I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

pip57

I worked with a lady who supported the republicans in this race. I asked her about the women's issues, explaining that while I may not personally agree with abortion, I did not think that my beliefs should dictate anothers.

 She claimed that it was a slippery moral choice...if we allow that then what is next.  My response was, "So when do you think the republican party will make it illegal for men to have extra marital affairs?  Isn't that a slippery slope that leads to all kinds of ethical issues?"  She had no answer for that one.

Just thought it was interesting with the situation concerning Patreus looming the next day.

pupmom

WH, either that or they were sure the fix was in, alla rigged voting machines and voter suppression. Maybe team Obama was on top of that or maybe the margins were just too big to bring about their anticipated "wins." Rove was just a little too surprised. Even if team Romney had its collective head in the sand, Rove is very savvy and very aware of every contingency. He pulled off the theft of Ohio in 2004 against Kerry, and in 2000 against Gore. He had every reason to believe he could do it again. OOPS!

QuinnCat

Ohio was the only state where Obama, in the end, while still winning, had less actual vote than what Nate had predicted...by 2%.  In other words, the Ohio vote deviated from the norm, 3-4%.  Perhaps they could and did steal that 2%, but they could not overcome the 3.8% gap (which, based on other states, was more like 4.8% - 5.8%, as Nate underpredicted Obama's final edge in the other battleground states). That combined with Roves reaction on tv, his past election history, one has to wonder.

I hope this is the Administration and Congress that finaly corrects our national voting.

Surprise of all surprises.....Mary Bono Mack lost her Congressional Seat this election!!  Known to be an ineffective member of Congress, she was challenged by Raul Ruiz, a Harvard educated physician.  After Sonny died, she married Connie Mack, who just lost his Senatorial bid against Nelson in Florida.   Both - out!!  Cher would have made an excellent Congresswoman - too bad they got the wrong widow.

pupmom

Kam, I think 2% if all they can safely steal. It would be just too obvious when compared to exit polling if they stole more. So I guess the big surprise was how popular Obama was! Or how despicable the other side appeared. Or a combination of the two.

Sure wish they had picked Cher.

crazy4carrots

I think the fact that MORE monority voters went to the polls (in protest of all the machinations the Repub-governed states instituted to suppress their votes) was the biggest surprise to Rove and the conservative pundits.  They just couldn't believe that those folks would stand in line for hours to exercise their franchise -- given that they "believed" those folks were too "lazy".  Tell someone they can't do something, and they'll try even harder.  The lack of respect for people other than themselves did them in.

And the 4 years the Democratic campaign team spent perfecting their ground game is something the Repubs also had no respect for, or else completely ignored.   Hahahahahahahaha!  

crazy4carrots

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/murphys-lead-beyond-recount-victory-certain/nS3mn/ 

Palm Beach county ballot tallies updated at 1 a.m. today give Patrick Murphy, the Democratic candidate for House District 18, enough of a lead to avoid a recount and comfortably celebrate his victory over Republican Allen West. 

The updated numbers put Murphy ahead of West by 2,429 votes. Overall, Murphy captured 166,799 votes to West’s 164,370 in District 18, which spans portions of Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties. 

An automatic recount is triggered by a margin of 0.5 percent of all ballots cast. Murphy’s current lead gives him a .7 percent advantage. All ballots in Martin and St. Lucie counties have been counted. 

The tallies released this morning by Susan Bucher, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, include 136,274 ballots cast during early voting, on election day and by absentee ballot. That number represents a 68.5 percent turnout of the voters within the District 18 boundary in Palm Beach county. 

QuinnCat

I just don't want Democrats to get complacent about what might have happenned and what DID happen during this election, because we can't always rely on GOTV efforts and people standing in lines for 8 hours.  It would be nice to count on the actual vote count (and no hanky panky with ballots, machines, ids, and other forms of voter suppression).  I'm thinking of the 2014 election, where Obama won't be on the ticket and all of the state elections, which ultimately affect the gerrymandering that affects the House.

Democratic House members received more votes than Republican House members, but due to gerrymandering, Republicans still retain the majority in the House.

QuinnCat

Yeah for Patrick Murphy.  That is a huge win.

QuinnCat

As far as I can tell, along with Mary Bono Mack (R), Brian Bilbrey (R) lost his seat as of Friday (this is all California) and still waiting for Dan Lungren (R) of the Sacramento area to lose his seat to Ami Bera (D).  Bera is ahead, thus far.  I wasn't aware that there were so many waiting-to-be-called seats yet.

pupmom

Kam, do you know what the numbers in the House will be after these wins are certified? I know we won't have a majority, but their majority will be cut back.

HOORAY that West will be GONE!!

QuinnCat

I don't know the totals, as there are other undecided races that I'm not up on.  Roll Call has some information on that:

http://www.rollcall.com/politics/2012_race_rating_map.html

Per huffingtonpost, the current count is 195-Dem 234-Rep

Above would include the Ruiz result, but not the Lungren (as far as California).

Wabbit

Interesting looking at the final results ... most of the so called 'battleground' states were won with margins of 5% to 6% (NH, CO, WI, IA, NV).   Only VA, FL, NC and OH were less than a 3% difference ... and Obama would have still won without any of them. 

Popular vote:   61,710,131 (50.5%) Obama vs 58,504,025 (47.9%) Romney

 

Funny comment I saw elsewhere ...

 

"47% you don't care about

 MA 47th in education while you were Governor

 47.9% of the votes.

 Mitt ... 47 is not a good number for you."

QuinnCat

More telling is that OH was the least similar to the pre-election polls (Nate's prediction).  The only battleground that had Obama winning, that his margin decreased, rather than increased from Nate's prediction.

suzieq60

Kay - I only mentioned he was a  catholic because he is a good person. I'm a non believer, so do not admire him because of his religion, but rather because of his charitable works.

River_Rat

Kay, the Fox lawsuit that gave them, and others the freedom to play loose with facts and to outright lie is what turned me off from television news.  Oh sure I might watch TV news but I don't trust that what I'm seeing is the be all and end all.  I research issues and read a variety of print and online news media evaluating and hoping to find the truth at the center.

Edited to add: Suzieq, I used to associate the Catholic church with social justice but in recent years while the nuns have still fought for social justice the male heirarchy seems preoccupied with sexual and reproductive issues to the point of neglecting social justice.  I also think they need to clean their own house before they worry about others.  Actually I don't think they should just clean house.  I think they should quit covering up and that the justice system should help clean their house.  I have a dear friend who has been so shaken over the scandals.  There was a priest at the church she attends involved in this type of thing too.

QuinnCat

An interesting fact about the new Democratic Senator-Elect from North Dakota - Heidi Heitkamp

At the age of 28, she lost her first election in a close race to become N.D. Auditor. When Conrad ran for the Senate, Heitkamp stepped up to serve as State Tax Commissioner. Two years later she ran for the office and won. She was a popular two-term attorney general, but lost her quest to become North Dakota’s governor in 2000. The contest was close, but she was handicapped when two months before the election she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, which has long been in remission.

http://livableworld.org/elections/2012/candidates/senate/hheitkamp/

(Not clear from quote, but she is currently 57 and had BC in year 2000)

Bren-2007

Hi Everyone,

Going to step away from politics for a minute.

We've had a really busy day outside.  The weather is fabulous.  We've spent all day raking, blowing and mowing up leaves.  I've also raked another huge batch of acorns!  Fall is such a strenuous time for yardwork .. and my shoulder is killing me.

I met with my PCP yesterday and we got my pain medication straightened out.  Thank goodness .. with all the outdoor work I've been in a lot of pain lately.  We decided to hold off on any injections to my shoulder for a while.

I finally downloaded the pics of my trip to San Diego.  Need to get them into photobucket so I can post a few. 

Hope everyone is having a good day,

Bren

suzieq60

RR -There are calls for a royal commision into abuse by the catholic church here in Oz. I am no fan of the church at all. Our opposition leader is a good man with a lovely wife and daughters - the fact he is a catholic doesn't worry me though. Our Prime minister tried to say he's a mysoginist which is very far from the truth.

suzieq60

Also on a change of topic - it rained all day yesterday, the water tank was over flowing, so I started draining some into the pool. It was so nice to have a rainy day.

River_Rat

On the weather here, we had a good soaking rain last night and today, which had been forecast to be rainy, has been beautiful - one of those rare autumn days that feels like a gift.

IllinoisLady

Hope this goes in:

FOX News Pundit Says Threat Of ‘Rape Camps’ Responsible For Obama Win (VIDEO)

November 10, 2012

ByKimberley Johnson

Women in…camps@ www.nationofimmigrators.com

In a FOX news interview with Megyn Kelly, radio host Michael Graham argued that Obama was not elected with a mandate because “…he didn’t run on an affirmative campaign.”

“He ran on the Republicans are Satan incarnate and if women vote for them, they’re going to be forced into rape camps, and when that’s your campaign, you can’t be surprised when the people you ran against don’t want to work with you and you don’t have an issue to rally people around.”

Here’s the video:

DENIAL.This is the current definition of the GOP. For years the right has been living in the bubble. Facts mean nothing, especially when they are in direct opposition to their dying ideology. Ryan, Akin, Murdock; all had an enormous impact on the outcome and they created the 18% gender gap among women.

I have reported on women’s issues and never once heard any Democrat say that a Romney administration would force women into “rape camps.” In fact, as I write it, I can’t help but giggle.

TRUTH.This is going to be the biggest hurdle for Teapublicans. They have lived and breathed a steady diet of lies for so long, it may not even be possible to come out of the coma. Not to fret, there are enough in the electorate who can differentiate between complete insanity and reality—hence the electoral outcome of this election. We are just going to have to put up with watching a dying party go down with no dignity.

“To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” ~Thomas Paine

Those idiots just never, never, never give up.  Of course, I know it is the amt. of people  that choose to "buy" the crap lock, stock and barrel, but if you are normal and read this, you wouldn't even think about it again....so implausible it woud be to you.  So hard to understand why the Regressives almost slober for the next juicy tidbit lie coming down the pike from this lunatic bunch.  I think they all went on tilt a long time back and just can't get upright anymore.

Jackie

IllinoisLady

Just for the record and because it looks so nice....go Nate Silver.

 

NBC News: Obama wins Florida, giving him a final electoral vote tally of 332 to Romney's 206

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 17:59:29 GMT -

Wabbit

WTH is a 'rape camp' ... what are these people smoking???

River_Rat

I'm wondering what media we would have had to be watching, reading whatever to hear of these "rape camps."  I think that must have been something beamed directly through tinfoil hats.  I would say this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of but sadly it's just another thing to add to an already long list.

crazy4carrots

Okay, I just couldn't resist!

River_Rat

Lindasa, not to mention more than 3 million in the popular vote.  

Currently on Politico: President Obama - 61,710,131        Mitt Romney - 58,507,025

And there are lots of blue state votes still not counted.

RetiredLibby

The crap they make up becomes more and more fantastical! I wonder if they employ frustrated dystopian fantasy novelists to write this garbage! Among the excused floated by Karl Rove (whose political genius stock is incredibly diminished these days, thank FSM!) was that the Democrats "suppressed" the vote by making people not want to vote for Mitt Romney. REALLY??? Isn't that called "campaigning?" Apparently they continue to think that just because they want something they should have it, and nobody should tell them no. The whine is piercing, isn't it?



Also digressing from politics (although I am still immersed!), we finished the project of ducting our range hood to the outside through the roof, and did the bathroom vent through the roof, too. Silly us, I guess we forgot to wait for the government to do it for us -- you know, part of the "free stuff" we get from the government. Although we are both Feds, so maybe that counts -- we are the goverrnment so we gave ourselves some free labor. Some of our materials were free, too -- we are certainly not above dumpster-diving for construction materials. There is a lot of building of high-end houses in our neighborhood, so we often stop and peek in the dumpsters for construction material for our latest project. We bought most of what we used this time, but did score a very nice fir 2x4 and several feet of beautiful oak bullnose stair tread that they were just throwing away. DH uses castoff wood to build birdhouses for our back yard so the cats will have birds to watch. We call it public housing for birds, because we are communist atheist socialists who give birds free stuff instead of making them work for it. :-D



So today we are crippled ... Moving like we are a hundred. But it is funny, so we keep laughing every time we have to climb stairs or step up on the step bars of our big 4wd pickup. We have done a lot of giggling today about our groaning!



L

Anonymous

Thanks Jackie, kinda nice that what they're probably smokin' is now legal in more states.  Also here in MA for medicial purposes.

I was intriqued by several posts about the Prime Minister of Australia, so did a lot of reading and, I'm not surprised I do like her, a lot.  Don't know if she is a member of the Fabian Society (The Fabian Society is a British socialist organization whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means.)  But it is definitely NOT a "communist" organziation.  Many well known very smart individuals were members in their lifetimes - the Webbs, of course, and Leonard & Virginia Woolf.

Andrew Sullivan has some great posts today - giggled when he quoted a very conservative pundit who after attending an Obama campaign event in 2008 said: "we're gonna need a bigger boat."  Expect eveyone remembers where that line is from, and the boat in that film was named "Orca."  Sweet, jut sweet.

Still smiling when I even think of the words Senator Elizabeth Warren. And that she won by a little more than 8% points.  Lotsa good stuff being written by and about Nate Silver, natch.

Stay warm everyone - hope all are near getting their power back.  Weve had gorgeous sunshine today, and tomorrow may get up to 60.

208sandy

Oh HL - I hear Yah?  DH and I were always "under construction" - been through the "venting" thing in several houses - loved our house in Calgary (built in 1914) DH chopped through the ceiling to the attic one fine winter morning and SAWDUST came rushing down - that's what they used to use for insulation back in the day - that required getting a general contractor out to finish the project (and fix the damage) - after that we were a good deal more careful and checked the attic and crawl spaces before we started working.

And let's hear it for dumpster diving - we found many useful items for reconstruction in dumpsters - used to love yuppies they threw away great stuff.

Sorry you're hurting so much but I bet you're both feeling pretty proud of yourselves, and rightfully so.

208sandy

Anybody reading over on mirror - you need to watch out for those "bare arms".