by Mr. Universe
Polls and pundits alike are predicting at least a Republican House takeover in November. Nate’s goobernatorial model came out today and he predicts a 30 seat Repblican control in Governor races. Considering that there are only 37 Governor’s races this year, that’s big. Many of these races are in the midwest and the south so, while not surprising, it is a significant change of political landscape. So is this a real trend or just a reflex reaction?
I suspect it’s the latter.
Has it been that long ago since Bush was in office? Has our long term memory diminished that much due to hard economic issues that confront us immediately? Maybe we got the change we wanted and thought we could relax and let Obama steer the ship. Well we didn’t exactly expell the brigands from the bridge yet, have we?
Personally, I have been pretty happy with the current administrations efforts. If anything, I think they haven’t done enough. But I understand that change is often a matter of degrees and it often involves a lot of compromise (though I think that the Republicans have hidden behind the guise of compromise for too long).
Things suck right now. They’re not terrible but the credit card companies are being bigger jerks than ever, banks won’t give you any money love, and it’s just hard to stay employed. So yeah, I’d like for that to change. Change. There’s that word again. I campaigned for that back in 2008. Things aren’t changing fast enough for my tastes. But I think it’s important to remember what the administration has been doing. They were left with a steaming pile on the oval office desk when they took control. I’m not surprised that they have had to spend the bulk of their time just maintaining the status quo because in September of 2008 it looked like we were in the barrel headed for Niagra Falls.
So my point is this. Change doesn’t happen overnight. It is an ongoing process. We cannot afford to be complacent now because, come November, the change we voted for could revert to the way it was. Is that what we really want?
I think it’s time to rock the vote again. Campign, cajole, rant, inform, and vote; dammit. It’s more important than ever before. You voted for change two years ago. Don’t blow it now.
538 Refugees 
Guys you may feel as though you are babes in the woods and not so sure what you are doing but this all looks and works pretty simply. I find Nate’s new site unable to be accessed about 4 out of 5 tries.I fear that the comment about the American public having the attention span of a peanut may have been too generous. I have in the past week managed to get into such vitriolic political debates with people that are convinced that the Republicans and TP’ers have all the answers that I have probably cut my Christmas card list in half…..well it would if I sent Christmas cards. But the good news is I am going through much less coffee each day and getting more done. I do have an interesting question though. Let us assume the Republicans do take control of congress, both houses, I have not seen any prognostications that they would have a veto proof congress so that would play into things but let us say on Nov. 3rd the country wakes up and it is back to the past. What then? I hear the Republicans are going to do every thing in their power to undo the last 2 years, impeech Obama and try to destroy every Democrat they can. How will this play with the actual American public not of the screamer brigade? I have a couple of good friends (part of the shrinking list I fear) that are pretty savy business men. At least I think people that have not only not lost money the last couple of years but have done quite nicely are pretty smart. They have both said of late that they think the conservative narrative, promises made and bravado spoken has left the Republicans, what ever they call themselves, in a box they are going to wish they were not in.What happens if Wall Street tanks as the regressives take power and all the bluster, fluster and full throated fury of the TP’s takes center stage? What happens when they manage to shut down the government, start screwing with SS or medicare, or any number of other things they will most likely go for. Or are unable to actually find any legal reason to impeech the president. Why do I not see those that sent them as reasonable patient people? So what happens when they do not deliver the goods yesterday, or the economy tanks, or they shut off all unemployement or cancel 60,000 stimulus projects or slash money going to the states for cops and fire and teachers? I can see ugly times ahead for all of us if the regressives pull this off but is it not possible that some of the regressives could be digging their own political graves? Finally with all the super heated rhetoric of late what happens if the Democrats actually do go to the polls and the wave still fizzles just short of the mark of taking congress? Will we then see some of those Second Amendment solutions start appearing? An interesting time we live in and one loaded with hazzard. May we all survive that which is coming regardless of what it is.
Mono despite some of my other rants I think you are really onto some thing here. While I have identified some folks that have already decided to use their vote for the detriment of society and cast then off I have also this date spent some time talking to friends and family about what is coming up. Oddly at some level what I have found is that those that voted Democratic last time around all still plan to vote this time around. Now are they all fired up and furious at the world, pissed off and not going to take it any more? No almost to a person what I am hearing is a degree of resignation. Not happy with how far we have progressed but mindful of what must still be done and a cold realization that the regressives will never get us there. Now I doubt that this effort on my part is going to make all that much difference but I plan to talk to at least 3 people a day to make sure they know the stakes and push very hard to get them to do the same. Kind of my own little personal GOTV. I think I have already canceled out the votes of the individuals I blew my stack at earlier this last week so I feel good about that. Next up punching holes in the Republican candidate for Gov and making sure Dem Rep Michaude gets back to DC (don’t think there is much doubt there but why take chances.) What irks me is all the elections out there where I can’t work to dethrone some of these clowns. I would love to see a Bachman or one like her get axed. But GOTV, Dems I don’t care if you are not giddy to get to the polls. Just suck it up and do it. Oh one of my friends got a poll call a while back. Not sure from who or about what but they were struck with the line of questioning about if they would be voting or not in the next election. Their response was that they generally did and the person on the phone came back with “so you are not a likely voter?” Is it possible that we are discounting the average voter as not likely to go to the polls if they are not frothing at the mouth and screaming at the top of their lungs. Classic story to this. One of my neighbors is a staunch Dem. Older man…when asked if he was voting this year I got the serious eye and the reply ” I will if I feel like it.” He went off doing what he was doing and his dear wife looked at me and said….he will feel like it….he hasn’t missed voting in an election since 1944. Guess it was hard to get ballots in a foxhole in some parts of Italy that year.
Mono despite some of my other rants I think you are really onto some thing here. While I have identified some folks that have already decided to use their vote for the detriment of society and cast then off I have also this date spent some time talking to friends and family about what is coming up. Oddly at some level what I have found is that those that voted Democratic last time around all still plan to vote this time around. Now are they all fired up and furious at the world, pissed off and not going to take it any more? No almost to a person what I am hearing is a degree of resignation. Not happy with how far we have progressed but mindful of what must still be done and a cold realization that the regressives will never get us there. Now I doubt that this effort on my part is going to make all that much difference but I plan to talk to at least 3 people a day to make sure they know the stakes and push very hard to get them to do the same. Kind of my own little personal GOTV. I think I have already canceled out the votes of the individuals I blew my stack at earlier this last week so I feel good about that. Next up punching holes in the Republican candidate for Gov and making sure Dem Rep Michaude gets back to DC (don’t think there is much doubt there but why take chances.) What irks me is all the elections out there where I can’t work to dethrone some of these clowns. I would love to see a Bachman or one like her get axed. But GOTV, Dems I don’t care if you are not giddy to get to the polls. Just suck it up and do it. Oh one of my friends got a poll call a while back. Not sure from who or about what but they were struck with the line of questioning about if they would be voting or not in the next election. Their response was that they generally did and the person on the phone came back with “so you are not a likely voter?” Is it possible that we are discounting the average voter as not likely to go to the polls if they are not frothing at the mouth and screaming at the top of their lungs. Classic story to this. One of my neighbors is a staunch Dem. Older man…when asked if he was voting this year I got the serious eye and the reply ” I will if I feel like it.” He went off doing what he was doing and his dear wife looked at me and said….he will feel like it….he hasn’t missed voting in an election since 1944. Guess it was hard to get ballots in a foxhole in some parts of Italy that year.
Ok am I missing some thing? The screen says I have posted, says to wait for moderation. I have been very civil. Some thing or some one I do not know to get on with the others? Or have we already given up on this experiment. The offer to help is still there.
Not sure if this will have any better chance of ever being seen than any thing else I have tried to post here but we are not only dealing with a short attention span we are dealing with an electorate that is at best ill informed and at worst woefully ignorant.How can one explain polls that show 50+% of Americans think the Republicans would do any thing different if back in power when the Republicans have been so clear that if once again back in power they would not only do what they did before but more of it? That is not s short attention span that is no attention span.
It seems that each day we are shown more examples of politicians and the voting public not having a short attention span but no memory to back it up. Listening to Olberman tonight I got kind of the rest of the story from some thing I read earlier today of the Ohio candidate that would put civil rights issues back into the hands of the states. Are candidates that unmindful of our history or are they that crass to pander to one group in the belief that group alone can get them the prize they want. I guess if the only people you intend to represent are white, right and up tight there is little gain in even hiding what and who you really are. Crimmeny…….what a state this republic is in.
While I now have serious doubts that any thing I have left here has been or will ever be seen I am moved this night to think more about the collective intelligence or Americans, their lack of societal memory and the incredible ability of the bigots and hate mongers around us to gain traction over those with reasoned response as their only weapon.If one is watching this whole mess of the Quran burning one ,if they truely have the best interests of America at heart, is driven to be deeply saddened by people that are now so craven in their drive for power that they would openly put elements of the nation it’s service people, it’s emmisaries, even it’s religious people over seas. How can Americans have forgotten that they have seen their life styles change horribly over the last 30 years because of Republican policy and actions? How could we have been so stupid as to have declared war as a response to the horrible actions of 9/11 when a much more effective action would have been to make it a strong police action against criminals….ok a very strong police action with extreme prejeduce and military support but not a freaking war and certainly not one in Iraq. So the answeer is to continue to give the evil doers more and more PR points to recruit with.I could go on but why bother…..no one will ever see this.
Yes, American voters have the attention span of a peanut!>Suggestion: A lighter background would make this site more user friendly. Dark blue/black is ominous. Maybe yellow, beige, white etc. would be more pleasing/agreeable to posters.The obvious: Nate’s new location seems to be dying a slow death after only a couple weeks ie sporadic, non entertaining/informative posts or no posts at all. As has been discussed previously censorship and moderation are sure fire ways to kill spontaneity and atmosphere.Actually thought The NYT’s would have more intuitive/intelligent posters than the old site, but it has about the same # of trolls, if not worse.Found it amusing some mentioned The NYT’s is hindering Nate’s personality as I would posit how can you hinder what never existed in the first place lol.Nate is very good at what he does, but one just has to watch an appearance on Tweety or Rachel to know Nate will never have his own show ie one has to have their own niche to be a successful celebrity pundit as he has no charisma/magnetism whatsover …>Speaking of dead, this blog needs a time trial of no moderation to see how it goes. Maybe a thread re: suggestions/rules/regulations would be useful as “we” attempt to make this site the little engine that could …that is all
Outstanding guys. You did it. Now we need to get some more folks on here and some real discussions going again before it looks like I talk to myself….ok I do that at times but not as much as I used to.
Testes, testes, heh heh, I always wanted to do that-Bill Clinton on Beavis and Butthead.I was an infrequent poster on the old site. Thanks for putting the link to this new one up on NYT
Hey, I remember you, #7! You were one of the best wv’ers I’ve ever seen.I wish we had wv’s at this site (sigh…) but I guess you can’t have everything…