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The U.S. Midterm Elections!; Oh you knew this thread was coming.
Topic Started: Mar 17 2010, 08:54 AM (1,678 Views)
Antarctic Kawaiians
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Although not for lack of trying, unfortunately I wasn't able to add to the Republican curb-stomping of the Democrats in the House. My candidate Fimian lost the VA-11 district by just under 1,000 votes. :angry:
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Krioval
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I'm honestly curious to see what the House Republicans do in the next two years. If they can manage to actually present some new and workable ideas on the economy while not spending time trying to roll back gay rights, I'm willing to listen. If they race to the bottom of the "politics of fear" barrel, well, it's just been proved that a huge percentage of Congress can be replaced overnight.

I'm a little more upset about the loss of so many state legislatures (from partial Democratic control). In NC, Democratic control was the only thing preventing another asinine anti-gay constitutional amendment, for example. Also, I despise gerrymandering regardless of which party does it, so I'm a fan of either divided state government in redistricting years or appointing a nonpartisan (as much as can be) committee to do the redistricting.
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mousebumples
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Krioval,Nov 3 2010
04:36 PM
I'm honestly curious to see what the House Republicans do in the next two years. If they can manage to actually present some new and workable ideas on the economy while not spending time trying to roll back gay rights, I'm willing to listen. If they race to the bottom of the "politics of fear" barrel, well, it's just been proved that a huge percentage of Congress can be replaced overnight.

My biggest objection to Ron Johnson (my new Senator) is that he intentionally did not put up any policy proposals/positions on his website. He was running against Russ, and that was enough for him. I'm hoping that now that the elections are over, he'll actually try to become a legislator worthy of this state and perhaps even my future support.

I've trended leftist/liberal in the past few elections - in part because of the caliber of Republican/conservative candidates in these parts. I'm open to voting Republican (voted Republican for my State Senator, for example) ... But I haven't been impressed by most national Republicans as of late.

This is the opportunity for Republicans (Scott Walker, Ron Johnson - I'm looking at you) to win my future support. I'm really hoping that they will do a great job, and that I'll want to re-elect them next time 'round.
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Retired WerePenguins
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But honestly, what can a senator do? It was a pipe dream to think that the Republicans would have a majority in the senate and it would have been impossible to have a fillibuster proof majority in the senate. Given the fact that Obama is still in the White House they needed a veto proof majority if they wanted any legislation to actually, you know, pass.

Given this reality, do you really think they are going to run with any proposals suggested by the junior woodchuck senator? No way. There is, however, a lot of power that a junior woodchuck senator does have. Writing the legislation to solve the worlds problems is not one of them. (In fact, even getting a foot in the door to a committee is a sure fire way to get stuck in the "I scratch your back you scratch mine" mentality that enslaves the members to the party heirarchy. They are not exactly tea friendly, more tea apathetic.)
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Retired WerePenguins
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Krioval,Nov 3 2010
05:36 PM
I'm honestly curious to see what the House Republicans do in the next two years. If they can manage to actually present some new and workable ideas on the economy while not spending time trying to roll back gay rights, I'm willing to listen. If they race to the bottom of the "politics of fear" barrel, well, it's just been proved that a huge percentage of Congress can be replaced overnight.

I'm a little more upset about the loss of so many state legislatures (from partial Democratic control). In NC, Democratic control was the only thing preventing another asinine anti-gay constitutional amendment, for example. Also, I despise gerrymandering regardless of which party does it, so I'm a fan of either divided state government in redistricting years or appointing a nonpartisan (as much as can be) committee to do the redistricting.

There is always a statist fallicy that congress must "do something." Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to "do nothing." Split government often produces the best results because the result of nothing actually is better than doing something stupid. As long as the senate and the white house is in Democrats the republicans can do nothing. How they use the power to do nothing will make all the difference.

I hardly think the fiscal conservative tea party wave is going to do anything against gay rights (isn't the Obama Llama actually fighting against repeal of DADT because he wants to get all the credit and not give that to the courts). DOMA should cause many tea party representatives to shiver, it's clearly a national act as opposed to a federal one. They won't say this out loud of course (at least not before the elections) but I'm sure they would prefer this to be a state and not a federal issue. Besides, as I pointed out, they can't really do "anything" all they can do is do "nothing."
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The Palentine
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I'm still trying to determine the proper amount of time one should gloat about the election results in the House. I've been giggling like a Japanese schoolgirl eating Pocky(tm) since Tuesday night. :)


The House Republicans need to seriously cut spending. AS Heinlein would put it...TANSTAAFL. The handouts to governments and public sector unions must stop. If they can't repeal the Health Care bill, then they need to starve it.

They also need to cut taxes, on everybody. "Reaganomics" works. The more taxes are cut, the more money the government collects in revenue. It does sound illogical, but the years of prosperity and growth of the last 6 years of Reagan's presidency(and the prosperity under Clinton's last 6 years), were the direct result of lower taxes. The statisitcs back it up, not just then but throught history.

Investgations are also in order. The Justice Department should be the first place to start. It seems that there is a culture of corruption in that agency that seems intrenched(and I believe that its been that way since the 1990's) It must be swept clean.
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Snefaldia
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How about they start with defense contracts?

Look at me, all hopey-changey. My pipe dream is just as unlikely as yours!
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The Palentine
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But what makes a really good day? When Nancy Pelosi and staff try to hide from the press corps. :lol:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
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Flibbleites
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Of course, over here in the other Washington, we're still trying to figure out who we elected Senator.
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Iron Felix
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Flibbleites,Nov 4 2010
01:35 PM
Of course, over here in the other Washington, we're still trying to figure out who we elected Senator.

Did the "privatise the liquor stores" initiative pass?
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Flibbleites
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Iron Felix,Nov 4 2010
12:30 PM
Flibbleites,Nov 4 2010
01:35 PM
Of course, over here in the other Washington, we're still trying to figure out who we elected Senator.

Did the "privatise the liquor stores" initiative pass?

Both of them failed.
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Kenny
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Krioval,Nov 3 2010
02:36 PM
I'm a little more upset about the loss of so many state legislatures (from partial Democratic control). In NC, Democratic control was the only thing preventing another asinine anti-gay constitutional amendment, for example. Also, I despise gerrymandering regardless of which party does it, so I'm a fan of either divided state government in redistricting years or appointing a nonpartisan (as much as can be) committee to do the redistricting.

...which was on the ballot (again) in California this year, and which I (again) stoutly opposed. Even though the guys who draw the district lines in California are corrupt, power-hungry legislators, I still hold that the lines should be drawn by officials whom the voters can kick out anytime they displease them. And that level of accountability (for lack of a better word) would not necessarily apply to a "nonpartisan" committee, as nice as the idea sounds.

As to the "politics of fear" crack, I will not comment, as liberals seem to have mastered the art of fearmongering in their own right, and they don't even need to propagate war just to do it!
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artichokeville
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Kenny,Nov 4 2010
03:45 PM
Even though the guys who draw the district lines in California are corrupt, power-hungry legislators, I still hold that the lines should be drawn by officials whom the voters can kick out anytime they displease them. And that level of accountability (for lack of a better word) would not necessarily apply to a "nonpartisan" committee, as nice as the idea sounds.


Interesting. I guess that's one of the differences between our polities. We have a non-partisan organisation, the Australian Electoral Commission. It's staffed by public servants, and has been since Federation. States have their (State) Electoral Commission. They're accountable to the appropriate Parliaments, and they stay in place no matter which party is in government. They draw the lines, not the politicians.

In the 109 years of Federation there have been two examples of really scandalous malapportionments of seats in States, but the Federal electorates have never had a major problem. The malapportionments weren't strictly speaking gerrymanders, in the sense that they didn't have weirdly shaped electorates, but they gave undue weight to a country vote compared to a city vote. Both of these were resolved on the defeat of the gerrymandering governments. In both cases, the States responsible now have extremely tight legislation relating electorates to population sizes on the basis of the Federal census.

In theory, it would be still possible for a government with a massive majority to fiddle the boundaries, but the Commissioners would undoubtedly resign, and since they're such folk as retired judges and the official statisticians, they're not an easy bunch to shut up. It's not really in the interests of the major parties to play them false, because that would give their opponents free rein to do the same when they were in power.

Not saying that would work for you guys, but it does for us.

Wasn't John McCain working with one of the Democrats to get some bi-partisan electoral reform through? Will that go ahead with the Tea Party newcomers moving in?
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eco
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Reid survives, Feingold perishes. There is no justice in this world.

I've read a bit about gerrymandering lately and, my god, that's a crazy system! No wonder most politicians in Cali - left or right - are extremists when almost all they need to concern themselves with is pandering to the base in primaries.
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eco
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Antarctic Kawaiians,Oct 31 2010
12:51 PM
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One would think that the 2004 and 2008 elections made no difference...

Regardless of policial implications... those maps are beautiful. I reckon all a party needs to do to seduce a vote out of me is come out in pretty purple.
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