2010 Midterm Elections Thread

[agzg]

Christine O'Donnell is giving her concession speech. She creeped me out (along with pleeeeeenty of candidates that I was able to actually vote on).

[1stSoon2BePhD]

I voted via absentee ballot. There are polling places conveniently located on my campus but my polling place, for whatever reason, is some random elementary school and I knew I was NOT going there today.

I live in MD and Martin O'Malley (Democrat) is winning.

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by 1stSoon2BePhD

I voted via absentee ballot. There are polling places conveniently located on my campus but my polling place, for whatever reason, is some random elementary school and I knew I was NOT going there today.

---envy---

We don't have early voting here in CT. It's very difficult to get an absentee ballot - you have to be totally unable to get to your polling place (e.g. off at college, traveling on business) during the 14 hours when the polls are open. "I don't wanna get in line to vote at 6am before work" is not a valid excuse.

As it happens, I was nearly 25 years old before I cast a vote in a voting booth. I voted absentee while in college, and my first job out of college required a lot of travel, so I continued to vote absentee. My standby "I Never" challenge was "I've never voted in a voting booth."

-------

The Times is calling CT CD4 for Himes with 41.5% of the vote and 26% of precincts reporting. <scratches head>

[AGDee]

Michigan will have a Governor who is One Tough Nerd (Rick Snyder, Republican). It is looking like John Dingell, who has served my district for more than 50 years is going to be out He is a great man who really fought for the middle class. All of the incumbents in my district have been voted out. At this moment, I feel both helpless and hopeless because Wall Street has taken over both nationally and locally. Over-reaction? Probably, but it's been a really crappy week for announcements from work ... so tired of being treated like crap and then being reminded "Be glad you have a job, a lot of people don't". Somehow, I thought I'd get ahead the longer I worked, but I make less money every year.

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Michigan will have a Governor who is One Tough Nerd (Rick Snyder, Republican). It is looking like John Dingell, who has served my district for more than 50 years is going to be out He is a great man who really fought for the middle class. All of the incumbents in my district have been voted out. At this moment, I feel both helpless and hopeless because Wall Street has taken over both nationally and locally. Over-reaction? Probably, but it's been a really crappy week for announcements from work ... so tired of being treated like crap and then being reminded "Be glad you have a job, a lot of people don't". Somehow, I thought I'd get ahead the longer I worked, but I make less money every year.

So let me see..

You are upset that a party which (in conjunction with the unions) has turned the state into a Northern version of Mississippi, has been kicked out?

Are you crazy?

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

So let me see..

You are upset that a party which (in conjunction with the unions) has turned the state into a Northern version of Mississippi, has been kicked out?

Are you crazy?

I believe that the Bush administration killed our state. Our state died when the banking industry tanked due to lack of regulations and people couldn't get loans to buy cars. Our state died when Wall Street was in power. Now Wall Street is in power again and we have no hope of ever recovering in any way, shape, or form.

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Our state died when Wall Street was in power. Now Wall Street is in power again and we have no hope of ever recovering in any way, shape, or form.

I must have missed it...

How is Wall-Street in power again?

Originally Posted by AGDee

I believe that the Bush administration killed our state.

Quite interesting.

What branch of government do you believe to be the most powerful?

Our state died when the banking industry tanked due to lack of regulations

That's some pretty interesting assumptions (that aren't really founded but you know, thats how it goes)

I'm not really a Republican/Democrat fan. But I do like logic.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

I must have missed it...

How is Wall-Street in power again?

Are you not watching election results?

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I believe that the Bush administration killed our state. Our state died when the banking industry tanked due to lack of regulations and people couldn't get loans to buy cars. Our state died when Wall Street was in power. Now Wall Street is in power again and we have no hope of ever recovering in any way, shape, or form.

WHOA! Come on Dee, you really don't think that, do you? The writing has been on the wall ( Michigan's economic blight) since the 90's when NAFTA was signed. Michigan had all of their economic eggs in one basket......the manufacturing industry, which had been in decline well before Bush took office. To blame GWB is so....partisan.

I'm glad to have a Republican Governor back in office in MI. Do you really think two penny Jenny Granholm was better than Engler??

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

WHOA! Come on Dee, you really don't think that, do you? The writing has been on the wall ( Michigan's economic blight) since the 90's when NAFTA was signed. Michigan had all of their economic eggs in one basket......the manufacturing industry, which had been in decline well before Bush took office. To blame GWB is so....partisan.

I'm glad to have a Republican Governor back in office in MI. Do you really think two penny Jenny Granholm was better than Engler??

Who said GWB??? I said "Bush" to start with. He was the one who refused to tax imports when other countries started to put such high tariffs on our cars that Europeans couldn't afford them. That was when the foreign auto companies started building plants here. Bush 2 did the same with foreign steel and put our steel companies out of business. The nail in the coffin was the de-regulation of the banking industry and the credit freeze in 2008, during GWB.

Michigan had all their economic eggs in one basket for a century. How can you blame Granholm for that? When Engler took over, our state coffers had a huge "rainy day fund" and he spent it all and left the state in debt! Engler instituted Proposal A which totally screwed up our funding for education. After we voted it down twice, he offered up two options, one of which was far WORSE than Prop A so we had to pick Prop A since it was the lesser of two evils. Engler was the worst governor we ever had. He shut down the entire mental health system in the state leaving the chronically mentally ill to live on the streets. Granholm's push for tax breaks for the film industry, her securing of contracts to build alternative energy methods have helped a lot (new car battery factories and wind mill factories opening soon). It takes time for the results to come to fruition.

As for EW: Congress has the capability of more power if they have a high enough majority to override vetoes and block filibusters.

Unions: Compare teachers' salaries in states with strong unions and states with weak unions. Union oriented states pay their teachers more. Compare hourly wages between a grocery store with unionized employees to the grocery store across the street from it with non-union employees. Union employees are above poverty level. Non-union are not. Where do you think our economy would be if all manufacturing jobs paid what they do in China or Mexico?


Dingell pulled it off, and by a 13-14% margin. Those early figures must have been from Ann Arbor. Thank goodness.

Rick Snyder's big thing is "get rid of the Michigan Business Tax". I realize that significant tax breaks can attract business and eventually bring more jobs into the state, thereby increasing the income tax and property tax revenues for the state. However, that will take time. There will be a lag between losing those tax dollars and the long term increase in revenues. What he hasn't told us is where is the money going to come from to continue state operations during that time? Or, what is going to be cut? I can't imagine what else could be cut. I'd like to know how state operations are going to be paid for in the interim.

[AGDee]

Republicans are pro-wealthy businesses and don't care about the middle or lower class= Wall Street. Example: Rick Snyder- voted in as Governor of Michigan, former CEO of Gateway Computers, current head of an investment company. Wall Street.

Democrats are pro-union, pro-middle and lower class= Main Street. Example: John Dingell- pro health care reform, pro-working class, would do anything in his power to help a constituent who asked him for assistance.

When the branches are split, nothing gets done. A progressive President who wants to make changes can't make them without the support of Congress. A progressive Congress who wants to make changes can't do so without the support of the President. Example: Health Care Reform would not pass without a Democratic House, Senate and President.

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Republicans are pro-wealthy businesses and don't care about the middle or lower class= Wall Street. Example: Rick Snyder- voted in as Governor of Michigan, former CEO of Gateway Computers, current head of an investment company. Wall Street.

Fantastic prejudices.

Let's just go with this:
Which person gave jobs to middle-class and poor people in Michigan, the unions....or the "wealthy" Wall-Street people? The unions only eliminated the poor's opportunities to gain employment (that's a hint).

Democrats are pro-union, pro-middle and lower class= Main Street.

Yes, the illogical would assume that. (the pro-middle and lower classes) In practice, mitigation of the free-market results in suppression of the middle and lower classes further pushing them down. Ultimately, they have the same economic ambitions the Republicans do. (Look at Al Gore and the money he's making off global warming)

Example: John Dingell- pro health care reform,

An example of what I'm talking about above.

When the branches are split, nothing gets done.

Thank God. The point of government is not to figure out how to make it work, but how to make it stop.

Example: Health Care Reform would not pass without a Democratic House, Senate and President.

But how else could the current government compound its anti-poor agenda?

I still would be interested in what you perceive to be the most powerful branch.

[amanda6035]

Originally Posted by Elephant Walk

Fantastic prejudices.

Let's just go with this:
Which person gave jobs to middle-class and poor people in Michigan, the unions....or the "wealthy" Wall-Street people? The unions only eliminated the poor's opportunities to gain employment (that's a hint).


Yes, the illogical would assume that. (the pro-middle and lower classes) In practice, mitigation of the free-market results in suppression of the middle and lower classes further pushing them down. Ultimately, they have the same economic ambitions the Republicans do. (Look at Al Gore and the money he's making off global warming)


An example of what I'm talking about above.


Thank God. The point of government is not to figure out how to make it work, but how to make it stop.


But how else could the current government compound its anti-poor agenda?

I still would be interested in what you perceive to be the most powerful branch.

Where's a clappy clappy Bravo! emoticon when I need one?

[victoriana]

CNN has a cool live map going on right now. I'm watching the votes for California governor come in. I wish I would have done an absentee ballot (since I live in Michigan). It's been an interesting and dirty race between Brown (D) and Whitman (R).

[agzg]

Whoa. Illinois is super close.