It’s going to be this kind of night because everyone is stupid:
In Domenic Recchia, the Democrats have fielded a candidate so dumb, ill-informed, evasive and inarticulate that voting for a thuggish Republican who could wind up in a prison jumpsuit starts to make rational sense.
At least Michael Grimm can string three sentences together in arguing that he deserves the presumption of innocence on federal criminal charges stemming from his past operation of a restaurant.
That’s the N.Y. Daily News in the process of endorsing a guy who threatened to break a reporter in half and throw him off a Capitol Building balcony. Rep. Michael Grimm of Staten Island is probably going to win another term, which makes the reelection of the Bush/Cheney ticket look like an exercise in national rectitude.
Everything is broken.
I have to go vote now, and then I have to have a dentist use a drill on my teeth for at least an hour straight. Given the likely results tonight, it’s hard to tell the difference between these two activities. We’re a nation of clowns riding in a broken down clown car.
Seems like every time you stop and turn around, something else just hit the ground.
Once you start assigning blame for this, it’s hard to find a place to stop pointing the finger. I grew up in a difficult age for this country with Watergate and Vietnam and the energy crises and sky-high interest rates and stagflation and the Iranian Hostage Crisis. But I never doubted that this country was great. Our leaders had failed us, but they had also vindicated us by ending the war and forcing Nixon out of office.
Our only redemption right now is the man in the White House who makes small but never big mistakes. And he’s the one we vilify?
Broken pipes, broken tools, people bending broken rules.
Both parties are to blame, as are our judges, the media, and the people. Get off your ass and go vote. At least then you won’t be deserving of my wrath.
Not bad, but you’re no Chris Kluwe.
I’ve got an infected root canal. When I swirled the mouthwash in my mouth this morning it felt like someone rammed an ice pick into my upper jaw.
I literally feel your pain.
I dispute that. Forgiving Lieberman and restoring him to a place of honor and power instead of crushing him like a bug was his first BIG mistake. It made him look weak in the DC shark tank.
Second BIG mistake was continuing and expanding the Forever War in the Middle East which has not purpose other than to preserve the seven sisters and the Saudi monarchy.
Obama’s first post-election decision in 2008 was his choice of chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. How can this not be seen as a big mistake?
In addition, in today’s election millions of people are unknowingly voting for the party that wants to end their medical insurance. They are doing this because they the Democrats have let the GOP and GOP media define Obamacare for most Americans. Tell me that wasn’t a big mistake.
OK fine, mistakes upon mistakes. I could list plenty myself, but I think what’s more important is the part about how much depends on him if the Republicans win the Senate. He will undoubtedly make more mistakes, but so will the Republicans. Probably more mistakes in their case, because that’s what tends to happen when you embrace total stupidity. Time will tell.
Indeed time will tell. I see him being checkmated. And with the SCOTUS supporting voter suppression, once in control agin, I don’t think they will let it go.
2008 was the last chance for the Republic and Democrats (I don’t only blame Obama, Lieberman, Conrad and Durbin et al had their fingerprints on this) squandered their mandate.
Look, it’s not like the Republicans are evil geniuses. They have infinitely too much money to throw around, and they are unburdened by shame, but the Democrats aren’t the only ones that are capable of shooting themselves in the foot here. Just wait til they start passing abortion restrictions, for one thing. If they’re going to send Obama a fetal personhood bill at some point, they might as well wrap it up in shiny paper and put a huge bow on it.
At any rate, this election was always going to be basically a prelude to 2016. As long as the GOP holds the House, then we already know that the 114th Congress is going to be a fiasco, regardless of who controls the Senate. So we just have to look ahead to the next election, when the conditions really will be more favorable, because what’s the alternative?
Alternative? Move to Europe? With the government allowing SS checks to be sent overseas, it’s a possibility. I hear one can live cheaply in Spain and Italy and the climate sure beats Chicago. However, I don’t speak any Spanish (other than gracias or de nada at the cafeteria) or Italian. I used to speak German and it probably would come back. Bavaria might be OK. I think Illinois is well on the way to becoming a third world country and Rauner (Romney-clone favored to win unless enough teabaggers vote Libertarian) will hasten the process. One thing is for sure, the corrupt gang calling themselves the Illinois Democratic Party has zero interest in the lives of ordinary citizens. They only want the state government to function so they and their cronies can make money from it. I envy states that have people like Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren and Al Franken representing them.
I can claim derivative Italian citizenship and I think that qualifies me to live anywhere in the EU. Can any of our ex-pats confirm this?
There’s a difference between inside-baseball type strictly political mistakes and actual real world big-time mistakes. For examples of the latter, check the presidency of GWB. I think Obama’s decision to surge in Afghanistan was a “big” mistake, but it was baked into the cake from his election. His failure to prosecute war criminals or effectively punish Wall Street were also arguably “big” mistakes, but it’s harder to tell how much power he actually had in those areas (although he surely had more than he exercised). Many of what could be argued are his “big” mistakes are sins of omission, for instance letting the NSA run hog-wild. I have very little confidence in his ability to avoid such “mistakes” since they seem to come from power constellations larger than the presidency. I think he has shown a good record of avoiding big sins of commission, like attacking Iran, escalating with Russia, privatizing social security, deregulating the coal industry, letting New Orleans drown, ignoring substantiated terror threats, etc.
Not saying he is worse than Bush. That would be a tall order indeed.
Yes, it seems wise to withhold the full gale of one’s wrath until we see what our fine citizenry hath wrought come this evening. Perhaps they will surprise, with a modicum of memory and judgment. If not, there will be much time for heaven storming rants and vodka passing.
And when assigning blame to all, let’s not forget the law’s idea of comparative fault, ha-ha.
At worst, 2 more years of gridlock.
If we’re lucky, the fascists will Impeach Obama in late 2015 and then make fools of themselves during the trial.
Nothing gets passed Obama’s veto.
Geez, Booman, you’re making me sound like the glass-half-full guy.
Nothing gets passed Obama’s veto.
IF the GOP does win the Senate the party of Ted Cruz will see this as an endorsement of their government shutdown tactics in 2013. They WILL hold the US hostage until Obama agrees to end ACA. It won’t be pretty.
There is a chance that as part of the news coverage people will begin to understand what ACA actually does – what, you mean my affordable health insurance policy will be cancelled due to my claims the last year if ACA is overturned? – but don’t count on it given the Democrats utterly pathetic media management.
The US has been held hostage for the past 6 years.
For the next two, it will be blamed entirely on Republicans. And if we’re lucky, they’ll Impeach Obama in 2015.
For all the doom and gloom, even at worst, it’s just more gridlock as the fascists attempt to burn the government down. Same shit, different House and Senate makeup.
Then it’s 2016.
No, they will blame Obama for thwarting the will of Congress. Already Oberweis’ pathetic ads blame Durbin (solely) for Washington gridlock. When the House AND Senate pass the Paul Ryan budget repeatedly and Obama keeps vetoing it who will they blame for shutdown? With the media in the bag for the bag for the Reich Wing? When he finally acquiesces and they find out how they have been screwed, the Republicans and the talking heads will blame Obama! You KNOW they will.
We need FIGHTING Democrats like Truman and (Bill) Clinton. Not their ideology, but their guts. Ideological purity is fine if you want to be a backwater like the Green Party, useful only for protest votes.
Other than the government shutdown and his Senate trial, when did Clinton fight the GOP Congress? He went along with or led every cockamamie thing those thugs supported. (Guess I should store a list of the crap to import every time someone (other than Republicans) lauds Clinton for having been great. He did more to kill important New Deal legislation than Reagan and BushI dreamed was possible so quickly. Ugh!
He never let a campaign ad go unanswered. He didn’t let himself be swiftboated like Kerry. I see many being swiftboated this cycle.
You freaking kidding? The whole Newt revolution was based on running “morph” ads with the faces of DEM candidates morphing into Clinton.
Sometimes swift-boating in an election cycle sticks and sometimes it doesn’t. So, Clinton’s draft-dodging didn’t stick in 1992. But Clinton’s entire term in office was one continuous attack after another — leading to his impeachment — and extended after leaving office into the last minute Rich pardon and the fake story about WH aids destroying WH computer keyboards.
Jim Wright agrees with you, in his own fine rant:
http://www.stonekettle.com/2014/11/the-balance-of-power.html
Heck, go read his last several posts for a magnificent bouquet of rants on this Great Nation’s descent into idiocy, madness, and fear-induced stupidity.
But vote first, even if it seems utterly useless. Because you never know.
Good — I have a continuing fantasy that nothing ever got done from the day Reagan took office — but Jim seems to underestimate the public weariness of hearing the Democratic Chicken Little routine every two years and attractiveness/power of those that claim to have prevented terrible things from happening.
If I’m honest, there isn’t much on the Obama/Democratic agenda for the next two years that I that doesn’t range from bad to terrible.
Perhaps you missed the part where the Clinton impeachment facilitated turning a joke of a GOP candidate into a credible challenger.
The conundrum for the GOP isn’t that Obama hasn’t committed potentially impeachable offenses, it’s that they aren’t much different from those of GWB/Cheney and the GOP wants the next GOP POTUS to commit more of the same. But they would concern themselves about that later if the short-term gain were large enough, a thresh hold too high for them to meet. Shining a spotlight on egregious executive actions under Obama risks not being to turn off the lights at the end of his presidency.
IOKIYAR
It’s going to be this kind of night because everyone is stupid: ….
And who is to blame for that? The same person we were lauding 4 1/2 years ago! Nancy SMASH!! Why? Who appoints the head of the DCCC? Nancy Pelosi!! She appointed the hacktacular Steve Israel. And he’s been there two cycles now. Makes one wonder if she really wants to be Speaker again.
Or just how much the game is rigged.
Something seems to be actively making us dumber (and more passive) as a culture. Watch CNN these days and it’s like our country is immensely closer to a cargo cult than a society capable of addressing complex and difficult problems. We pioneered nuclear power and built a space program! It’s as if the notion of legitimate expertise or scientific technique has been systematically devalued and demonized. I guess that’s one of the aspects of the 50 year campaign against “government” action. People with the training are just as capable as 40 years ago, but political institutions have turned away from that. Now it’s all about ideology (and venality).
Go track down a copy of Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” — way back in 1984 he foresaw much of the rot infecting us today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusing_Ourselves_to_Death
Ah, but today that amusement is also the means by which oppression can be instituted within nanoseconds. The ultimate synthesis of “1984” and “Brave New World.”
I’d say except for the “everybody belongs to anybody” part, except that is today’s hookup culture isn’t it?
that’s certainly how my ex did me.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that. It has to really hurt.
It did, and in some ways it still does. The hardest part has been learning how to trust again. Not quite there yet, and it’s been two years on…
It is a chuckle that with the Dish vs Turner negotiations going on still and again that Dish subscribers are into their 3rd week of no CNN…replaced by MSNBC on that channel. But according to news the subscribers don’t seem to be all that cranky about missing out on CNN so the negotiations may go on for weeks to come.
Sooo, question? If R’s get 50+, will they change the 60 rule in January to reflect that 50 is a Rep majority but 60 is a Dem majority?
Oh please, you dumb, whiny bastards.
However many Democrats lose senate races tonight will be offset by Republicans losing key governors’ races.
The most likely consequence of this election will be Obama circumventing the senate (of any makeup) to announce broad immigration measures and a successful rapprochement with Iran within the next 30 days alone. Oh, and a Dem gov in Florida expanding Medicaid as another block in the Roberts built wall crumbles to the realities of basic fiscal logic and human decency.
Everything will be fine. You can’t be the party of all-encompassing, aggressive reform in all things and not expect to face proportional opposition. You want to change the country and the world? You have to recognize that they don’t change themselves without conflict.
It’s pretty hard to change the world when your own side proceeds to shoot themselves in the foot. See:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/e-mail-points-to-white-house-involvement-in-usdas-firing-of-s
hirley-sherrod/2014/11/03/df70188c-63a8-11e4-9fdc-d43b053ecb4d_story.html
The WH was frightened of Glenn Beck and Breitbart, why?
And WaPo just happened to publish this today? Written as if this is big news — except:
IOW no smoking gun.
Did any Iowa papers/radio/TV get an advance copy?
Not excusing team Obama for how easily they cower – and the Democratic Congress was equally pathetic when ACORN was attacked by the same low rent, rightwing creeps. Guerrilla tactics continue to work in war and politics. Democrats should try it some time.
How is Obama supposed to get Iranian rapproachment when a GOP senate will pass new sanctions?
How is Obama supposed to get Iranian rapproachment when a GOP senate will pass new sanctions?
Exactly!! Especially when probably close to half the Democrats in the Senate would vote for them(Thanks AIPAC!!).
Plus ca change:
I sometimes tell the dentist to give me everything they’ve got. Not anymore, because one time I had to tell her to turn down the gas because I got too high – that was a surprise.
I did vote – somebody’s gotta keep Al Franken in the Senate! I expect we will succeed in that.
Nitrous is great isn’t it?
Don’t feel TOO bad. The NY Daily News has ALWAYS been most useful for wrapping fish. (A bit too harsh for toilet paper.)
Here’s something more to fuel your rage, Democrats will probably lose a handful of state legislatures. Don’t know if they’ll win any.
I wonder about Illinois. Seriously! I haven’t looked at the numbers. Perhaps Chicago is enough to retain control.
no danger in IL
Some almost certainly good news for Hagan:
There are other reports trickling in of bigger than expected turnout. Hopefully they are true, and they pay off.
I’m going to wait to see what has actually happened.
After reading a lot of these comments, I’m beginning to understand why no one votes for us. You all are way too depressing.
Oh sure, because we were the ones that recommended that Democratic candidates run on fear of the evil Republicans and away from Obama and anything that could be remotely construed liberal and/or visionary. And now that their crappy Chicken Little campaigns are coming home to roost and boosting the fortunes of dreadful RWNJ opponents, it’s liberal observers who are to blame because we are the downers.
This blame the liberal voters for uninspiring Democratic candidates selling warmed over GOP mush is getting real old because it was never fucking true in the first place.
Yes
Not to mention the vacuous media. One’s moral compass seems to veer wildly as one approaches the mythical “center.”
Two Congressional seats that I’m hoping for are Tammy Duckworth (IL-8) and Bill Foster (IL-11). Neither are flaming Liberals but they are the ONLY campaigns that I have seen running clean ads and addressing what they stand for and legislation they support. The others have descended from mud slinging to feces slinging. Many races (IL-Gov and IL-Sen) started out at toilet level.
Disclosure: I always had a soft spot for Foster as a fellow physicist. I’ll bet he doesn’t think the world is 6000 years old.
Foster has been much better since he lost in 2010 and won in 2012. Didn’t like him very much 2008-2010.
I recently moved from his district to Duckworth’s district and I’m glad I did. The other major race around here it’s probably be better if neither of them win.
I assume you are talking about the IL-10 shitfest.
Someday we out to get together for a beer. I’ll buy.
re Foster in 2008-2010: wasn’t he an improvement over Hastert? And a quick glance at wikipedia tells me he ran against Oberweis.
he was Hastert was a nutjob at the end which is too bad because from what I heard he used to be a pretty reasonable guy
Everyone in the state has run against Oberweis, only one Democrat has ever lost and I think the Senate district is R+10 or something
The thing that pissed me off about Foster during that time was him pretending to be above it all and not backing the President did a lot to help him win in 2008
Poor, poor Mr. Obama!!!
Whaddayou, nuts or something?
Please, Booman!!!
A rewrite is in order.
Blame it on the Republicans? Hell, might as well blame it on the bossa nova for all the good it’ll do. A failure is a failure, and a failure unacknowledged, unexamined and/or uncorrected is even worse.
And what horse are you going to end up riding in 2016?
My bet?
Same mistake y’all made with Obama.
Unacknowledged, unexamined and uncorrected.
Bet on it.
Who knows?
It might work.
This shit sure hasn’t.
AG