Analyzing the Massachusetts Senate Race

While Conservatives are celebrating in the streets, Liberals are hanging their heads in shame and party leaders on both sides are pontificating this morning, it's necessary to take a look at the loss of Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts and why this election was NOT a referendum on health care.

Historically, midterm elections and special elections falling near a midterm election do not bode well for the Party in control of the White House. In the last 17 midterm elections "the president's party has lost an average 28 seats in the House, and an average 4 seats in the Senate." Based on what the last 34 years has shown us, we can clearly expect more losses in November.

These seat losses aren't purely because voters are unhappy with the sitting President's policies, much of the seat losses have to do with party mobilization. Voting members of the party in power will sometimes feel complacent, the party not in power often uses current policies of the Administration to mobilize their voters, getting a higher than normal turnout. In the Massachusetts race, "...turnout was depressed for this special election compared with last year’s general election. About 54 percent of registered voters turned out, compared with 73 percent in November 2008. In President Obama’s strongest areas — towns where he received more than 60 percent of the vote — the number of voters was about 30 percent below 2008 levels. In the rest of the state, the number of voters was down just 25 percent. In Boston — one of the strongest areas for Democrats — the number voting fell 35 percent." GOTV plays a crucial factor, and has for many elections.

Another area that was lacking in this race was the failure of the Coakley campaign to up the ante when Brown's poll numbers started to rise. Just as in the 2004 Presidential election, the campaign had a smug attitude that it was impossible for them to lose. According to a Senior Democratic official, "The DNC and the DSCC did everything they were asked and have been involved in the race for several weeks not just the last one - The campaign failed to recognize this threat, failed to keep Coakley on the campaign trail, failed to create a negative narrative about Brown, failed to stay on the air in December while he was running a brilliant campaign." The offical went on to refer to the campaign as "the worst debacle in American political history."

Finally, and most importantly, Liberals must realize that this election was not a referendum on health care reform. Senator Ted Kennedy held this seat for 47 years. As we all know, health care was his most important issue, dedicating his entire life just to get to where we are today. Had Senator Kennedy not passed, he would have once again been elected and Senator Brown would not have had a chance to fill this seat.

Democrats in office must remember, this is not a sign that the agenda needs to be stopped or slowed down, but in fact, it needs to be pushed harder. Look to history to find that this is not abnormal, nor unexpected. More losses will come due to mobilization efforts (specifically, the Tea Party Movement), but look to trends and keep strong in the fight.

Congrats Martin Brodeur: Winningest Goalie Ever

From TSN.CA

New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur won his 552nd career game on Tuesday night and moved past Patrick Roy into first place on the all-time wins list as the Devils beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2.

Brodeur was mobbed by his teammates and received a long standing ovation as the game ended in front of a home crowd at the Prudential Center. He was then handed a pair of scissors and proceeded to cut the netting off the goal he defended in the third period as a souvenir. With the crowd roaring, Brodeur took a victory lap of the ice.

Martin is not only a class act and one hellava netminder, but he took the record away from Patty Waaaaaah. :)

Congrats to Martin and to Devils' Fans everywhere.

Reagan Beats Out Obama... on Taxing the Rich

Republicans are distorting the facts, and we need to set the record straight: Obama's budget asks far less of the rich than President Reagan or Nixon did.

The budget cuts taxes for 95% of working Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. And to pay for the investments we desperately need to get our economy moving again, it closes tax loopholes for big corporations and rolls back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Pass this chart on to your friends, so everyone knows the facts.

Limbaugh is a Scat Muncher?

Before his death, Bill Hicks provided some poetic commentary on the anti-American defeatist Limbaugh (NSFW). Needless to say, these statements are just as relevant today as they were 12+ years ago. Timeless...

Fox News: McCains' are "pigs" and "poop"

Fox somehow continuously manages to find a new way to sink to a new low. Whether it's defending Limbaugh's defeatist anti-Americanism or hiring an unstable and deranged alcoholic. Well, not to be undone, the already fractured right-wing crumbles even further with the help of their very own propaganda outlet. The Fox News [sic] blog not only suggests that the McCain family should leave the Republican Party, but the website refers to John McCain as a “pig” and daughter Meghan as “poop”.

Now comes his daughter Meghan McCain, proving the old adage that the poop doesn’t fall far from the pig’s rear end, Meghan has joined her father in the Republican bashing business.

Get a fresh six-pack and some popcorn. The next two years are going to be very entertaining!! Stay classy, wing-nuts!

God Didn't Help Roland Burris Today

Roland Burris, appointed by corrupt Governor Ron "Fucking" Blagojevich (D - IL) to take over President Elect Obama's Senate seat, appeared in Washington DC today to do just that. Burris, who believes his appointment was "ordained by God", was denied access to the Senate, thus forcing Senate Democrats to turn away both Burris and seemingly, God's will.

After attempting to enter the Senate to be seated, Burris spoke with reporters saying, "I will not be accepted, I will not be seated," and that he is "not seeking to have any type of confrontation," which he made abundantly clear when he showed up to be seated this morning.

Later in the day, Burris found a new ally in the Senate, in the newest opponent of President Elect Obama, Senator Diane Fienstein (D - CA). Feinstein parted with her Senate colleagues when she stated her opinion that Burris should be seated.

Burris says now that he will continue to look into what his future steps will be. Not included in his considerations however; is refusing the nomination and standing with his fellow Democrats in their united front against Blagojevich. I guess if you can't win 5 primaries, this is the only way to get into office. I'm sure he'll include that he was appointed by a corrupt governor on his mausoleum, along with his many other accomplishments.

Scarborough Drops F-Bomb November 10, 2006 AND 2008

Scarborough appears to have a problem with November 10ths and dropping F-Bombs live on Cable TV.

Scarborough, November 2008:
Today on “Morning Joe,” host Joe Scarborough was discussing the calm nature of the Obama campaign and accidentally used the f-word. His guests joked about needing a seven-second delay. After apologizing, Scarborough said, “My wife is going to kill me when I get home.”






Scarborough, November 2006:
Joe responds to Tucker's complimentary introduction by dropping an F-bomb

Redux: Time for Biden to Resign

Janie, you know I love you....I'll graciously accept your apology anytime now. ;)

Janie's post from January 2007:

We all remember a few months back when Joe Biden had this to say about "Indians":

"You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."

Well, ole Biden has struck again. This time in an interview with The New York Observer, Biden makes what can be construed as a racist comment while attacking his would-be opponents in the 2008 Presidential race:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

The article goes on to quote Biden referring to Hillary Clinton's plan for Iraq as a "disaster," while saying about John Edward's plan, "I don't think John Edwards knows what the heck he is talking about."

This coming from the man that wants to partitian Iraq.

These comments present two problems:

1) In a political climate where Democrats need to band together to win the very important 2008 election, Biden is already trashing his opponents which will do nothing to strengthen the party.

2) The comment regarding Obama can be construed as racist, and gives the right a new talking point for which to attack him with and through association, all Democrats as well.

I think it's time for ole Joe to go.

President Elect Obama

President Elect Obama!!!!

President Elect Obama!!!!

How to watch the election

Some key races to watch at key times tomorrow night:

Electoral Map Predictions

McGramps, the unhinged right-wing, and the corporate media are desperately grasping at straws and attempting to make a story that McCain is on the verge of winning.

Electoral-vote.com was actually one of the most accurate electoral vote predictors from 2004:

On Nov 4th they predicted, Kerry 252 Bush 279 and the actual results were Kerry 251 Bush 286.

Today, they have it: Obama 353 McCain 185



Update I:

Votes needed to win: 270

NTRADE (based on trading in candidate futures)
http://electoralmap.net/index.php
Obama: 353 EC votes
McCain: 174 EC votes
Too close to call: 11 EC votes
Update: Obama loses 11 to McCain.

ELECTORAL-VOTE.COM (a respected consolidator of poll results)
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
Obama: 364
McCain: 171
Too close: 3
Update: McCain gains 11 from Obama and 3 from "too close."

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama_vs_mccain
Obama: 311
McCain: 142
Too close: 85
Update: McCain loses 5 to Obama and 10 to "too close."

538.COM
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
Obama: 346
McCain: 192
Too close: 0
Update: McCain gains 5 from Obama.

POLLSTER.COM
http://www.pollster.com/
Obama: 311
McCain: 142
Too close: 85
Comment: Obama gains 5 from "too close."

More Palin Winking

Obama Called The N-Word At Palin Rally

It's clearly obvious that O'Sarah bin Palin heard the remark as she stumbled and bumbled through her ranting vile speech, yet she does nothing to denounce it.....

Winking: Palin to Bush

Attacked by a McCain Supporter!

The unhinged and factually challenged right-wing was in a complete meltdown late last week because of an alleged attack on a McCain Volunteer, Ashley Todd (R), which turned out to be a BIG...FAT....LIE. The fake outrage from the right-wing was comedy gold and the VP of Fox "News", John Moody (R), even went so far to claim:

If Ms. Todd’s allegations are proven accurate, some voters may revisit their support for Senator Obama, not because they are racists (with due respect to Rep. John Murtha), but because they suddenly feel they do not know enough about the Democratic nominee.

If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain’s quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting.

Well, to no surprise, no apologies have been issued by any of the unhinged, angry, and vile right-wingers that attacked the entire Left, every Obama supporter, and as well as his campaign because they were dumb enough to believe this Lie. The rest of the non-23%ers of America will await their apology....but we won't hold our breath.

Nonetheless, it appears some people did not receive word that the "attack" on Ashley Todd (R) was hoax and now there are right-wing vigilantes seeking revenge. Here is one such account:

McCain Campaign Steals Obama Logo

McCain is losing and behind in just about every national poll and electoral map prediction. With the campaign in an utter and complete tailspin, it appears they only have one option....emulate their opposition.

The McCain Campaign is now stealing the Obama Logo and using it in their own ads. I came across the ad on fivethirtyeight.com:




Update: Here is another snapshot of the web ad.

This day in 2004.....

This day in 2004 the electoral map was predicting Kerry 247 - Bush 285 and the "actual results" were Kerry 251 - Bush 286.

Today, the electoral maps put Obama at 375, 306, and 350.

We're getting close to Nov 4th. The polls and electoral map are in our favor, but we still need to GOTV!!!

Colin Powell endorses Obama and Al Qaeda endorses John McCain

Al Qaeda affiliates are endorsing John McCain (R-AZ). “Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain (R-AZ) in the coming election,” said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said McCain would continue the “failing march of his predecessor,” President Bush (R-TX).

H/T: TP

The Clash - Police On My Back (Live)

Greatest...Band...Ever...

Obama Leads in Pizza Poll

So, I decided to order a pie online from Dominoes while watching the Rays-BoSox game. After you place your order, Domino's has interactive tracking which includes a few brief questions about the election. After you answer the questions, the results are displayed. It appears the Domino's Poll is consistent with the rest of the polls out there, i.e., Obama is America's choice!



I'm sure the right-wing will claim Domino's is "liberal" and "biased".

Palin as President: A Frightening Look at Reality

Move your mouse around the screen and click at will....

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

McCainenstein

McCain doing up the Frankenstein-look for Halloween?



"grrrrrrrrrrr, libruls, grrrrrrrrrrr, libruls, me want libruls, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

The Detroit Red Wings are Boring

Sports Poetry?

They play hockey, they win.
They have room under the salary cap and players aren't screaming to get unreal raises.
Their fans love them. The players get along.
Hall of Famers (Chelios and Hasek) sit on the bench and cheer the other players on.
They give an old washed up drunk (McCarty) another chance and he once again becomes the heart and soul of the team.
Americans, Canadians, Swedes, Fins, Czechs, and Russians all getting along and strive for a common goal.
No Drugs, No (off-ice) Assaults, No Womanizing, No Trash Talking, No Prima Donnas, No NHL Anointed Superstars.
They are a boring team.

Sometimes boring is a great thing!!

~Voltaire26, Jun 29, 2008

Cindy McCain Stole Drugs from her own Charity

Every time the incompetent and inept right-wing Media tells a lie about Michelle Obama, just remember the truth about Cindy "The Lude" McCain.

Oct. 18, 1999 | PHOENIX -- GOP presidential candidate John McCain's wife Cindy took to the airwaves last week, recounting for Jane Pauley (on "Dateline") and Diane Sawyer (on "Good Morning America") the tale of her onetime addiction to Percocet and Vicodin, and the fact that she stole the drugs from her own nonprofit medical relief organization.

It was a brave and obviously painful thing to do.

It was also vintage McCain media manipulation.

Read on....

Midwest Flooding: McCain prays, Obama grabs a shovel

Enough said.