[icopyright one button toolbar] Long story short: I do not so much praise the Republican Party for their victories yesterday as blame the Democratic Party for their defeats. At a pivotal time in American history, a time when the bedrock principles of our society are under attack and it was imperative to move ahead and not stand still, let alone turn back, Democrats … [Read more...] about GOP Seizes Control of Senate As Cowardly Democrats Flee Their President
Mid-term reversals are not the norm, but an oppositional Congress is
You might hear pundits say mid-term reversals are common. Not so much. It did happen in 2006 (Bush) and 1994 (Clinton) and 1986 (Reagan). We're talking once per decade. But in 2002 (Reagan), the White House picked up the Senate; it flipped the other way. From 1955 - 1981, the Senate was solid D, regardless of the White House incumbent. [icopyright one button … [Read more...] about Mid-term reversals are not the norm, but an oppositional Congress is
It All Comes Down To This
The 2014 midterms will decide the political future of the country for at least the next two years and possibly beyond should any U.S. Supreme Court justices retire. The most contentious elections are in eight states that will decide which party controls the Senate. Every House member is also up for re-election, but the Republicans are… … [Read more...] about It All Comes Down To This
Election News (UPDATED at 10:20 pm/1:20 am)
This will be our quasi official election post. I'll do my best to keep things updated as late as possible A quick observation in flipping between the 3 news networks (Fox/CNN/MSNBC) is to see how on Fox they are quasi overtly rooting for the GOP, on MSNBC they are doing so for the Democrats and CNN is actually fairly neutral. For some really cool election nerd coverage … [Read more...] about Election News (UPDATED at 10:20 pm/1:20 am)
Mitch McConnell Wins
Well so much for the big race in Kentucky. As soon as the polls close all the networks call the race for Senator Mitch McConnell. … [Read more...] about Mitch McConnell Wins
Widespread election problems more than malfunctioning computers
[Updated] The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, received far more complaints of problems at the polls than they received in 2010. For the first time, calls came in from every state. Mid-Tuesday morning in Seattle, I noticed that the NY Secretary of State website was unresponsive after I was … [Read more...] about Widespread election problems more than malfunctioning computers
SMH: Georgia Secretary of State Voter Info Website Down on Election Day
Georgia's voter info website down. Yes, today of all the days. How convenient, considering that the site is maintained by the Secretary of State Brian Kemp's office. Um, he's a Republican. Some users reported they could get the site’s splash page to load, but when they entered their information, they were told that no match could be found in their county for their … [Read more...] about SMH: Georgia Secretary of State Voter Info Website Down on Election Day
Republican Edge Grows Slightly In Latest Polls
Updating Saturday’s post on the prospects for the Democrats to hold onto control of the Senate, Public Policy Polling has new polls out which give the Republicans small leads in Colorado and Alaska. Looking back at the map at electoral-vote.com, based upon polling results, the Democrats now need to take two states where Republicans lead (provided that Greg Orman wins and … [Read more...] about Republican Edge Grows Slightly In Latest Polls
‘iGay’: Apple Does it Better than Church of Rome (de Volkskrant, The Netherlands)
[icopyright one button toolbar] Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook 'came out of the closet' as they say, proclaiming proudly in the pages of Business Week that 'I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.' Columnist Bert Wagendorp of the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant calls Cook's comments 'a beautiful and powerful provocation' in 'the most Christian country … [Read more...] about ‘iGay’: Apple Does it Better than Church of Rome (de Volkskrant, The Netherlands)
BOOK REVIEW: Escape to Anywhere Else by Robert Rippberger
[icopyright one button toolbar] Escaping to somewhere else is a motif in many human lives. Kids dream of escaping childhood, then finally become adults, and spending their adulthood wishing they could escape to times when they were kids dreaming of escaping childhood. I know of many people in my old hometown of New Haven who dreamed of escaping Connecticut to be in huge big … [Read more...] about BOOK REVIEW: Escape to Anywhere Else by Robert Rippberger
(Update) Slinking Out of Afghanistan?
[icopyright one button toolbar] UPDATE: Read the touching reflections on the end of our mission in Afghanistan by a person who was in Helmand, here. Ryan Evans quotes an Afghan farmer, “There was war before the foreign troops arrived, there was war while they were here, and there will be war after they leave” and concludes: Helmand is where I came to know the … [Read more...] about (Update) Slinking Out of Afghanistan?
Partisanship, For Lack of a Better Word, is Good
Partisanship, For Lack of a Better Word, is Good By Jason Stanford Partisanship, for lack of a better word, is good. You won't find a more unexamined assumption in America today than a sneering contempt for partisanship. Yet partisanship persists, an evolutionary fact of life in our democracy because it is an ineffable expression of the American experiment. Partisanship … [Read more...] about Partisanship, For Lack of a Better Word, is Good
Why Are We Voting Today ?
As we all head to the polls, I thought it might be interesting to review exactly why we are voting today. By that I mean, why is it that our national elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November ? Well, it may interest you to know that, for the first 50 plus years of our nation, there was no uniform Election Day. The only requirement with … [Read more...] about Why Are We Voting Today ?
Our do-nothing politics
WASHINGTON -- The crisis in our political system is less about party than about horizon. To understand why, consider the issue of climate change. There is clear evidence -- presented yet again in a new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report -- that human activity is altering the climate. Global temperatures are rising. Emissions of carbon dioxide and other … [Read more...] about Our do-nothing politics
Georgia voters have clear choice: good ol’ boy politics or new slate
Georgia voters have the power to kick corruption in the face in two key, statewide races on Tuesday. We tend to talk about political corruption as the triad of bribery, cronyism and nepotism. In this age of Citizens United, I'm adding deliberate misrepresentation in media. [icopyright one button toolbar] [stumble] Deal v Carter In 2010, the U.S. Representative Nathan Deal … [Read more...] about Georgia voters have clear choice: good ol’ boy politics or new slate
U.S. Midterms: Obama Weakened When World Needs America Most (Le Monde, France)
President Obama is facing a 'thumping' as President Bush called his public rejoinder after the 2006 midterm elections. Unlike Bush, though, President Obama is judged to be not only weak and ineffective at home, but ineffective and indecisive abroad. For Le Monde, journalist Dominique Simonnet and historian Nicole Bacharan outline the danger to the West and the world when an … [Read more...] about U.S. Midterms: Obama Weakened When World Needs America Most (Le Monde, France)
Brittany Maynard Showed Us Death With Dignity Gives Patients A Voice [VIDEO]
Brittany Maynard, the voice of the right-to-die movement, passed away on Saturday in the manner that she wanted to: “peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones.” Maynard’s choice to take her own life after being diagnosed with brain cancer at the beginning of this year was authorized under the Oregon Death With… … [Read more...] about Brittany Maynard Showed Us Death With Dignity Gives Patients A Voice [VIDEO]
Senate Trivia
Here is a nerdy little factoid about the Senate elections tomorrow: As best as I can tell there are currently 3 US Senate seats with a perfect partisan record in popular elections. That is to say since popular elections for Senators began 100 yrs ago they have elected the same party every time (in all 3 cases Democrats) All 3 of those seats are up tomorrow One is … [Read more...] about Senate Trivia
Senate Scenario
Here is something fun to ponder In the race for the US Senate it is entirely plausible that we could end up on Monday morning with the race tied 49-49 with 2 seats undecided Both Louisiana and Georgia require 50% majority or there is a runoff Louisiana's would be in December. Georgia's would not be until January 6th (a special day indeed). Imagine the GOP wins … [Read more...] about Senate Scenario
Ted Cruz plans to lead the Republican Senate
You can forget about Mitch McConnell. Ted Cruz has plans to take over... if the Republicans win their Senate majority. After a spell of cooperating with his party during the campaign season, the Post reports, he will elbow his way into de facto leadership. In an interview at the Hotel Captain Cook here between campaign stops for Sullivan, Cruz made it clear he would … [Read more...] about Ted Cruz plans to lead the Republican Senate