Saturday, November 06, 2010
Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again
Yes, those were the days Archie and Edith Bunker sang about and the man who led us from market crash and credit crunch into full blown depression by blaming the workers instead of the actual causes. Somehow we've forgotten that Archie the lovable, small minded bigot and ignoramus was supposed to be a joke.
I admit it, I went and hid my head in Caribbean sand for a week so I wouldn't have to watch the madness, the hysteria and the lies, or endure the Fox News fits and fables -- or most of all, witness the continuing spectacle of my country eating itself alive out of a desperation to keep doing what always produces everything we're trying to fix. Sooner or later, however, and Hurricane Tomas argued for sooner, one has to come back and face the discord.
It isn't easy. It isn't easy to accept that Americans will support politicians that truly are nowhere near as smart as a fifth grader and that Americans will elect politicians who don't think the government has any business interfering with our "right" to abuse and exploit and segregate other Americans or to accept that Americans will just childishly stay home and let some 20% of the voters put a plutocrat affiliated with a billion dollar medicare scam in the Florida governor's mansion out of contempt for "elitism" and because Obaaaaaaama and the "librils" haven't restored the Bush bubble, the Bush soaring debt, the Bush job loss, the Bush expansion of federal size and power, the Bush redistribution of wealth, the Bush disenfranchisement of voters, and Bush infringements upon civil rights soon enough to please them. Yes, that's a hell of a long sentence, but how we sank this low is an even longer story and when it comes to telling it, it's not me whose head is buried in the sand.
No, after eight years of job stagnation, job loss, and declining earnings, all we'll be hearing about is about that 9.6% unemployment Obama created without any help from Bush's tax cuts and wars -- and we won't be remembering the 9.5% unemployment in Reagan's first term (nor his tax increases, nor the effect they produced). We'll hear the gloating and bragging about the president's low popularity although Reagan's was lower at the same point in his career. We'll hear about profligate spending, but not a word about the payback with interest that tells a different story. We'll keep hearing about the debt, but not the policies that produced it and how it can only be solved by a policy that has produced the largest government sponsored redistribution of wealth in our history without creating a single new private sector job -- a policy that must be maintained for fear of Communism. Like Archie, we'll keep longing for that romanticized version of a Hobbesian hell with every white man for himself, minorities in the minority, stragglers will be shot and no prisoners taken. We'll keep ignoring reality and we'll keep repeating the slogans as we count our beads, fabricating facts and citing false history when we pay attention to history at all.
Meanwhile the sand is warm and the hurricane is moving out to sea...
(Cross-posted from Human Voices.)
Labels: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, U.S. economy
I knew this would happen
It was only a matter of time after the SCOTUS allowed corporations to have the same rights as individuals that individuals would begin to see their rights stripped.
Keith Olbermann has been suspended for the high crime of donating a few bucks to some candidates in this election.
Sign a petition, help him get his job back
Labels: Keith Olbermann
Friday, November 05, 2010
Iowa voter's fancy themselves above checks and balances
“I think it will send a message across the country that the power resides with the people,” Bob Vander Plaats, a Republican who led the campaign after losing the Republican nomination for governor, told a crowd of cheering supporters at an election night party peppered with red signs declaring “No Activist Judges.” “It’s we the people, not we the courts.”
Labels: Iowa, judges, same-sex marriage
Pelosi to run for Minority Leader
And I'm thrilled. First, because she kicks ass. Second, because it'll piss off what's left of those damn Blue Dogs.
Labels: Blue Dogs, Nancy Pelosi
Contemplating and interpreting the midterm election results
The role of the voters:
Age: NPR Reports: "In 2008, voters under 30 outnumbered, as a percentage of the electorate, voters over 65, 18 percent to 16 percent. Yesterday, only 10 or 11 percent of the electorate was under 30; 25 percent was over 65."
Labels: 2010 elections, Democrats, John Boehner, Republicans
Winners, losers, and our addiction to the grand narrative
President Obama and the Democratic majority misread the 2008 election. They envisioned their victory as a mandate to take America to a European-type socialist democracy based on the legislation they have passed or proposed.
Labels: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Democrats, Mitch McConnell, politics, Republicans, Teabaggers
Even in defeat, Alan Grayson is right
House Democrats were swept out of power because party leaders tried to hard to "appease" Republicans on major issues, said a high-profile member Thursday who lost his seat.
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) said Democratic leaders should have been more aggressive and shut Republicans out of the negotiating process, arguing it would have helped them in Tuesday's midterm elections.
"I think that the Democrats are saddened and demoralized by this policy of appeasement," he said on MSNBC, noting that Democrats suffered from low turnout.
Even though Grayson — a liberal firebrand — was defeated Tuesday, he continues to have good standing on the left. He countered the Republican narrative of their midterm victories, that voters repudiated President Obama and his policies by booting Democrats from power in the House.
Democrats should have pursued a more progressive agenda and, instead of cowering before Republican charges of socialism, actually defended what they were doing. Instead, they were consistently on the defensive, running scared as the Republicans launched their fearmongering propaganda at the American people. And, of course, Obama himself could have more progressive instead of consistently attacking his progressive base -- even on Jon Stewart last week he was largely dismissive of progressive concerns. As for what could have been done, it wouldn't have taken much. Obama could have acted to repeal DADT by executive order and Democrats in Congress could have forced a vote on the expiring Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. A little more courage and a little more confidence would have gone a long way.
Don't get me wrong, a great deal was accomplished during Obama's first two years in office, including health-care reform (even without a public option), but it was never clear that Democrats were actually proud of what they were doing. And they never really made a forceful case to the American people that what they did was actually worthwhile, and in the best interests of the country. This allowed Republicans to control the dominant narratives with their lies and distortions.
And what happened? Voters chose the party that they like even less than the one in power, a party of crazy right-wing extremism and an agenda of total obstructionism at a time when the American people need their elected leaders to act aggressively to get the country back on track. That's the embarrassment here. It's bad enough that Republicans won -- flipping the House, narrowing the Dems' Senate majority, and doing well at the state level across the country. What makes it worse is that the Democrats' lost to such an appalling party that should have been beatable (just as Angle and O'Donnell, two of the craziest of the crazies, were beatable).
Anyway, "appeasement" is a strong word, but it applies, at least in some cases. I understand Obama's desire to reach across the aisle so as to be able to say he tried to seek bipartisan solutions and was rebuffed, but he and the Democrats never really got away from seeking cooperation and compromise with an opposition party that had zero interest in bipartisanship. The message was pretty clear early on, and yet the reaching out never seemed to stop. Of course, with the filibuster rule in the Senate, Democrats could do little without 60 votes, and it was hard enough just keeping their own ranks together. And so, in a way, Grayson's assessment is far too black-and-white. But one really must wonder how things would have turned out had the Democrats only been more aggressive in pursuing their agenda and in defending their record before the American people.
But what's done is done, and it's just too bad Grayson won't be in the House to speak with such force against what is sure to be an overreaching, ideologically extreme, and deeply partisan GOP majority.
Labels: 2010 elections, Alan Grayson, Barack Obama, Democrats, Republicans
California dreamin'
California Republicans had multiple reasons for head-shaking on Wednesday. For decades, the state party has squabbled over whether success would come more easily to candidates running as conservatives or those who presented a more moderate face to the state's sizeable bloc of independent, centrist voters. This year they tried both. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina ran a firmly conservative race and Whitman took a more moderate road.
Labels: 2010 elections, Barbara Boxer, California, Carly Fiorina, Hispanics, Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman, polls
Fatigue, exhaustion
Labels: 2010 elections, Democrats
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Nice going, Rahm
Not many people can have the claim to fame that Rahm Emanuel now does. He has now managed to ruin the attempts of two Democratic presidents to reform America's miserable health care system and as a result have had both presidents' parties manage to lose their control of the House of Representatives two years later. God help you Chicago if he actually becomes your mayor.
Apparently, many Obama advisers agree with me and are blaming Rahm for the Election Day losses.
Labels: Bill Clinton, health care reform, Obama, Rahm Emanuel, U.S. House of Representatives
Two anecdotes
- The 2008 electorate was 74% white, plus 13% black and 9% Latino. The 2010 numbers were 78, 10 and 8. So it was a considerably whiter electorate.
- In 2008, 18-to-29-year-olds made up 18% and those 65-plus made up 16%. Young people actually outvoted old people. This year, the young cohort was down to 11%, and the seniors were up to a whopping 23% of the electorate. That’s a 24-point flip.
- The liberal-moderate-conservative numbers in 2008 were 22%, 44%, and 34%. Those numbers for yesterday were 20%, 39%, and 41%. A big conservative jump, but in all likelihood because liberals didn't vote in big numbers.
Labels: 2010 elections, Blue Dogs, Democrats, polls, Republicans, Tea Party movement, Teabaggers
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
The emergence of the PEA Party
Palin divvied out 57 total endorsements of House, Senate, and governor candidates in the run up to the midterm elections. Ten of these candidates lost their primary battles during rather paltry first few rounds of endorsements, leaving 47 to face voters on election day. Now, with most of the final races finally wrapping up, however, Palin has put forth a rather impressive performance, showing off a ratio of 27 wins to 15 losses (five races such as Alaska Senate and Minnesota Governor, as well as some smaller congressional races are still awaiting official results).
Palin ass-kisser Miller in Alaska is a goner (and she will end up with mortal enemy Lisa Murkowski). But lets go with the current status. Wing claims a record 27-15 for this election. I think Mr. Wing flunked his math SATs. Based solely on his own information Palin's electoral win-loss record is 27-25 with 5 undecided, which is 52%, or about 50/50. As I said, the Alaska Senate is probably a loser for her. So that would make the win-loss a count of 27-26. For argument's sake, I will chalk the 4 remaining races as wins for the half-term quitter, taking her stellar record to 31-26 or 54%. That probably wouldn't even make the playoffs. There is a distinct possibility she could end up with a losing record in an election which the Republicans are probably winning over 60% of all contested races.
Labels: 2010 elections, news media, Republicans, Sarah Palin
Election hangover
I'll take my happy in small doses this morning. I'm more than pleased that O’Donnell and Angle lost (and that Buck and Miller will most likely join them). I'm pleased that half the Blue Dog Dems are gone. Good riddance. And finally, that Andrew Cuomo will be my governor.
The sad, of course, is plentiful. The House led by Boehner. Ugh. No Feingold. Ugh. And, no Grayson. Ugh.
Overall I think letting the GOP/Fox etc. control the narrative, from day one, was a big problem. I think the optics around the passage of health care, not the actual bill, was a fatal wound as well. And, sure, an economy in the tank didn't help. That said, Dems still control the White House and the Senate so all hope is not lost.
The next few years will be interesting, for sure.
Labels: 2010 elections
Whither Democrats?
Labels: 2010 elections, Barack Obama, Democrats, George W. Bush, health-care reform, U.S. Congress
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Apocalypse now? Live-blogging the 2010 midterm elections
PLEASE ADD YOUR COMMENTS AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK/THOUGHT OF THE ELECTION RESULTS AND THE ELECTION COVERAGE.
8:32 pm - So long, Blanche Lincoln. While I hate to see the Democrats lose a Senate seat, and while I suppose I supported your re-election (while holding my nose), your riddance is good.
8:33 pm - And Blumenthal wins in Connecticut! There you go. One bellweather down.
8:34 pm - And, dammit, Republican incumbent Richard Burr has defeated Democrat Elaine Marshall in North Carolina's Senate race. It was an uphill battle, and the result is hardly a surprise, but still. I followed this race close, not least because I was on Marshall's mailing list, and it's a shame.
9:36 pm - O'Donnell's concession speech. How sweet it is -- if also full of her usual nonsense. "The Republican Party will never be the same," she happily avers. "This is just the beginning." Is that a threat? A warning? A promise? I certainly hope the GOP keeps running candidates just like her. (And now, dearest Christine, I must take my talents to South Beach. Kidding. Maybe.)
9:46 pm - Nevada polls are set to close at the top of the hour. Obviously, the Reid-Angle race has been one of the most closely-watched, including by us here at The Reaction. As the Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston reports, Democrats had just over a two-point advantage in early and mail-in ballots going into today. Meaning:
-- "If Harry Reid is not ahead when those first numbers pop up on Election Night – the tallies of the early and absentee votes – he probably will lose."
-- "These numbers indicate Angle probably needs a double-digit win among independent and other voters. If Reid can keep that margin in single digits, he probably will be re-elected."
R.K. Barry: "ABC news is reporting that on her first appearance on Fox News' election coverage tonight, Sarah Palin said that it's 'time for unity' between the Tea Party candidates and the GOP establishment. Not sure what this means, especially in light of recent reports that the GOP establishment is trying to find a way to throw Sarah under the bus. I'm still not sure they'll be able to play nice. I just don't see it."
-- Donnelly is clinging to a narrow lead over Walorski in Indiana, 48-47 with 99 percent reporting.
12:15 am - I'm a Democrat, and proud of it, but it is unfortunate that someone like Charlie Rangel, despite all his many (ethical) problems, can win re-election yet again by a massive margin, 82-9.
Other races of interest:
-- It looks like John Hall is going down in New York's 19th. He's currently down 54-46. Mr. Barry will not be amused.
-- Patty Murray is up by a bit in Washington, 51-49, with 54 percent reporting.
12:20 am - John King just used the word "shellacking" again. Please. What we're seeing is a turnover in the House, that's it. Sure, a fairly sizable turnover, but hardly anything so dramatic.
Here's a selection of recent tweets from Creature:
-- "Wow. Harry Reid did it. Big Tea Party fail."
-- "At a minimum Reid's win helps change the narrative toward the positive for Dems. So thrilled."
-- "Trying to stay positive, but a Boehner led House so depresses me."
Labels: 2010 elections, Democrats, polls, Republicans