2018 elections

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billy.pilgrim
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 5:42 pm
billy.pilgrim wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 5:30 pm
An awful lot of blame has to go to Sandra Day O'Connor for quitting when she did with the excuse she gave. It's been mostly downhill ever since
How so? I don't remember.
I remember her claiming it was all about her husband's health, but she seemed to continue a ger busy life. Whatever, we didn't need another bush appointment.

Looks like each one gets worse. Alito is every bit as nuts as gorsuch. Imagine, we will be soon be able to look back and see Kennedy, O'Connor and Scalia as the moderates of days gone by.
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Re: 2018 elections

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billy.pilgrim wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:11 pm
... Looks like each one gets worse. Alito is every bit as nuts as gorsuch. Imagine, we will be soon be able to look back and see Kennedy, O'Connor and Scalia as the moderates of days gone by.
Scalia? I missed that memo. :D
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:27 pm
GoCubsGo wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 3:45 pm
k9nanny wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 3:09 pm
JTA wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 2:58 pm
Uh oh. Looks like a supreme Court Justice is retiring. Trump gets pick #2.
We are doomed.
We are now a beacon on the hill for how to destroy a western civilization.
Kennedy sure swung hard right with the rulings this week. Maybe the Dems can force a pick that's no worse than he was. They should delay until after the midterms just on principle.

How?
Eamus Catuli~AC 000000 000101 010202 020303 010304 020405....Ahhhh, forget it, it's gonna be a while.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2018 elections

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GoCubsGo wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:23 pm
How?
Likely not, but maybe there are parliamentary tricks or unrelated threats that they can employ. We are the majority even if it's not yet reflected in Congress, so it's nice to imagine there's something . . .

We're hampered by Manchin and a couple of others, but Flake, McCain and Paul aren't always playing nice with the GOP.

So, Roberts may become the new "moderate". :roll: :(

:D Stumbled on this 15 minutes later:

Democrats have a risky long shot at blocking Trump's next Supreme Court pick
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 10:36 pm
GoCubsGo wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:23 pm
How?
Likely not, but maybe there are parliamentary tricks or unrelated threats that they can employ. We are the majority even if it's not yet reflected in Congress, so it's nice to imagine there's something . . .

We're hampered by Manchin and a couple of others, but Flake, McCain and Paul aren't always playing nice with the GOP.

So, Roberts may become the new "moderate". :roll: :(

:D Stumbled on this 15 minutes later:

Democrats have a risky long shot at blocking Trump's next Supreme Court pick

Hmmm...a Dem nuclear option. If it backfires the cons keep the Senate in November. They won't have the guts.

Better hope is Flake, Corker or McCain have a spine if the nominee is a RWNJ.
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Re: 2018 elections

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GoCubsGo wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 8:19 am
Hmmm...a Dem nuclear option. If it backfires the cons keep the Senate in November. They won't have the guts.

Better hope is Flake, Corker or McCain have a spine if the nominee is a RWNJ.
Maybe there are other Dem options, idk. I suppose it's also possible that some other Repug/s that's up for reelection will be polling poorly enough that s/he feels the need to oppose POSPOTUS. There's also Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) - we're counting on you, JTA - and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), in theory.

There's also the possibility, admittedly slim, that the threat of Dem action and/or moderate GOP hesitance will force Dolt .45 to nominate a more moderate justice than he might otherwise like.
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Re: 2018 elections

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“God is a white supremacist and Jews are from satan”



Do any of you NC citizens care to explain this?
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Re: 2018 elections

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billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:06 pm
“God is a white supremacist and Jews are from satan”

Do any of you NC citizens care to explain this?
'God is racist,' Jewish people 'all descend from Satan,' NC candidate says

He has deplorable friends:

SC Judge throws out Confederate flag lawsuit by NC man

In his own words:
:crazy:

Education, Bachelor's, Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private, coeducational research university located in Hoboken, New Jersey

Maybe we can ask JTA whassup.

Here's a scathing essay on him:

Walker Russell LaForge aka Russell "Troublemaker" Walker

Or, we can blame Louisiana:
There is startling new evidence that this man, aka "Russell Walker", descended from Louisiana Cajuns, and that his great-grandfather was a Creole-speaking salt water geechee. This would explain why he acts as a troll to undermine White culture - because he himself is a mongrel!
I was hoping to learn that he was born in Florida. :P May still be the case, his bio is slim.
Last edited by Vrede too on Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2018 elections

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billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:06 pm
“God is a white supremacist and Jews are from satan”



Do any of you NC citizens care to explain this?
I'm no longer a citizen of that state, but...

Jesus was a Jew, therefore, Jesus was from Satan.
Jesus was the son of God, and therefore God is Satan.
Satan is a white supremacist.

Make sense now? ;)

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billy.pilgrim
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:41 pm
billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:06 pm
“God is a white supremacist and Jews are from satan”

Do any of you NC citizens care to explain this?
'God is racist,' Jewish people 'all descend from Satan,' NC candidate says

He has deplorable friends:

SC Judge throws out Confederate flag lawsuit by NC man

In his own words:
:crazy:

Education, Bachelor's, Stevens Institute of Technology

Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) is a private, coeducational research university located in Hoboken, New Jersey

Maybe we can ask JTA whassup.

Here's a scathing essay on him:

Walker Russell LaForge aka Russell "Troublemaker" Walker

Or, we can blame Louisiana:
There is startling new evidence that this man, aka "Russell Walker", descended from Louisiana Cajuns, and that his great-grandfather was a Creole-speaking salt water geechee. This would explain why he acts as a troll to undermine White culture - because he himself is a mongrel!
I was hoping to learn that he was born in Florida. :P May still be the case, his bio is slim.


I heard somewhere that thounands of Florida voters illegally voted for him in NC
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Re: 2018 elections

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billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:43 pm
I heard somewhere that thounands of Florida voters illegally voted for him in NC
:D Bastards. He says on his website that the district has been Dem forever. So, I figured that he was the only Repug that filed. Nope, he beat his GOP primary opponent 65-35. Wow.

https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=05/08 ... ntest=1151
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 2:33 pm
billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:43 pm
I heard somewhere that thounands of Florida voters illegally voted for him in NC
:D Bastards. He says on his website that the district has been Dem forever. So, I figured that he was the only Repug that filed. Nope, he beat his GOP primary opponent 65-35. Wow.

https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=05/08 ... ntest=1151

I swear it's mostly all on fox news - they sure did make hate fun
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Re: 2018 elections

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billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:07 pm
I swear it's mostly all on fox news - they sure did make hate fun
I don't know what you mean re Russell Walker, so I looked on Faux Noise. Long AP article there, quotes liberally from Walker's disgusting website, cites the SPLC saying that http://www.christdescendedfromjoseph.com/ is a Walker website, and mentions that Walker's Dem opponent is black . . . not sure if he's also Jewish. ;)

North Carolina GOP ends nominee's support over racist posts
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:30 pm
billy.pilgrim wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:07 pm
I swear it's mostly all on fox news - they sure did make hate fun
I don't know what you mean re Russell Walker, so I looked on Faux Noise. Long AP article there, quotes liberally from Walker's disgusting website, cites the SPLC saying that http://www.christdescendedfromjoseph.com/ is a Walker website, and mentions that Walker's Dem opponent is black . . . not sure if he's also Jewish. ;)

North Carolina GOP ends nominee's support over racist posts
I meant the increasing open hate in our society.
Trump: “We had the safest border in the history of our country - or at least recorded history. I guess maybe a thousand years ago it was even better.”

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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Tue Jun 26, 2018 10:10 pm
JTA wrote:
Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:35 am
An observation from down here in SC:

Many of the candidates are playing up their affinity to Trump.

I've seen ads on TV by current gov McMaster pointing out how he's always stood by Trump. The ad also features images of him with Trump.

Another candidates campaign signs seen throughout town, can't remember his name, has a picture of him behind a podium with Trump's campaign sign featured on it.
How did your picks do?

US Rep. Joe Crowley defeated in Democratic primary in NY

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old political novice running on a low budget and an unabashedly liberal platform, upset longtime U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley on Tuesday in the Democratic congressional primary in New York.

The surprise victory by the community organizer in a district that includes parts of the Bronx and Queens came after an energetic, grassroots campaign that mustered more than enough support in a low-turnout race that many had expected to be an easy win for Crowley, a member of the Democratic House leadership.

"The community is ready for a movement of economic and social justice. That is what we tried to deliver," said Ocasio-Cortez, who has never held elected office and whose candidacy attracted only modest media attention....

Crowley has been in Congress since 1999 and hadn't faced an opponent in a primary election since 2004, when Ocasio-Cortez was just a teenager. He was considered a candidate to become the next House speaker if Democrats win the majority.

"It's not about me," Crowley, 56, told his supporters at a campaign party following his loss. "It's about America. I want nothing but the best for Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. I want her to be victorious."

He later played guitar with a band at the election night gathering, and dedicated the first song, Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," to Ocasio-Cortez.

Crowley represents New York's 14th Congressional District, where he is also the leader of the Queens Democratic party.

Ocasio-Cortez was outspent by an 18-1 margin during her race but won the endorsement of some influential groups on the party's far left, including MoveOn, as well as the actress Cynthia Nixon, who is running for governor. She defeated Crowley by 15 percentage points.

Born in the Bronx to a mother from Puerto Rico and a father who died in 2008, Ocasio-Cortez said she decided to challenge Crowley to push a more progressive stance on economic and other issues.

She attended Boston University, where she earned degrees in economics and international relations, and also spent time working in the office of the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.

After graduating, she returned to the Bronx where she became a community organizer. In the 2016 presidential campaign she worked for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Among her issues is expanding the Medicare program to people of all ages and abolishing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. She recently went to Tornillo, Texas, to protest against policies that have separated parents from their children at the southern U.S. border....

His loss drew the attention of President Donald Trump.

"Wow! Big Trump Hater Congressman Joe Crowley, who many expected was going to take Nancy Pelosi's place, just LOST his primary election. In other words, he's out! That is a big one that nobody saw happening. Perhaps he should have been nicer, and more respectful, to his President!" he tweeted....
:clap:

Classy response to losing by Joseph Crowley.

Odd reaction by POSPOTUS. Evidently, Crowley has made him so butthurt that he's cheering the victory in a safe Dem district by a woman much further to the left. Then, it's both laughable and pathetic that he thinks that Bronx and Queens Dems held Crowley being mean to poor wiiddle Dolt .45 against him and that's why Alexandria Ocasio-Corte won.

Careful what you wish for, Trumpettes, she's going to make you miss Crowley.
My picks did great. So glad McMaster won. Just kidding. In all seriousness though, he's gonna win of course. I'm glad Templeton got stomped. I'm interested to see the debates. I predict it'll involve McMaster playing up his loyalty to Trump since Bible belt family values Christians love a philandering serial adulterers.
You aren't doing it wrong if no one knows what you are doing.

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Vrede too
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 10:32 am
GoCubsGo wrote:
Thu Jun 28, 2018 8:19 am
Hmmm...a Dem nuclear option. If it backfires the cons keep the Senate in November. They won't have the guts.

Better hope is Flake, Corker or McCain have a spine if the nominee is a RWNJ.
Maybe there are other Dem options, idk. I suppose it's also possible that some other Repug/s that's up for reelection will be polling poorly enough that s/he feels the need to oppose POSPOTUS. There's also Susan Collins (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) - we're counting on you, JTA - and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), in theory.

There's also the possibility, admittedly slim, that the threat of Dem action and/or moderate GOP hesitance will force Dolt .45 to nominate a more moderate justice than he might otherwise like.
I don't know what if anything that means he'll do re the nomination, but it's a little positive to hear something short of, "We're going to overturn Roe v. Wade!"

Comment:
Well, the supreme court doesn't have all that good of a track record.

1857 Dred Scott vs Sandford allowed slavery and prevented even free Americans of African descent to sue.
1875 Minor vs Happersett allowed women to be excluded from voting.
1896 Plessy vs Ferguson allowed segeration.
1995 Lockner vs New York invalidated worker protections regarding working hours
1923 Adkins vs Children's Hospital held women could be paid less than federal minimum wage even in D.C.
1927 Buck vs Bell permitted compulsory sterilization of the "unfit."
1944 Korematsu vs United States the court held Americans of Japanese descent can be interred.

How about "Citizens United?" Did they get that right?
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Vrede too
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Re: 2018 elections

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After An ‘Educator Spring,’ Teachers Storm Elections

Progressives are seeing the stunning upset victory by first-time congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s over a prominent incumbent candidate in New York as a sign of a wave of change coming in the midterm elections, but a perhaps bigger, clearer sign of a coming change is evident in the groundswell of educators entering political contests.

As an outcome of the wave of teacher walkouts and protests that swept through West Virginia, Oklahoma, and elsewhere – a chain of events increasingly referred to as an “Educator Spring” – “angry educators are flooding down-ballot races,” Politico reports.

The numbers are staggering, with nearly 300 candidates coming from just the American Federation of Teachers union alone. Many of them are winning, and not just in the Democratic party.

By taking their cause to the streets and then to the ballot box, teachers have made education a top election issue – not just in states, like North Carolina, where walkouts occurred – but also in states, like Florida, where they didn’t.

It’s an electoral phenomenon that is little understood, much less reported on.

An Angry Wave of Teachers

... In North Carolina, the list of teacher grievances was long and varied – from unmanageable class sizes to inadequate funding to stressed out work schedules. But for the vast majority of teachers I spoke to at the rally in Raleigh, the economic trigger was the lack of funding across the board. Many believed fixing the funding was the top priority from which so many other issues could then be resolved.

The teachers’ actions brought to light to many who weren’t aware that education funding has not recovered from the Great Recession, and the majority of states fund schools less now than they did in 2008, and teacher salaries have been mostly flat or down since the 1990s.

But there was also a larger context that brought teachers out into the streets.

The Roots of Discontent
...
‘Stop. Help. I Can’t Deal with This.’
...
‘Educator spring’ spawns wave of teacher candidates
Teachers are building the next blue wave — without much help from Democrats.


Poll finds southern voters want more education spending
Education one of the top concerns for voters
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Re: 2018 elections

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Another month or so of semi-downtime, then we really get into the campaign final stretch. Here’s what the polls say:

Current Senate
49 Democrats, Republicans 51
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Sen. Angus King (I-ME) currently caucus with the Democrats. Neither seat is up for election this year.

Battle for the Senate 2018
44 Democrats, Republicans 48
Toss Ups 8:
AZ: Open (R)
FL: Nelson (D)
IN: Donnelly (D)
MO: McCaskill (D)
NV: Heller (R)
ND: Heitkamp (D)
WV: Manchin (D)
TN: Open (R)
Ugh, hard to imagine winning 7 of these 8. Plus, it sucks to look at DINO ones like Nelson, down by 2%, and Manchin, up by 6%, as wins even if they do get more votes. Otoh, there was a real risk that the Dems would have significant losses given how many of their seats were up for election. Maintaining the status quo could be seen as a "win".

Current House
193 Democrats, Vacancies 7, Republicans 235

Battle for the House 2018
197 Democrats, Toss Ups 34, Republicans 204
Close. Plus, of the Toss Ups 30 are currently Republican and only 4 are Democrat. Taking over the House is a real possibility. None of the Toss Ups are in NC or SC. One Florida District, the 26th, is a Tossup. It’s currently red but voted for Hillary and for Obama in 2012. It’s the southernmost district, including the Keys to SW Miami, but not O Really’s former Naples home.

Current Governors
16 Democrats, Independent 1 (AK), Republicans 33

2018 Governor Races
19 Democrats, Republicans 26
Alaska Independent incumbent, Bill Walker, has a GOP opponent but RCP says the race “Leans Independent”.
4 Toss Ups, all currently GOP, FL: Open, MI: Open, NV: Open, OH: Open
Polling for Florida, whose Primary is August 28:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epoll ... orida.html
The race could get muddled by a Reform Party candidate and a couple of potential Independents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_g ... form_Party
Do you have a favorite yet, billy.pilgrim?

An interesting House race:
http://www.blueridgedebate.com/viewtopi ... rte#p75365
Montana At-Large District - Gianforte vs. Williams
Williams (D) +6
Maybe I’m wrong, but it sounds like Dolt .45’s Montana rally may have been enough of a disaster to widen the gap.
Incumbent Jon Tester (D) is leading by 8% for Senate.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epoll ... -6306.html
That temper tantrum over a year ago could have cost the GOP both a Senate and House seat, and maybe even the governorship in 2020.
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Re: 2018 elections

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Vrede too wrote:
Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:09 am
but not O Really’s former Naples home.

Naples is, unfortunately quite red, including for some reason tolerating Gov. Jerkwad Scott living there. However, only full-time residents get polled as voters, and the majority of seasonal residents are from less-red places, including Canada. So day to day life doesn't include much risk of infection from the droolers.

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Re: 2018 elections

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O Really wrote:
Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:20 am
Naples is, unfortunately quite red, including for some reason tolerating Gov. Jerkwad Scott living there.

However, only full-time residents get polled as voters, and the majority of seasonal residents are from less-red places, including Canada. So day to day life doesn't include much risk of infection from the droolers.
What state are you voting in now?
Last edited by Vrede too on Sat Jul 07, 2018 10:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
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