And with that I'm signing off for the night. I've already tarried too long when I should have either been reading or asleep. Keep in mind with whatever Alaska's final numbers are, that there are 10,000 absentee ballots to be counted in the coming days as well, and supposedly they have a heavy Republican tilt. Stevens just might pull this thing off afterall, which I believe would throw the matter to the courts during his sentencing hearing.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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And that, my friends, is why someone from Alaska probably cannot relate to the country as a whole. Call me silly, but I doubt most people would reelect a convicted person unless they had a damn good reason for believing him to be innocent.
Or perhaps if his opponent was absolutely terrible. Not sure which, if either, is the case x_x
Posts: 349 | Registered: Jul 2006
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I'm more excited about Gordon Smith in Oregon. The 2006 election was terrible for moderate Republicans. The more moderates like Smith and Coleman we keep, the happier I'll be. I'd much rather see Saxby Chambliss lose than Smith or Coleman. And the prospect of Al Franken in the Senate, while slightly entertaining, is simultaneously nauseating to me (because his rhetoric is so ascerbic, which is the last thing I think our country needs).
As for Stevens, I'm seriously dumbfounded.
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Yeah, Smith is a pretty reasonable guy. I'm not particularly sorry to see him keep his seat.
Stevens, though... Good gravy, sometimes I hate it when I'm right. Way to pin a bullseye to yourselves for some much-deserved mockery, guys.
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Ok, on CNN looks like IN went blue. Do we know which way Missouri and North Carolina went yet?
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Yes, Lyrhawn, I appreciate all your updates and other work on the election threads. Thanks!
In the Georgia Senate race, Saxby Chanbliss appears to be headed for a run-off in Dec., as he can't get 50% + 1.
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quote: In the Georgia Senate race, Saxby Chanbliss appears to be headed for a run-off in Dec., as he can't get 50% + 1.
Has that been confirmed? I know they were beginning to or had been counting absentee ballots according to the local news when I left this morning.
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Emmanuel is considered by many to be the reason why Democrats managed such huge pickups in the House in the 2006 midterms and again this year.
He changed the Democrats' entire strategy on choosing candidates to support. Despite being something of a newcomer to Democratic leadership, he more or less combed Republican districts for center to right leaning Democrats that he felt they could work with, groomed them a little, and then sent them all out at the same time with major DCCC backing, causing as we all know a major shift in power in 2006, and a smaller one in 2008. For his duties he was awarded the number three leadership post in the party in the House, and now has been asked to serve as Chief of Staff, which is both a huge responsibility and a great honor.
quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: Lyrhawn,
Thank you for all your work in the election threads. You did great and I appreciate it.
I'm just glad I have Hatrack to come to to sate my inner wonk. You guys were all awesome over the last year. I put a little endcap of some of my thoughts in the Presidential Primary thread a little while ago, but the gist of it: You guys all rocked during the elections this year, and I'm not above suggesting that everyone deserves a little pat on the back for their thoughtfulness, civility and performance of civic duty.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Wouldn't it be ironic if Lisa's presence on this board became a scandal of some kind of Obama's new administration? That's just like... you know when your watching a car chase on TV, and you wonder what it would be like if all the sudden the police convoy drove past your house? Yeah, it would be like that. But cooler.
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quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I'm just glad I have Hatrack to come to to sate my inner wonk. You guys were all awesome over the last year. I put a little endcap of some of my thoughts in the Presidential Primary thread a little while ago, but the gist of it: You guys all rocked during the elections this year, and I'm not above suggesting that everyone deserves a little pat on the back for their thoughtfulness, civility and performance of civic duty.
The thought occurred to me in the last week that you have kind of been steering this whole discussion through, what, a combined 120 pages of open posting? I think it's you that deserves the credit for what got recorded, and what got talked about, and how. What I want to know is, what are you running for, and when?
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:You guys all rocked during the elections this year, and I'm not above suggesting that everyone deserves a little pat on the back for their thoughtfulness, civility and performance of civic duty.
What? but i wasn't ANY of those th..
Oh no. it finally happened. my posts became invisible to lyrhawnPosts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Well that's odd. It says on the front page that this thread was updated at 12:08, but the most recent post I see is DK's. Hitting refresh doesn't seem to bring anything up. Must be some sort of glitch.
quote:Posted by Orincoro What I want to know is, what are you running for, and when?
Well I'm only 24, so I won't be running for anything anytime soon. But I hope to have my law degree before I'm 30, so maybe around the time I'm 35 I could run for Michigan's AG spot or maybe the House, or state senate, and then on to the governor's mansion in Lansing before maybe getting a VP nod (my family did it once before! Though that was 100 years ago) or a nice cabinet position. I imagine it'll be a couple decades before I run for anything where you could legally vote for me Orincoro, assuming you'd want to.
That's assuming the position of Hegemon doesn't become available sooner. If that happens, you can expect a write in candidacy for which your support will be heavily lobbied .
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Interesting Newsweek article about the campaign.
It was nice to read this:
quote:McCain also was reluctant to use Obama's incendiary pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, as a campaign issue. The Republican had set firm boundaries: no Jeremiah Wright; no attacking Michelle Obama; no attacking Obama for not serving in the military. McCain balked at an ad using images of children that suggested that Obama might not protect them from terrorism. Schmidt vetoed ads suggesting that Obama was soft on crime (no Willie Hortons). And before word even got to McCain, Schmidt and Salter scuttled a "celebrity" ad of Obama dancing with talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres (the sight of a black man dancing with a lesbian was deemed too provocative).
But scary to read this:
quote:The Obama campaign was provided with reports from the Secret Service showing a sharp and disturbing increase in threats to Obama in September and early October, at the same time that many crowds at Palin rallies became more frenzied. Michelle Obama was shaken by the vituperative crowds and the hot rhetoric from the GOP candidates. "Why would they try to make people hate us?" Michelle asked a top campaign aide.
quote:Now that the 2008 election is over, reporters are spilling all the juciest, and previously off the record, gossip from the campaign trail. Much of it is about the infighting between Palin and McCain's staff, as Newsweek's treasure trove of post-election gossip reveals. However, perhaps one of the most astounding and previously unknown tidbits about Sarah Palin has to do with her already dubious grasp of geography. According to Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Carl Cameron, there was great concern within the McCain campaign that Palin lacked "a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, a heartbeat away from the presidency," in part because she didn't know which countries were in NAFTA, and she "didn't understand that Africa was a continent, rather than a series, a country just in itself."
***UPDATE*** Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Carl Cameron appeared on The O'Reilly Factor tonight and described in much fuller detail the truly astonishing behavior, and lack of knowledge, of Sarah Palin on the campaign trail, as well as the nasty infighting that resulted from, some would say, Palin's "diva" behavior. (Earlier today, Palin said reports of her "diva" behavior and any tension within the campaign were "absolutely false.")
Cameron relates how McCain aides were terrified of Palin's lack of knowledge of international and national issues, and even basic civics. Cameron reports that Palin was unfamiliar with the concept of "American exceptionalism," and that not only did she not understand that Africa was a continent rather than a single country but also that during debate prep Palin was unable to name all the nations in North America.
Palin was apparently a nightmare for her campaign staff to deal with. She refused preparation help for her interview with Katie Couric and then blamed her staff, specifically Nicole Wallace, when the interview was rightly panned as a disaster. After the Couric interview, Palin turned nasty with her staff and began to accuse them of mishandling her. Palin would view press clippings of herself in the morning and throw "tantrums" over the negative coverage. There were times when she would be so nasty and angry that her staff was reduced to tears..
quote:"a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, a heartbeat away from the presidency," in part because she didn't know which countries were in NAFTA, and she "didn't understand that Africa was a continent, rather than a series, a country just in itself."
Oh come on. I'm totally firm in the belief that she's unqualified to be president, but she can't be that much of a blithering idiot. I find it impossible to believe that a governor of a border state with Canada wouldn't know what NAFTA was. Has she just never heard of Mexico? I find that just a little too hard to believe.
quote:but also that during debate prep Palin was unable to name all the nations in North America.
This however I might not blame her for. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, and I think I'd be hard pressed to rattle off the name of every Central American country (well, without using Yakko's "Nations of the World" in my head anyway). I could probably make a commendable dent though. If you mean North America as just the NAFTA countries, then I don't believe that report. If that includes Central America, then I believe it's possible, and I don't think she's especially unqualified or stupid because of it.
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It's either McCain's aid's blaming Palin for the loss or Palin is really an idiot. I'm not sure which to believe.
In other news, it appears Caroline Kennedy may be tapped to be the UN ambassador, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may head the EPA, and Colin Powell may be the SecDef, according to politico.Posts: 457 | Registered: Jun 2005
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It would be a great choice. Here is a horrible choice: John Kerry for Secretary of State. The rumor is that he is angling for the job, but I doubt Obama gives it to him.
Furthermore, the Democrats have won another senate seat, with the election in Oregon where Merkley defeated Smith. There are still three outstanding races in Alaska, Minnesota, and in Georgia.
And here is a good one, the rumor swirling is that if Ted Stevens wins his seat, he will immediately step down, Gov. Palin will then step down as well, the Lt. Gov. will become Gov. of Alaska and appoint Sarah Palin the new Republican Senator from Alaska. I really kid you not...
Posts: 457 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I've heard that one swirling around too, but I don't see it happening. I don't think Stevens will step down, I think he'll have to be removed by a prison sentence, or by some other means.
I didn't see anyone call Merkley, but looking at the returns it looks like he has a sizeable lead now. Georgia will go to a special election most likely now, and Minnesota will face a recount with Coleman up by less than 500 votes. Assuming Stevens wins Alaska, which boggles the mind but looks likely, Dems can get 59 max, 57 minimum.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:And here is a good one, the rumor swirling is that if Ted Stevens wins his seat, he will immediately step down, Gov. Palin will then step down as well, the Lt. Gov. will become Gov. of Alaska and appoint Sarah Palin the new Republican Senator from Alaska. I really kid you not...
I'd give this more credence if the person appointed kept the seat the whole term. But Alaska law specifies a special election to fill a resigning Senator's term if there are more than 30 months left in it.
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quote: A call last week by a Quebec radio prankster pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly became a fiery source of tension between the already feuding McCain and Palin camps. An aide to the Alaska governor, Steve Biegun, OK'd the call without discussing it with McCain's people or the U.S. State Department.
The Los Angeles Times reported that an outraged Steve Schmidt, Mr. McCain's top strategist, organized a conference call after the prank — which revealed Ms. Palin to be ill-informed and naive — made international headlines and brought further ridicule to the campaign.
He demanded to know who had arranged the Sarkozy call and questioned why anyone would have agreed to such an unusual request and then failed to clear it with top staff.
quote: One senior aide told the magazine that she was told to buy three suits for the Republican National Convention and hire a stylist, but instead, the vice-presidential nominee began amassing costly goods from stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
At one point during the campaign, Ms. Palin's youngest daughter, seven-year-old Piper, was photographed carrying a US$790 Louis Vuitton bag.
Two sources told Newsweek the goods were bought by a wealthy donor, who was flabbergasted when he saw the bills. Ms. Palin also allegedly instructed low-level staffers to buy her clothes on their credit cards, something the McCain campaign only discovered last week when the aides sought reimbursement.
...
The relationship between Ms. Palin and Mr. McCain, in fact, had deteriorated in the final days of the campaign to the point that they were seldom talking.
“I think it was a difficult relationship,” one top McCain campaign official told the New York Times. “McCain talked to her occasionally.”
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: You don't think Palin would get elected in an outright election?
I think she would, but I don't think essentially appointing herself would help in that effort, and it might hurt.
If she had a whole term, or even four years, as an incumbent, she could overcome any downside from that.
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McCain picked her after a single conversation three days before he announced it.
She wasn't completely vetted and he didn't know her well.
I think he was charmed by a pretty lady and her reputation. If he's mad about it, he should be mad at himself.
And I do think that his aides muzzled her for the first whole month. If she couldn't be trusted to be on her own, then picking her to vice-president was an irresponsible thing to do. If she can't face an American journalist, she'd be eaten alive in the White House. If she can't be trusted enough to give an interview, she shouldn't have been trusted enough to put on the ticket.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: You don't think Palin would get elected in an outright election?
I think she would, but I don't think essentially appointing herself would help in that effort, and it might hurt.
If she had a whole term, or even four years, as an incumbent, she could overcome any downside from that.
If it were any other state but Alaska I'd agree with you. But they just elected a convicted felon! All bets are off up there. Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I was wondering if anyone else had heard the story of Palin's Shopping Spree. Good Lord, what if they had won Posts: 349 | Registered: Jul 2006
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But I'm not convinced that logical sense can be applied to the situation. Stevens isn't what I'd call a conventional politician anyway. It's the "series of tubes" guy. His statements since the conviction don't seem to reflect reality. Frankly, unless forcibly removed, I don't think he has any intention of resigning.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Then again taxing large corporations to fund the federal budget in its entirety AND to pay all US citizens a few thousand dollars per year (like they do in Alaska)...
Does the Republican base ever think about its candidate choices?
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
YES! Daily Show had the Star Wars reference for the celebrations!
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