Nov
12
Good Night, and Good Luck
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Written By
Politricks
Nov
8
Tough…
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Republicans don’t like the idea of Rahm Emanuel as the coming White House Chief Of Staff? Too bad. Yes, Obama has pledged to have a diverse staff and cabinet but he has always said that he wanted the best people in those positions, get over it. Maybe you shouldn’t have let Bush & Co. essentially do their best to destroy the country over the past 8 years with unneeded wars and horrid economic policy. Hey republican party, you single handedly created this mess now go stand in the corner while the adults figure out what to do with you.
It was that policy that caused almost the entire country to turn blue from 2004, the electoral shift is very dramatic. Head over to this New York Times flash presentation to see the increase of people voting for the democrats. Slide number 3 is the one to look at.
Also, don’t let anyone spin you on this fact: This election was both a mandate and landslide. Let’s recap:
2004 - Bush won with 286 electoral votes & a margin of 3% (3.5 million votes) over Kerry.
2008 - Obama wins with 364 electoral votes & a margin of 6% (7.4 million votes) over McCain.
Already the Republicans and talking heads on Fake News are saying it was a slim margin, blah, blah, blah. Yet O’Reilly nearly wet his pants over Bush’s win in 2004 and went on and on about it, yet here in 2008 when Obama nearly doubled the margin of victory and some 190 more electoral votes than McCain it’s no big deal.
Hey Billy, say it with me slowly: L-A-N-D-S-L-I-D-E and M-A-N-D-A-T-E
Not only did he swamp McCain he dwarfed Bush’s victory in 2004 which noted as a resounding victory by the republicans. Yet O’Reilly still claims he has no bias and wasn’t pulling for McCain. Does anybody really believe him? C’mon Billy admit it, you’re a proud neocon, what’s the big deal? At least put it out there so the uninformed “folks” know where you’re coming from.
With any luck on election night we saw the nails being put into the pine box coffin of the current republican party as we know it. Hopefully pundits like O’Reilly and that moron Limbaugh will get tossed in with them. With any luck they will rethink themselves and return in the future as a more center based party and it will be better for the country as a whole.
But for now, “Yes we did!”
Written By
"Get Off My Lawns!"
Nov
5
Yes We Did
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And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
Written By
Politricks
Nov
4
Election Night Guide
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I was going to write my own one of these along with some maps and clocks and what-not, but there are a bunch popping up all over the web. The polling voice of this election - the go-to spot - has to be 538.com. So, therefore, I’m going to go ahead and link everyone to
Nate Silver’s Election Night Guide
Nate is the chief polling guru over at 538. If you missed that site this election season, take a look now. They’ve done wonders. Now, I’m particularly keen on watching the 6pm est Indiana returns. If he wins Indiana, that’s a very good sign. It could mean great news for Obama across the map. The real indicators however, won’t come until the 7-8pm est hours (Virginia, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri). If he keeps PA (as he should resoundingly) and add VA, FL or OH, things are looking great. Read the full guide. Offer your own comments. Cross your fingers and hold on for the ride…
Written By
Politricks
Nov
4
RIP Madelyn Dunham
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In what has to be the most unfortunate timing, Barack Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham has passed. We at ALTN wish the Obamas well. Here is a statement from Barack and his sister, Soetoro-Ng:
“She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility… She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.
Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.”
UPDATE: According to Kevin Cronin, Hawaii’s chief election officer, Madelyn Dunham’s absentee vote will count:
Ms. Dunham’s absentee mail ballot was received and reviewed under the Hawaii standards for processing absentee mail ballots… She was alive at that time. Her ballot will be opened tomorrow, and it will be counted in the same way that all absentee voters would be treated under our law.
Written By
Politricks
Nov
3
ONE. DAY. LEFT.
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UPDATED: Some of the final polls have come in this weekend. Here is where things stand. All these polls paint a wonderful picture for Tuesday for Obama/Biden. The average lead for Obama between all of these is 8.7% Not too shabby. Note also that Obama is at or above 50% in all polls. That is significant because it doesn’t matter how many undecideds McCain gets - he could get all of them - he would not top Obama:
USA Today/Gallup: Obama 55% -McCain 44%
NBC/WSJ: Obama 51% - McCain 43%
CNN: Obama 53% - McCain 46%
Pew Research: Obama 52% - McCain 46%
CBS News: Obama 54% - McCain 41%
Fox News: Obama 50% - McCain 43%
Marist: Obama 53% - McCain 44%
Written By
Politricks
Nov
3
What is She Hiding?
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Sarah Palin promised to release her medical records. She’s the only one in this election who is holding out. Why? The longer she does so, the more the rumors fly. Some are suggesting there is something in there that will shock her base (an abortion, for example). Others continue the myth that Trig isn’t her baby. Whatever the case, her silence isn’t helping.
This also should be further fodder for the undecided voter to chew on. She is highly secretive. We have an Obama presidency that promises transparency, things like “Google for government” for example. Then we have Palin who escaped the entire campaign without every having to go on “Meet the Press.” Her secrecy is a red flag raiser. We’ve had 8 years of a secret government. We’re through with it. This is a government for and by THE PEOPLE. If you aren’t going to answer subpoenas and testify in Troopergate, refuse to be grilled by the press and you aren’t going to release your medical records, thanks but no thanks.
She has one more day to release this info. Will she?
Written By
Politricks
Nov
2
We knew this was coming. The GOP has gotten really desperate. Here’s their latest ad up in PA and other battlegrounds:
2 days.
We’ve learned that negative ads haven’t worked against Obama, so the GOP concludes, just keep doing it. Priceless.
Written By
Politricks
Oct
31
Running Up the Score?
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Looks like Team Obama is confident enough in a win, that their focus is now about putting as many numbers as possible on the scoreboard. I find this not to be hubris, but prudence. Imagine if Gore or Kerry had a plan B, let alone C, D, E. If there are any voter “irregularities” (as they call them) in Florida or Ohio, let’s say, then we’ve got Virginia, North Carolina, and now…
Arizona? North Dakota? Georgia?
Well, it seems possible. The polls have tightened enough, and early voting is strong enough, that the Obama campaign has begun to run ads in all three states. The McCain campaign seems worried enough about his home state that they are campaigning in Arizona on Monday. Wow. Of course, he’s going to play it as some “returning home” theme, but let’s just hope he stays home.
UPDATE: Yet another poll showing Arizona a dead-heat: Research 2000 has it McCain 48%, Obama 47%. That’s about the fourth one showing the race close now.
Written By
Politricks
Oct
31
HALLOWEEN 2: SEASON OF THE -IST
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A couple weeks back, we noted that the McCain campaign of the week was to TERRIFY you of Obama. Well, it seems like that one has stuck. Finally, a consistent John McCain campaign message: “I have nothing to run on, so I’m just hear to tell you the boogie man is real, and he’s going to be your President.”
So, since the “terrorist” thing never really did anything but drive up John McCain’s negatives and widen the gap in the polls, did their campaign decide maybe they should reverse course, possibly go out as his grandkids would want to remember him? Did he decide to go, as most do, out on a positive note, thoughtful of his legacy in case he didn’t win? Nope. John McCain decided to double down on the SCARY.
The next -ist we were told to fear was the SOCIALIST. Then it was ramped up a notch. MARXIST. Why? Because some guy (plant, I’m suspicious) named Sam Joe, an (unlicensed) plumber pressed Obama on his tax cuts. Obama happened to use the unfortunate (we’ll admit) term “spread the wealth around” and McCain pounced on it. This is actually smart, I’ll admit. Or rather, it would have been smart THREE MONTHS AGO as part of a typical “tax and spend liberal” campaign. Though, even then, that wouldn’t work because we haven’t had a traditional fiscally conservative, small government Republican in office for 8 years. We’ve had a “tax-cut and spend more conservative” who has bloated the size of the government (have you seen the homeland security budget lately?), run up our national debt and pretty much wrecked the economy with its carelessly brazen deregulation. No, it’s not the line of attack so much, but the way they go about it. They don’t just smear Obama with “tax and spend,” no they go right to the labels: Socialist, Marxist. Coupled with the Ayers/radical/unknown thing, that implies much more than “your taxes will go up.” They are actually trying to terrify their base, and some boot-shaking independents into thinking Obama is going to lead the next great Communist Revolution. Sigh.
So, that should be it, right? The last desperate salvo in a most disastrous campaign, right? Right?
Nope. It seems we are back to the TERRORIST. Or at least Arab ACTIVIST. The McCain camp is suddenly jumping all over the LA Times for not releasing a video of Barack Obama at a going-away dinner for Rashid Khalidi, professor of Arab studies at Columbia University. According to an article the Times published in APRIL (yes, April - quick on your feet, huh, Johnny), Barack Obama attended a dinner in which some exercised their freedom of speech, expressing in poems, for example, their opinions about the Israel-Palestine situation. Also at that dinner, Barack gave a speech. The subject of his speech? Finding common ground. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Barack listens to various opinions and seeks to build bridges between people. Oh, SCARY STUFF.
At this point, tit-for-tat doesn’t even really matter, but it is worthwhile to ponder that if McCain thinks Khalidi is so scary, then why did an organization McCain chaired give Khalidi half-a-million dollars for his Center for Palestine Research and Studies?
The scariest bit about this season of the -ist, is how low John McCain has sunk. You know, when Obama clinched the nomination, I looked forward to an Obama-McCain election. I bought into the Maverick brand, and assumed this Republican was the closest to voting Republican I’d ever get. I knew he had his flaws (temper, temper), but he’s done the right thing a bunch of times. And what Rove and Bush did to him in South Carolina made me positive that McCain would run a clean, respectable campaign. Boy, was I wrong. So, thank you John McCain for scaring me. Your creepy laugh, and that scary Fargo lady will forever haunt my dreams. Good work.
Written By
Politricks