignation was no surprise.

"The military strategy they have used won the war but failed to bring stability. I don't think his resignation will have an effect on the ground as our problems are too great," he said.

Some ordinary Iraqis took a similar view.

"Iraq is long ruined and American policy is fixed, whichever party takes control of Congress. If the Democrats can finally bring us some security they are welcome, but I believe no one can succeed," said Abdullah, a 28-year-old computing student.

Mohamed Husni, a 24-year-old taxi driver, said he hoped the shift in Congress, where the Democrats took control of the House from Bush's Republicans and moved close to victory in the Senate, would bring an immediate withdrawal.


More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Some ordinary Americans take a similar view too.



capt

O'Reilly said...

Wasn't it Corn who said taking a stick to a hornet's nest yields predictible results?

We should plan to leave. The Iraqi PM said two to three years. We should meet and agree on a shorter timeframe, and then stick to it.

capt said...

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss



Will Democrats repeal and impeach or salute and follow? Mobbed-up establishment sycophant Nancy Pelosi is nobody's savior , as sacrificial lamb Rumsfeld steps down


If George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld are allowed to tear apart the very fabric of America without consequences then what is to stop a President Hillary Clinton or John McCain doing the same?

There's no doubt about it, to see frothing Neo-Cons who have been strutting around like John Wayne for the past five years finally eat humble pie is a breath of fresh air, but let's not be so deluded as to think that the Neo-Con agenda, which took decades to craft, was simply brushed aside by the victory of a party that has supported Bush every step of the way on major issues.

Nancy Pelosi voted for the war in Afghanistan, for the Patriot Act, for Homeland Security and against a bill that simply condemned torture of prisoners in Iraq. Pelosi is the pro-torture "savior" who we are told will keep in check the pro-torture Bush administration.

As blogger Kurt Nimmo points out , "Making Bush and Cheney—that is to say, the neocons—lame ducks will add a jolt of adrenalin to the neocon plan to decimate the Muslim and Arab Middle East, lest the neolib faction, under a Democrat president and Congress, go back to its old ways, that is, instead of mass murdering Iranians in one fell swoop, imposing the sort of sanctions levied against Iraq under Clinton, resulting in the slow death of 1.5 million Iraqis, 500,000 of them children."

"We can only hope, when the day finally arrives, Nancy Pelosi will be paraded before the world in her stylish orange jumpsuit, along with Bush, Cheney, and the vile neocons."

As is to be expected, her record on immigration is horrible, in almost every case Pelosi has opposed legislation that would prevent illegal immigrants from abusing rights only afforded to American citizens under the U.S. constitution.

Gun Owners of America, a real organization dedicated to defending second amendment rights unlike the co-opted NRA, gave Pelosi zero per cent two years running for her record on gun control and she routinely scores an F minus, the lowest possible approval rating.

Will the now advanced plan to decimate US sovereignty and impose tracking and taxation controls on vehicle travel across the country under the NAFTA Superhighway be reversed under a Democrat House and Senate? No.

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, the main bulwark preventing the creation of the North American Union, is routinely attacked by leading Democrats such as Pelosi and Rangel.

After Chavez called Bush the devil at his UN speech Pelosi branded Chavez a "thug," which is quite rich considering Pelosi's mobbed-up father, Thomas D'Alessandro, let the Mafia have free reign over Baltimore in the 1940's after he was elected as Mayor.

Will the Military Commissions Act, the very bill that effectively nullifies nine of the ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution be repealed under a Democrat House and Senate? Time will tell but it seems highly unlikely.

Will the army of surveillance cameras that have invaded American streets via Homeland Security grants be curtailed under a Democrat House and Senate? If anything big government and Big Brother will only get bigger.

Will increased pressure be heaped upon Bush to bring American troops home from Iraq, save the isolated echoes of dissent from lone dissidents like Murtha? No, and if Hillary Clinton rides the wave of Bush discontent all the way into the Oval Office, she has already promised to expand the so-called war on terror.

Will an independent investigation into the Bush administration's complicity in 9/11 be ordered under a Democratic House and Senate? No - and the same goes for lying about pre-war Iraq intelligence - Pelosi has already brazenly proclaimed that Neo-Con war criminals will have safe passage.

Pelosi is an obedient adherent to the phony doctrines of the "war on terror" and her recent comments that "The war in Iraq is making it harder for America to fight and win the war on terror," only go to show that she disagrees on the minutia of where the troops should be on the map, not whether they should be there at all.

The worst case scenario, that the mid-terms would provide an endorsement of illegal eavesdropping, torture, imperial hegemony and the revoking of the bill of rights, has thankfully not been realized. The American people have rejected the Neo-Con agenda and dealt it a symbolic blow.

Donald Rumsfeld has been offered up as the sacrificial lamb and top Neo-Con architects have abandoned Bush.

All the more reason for the elite to re-arrange the deck chairs and give an enflamed electorate a safe steam valve and a token victory before the fun really begins after 2008, meanwhile the same policies of big government, Big Brother, crackdown on dissent, destruction of sovereignty, and occupation of sovereign nations will continue - all under the stewardship of hierarchy brownnoser Nancy Pelosi.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Something in the pit of my stomach says no meaningful changes will come. Not with this type of leadership[sic].



capt

DEN said...

Capt, WTF? Shadow blog? Filter through account registration, Jeez Loise.

capt said...

Member registration would be the next step if the personal attacks continue.

I will not work on a forum to have that forum used as a vehicle for personal attacks against me or any other poster.

That makes no sense to me.



capt

Mookie said...

I kind of liked it when Corn didn't have comments, because then it was quiet. After a while, though, I started to miss the intelligent commentary and related links. These created a much more robust picture of the situation than Corn alone could provide.

Thank you, capt, for finding and hosting a quiet forum for us.

capt said...

Not a dead horse yet



With the balance of power shifting in Washington, questions over the legality of the Iraq war are coming back to haunt No 10

When the heat is on the White House over Iraq, it doesn't take long before the blast hits Downing Street. Tony Blair would not have agreed to Lord Butler's inquiry into the use of intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq had it not been for George Bush agreeing under pressure for a similar inquiry in Washington. Now a Democrat-controlled Congress will be asking more questions.

And so, unless they renounce all responsibility in calling the government to account, will MPs. The Commons foreign affairs committee has already been given some powerful ammunition.

Carne Ross, a high-flying Foreign Office diplomat, resigned in protest at the invasion of Iraq. He left the FO after giving evidence to Butler's inquiry. Foreign policy, he told the committee on Wednesday, should be measured on its effectiveness at relieving suffering. "If that's your measure of policy, [in Iraq] it has been a rank disaster in terms of bloodshed," he said. "By that measure," he added, "the invasion has been a much greater disaster even than Suez."

Ross was based in the US in the years leading up to the invasion. He told MPs: "I took part in the bilateral discussion between the State Department and the Foreign Office for four years. One of the items repeatedly on the agenda was regime change. Whenever the item came up, the leader of the delegation would say, with emphasis: 'We do not believe regime change is a good idea in Iraq ... Iraq will break up and there will be chaos if you do that.'"

London, he said, suddenly changed its policy - and its instructions to the UK diplomats in the US - in mid 2002. Ross said legal advice on the legality of the invasion was ignored, and he complained that officials were not prepared to speak their minds. Instead, they tended to say "what ministers want to hear" for the sake of advancing their careers.

The former diplomat is considering whether to release his evidence to the Butler inquiry which was held in secret.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

I predict that the UK will have Blair answer for the crimes against humanity long before a Democratic Majority in Washington takes any clear action to stop the crime of Iraq from continuing.


capt

O'Reilly said...

mookie, is that you?

DEN said...

capt, an insult is only an insult if you acknowledge it as such. I knew we would inherit nony-mouse-trolls when David broke the news about the mirror blog, but comments can be resricted to include registered folks only.

I thought that was a nifty feature to limit troll rantings. All known posters have been good folks all along. Like a cyber family of sorts.

Seems like hiding from the boogeyman here. IMHO

capt said...

"but comments can be resricted to include registered folks only."

Um, that is what this is?

Or am I missing something?

Maybe you think I should put up with the name calling but I will not.

I put my time into this forum and will not be attacked personally by any so-called family member. Period. If anybody takes issue with that then too damn bad. Go elsewhere or get David to re-open HIS comments. I will not have any of it. I will nip it at the bud.





capt

capt said...

No offense but:

"Seems like hiding from the boogeyman here. IMHO"

Then do not HIDE here with me - the other blog is open to anonymous if THAT is important to anybody - go there.

With my blessings!



capt

DEN said...

Perhaps I missed the particular incident in the comments, having re-read them several times.

Sorry pal,

capt said...

Micki said...

capt, I recall you saying once that you don't post quotes in reaction to any post or some such crapola.

It sure is interesting that you "just happen" to have certain quotes at the tip of your fingertips.

Just an observation. I should look up quotes about lying. Or prevaricating. Or spinning. Or bullshit.

*****

This from someone that plays drama queen? "I will not post here any more" (pathetic)

I am not a liar nor am I prevaricating. I am full of bullshit but two out of three personal insults are more than I have to deal with.

You all may not know how much work does go into running the comments section. Anybody that does not think the above is completely out of line can return to the old blog or wait for David to re-open HIS comments section.

I do not have to put up with this shit, GET IT?



capt

capt said...

Bush Snipes At Rove: "I Obviously Was Working Harder In The Campaign Than He Was"...



From Bush's afternoon press conference:

Q Thank you, sir. During this campaign season some religious conservatives expressed support and appreciation for the work you've done. But some also expressed that they felt like they expended a lot of effort on your behalf without a lot of results. I wonder if you could tell us what parts of their agenda are still on your radar screen, and if you think they're right to be frustrated? And also, Mr. President, may I ask you if you have any metrics you'd be willing to share about your reading contest with Mr. Rove.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm losing. I obviously was working harder in the campaign than he was. (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE: Oooooh!

Read entire transcript here.


More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Bush is clearly the lowest form of life on the planet. What a guy, eh?


capt

DEN said...

Capt, please chill out! You have done more than an admirable job here and letting some "drama queen" set you off just is not worth the angst generated from it. Dont get me wrong here, I am not challenging your actions, after all you went through the trouble of setting up the mirror blog in the first place, that carries a lot of weight with me, initiative is hard to find nowadays in anyone and you took it and ran with it and probably feel it was your "baby" getting pasted with crap, understandable, but I figured you for a pretty thick-skinnned dude.

Do whatever you think is right, I am a guest in your house, I try not to drag in dirt because I respect that, do unto others.....

Too bad everyones not perfect like me HA!

O'Reilly said...

I was suprised by Micki's comments. They seemed out of character. I wondered if it were a sock puppet.

The comments also reminded me of a old dialogue between two other cornbloggers (reads: cat fight) where one holds up the others actions to the mirror of hypocrisy to demonstrate their superior character. I won't dwell.

Getting rid of Anonymous rids the comments sections of an undesirable dynamic, which I characterize as peanut-gallery potshots. Someone, usually a provacateur, sometimes a troll, drops in and unloads a bomb. Eliminating Anonymous postings solves that problem. Anyone who wants to post can,they just have to register first.

A betting man would guess that Capt needed to create a new blog in order to select the option to have NO ANONYMOUS entries.

It's worth it. Count me in!

eyes_open said...

test

eyes_open said...

Kept getting errors when trying to post earlier. Still shocked at the results. Was the Dem turnout so high it overpowered any vote shenanigans or are the fixed boxes being saved for 2008?

O'Reilly said...

Right-wing bloggers unleash a torrent of hate: Sample the bitterness... by Peter Daou LINK

O'Reilly said...

Maureen Down has a way with snark...

Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it. So now they’re taking it back.—The president and Karl Rove, underestimating the public’s hunger for change or overestimating the loyalty of a fed-up base, did not ice Rummy in time to save the Senate from teetering Democratic. But once Sonny managed to heedlessly dynamite the Republican majority — as well as the Middle East, the Atlantic alliance and the U.S. Army — then Bush Inc., the family firm that snatched the presidency for W. in 2000, had to step in.

While Vice went off to a corner to lick his wounds, W. was forced to do his best imitation of his dad yesterday, talking about “bipartisan outreach,” “people have spoken,” blah-blah-blah — after he’d been out on the trail saying that electing Democrats would mean that “the terrorists win and America loses.”

He was asked if his surprise at the election results showed he was out of touch with Americans. “I thought when it was all said and done,” he replied, “the American people would understand the importance of taxes and the importance of security.”

So it was just that the American people were too dumb to understand? W. also managed to bash Vietnam vets, saying that this war isn’t similar because there’s a volunteer army, so “the troops understand the consequences of Iraq in the global war on terror.” Is that why W. stayed out of Vietnam? Because he understood it?

O'Reilly said...

Make no mistake, now begins a time to suggest and implement alternative solutions for the Iraq mess. But never forget that it will always be Bush's debacle. Various ideas will be tried with varying degrees of success, however all will be for the sole purpose of cleaning up what Bush/Cheney have wrought.

Always, always remember this fact when the GOP will undoubtedly look to blame any future Iraq problems on the attempted solutions by the Democrats. Don't let them get away with it, don't let them forget which man and which party is ultimately responsible for invading Iraq and making it a tragic example of incompetence, cronyism, and brutish pride repeatedly chosen over sane prudence.

theangryliberal.blogspot.com link

O'Reilly said...

Where is the love?

President Bush had many explanations for what he called the "thumping" his party took on Tuesday, but the most creative was the notion that his chief strategist, Karl Rove, had spent too much time reading books.

"I obviously was working harder on the campaign than he was," the president said at yesterday's East Room news conference. The reporters laughed. The Architect, who had challenged Bush to a reading contest, wore a sheepish grin and stared at his lap.

True, Rove will have to surrender his "genius" credentials after the GOP lost the House and apparently the Senate. But the recriminations weren't stopping at Rove's door. The president, who started his appearance with an admission that "I share a large part of the responsibility," went on to blame everybody else.

He blamed corruption: "People want their congressmen to be honest and ethical, so in some races that was the primary factor."…

Implicitly, of course, he blamed Donald Rumsfeld, by firing him as defense secretary in favor of the "fresh perspective" of Robert Gates.

And, not least, he blamed the uncomprehending voters: "I thought when it was all said and done, the American people would understand the importance of taxes and the importance of security. But the people have spoken, and now it's time for us to move on."…

Republicans were equally determined to show their disunity. While Dean spoke, conservative leaders held dueling news conferences in other rooms at the press club. Their theme: Blame the party, not us. "This was not a repudiation of conservatives," said Pat Toomey, a former GOP congressman. "It was a rejection of the Republican Party." At the rival conservative event across the hall, Richard Viguerie was condemning "the failed big-government policies of President Bush."

More Christy Hardin Smith @ FIRE DOG LAKE dot COM

capt said...

"I was suprised by Micki's comments. They seemed out of character. I wondered if it were a sock puppet."

No make no mistake about who posted what and to whom.

Just check the last few snide remarks on the old blog.

No sock puppets will post here because now it takes a registered poster. Sorry but that is the way it is.




capt

DEN said...

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
Mahatma Gandhi

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
Cherie Carter-Scott,

capt said...

"A betting man would guess that Capt needed to create a new blog in order to select the option to have NO ANONYMOUS entries."

I could have changed the settings on the old blog but I had said I would not close the old blog.

I have not closed it and am a man of my word. I also never said I would service it forever - so there you go.

If anybody else want to re-post David's posts to the old blog I will set it up to allow you to email it in. Just let me know (of course you would have to send me your valid email address).



capt

DEN said...

A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

DEN said...

My sense of humor is waning fast, time for some fresh air!

capt said...

Den,

You are not telling me anything I do not know.

I have no enemies and yet I will not take pot shots from the likes of anonymous posters - it is a done deal.

Even Micki could post here but she will have to create a "google/blogger" account.

If the personal attacks rear their hideous head here on this blog - I will close it down faster than you can say "turn the other cheek".

The only other option then will be a blog by invitation.

Sad when one jerk wrecks it for all the others but there is a price to pay for launching personal attacks on a blog that I invest my time into. Period.

I am not over-reacting nor am I pissed, I have drawn a line in the sand that Mr. Corn should have drawn long ago. NO PERSONAL ATTACKS.



capt

O'Reilly said...

It's your blog. You call the shots. The rules work for me. Count me in.

capt said...

Bush 'open to any idea' on Iraq



NEW: Bush says he is open to suggestions on Iraq policy

NEW: Source says GOP is urging Sen. George Allen to concede Virginia race

Allen and opponent James Webb to hold news conferences this afternoon

Bush invites Democrats to White House, promises "new era of cooperation"


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush told reporters Thursday that he respected the results of this week's elections that propelled Democrats to power and said he was "open to any idea or suggestion" that will help the U.S. achieve its goals in Iraq.

"Whatever party we come from we all have a responsibility to ensure that these troops have the resources and support they need to prevail," he said.

Bush was flanked by his Cabinet members with whom he met earlier in the day. He also met with outgoing GOP leaders and planned to lunch with House speaker-to-be Rep. Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer later, he said. (Watch Bush urge his party to "put the elections behind us" -- 3:10 )

The president also said he will meet with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin on Friday.

Bush said he was eager to discuss with Democrats "the way forward for our country" and has instructed his Cabinet to provide the new congressional leaders with any information they need to do their jobs.

"The American people expect us to rise above partisan differences, and my administration will do its part," he said.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Translation: As soon as the Democratic leadership[sic] comes around to agree with Bunnypants it will be bi-partisan until then the Dem's are clearly just being obstructionist, eh?


capt

capt said...

Democratic Party files lawsuit over provisional ballots



ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The New Mexico Democratic Party has filed a lawsuit seeking to clarify how provisional ballots will be evaluated.

Democratic Party chairman John Wertheim says state law allows provisional ballots to be counted if they include a signature and the voter can be identified.

A secretary of state’s regulation, by contrast, allows ballots to be challenged under certain conditions, such as a missing initial.

Wertheim calls Wednesday’s lawsuit a friendly one. He says Democrats think it would be best in everyone’s interest to get the question resolved before provisional ballots are counted.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Sounds about right, make sure everybody knows what the rules are before they count the ballots. I am sure the GOP will fight it.


capt

capt said...

http://www.getitstraightby2008.org

Please check it out - too busy right now but it is too important.


capt

capt said...

Still A Democrat, Joe Says, To Preserve Seniority



Now that he's won re-election as a petitioning candidate, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is pledging to remain a Democrat, if for no other reason than to keep his 18 years' seniority in the Senate.

"I'll sign up with the caucus to protect my seniority," Lieberman said Wednesday. "My seniority is important to my ability to deliver for the state of Connecticut."

Lieberman briefly joked about how the Republicans might coax him into joining the GOP, a switch that could keep the closely divided Senate under Republican control.

"There is a little playfulness in me that wants me to make a joke about that, but it's too serious. The answer is no," he said. "When I give my word I stick with it, and I am definitely going to organize with the Senate Democrats."

He said he delivered that message Wednesday in a phone conversation with the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada. He did not take Reid's call on election night.

"He was gracious enough to call me last night, but in the pandemonium, I didn't get to take the call," said Lieberman, who did accept a congratulatory call Tuesday from a Republican friend, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Memo to Joe and Harry: Joe is not a Democratic candidate he is the Independent candidate and has NO seniority.

This is the type of crud that is just starting, now where the hell did I put that champagne?



capt

capt said...

Pelosi said she would be “the speaker of the House, not the speaker of the Democrats,” Democrats will aggressively conduct oversight of the administration, she added, but that any talk of impeachment of President Bush “is off the table.”


*****


Nancy has no reason to take anything off the proverbial table. Why would she?

This means no withdrawl from Iraq and the Iraq issue will be the next presidents problem.

What happened to the super-dem's that were going to save the process from the neocons?

More reasons for more celebration unless you are not in favor of the Iraq occupation.


capt

capt said...

Rick,

The NBC news[sic] affilliate was suppose to announce about an hour ago, still nothing.

The games are afoot.


capt

Saladin said...

Capt, I agree with you completely. As someone who has received her share of personal attacks from the so-called "left-wing" I know just how you feel. micki, caroline and a couple others seem unable to debate points without resorting to insults and false accusations. I see no need for any of that. If you disagree with a point of view expressed, great, let's talk about it. I know I don't have a perfect record of refraining from this "sin" but I try very hard not to call people names or hurl insults just because I disagree. It does nothing for the discourse, though we are all emotional creatures from time to time. If I seem negative consider this, how much worse is it to be clueless and apathetic? micki accused me of waiting for the downfall of our country just so I could say "I told you so." Of all the rude and mean things she has said to me over the past year I consider that the most hurtful. If I wanted my country to fall I sure as HELL would not be here ranting against the very things bringing it down now would I? I would be out shopping and running my Humvee dealership!

My view on voter turnout, 60% absentee strikes me as quite a mandate. I think the people are sick and tired of the same old shit, vote for the same old shit, and shit is what you will get! Jim Hightower has a book called "If the Gods Meant Us To Vote, They'd Have Given Us Candidates." That really says it all. The two party monopoly is a failure, it can never work because it does not represent a true democracy, remember, govt. by the people and for the people? When is the last time we REALLY had that? Lesser of the evil? I'm SICK, SICK, SICK of EVIL! We're choking to death on it!

Voting In The Absence Of Choice
By Charles Sullivan


Too many Americans harbor the illusion that we live in a democracy simply because we have the right to vote. But let us be clear about something: voting matters only where real choices are allowed. It is universally understood that special interest money runs the American political system and thus defines what the choices will be. So we are left to choose between candidates who are financed by special interest money, which any fool can see, is no choice at all.

The system is purposely designed to require enormous expense from its participants. According to the very mainstream USA Today, the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics predicts that $2.6 billion will be spent on Congressional races this year alone, which thus precludes any third party candidate, as well as ordinary people, from all but token participation. It requires big money to win political office and big money comes from the deep pockets of corporate America. In effect, special interest money has rendered the political process as we know it null and void by restricting our choices to candidates that have been pre-chosen for us by corporate America...
==========
An article about truth, if it isn't TOO negative.

capt said...

Saladin,

The game playing was continued on the other blog. Someone was posting my posts over there. I closed the comments section.

I am done with the game players.

Never too negative for us nattering naybobs of negativity!

HA!


capt

capt said...

Whosoever thought it was cute posting my posts from here to there it is done.

I will delete the whole AR123 blog if I have to.

Get right or just go away. I am wholly indifferent either way.


capt

capt said...

Um, add a m to make whomsoever.

Saladin said...

Capt, I figure the serious people know where we are. The rest don't matter in the big picture.

TRH said...

Capt,

Kudos on the site and the change. I know we have had our differences in the past but I no longer allow my anger to possess me. I apologize to you for the things I said to you and many others in the past. I have no problem registering to participate in civil discussion.

DEN said...

Way too much anger and grudge holding going on for me here, thought this was a progressive blog.

Our government has problems yes but do we crawl into a shell and snivel, no you get up off your butt and do whatever you can to make it better.

Voting works, anybody that does not believe that does not deserve to live here. If you do not try, nothing will change. Most of the crap we have to deal with as a nation takes teamwork and we need all the help we can get.

Yea theres crooks, yea theres trolls and sinster assholes willing to do us in, one at a time but together we are a formidable force for change as shown by the recent voter turnout.

This blog is a miniature society and judging by the frivilous bickering here today shows the need for coming together not isolation. Working through differences is a part of being a mature adult, running away is not.

A few spoil it for the rest, been that way since childhood, no change seen coming, so we just have to acknowledge it and move on.

I saw the handwriting on the wall when David outed the mirror blog and changed my blog to "no anonymous comments" also to limit spam posts and troll droppings. Simple to do, no angst needed.

Good night and good luck!

capt said...

Den,

No big deal.



capt

capt said...

trh,

You are welcome (as is everybody) I cannot remember the last time I saw anything you posted that was offensive or any kind of personal attack.

Let us all attack the issues and shall we all keep the fire to the feet of those in power no matter what party they claim. They all work for all of us and they work damn little for the money they are paid.

I fear the same 65 (or so) lobbyists for every congress critter are still spending $200 million a month on them. A lot of honey in that pot. Too much I fear for most humans.


capt

capt said...

Our NM law about paper verification.

The last part of a small 3 page pdf:

(http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/06%20Regular/final/SB0295.pdf)

C. The paper ballot shall be used by the state or its contractor to check either the veracity of a machine count or the count itself, and shall be used in a recount proceeding as are absentee ballots, and in case of a discrepancy, the paper ballot shall be considered the true and correct record of the voter's choices."

*********

I was very surprised and very happy to vote on a piece of paper with an ink pen. It was recorded into an automated counter but having that piece of paper to exist and I KNOW it is in the pile was very reassuring.

They might have rigged the counter but any challenge can go back to the paper I marked. I liked that and think it can work everywhere. The rest of the law is interesting but that last part is something I can live with and feel like my vote did count.



capt

capt said...

Bill Richardson has done some very good things here in NM.

One thing I think most would agree is good: Bill changed the benefit amount for the loss of life for NMNG and reservists from a paltry $12,000 to $450,000.(something like six other states followed)

That and the paper and ink voting - the guy is a current hero of mine.


capt

Betterthanhalf said...

Thanks for getting rid of those attack posts.

This is better by more than half.

capt said...

Two days later, Wilson-Madrid margin remains within 1,400 votes



Last Update: 11/09/2006 4:12:34 PM
By: Todd Dukart



With the unofficial count nearly complete, the margin between the two candidates for New Mexico’s First Congressional District remains razor-thin.

Bernalillo County’s hand-counted votes are the only votes that haven’t been factored into the latest vote count. It puts incumbent Republican Heather Wilson ahead of Democrat Patricia Madrid by just 1,364 votes.

That number is well below the 3,800 votes that still need to be counted and 4,500 votes whose counts are still being fed into tally machines.

The outcome of the election, one of the nastiest campaigns in state political history, won’t be known until Friday when Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera says she expects to have results from more than 2,698 provisional and 1,058 in-lieu of ballots.

By law, the provisional votes can’t be counted until the canvass of Tuesday’s general election.

New Mexico’s First Congressional District is far from the only district nationwide without a clear winner. More than half a dozen districts scattered throughout the country remained too close to call by midafternoon Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

I hope Heather is done here. If they are waiting for just Bernalillo hand count Heather might have just lost as she is very unpopular here in Bernalillo county. Please cross your fingers for us!



capt

Saladin said...

DEN, I feel the personal attacks are bushco tactics, it is refreshing to have one little space in the blogosphere where we can have some civil discourse. If I want insults and name calling I can get that just about anywhere. I welcome debate and differing opinions and comments. Meanness and rude accusations are a dime a dozen. Politeness and willingness to get along are rare and welcome.

capt said...

New thread/post!

titchaba said...

Capt,

I thank you for doing what you have done, and I think that you will continue to do your best to keep this group together, and I think thats great.

That it has become something of a challenge to relocate........is kind of fun.

Name, Rank and Serial #.

I do not blog often here, or anywhere anymore....but I read a lot of blogs. This one has been a staple, I missed it till you brought it back.

Do what you need to do to keep it clean. You sure have my vote.