The Politics Thread

[Vee]

I'm not watching it. I voted, did my part. Midterms often suck for the incumbent, but one way or another we will endure to the next election.

[marceline]

I almost never follow election results in real time. I learned that after 2000. I went to bed thinking Gore had won and woke up the next day to chaos. Plus it usually takes overnight to get decent results on local issues.

I actually start tuning out on political news about two weeks before election day. That's when all the people who "don't pay attention" to politics start flapping their gums and it's just more than I can take.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Feeling really sad about Mark Pryor and for Bill Clinton...I know he must be taking this loss very very hard....

[Eric83]

Beyond pissed! But if I can make it through 8 years of Dubya I can make it through anything.

[Juliajms]

^ Yep. I thank God that I'm not at a particularly vulnerable (Poor, old, unemployed, disabled) point of my life right now because it seems to be an every person for themselves mentality. I'm optimistic enough to think this won't last, but it really sucks for now.

[quartermainefan]

And then after electing all these rethugs who will come in and fellate the gun lobby, upon the next school shooting all these red state fools will be on TV wondering "why us?" with tears (when they are not secretly sending their daughters to Paris for abortions they pretend they are against), but at least they go to church!

Edited November 5, 2014 by quartermainefan

[Max]

Nobody likes a sore winner--which, IMO, is far worse than a sore loser--and I'll never forget all the nasty, obnoxious gloating some on the left chose to engage in back when they emerged victorious in previous elections. Politics is always cyclical.

On a scale of one to ten, this only means a four in terms of importance to me. While it's great that that the reprehensible Harry Reid is no longer Majority Leader, I am tired of the GOP always doing so well in midterms, only to fall short two years later (see 1994 and 2010; this problem even happened all the way back after the GOP triumphed in the 1946 election). But I do think that the Democrats are underestimating just how much of a liability President Obama could be on Secretary Clinton's presidential chances in 2016. Hillary needs to be far more skillful at separating herself from the president--without alienating the progressive base in the process--than the Democrats were this year.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Max

[quartermainefan]

I honestly don't see why they field as their nominee. The only serious thinker they have is Rand Paul, who honestly has views and takes them seriously, but his views are radical and no one will vote for him except the true believers.

[Max]

The GOP lacks any clear front-runner for the nomination, and there's no spinning the fact that the GOP primary will be murky free-for-all. But the Democrats are in a weaker position for 2016 than most of them are willing to admit. Much has already been discussed about Hillary's problems (including her tendency for gaffes and the fact that many in the far left do not trust her). But if the Democrats are supposedly so strong when it comes to presidential elections, then why is Hillary the only Democrat with any chance of winning in two years? The logical thing to conclude is that it is because everybody knows that a Biden, Warren, or O'Malley nomination would be disastrous for the party, even with their much envied demographic advantage.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Max

[Eric83]

If Hillary runs she has a clear path to the 270 on Election Night 2016. There are a myriad of reasons why.

[Juliajms]

I'd like to believe that, but we'll see soon enough. I'd bet anything she wants to run and will, short of some major problem coming up. People don't spend time in Iowa for the hell of it (and I would know, it's about a 20 min car ride from me).

Biden won't be the nominee, but if he were, I'd really have to hold my nose to vote for him. He truly rubs me the wrong way.

[Max]

Considering that the nearly dead NY State GOP fielded a total unknown for an opponent, Andrew Cuomo's performance leaved much to be desired. With 98% percent reporting, he wins 53.9% to 40.6%. I guess so many liberals in his party who hate him just chose not to vote.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Max

[quartermainefan]

Biden I don't have much faith in as a candidate. He has tried twice to run for president and failed both times. Warren is sort of like Paul in that the true believers love her but she is not in the mainstream of current political thought. And who? Some obscure governor nobody ever heard of? The democrats have a problem in that Hillary and Obama sucked all the oxygen up leaving very little room for new dems to come along, but sooner or later they show up. If not by 2016 then by 2020. He's a little old now, but Jerry Brown would be a good president I think, and I wonder how history would have changed if he had won in 76 and not Carter. He has done a good job in stabilizing the state, is an improvement over Arnold and I guess his greatest fault is he can't make it rain. I wish he would run.

[DRW50]

What upsets me more than anything is that thanks to the fear and general stupidity of the public, corrupt, destructive, dangerous governors got a free pass to unleash even more hell on their states. I'd expected Rick Scott, and Brownback didn't surprise me either, but Maine voters reelecting that moron LePage? Why? Because he jumped up and down about ebola?

These states are going to burn, and those who suffer the most will be those who didn't even vote for these lunatics.

The message of this election is that Republicans can do anything and still get elected. It would be a joke if the consequences weren't so high. This is going to hurt so many people. So many. Many of whom are already on their last leg.

And as always the dumbass Beltway is spinning that this is AWESOME because those Republicans are so maintstream and reasonable.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/11/the-scariest-part-of-the-republican-blowout-for-democrats/382375/

[quartermainefan]

Calling a conservative moderate is ridiculous. Compared to Sarah Palin sure they sound reasonable, but a whack job is a whack job is a whack job, and anyone who denies climate change and dodges with bullshit answers like "I am not a scientist" isn't qualified to lead anybody, let alone a country. I am not a doctor, I still if someone is coughing and sneezing that they are sick. The Media just wants a story and here they are saying the democratic party is in trouble. Two years ago they were saying the republicans will never win again. In two years when the republicans lose they will be back to saying that. You take them far too seriously. They will say anything to create drama so you tune in. Just wait til, give it January 10th and the first whiffs of abortion measures start flying, and talks of repealing Obamacare start up, then it will be back to business as usual for the party that believes the earth is 6000 years old.