109 replies to this topic

[Lysistrata]

I think Jeb will run, and if Jeb runs I don't think Mitt will.

Paul Ryan is a legislator and an animal of the House... if Scott Walker runs, which I think he will... Ryan will not run.

I like Rand Paul alot. He has a problem... if he runs he has to give up his Senate seat. I think he will run, but he'll have trouble.

He has a strong Libertarian streak and many of the base are afraid of pulling the plug on influence of the world stage.

Chris Cristie should have run in 2012 when we needed him. I think his time has passed and he'll be easily painted as a bully.

Ted Cruz is too Tea Party for the general... he's a lawyer and can't shake that "win at all cost" attitude, but I love his conviction.

Rick Perry will run again but will have trouble shaking off his horrible performance in 2012 debates. Governors make the best Presidents, so they always have an advantage with Republicans. Perry should not have run in 2012.

Rick Santorum will run again but that's a loser from the gun... his entire platform is social conservative and that can't win anymore.

Ben Carson will test the water, but he has no political or governing experience and the guys above, will kill him with it.

Watch out for my Governor here in Nevada... Brian Sandoval won re-election last night with 71% of the vote. A former Federal Judge, he is hispanic, very likeable, brilliant, and a great Republican. He would be a good President... but unknown so far.

[Robert2424]

Interesting to see, I don't support either party per say, but I'm glad to see new faces in office. Though I think the one democrat I wanted in didn't get in. The entire reason I voted for him was the ONE POLITICAL AD THAT DID NOT TRASH TALK, PUT DOWN, OR MAKE PROMISES. Just to vote. I liked the guy. Just apparently nobody else cared enough. 

[Rafay]

Does anyone know what the turnout was??

 

Thank you.

[Lysistrata]

Does anyone know what the turnout was??

 

Thank you.

Where? It was not a national election. It was all state and local, so more here and less there if you know what I mean.

Are you making up an excuse as to why Democrats got destroyed? "If only more people came out to vote"?

I heard the same rambling press conference, and Obama needs to understand that people didn't come out and vote for Democrats because they were not interested in saving him. Plain and simple, everyone knew, and nobody cared.

 

Nationally Obama is finished and now he has to choose if he wants to make it worse... my guess is yes.

[The Warrior]

I think Jeb will run, and if Jeb runs I don't think Mitt will.

Paul Ryan is a legislator and an animal of the House... if Scott Walker runs, which I think he will... Ryan will not run.

I like Rand Paul alot. He has a problem... if he runs he has to give up his Senate seat. I think he will run, but he'll have trouble.

He has a strong Libertarian streak and many of the base are afraid of pulling the plug on influence of the world stage.

Chris Cristie should have run in 2012 when we needed him. I think his time has passed and he'll be easily painted as a bully.

Ted Cruz is too Tea Party for the general... he's a lawyer and can't shake that "win at all cost" attitude, but I love his conviction.

Rick Perry will run again but will have trouble shaking off his horrible performance in 2012 debates. Governors make the best Presidents, so they always have an advantage with Republicans. Perry should not have run in 2012.

Rick Santorum will run again but that's a loser from the gun... his entire platform is social conservative and that can't win anymore.

Ben Carson will test the water, but he has no political or governing experience and the guys above, will kill him with it.

Watch out for my Governor here in Nevada... Brian Sandoval won re-election last night with 71% of the vote. A former Federal Judge, he is hispanic, very likeable, brilliant, and a great Republican. He would be a good President... but unknown so far.

 

Personally, I would like to see Mike Huckabee consider running again.

[Lysistrata]

Mike would be awesome. He's having such a good time since he moved to the private sector that it would be a hard choice.

He's very social conservative, but not as hard line as Rick Santorum.

 

I did forget to mention someone that I would support if he took the dive and changed party... Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

He's a moderate Republican at heart, but he grew up in old school Democrat West Virginia. The party left him years ago.

[Road2Victory]

I think Jeb will run, and if Jeb runs I don't think Mitt will.

Paul Ryan is a legislator and an animal of the House... if Scott Walker runs, which I think he will... Ryan will not run.

I like Rand Paul alot. He has a problem... if he runs he has to give up his Senate seat. I think he will run, but he'll have trouble.

He has a strong Libertarian streak and many of the base are afraid of pulling the plug on influence of the world stage.

Chris Cristie should have run in 2012 when we needed him. I think his time has passed and he'll be easily painted as a bully.

Ted Cruz is too Tea Party for the general... he's a lawyer and can't shake that "win at all cost" attitude, but I love his conviction.

Rick Perry will run again but will have trouble shaking off his horrible performance in 2012 debates. Governors make the best Presidents, so they always have an advantage with Republicans. Perry should not have run in 2012.

Rick Santorum will run again but that's a loser from the gun... his entire platform is social conservative and that can't win anymore.

Ben Carson will test the water, but he has no political or governing experience and the guys above, will kill him with it.

Watch out for my Governor here in Nevada... Brian Sandoval won re-election last night with 71% of the vote. A former Federal Judge, he is hispanic, very likeable, brilliant, and a great Republican. He would be a good President... but unknown so far.

If Jeb doesn't run, I hope Mitt will. 

I just hope that Jeb Bush won't repeat the mistakes that his brother did especially foreign policy. 

I would like to see him but I doubt that he will be back. 

Also Chris Christie for that bridge closure hurts him publicly. 

Most of these candidates seem to be inexperienced or have had a bad reputation in previous years in a political office. 

 

As long it is not Hilary Clinton running for president, then I would be satisfied. 

[Lysistrata]

TW brought up Mike Huckabee, one that I had not thought would seriously consider another run.

He passed on 2012, and it really upset alot of people. I saw him tonight on O'Reilly, and it looks like he may very well run.

If he does... it's a game changer. He is well liked in Republican circles, far and wide.

He has cross-over appeal, he's good with the bible thumpers, and he kicks Hillary all over the map on personality.

I can get solidly behind his campaign.

[Nathan Halcyon]

 

Yet another political occasion where nothing actually changes. Lube it up, and hide your wallets. Business as usual.

[Road2Victory]

TW brought up Mike Huckabee, one that I had not thought would seriously consider another run.

He passed on 2012, and it really upset alot of people. I saw him tonight on O'Reilly, and it looks like he may very well run.

If he does... it's a game changer. He is well liked in Republican circles, far and wide.

He has cross-over appeal, he's good with the bible thumpers, and he kicks Hillary all over the map on personality.

I can get solidly behind his campaign.

Hmmm interesting

 

Sounds like he is a very strong leader, I think he has a potential candidate to run for president. 

With a Republican Congress in hand, he may be able to get some bills and legislation done.

Like you said, at least he can be a critic for Hillary somebody who we don't want to have as president.  

[Niels]

Does anyone know what the turnout was??

 

Thank you.

 

This article tracks turnout in midterm elections back to 1982:

http://america.aljazeera.com/blogs/scrutineer/2014/11/5/why-the-real-electionturnoutwasfarlowerthanreported.html

As you can see, turnout was quite low, even by midterm standards.

 

Here, we have a breakdown by state, indicating the high variability (28% in TX to 59% in ME):

http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/preliminary-turnout-numbers-are-way-down-from-2010-and-2012/

 

Obviously part of the geographic differences is due to competitive races or not, but everyone does get to vote for at least the House of Representatives (though most of those races were also preordained).

[Shahenshah]

 

Our priorities in the 114th Congress will be your priorities. That means addressing head-on many of the most pressing challenges facing the country, including:

 

The insanely complex tax code that is driving American jobs overseas;

 

Health costs that continue to rise under a hopelessly flawed law that Americans have never supported;

 

A savage global terrorist threat that seeks to wage war on every American;

 

An education system that denies choice to parents and denies a good education to too many children;

 

Excessive regulations and frivolous lawsuits that are driving up costs for families and preventing the economy from growing;

 

An antiquated government bureaucracy ill-equipped to serve a citizenry facing 21st-century challenges, from disease control to caring for veterans;

 

A national debt that has Americans stealing from their children and grandchildren, robbing them of benefits that they will never see and leaving them with burdens that will be nearly impossible to repay.

 

 

tl;dr We're cutting taxes on the super rich, we're going to war, your health coverage is over, good look in school if you're poor.

Edited by Shahenshah, 06 November 2014 - 08:22 AM.

[Rafay]

Thanks Niels.

 

33.3% is a miserable turnout especially for a country tat has been a democracy since its inception. I can imagine the founding fathers rolling in their graves!!!

 

I think Dems relied too much on youngsters to vote If you look at the demographics the republicans have favourable reviews in the 44+ yr age group, below that is blue but that part is lazy and not much into politics except ramblings on twitter and FB.

 

I hope Obama doesn't become a lame duck cuz that'd be bad for democrats in '16. However it seemed more like an anti-Obama vote than a pro-Republican vote.

Edited by Rafay, 06 November 2014 - 02:07 PM.

[Niels]

Thanks Niels.

 

33.3% is a miserable turnout especially for a country tat has been a democracy since its inception. I can imagine the founding fathers rolling in their graves!!!

 

I think Dems relied too much on youngsters to vote If you look at the demographics the republicans have favourable reviews in the 44+ yr age group, below that is blue but that part is lazy and not much into politics except ramblings on twitter and FB.

 

I hope Obama doesn't become a lame duck cuz that'd be bad for democrats in '16. However it seemed more like an anti-Obama vote than a pro-Republican vote.

 

Rafay,

I found a dataset going back earlier than 1982, which may be of interest to you:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/24/voter-turnout-always-drops-off-for-midterm-elections-but-why/
As you can see from the 2nd chart there, a 33% midterm turnout last occurred in 1926, and before that, back in the 1790s.  There was also a time, and this was news to me, when midterm elections drew a greater share of the electorate than the presidential ones, though that ended in the 1830s.  It seems like Jacksonian democracy with its emphasis on expanding voting rights to at least all adult white men regardless of value of property, coupled with the relatively stronger presidency compared to Congress, got people interested in politics to a much greater extent than before (turnout for both presidential and midterm elections increasing), but more so for the president, and that presidential emphasis has continued to today.

[YoshiP]

Republicans did well,

[Finster Baby]

As a registered democrat I'm beyond annoyed about the election.

But, going out on a limb here, all of the choices sucked, and have sucked for years.

Until career politicians are tossed out on their asses and people turn to public service, this will be the result.

Obama will, rightfully, veto any bill that has either no democratic support or attempt to completely repeal the ACA. I hope he's bought veto pens by the gross.

I'm so ashamed to be American right now - we must look like bloody fools to the rest of the world, and that's not just because of this election.

Looking at 2016...

I DO NOT WANT HILLARY! She cannot win the nomination. Period. So, who?
1. Elizabeth Warren
2. Martin O'Malley (former MD Gov)
3. Bernie Sanders

GOP...well, it just can't be Jeb Bush. It can't. We can't have yet another Bush in the white house. Chris Christie won't win. His bully pulpit style won't play well in the midwest and south. Mike Huckabee won't win in the West and Northeast.

There's no good choices for either party.

[Lysistrata]

Good morning gang

 

Rafay: The United States is a Constitutional Republic, and it has been since it's inception. A Democracy is "majority rules", and the founding fathers in their grand wisdom, knew very well that a Democracy was 51% of the people stomping on the rights of the other 49%. It's our Constitution that sets us apart, and makes the U.S. the greatest country ever. Our Constitution is unique because it is not a set of articles that grant power to the government... it's a set of articles that limit the power of government. "Congress shall pass no law..." are the primary words throughout. Progressives for over 100 years have been attempting to break that document, and that is what makes the founding fathers roll.

 

It amazes me that so many want to say that an election where Democrats got absolutely routed just doesn't count because more people voted for Republicans. Turnout is always a factor in every election and Democrats have been bragging about their "ground game" since they elevated Obama to god statis. Now that everyone knows he can't walk on water, it's back to "we don't give a shit".

 

Fin Baby: Hillary is a Progressive... which means she's a closet Socialist. So is Warren and O'Malley. Bernie Sanders is the only one on your list that is openly, and quite proudly, a Socialist. Anytime you steal money from someone that earns it and give it to someone that doesn't... it's wrong and it's just theft. Doesn't matter how you disguise it.

[Lysistrata]

My wife just sent me this joke... hysterical

 

An Italian doctor says:

"In Italy, medicine is so advanced that we cut off a man's testicles, put them on another man, and in 6 weeks, he is looking for work".

"The Dutch doctor says:

"That's nothing, in Holland we take part of a brain, put it in another man, and in 4 weeks he is looking for work".

"The Canadian doctor says:

"Gentlemen, we take half a heart from a man, put it in another mans chest, and in 2 weeks he is looking for work".

"The American doctor laughs:

"You all are behind us. Six years ago, we took a man with no brains, no heart, and no balls and made him President.

Now, the whole country is looking for work!"

[The Warrior]

TW brought up Mike Huckabee, one that I had not thought would seriously consider another run.

He passed on 2012, and it really upset alot of people. I saw him tonight on O'Reilly, and it looks like he may very well run.

If he does... it's a game changer. He is well liked in Republican circles, far and wide.

He has cross-over appeal, he's good with the bible thumpers, and he kicks Hillary all over the map on personality.

I can get solidly behind his campaign.

I'm not sure if Mike will be running or not, but I read a few articles that indicated that he might. I believe that he would be a strong leader and one that I would gladly support.

[Rafay]

Good morning gang

 

Rafay: The United States is a Constitutional Republic, and it has been since it's inception. A Democracy is "majority rules", and the founding fathers in their grand wisdom, knew very well that a Democracy was 51% of the people stomping on the rights of the other 49%. It's our Constitution that sets us apart, and makes the U.S. the greatest country ever. Our Constitution is unique because it is not a set of articles that grant power to the government... it's a set of articles that limit the power of government. "Congress shall pass no law..." are the primary words throughout. Progressives for over 100 years have been attempting to break that document, and that is what makes the founding fathers roll.

 

It amazes me that so many want to say that an election where Democrats got absolutely routed just doesn't count because more people voted for Republicans. Turnout is always a factor in every election and Democrats have been bragging about their "ground game" since they elevated Obama to god statis. Now that everyone knows he can't walk on water, it's back to "we don't give a shit".

 

Fin Baby: Hillary is a Progressive... which means she's a closet Socialist. So is Warren and O'Malley. Bernie Sanders is the only one on your list that is openly, and quite proudly, a Socialist. Anytime you steal money from someone that earns it and give it to someone that doesn't... it's wrong and it's just theft. Doesn't matter how you disguise it.

 

Thank you for that Lysistrata. But I meant democracy as in  everyone gets to vote for govt. kind of thing. USA has always striven to strengthen democracy at home and other countries and that's what sets it apart from other countries in the world although supporting Gulf monarchies and delay in providing universal suffrage will always be a big ? on their principle of liberty and justice for all.

 

I don't get the idea of progressives/democrats. I mean USA is anti-communism so why do ppl want healthcare and free education? Doesn't that make the whole 'Cold War' useless.....