The Politics Thread

[Wales2004]

Both of you have me laughing.

Wildcard teams are the ones that do not win their respective divisions but have the next best record. Major League Baseball has a National League and an American League. Prior to this season, there was only one wildcard team per division. This season to "bring more drama and excitement" to the playoffs, an extra wildcard team was added to each division. Today the wildcard teams from both leagues have a playoff game to determine which wildcard team advances to the 'real" playoffs to face a division leader.

This is more information than you probably wanted to know but maybe someone will find it helpful.

[GoldenDogs]

Good points... I agree with much of what you're saying.

Are you surprised we're seeing this tight of a race this close to Election Day? I know people like Carl here believe the media, out of some love for Romney or a need to make things exciting, are responsible for all of this... but the media didn't make Obama perform poorly in the debate, nor did they give Romney an edge in public speaking... I'm curious as to your thoughts on this...

[GoldenDogs]

I agree 100% with Juppiter here, particularly on the point that the notion there are still undecided voters out there. How could some people NOT know by now who they intend to support?

When asked for polling purposes, I don't believe some people are responding honestly or accurately, particularly in those battleground states. Eerily familiar to 2010. Polls correctly somewhat about a month or so before Election Day and you're starting to see that now... These people are JUST KNOW figuring out who they wish to vote for... they've known for quite some time.

I believe there is manipulation of the polls, but not for the same reasons Carl does... and certainly not in support of Mitt Romney to help him. I'm still floored by that charge...

[marceline]

The unemployment rate drops and the right wing goes ballistic. At least they've stopped pretending they care about the economy.

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[quartermainefan]

My opinion has always been Romney can't win. He is the worst combination of a used car salesman and game show host, and the american people have had six years to like him and just don't. He has his week now in the sun, that will fade.

I disagree with Carl completely. There was not a media conspiracy to anoint Romney the winner. They couldn't crown him unless Obama lost, and Obama lost. Obama and his coma delivery is all his own doing.

[Wales2004]

So what are you saying? Are you saying you don't appreciate the way those very special people express their concern?

Are you certain it's only been six years because he seems like the perpetual candidate? I know it has to be longer than that.... I just know it.

[marceline]

Hee. Honestly what I'm really saying is that I am disgusted by them. I'm disgusted that they are so desperate to discount Obama that they consider the fellow Americans who have gotten jobs - some after being out of work for more than a year - to be a liability. I'm also disgusted that they are so wedded to ideology that they won't accept basic verifiable data. We gone from a war on women to a war on voting and finally they've declared war on MATH.

But most of all, I am completely and utterly sickened to the bottom of my soul by the reasonable Republicans and conservative who refuse to call out this ugliness for what it is. That makes me sickest of all because I know good, decent conservatives and they just sit on the sidelines while Fox News and the like foment hate and exploit ignorance.

Edited October 6, 2012 by marceline

[Wales2004]

I think it's quite sad.

[Ann_SS]

"Romney says his 47 percent were 'completely wrong'" Bwah!!! After Romney and his supporters here and elsewhere passionately defended him and constantly argued that he was right: There is NOTHING Romney won't say or lie about to get elected. He is the ultimate flip flopper. I cannot remember a Democratic or Republican presidential candidate worse than him.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/romney-47-percent-remarks-were-completely-wrong/2012/10/05/a346beaa-0ed8-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html?hpid=z3'>http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/romney-47-percent-remarks-were-completely-wrong/2012/10/05/a346beaa-0ed8-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html?hpid=z3

There was one president who tried to manipulate BLS: Richard Nixon! LOL!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/05/there-was-one-president-who-tried-to-manipulate-bls/?hpid=z2

Republican supported voter fraud, part of their voter suppression strategy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/us/politics/nathan-sproul-a-republican-operative-long-trailed-by-voter-fraud-claims.html?pagewanted=all&gwh=4EE7D95935AF45EC52529EC7263ED7B9

[GoldenDogs]

Marceline, it isn't just the right questioning the data. Everyone is suspicious of the numbers.

I think it's sad, too, that we can't trust the judiciary, the Justice Department, the Federal Reserve... or anyone.

[LeClerc]

Really?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82087.html#ixzz28SFPlXQn

[ReddFoxx]

The only people I've seen question it are right-wingers who want to win the election, that hardly constitutes everyone. It doesn't see like the right-wing gets how crazy some of their insinuations are? That is a scary thing.

[marceline]

It's not that "we" can't trust" the judiciary, the Justice Department, the Federal Reserve... or anyone," it's that you choose not to because you don't like what you heard. The only people questioning the data are the neocons. These are the same people who have been screaming at the top of their lungs that "Obama said that if the unemployment rate was still above eight percent he should only get one term!" so apparently the data was just fine until today. It's the same thing we've seen with the reaction to the polls. Two years ago when the polls said that a generic Republican could beat Obama, the neocons practically sprayed their shorts. Now that Obama's ahead, suddenly "oversampling" is the right-wing's new favorite word.

Reasonable Americans should no longer be forced to tolerate the paranoid ramblings of people who ignore math then tell the rest of us the "we" can't trust the numbers. These people are an embarrassment to themselves and this country. Conservatism I can tolerate, proud stupidity, however, I cannot. I'm glad to see that there are Republicans who seem to have gotten their fill of it.

If you think that we can't trust the numbers then make your case as to why not.

[quartermainefan]

Could you list two names of people who are not right wing republicans that are suspicious?

[juppiter]

Of course the numbers were wholly reliable when they were above 8% and now they are fudged.

The fact is these numbers mean nothing anyway -- name one month that wasn't revised upwards or downwards after the fact. They are basically an educated guess by the BLS and both sides using them for politicking is just spin.