While we recover from last night, share your thoughts here. Tell us what you think last night meant and where we go from here. And to get things started, let me remind you of a quote from our very own President:
"I won." -- Barack Obama (telling the Republicans why he didn't care about their input)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Election Venting/Gloating/Pondering Open Thread
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40 comments:
Wow! Great work America! It was indeed a political tsunami, and as PJ O’Rourke wrote, “America has issued a restraining order,” in no uncertain terms. There were a few disappointments, but you don’t win them all. It was a fierce response by the out party, historic in fact in a midterm election, biggest change since the WWII era. I think the most exciting change is governorships and state legislatures, as you stated earlier Andrew, “redistricting!” …that’s important. So what we didn’t win the senate, remember the best we could have gotten was a political majority, not a governing majority of sixty plus, so Boxer and Reid will be around to remind America of the liberal menace, (sorry Lawhawk). As far as the Tea Party non of this would have happened without us, we have forced the GOP to the right, and this is where we come in, hold their feet to the fire. For me, what a great night - - however, it’s only the beginning, now starts 11/12-14-16-18…
As good as this was in so many respects, I have a sour taste about Harry Reid, and can't help but wonder how much fraud was perpetrated on the voting public. SEIU involved with automatic machines? Something is wrong. Still, a great first strep.
In my view, I would like to see Boehner and the leadership develop a comprehensive alternative to Obamacare and introduce it is a revision bill. It should focus on highlighting the worst of the b.s. that was hidden in the current law. That should be the mandate.
while we didn't get all we wanted, we got enough to keep the fight going. i think people will be encouraged and realize we can change that which we don't like/want/agree with. i am humbled and thankful for yesterday's results. yet, also frustrated that reid and other stinky rotting dead-weighters are still in washington's midst.
overall, i feel like we gained a great deal, and not all of that is measured in seats.
anyone else feel like they have a hangover?!
GOOD MORNING AMERICA!! Not so bad considering the Repub were all but dead and buried as per James Carville 2 yeaars ago!
We did much better than I expected (House), but less than I hoped for (Senate). One of the important things about last night's results is that so many Republican winners were new comers and not career politicians.
Feingold out, yay. OTH I can't believe Brown, Frank, and Cuomo are in!
I do think I saw in some speeches (acceptances/wins)- natl. and state- a sense that--dare I say it--the angel of death had passed over their doorways--
But, then, again, I am full of romance.
They still have not called the two races I was looking at in AZ. I wanted my anxiety to be over when I got up this morning!
does anyone have info on Alaska?
I expect that the MSM talking points will include Angle & ODonnell - crowing that we didn't win these 2 highly funded campaigns - but since NO ONE expected there to be this much pressure, I think they both qualify as success even if they are losses.
But it was a lovely night overall!!!
For AZ: I was happy to see Harry Mitchell and Ann Kirkpatrick lose their House seats from Arizona. Both were Reid/Pelosi lapdogs.
Races are still undecided for Gabrielle Giffords and even Raul Grajilva, the idiot AZ congressman who called for a boycott of his own state.
The day feels much sweeter today.
Darski, the write-ins are up over Miller by about 10,000; but not all of those will count towards Mur--that whore, and there are still about 20,000 absentee and overseas ballots (mostly from those in the military) to be counted. This will probably take a couple of weeks.
Sports analogy alert:
It was base clearing three run double. The ball just missed and bounce off the wall.
A great night but not perfect.
There is still much work to be done - especially in the West and with female voters.
Anybody up for President Perry?
First, I have to vent a little over Nevada and California. Nevada was stolen, and Angle ought to have publicized that instead of conceding. Even if you can't win, at least destroy Reid's legitimacy in the public's eyes. As far as I know, California has no such excuse. So unfortunately for LawHawk, the voters there have made their bed and now they'll have to lie in it.
But I'm not bitter. We had a good night last night, even if it wasn't all I'd hoped for. We got the House, we narrowed the margin in the Senate, and we took a lot of governorships and state legislatures, which matters a lot for redistricting. With people like Tim Scott, Allen West, Nikki Haley, Kelly Ayotte, and maybe above all Marco Rubio, we also further cracked the Democrats' identity-politics game.
So now it's time for 2012. I have no idea about the presidential race yet, but I do know we can increase our margins in the House and Senate. For my neck of the country, I'm calling for a primary of Lamar Alexander in TN, and a defeat of Democratic Senators Mark Pryor in Arkansas and Claire McCaskill in Missouri--I've got one or two personal scores to pay off with the latter.
T-Rav,
I agree with you T-Rav on Angle going for the throat, but on the other hand, we need an enemy. One we know. Already he is really disliked in Nevada, and some people there are wondering just how he got in anyway.
I was overall very happy with last night. We did some truly historic things. I also think not winning the Senate will prove to be very good for us, just as not winning the Presidency saved our party.
Colorado is p~ssing me off. Or more accurately, Denver is p~ssing me off.
Ug.
In Florida we're waiting to see who we get but it looks like Scott won.
There are unseen gains. Erick Erickson over at RedState.com says that several states flipped from Dem to GOP down to the municipal level. It doesn't sound sexy, nor important, but consider that the people who can raise your taxes and annoy you the most are your local people, it starts to be important.
The ordinance in which some how a man lost his home to a fire while the firemen stood around and watched came from a local county. Some businesses which could boost the local economies were kept out because of local ordinances.
Andrew, I share your annoyance with Colorado.
I saw excerpts from Reid's interview. I think Republicans ought to say they are working with the Democrats in the Senate, but ONLY if Reid steps aside for a more moderate senator. That might make a point.
on perry for pres: NO! (said the texan)
also, i think that not winning the senate is very good indeed. no cockiness in our crew, just more heads down in the push forward to finish the job in '12 and beyond. the fight is long. one election won't cure what ails the country. had we gotten all we wanted, i believe most would have thought the fight over and gone back to their lives. this way, we remain focused.
I agree Patti. We also need someone we can focus on, and who isn't President. Reid fits that bill.
A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down, the medicine go dowwwwwnnnnnnnn, the medicine go dowwwwwwnnnnnnnnn...and my how sweet it is!!!
Now get to work!!!!
California has voted to sink deeper into the doldrums, shoveling sand against the national tide. The Democratic sweep, including the US Senate seat is incomprehensible given that California is in terrible shape.
Interestingly, Democrats took all the statewide offices by a low of 51% to a high of 56%, with ONE exception. Jerry Moonbeam Brown vacates the Attorney General's office by being elected governor. But his Democratic running-mate for Attorney General is within the recount margin of error at this time. Kamala Harris, the San Francisco District Attorney, who is an avowed socialist and refused to file death penalty charges against cop killers, has 46.1% to Republican Steve Cooley's 45.6%. Harris was so far off the sanity charts that even a Democratic sweep couldn't give her a clear victory. I expect the votes in L.A. and S.F. to put her over the top, but at least she won't be crowing about her overwhelming victory or mandate.
It looks at this time as if the Republicans picked up a couple of State Assembly seats and one State Senate seat, but that still leaves the legislature in Democratic hands.
My only comfort at this point is that my district went completely Republican, and the crucial non-partisan redistricting initiative passed handily, soundly defeating Pelosi's attempt to put redistricting back in the hands of the professional politicians.
I don't understand Colorado. I mean, yeah Denver outvotes the rest of the state quite a bit, but still...come on, people!
Also, Joel, you're right about the lower-level races. Apparently the Republicans made such a clean sweep in the TX state legislature last night they no longer even need the Democrats' support to pass some legislation, such as state constitutional amendments.
Also, the judges in Iowa who imposed gay marriage on the state have been voted out. Reading that this morning made up for a lot of the disappointment I was feeling over the states out West.
LawHawk - Don't feel too bad. It was a clean sweep for the Democrats in NY. The only state just a little less deep in the hole than CA, but not by much. I'm telling ya', they are going to have to open up a legislative wing in Sing Sing prison since many of our legislators have pending ethics charges.
I think for the next few months, we focus on getting our State "houses" in order and look for that next rising star to run in 2012. I have high hopes for Rubio in 2016. If he lives up to his speech last night, he is a definite contender, but not in 2012. We don't need a newbie and Florida needs him for now.
And I am going to make any Tea Party member swear that we will never run someone like Paladino again!
In addition, I would like a HUGE round of applause for AndrewPrice and LawHawkRFD (f/n/a SF) for the amazing work of keeping us all informed daily. You guys are both just incredible and it is an honor to know you!
Dear Leader is speaking...thinks we want him to work for us, I think the message was get the hell out of the way and let us work for ourselves!
A. No one in my office will look me in the eye. Interestingly these were the same people who were calling me names when Democrats won...
2. Isn't it interesting that we now have 2 Governors of Indian descent (Haley and Jindal), both Republicans and both in Southern states!
I'm pissed too. At Maes. Denver is Denver.
He managed to screw up the Gov, Senate & State Senate.
Either Maes was a plant by the Dems or he has an absolutely monumental ego.
Without the Gov meltdown we'd be a red state again. The CO GOP did well down ballot - AG, Treas, SoS, State House plus others.
What a buffoon.
Excellent thoughts everyone. I've put together a winners and losers article for 4:00 pm that I think might surprise some people.
Patti, I agree entirely. I didn't want to say that before the election because it would upset people, but NOT winning the Senate was important to prevent Obama from shifting blame on the Republicans, and to keep the public from wondering why the Republicans didn't do more -- even though they couldn't because of Senate rules.
Bev, I second that! Way to go you guys! (Especially since the Big sites didn't have a specific open thread last night and what was available was littered with trolls.)
Thanks Bev, thanks T_Rav.... sorry, I'm a little slow today -- it's been a busy morning. :-)
Bev and T_Rav: Me too. What Andrew said.
Thanks to California's multiple personality disorder, the Democrat state victories won't have much to do with redistricting (the initiative which establishes a nonpartisan commission for state and federal California redistricting). But the governors of other states which elected Republican governors and/or legislatures will have considerable influence in their state redistricting.
As of this writing, it looks like 28 Republican governors, 15 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 6 still undecided. Not too shabby.
Here's my interpretation of Dear Leader's presser: it reminded me a lot of his post Scott Brown comments, you know, "Obviously, health care is off the table." He looked like that bitter pill was still stuck in his throat and as soon as the conference was over, he would be sprinting to the bathroom to purge. It looked like he plans to regroup and find other ways to "change the way things are done" to get his agenda moving forward again. For all his talk of compromise, I don't think he has any intention of budging. Fortunately for us, he'll be stuck in that ditch for a while after last night's election.
Andrew and LawHawk,
This blog is my guilty pleasure. I look at it daily. I have enjoyed every conversation.
Joel, Thanks! We're happy to have you!
Tam, Totally agree, he looked like someone shoved the world's sourest candy into his mouth before he went out there.
Did anyone see what the Fed just did? They're going to be buying a trillion dollars of bonds. That's called inflation... I knew that would eventually be the answer to our deficit (only, it's not a valid answer if we keep spending).
Last night was fun 'round here! Keep up the excellent work!
No to Perry. I voted for him, but ... uh-uh.
Did you see that S Tx went R?
A couple folks around work have mentioned the election - then they seem to regret it as I launch into the celebration & explanations...
There was a troll on Big H over the weekend that kept demanding that we tell him who our black officials were and since there weren't any NOW, we were racists. (Rice, Powell, & Thomas didn't count...) I haven't seen him today & I figure he'll regret it if he pops his head up! :-)
rlaWTX, Liberals get surprisingly quiet when things don't go their way. And everything is about race to them.
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