And a calm descended from the heavens....

[Peter_Puget]

 

"Many veteran congressional election watchers, including Democratic ones, report an eerie sense of déjà vu, with a consensus forming that the chances of Democratic losses going higher than 20 seats is just as good as the chances of Democratic losses going lower than 20 seats,” he wrote.

link

 

 

Barack Obama in August became a Huey for today, a rabble rouser with a better tailor, an unrumpled and modulated tribune of downtrodden Americans, telling them that opponents of his reform plan—which actually does not yet exist—are fearmongers employing scare tactics. He also told Americans to be afraid, very afraid of health-insurance providers because they are dishonest (and will remain so until there is a "public option" to make them "honest"). And to be afraid, very afraid of pediatricians who unnecessarily extract children's tonsils for monetary rather than medical reasons. And to be afraid, very afraid of doctors generally because so many of them are so rapacious that they prefer lopping off limbs of diabetes patients rather than engaging in lifestyle counseling that for "a pittance" could prevent diabetes.

 

link

 

 

[olyclimber]

I like the way you're got "hope" graphed out there. but where are the pirates and global warming factors?

[Peter_Puget]

It's official. The U.S. is no longer engaged in a "war on terrorism." Neither is it fighting "jihadists" or in a "global war."

President Obama's top homeland security and counterterrorism official took all three terms off the table of acceptable words inside the White House during a speech Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank

 

link

 

 

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs used the term "war on terror" at today's press conference.

 

link

 

 

[Peter_Puget]

Ah Porter after seeing the man who put a tingle down your leg start turning into an angry and frantic figure full of accusation and fear-mongering and potentially losing Democratic control of Congress I feel a certain optimism for our country. Yes, I have found hope.

[olyclimber]

ha! well here here is a clip to tide you over till the republicans can take the office back:

 

[video:youtube]xPPkyq3ByhQ

 

 

[j_b]

For the nth time over the last few months, Politico has been trying to confuse a drop in confidence in Obama with greater approval of conservative policies. But far from it being the case, approval of the GOP isn't budging and peaking around 20%: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/21/poll-confidence-in-obama-drops-no-gains-for-gop/

 

Flat to decreasing support for conservative policies is in fact shown on most issues: a majority of americans being against further deployment in Afghanistan, a steady large majority support for a public health insurance option (despite misleading reports and polls), etc..

 

To be sure, long term loss of confidence with Obama will likely translate into GOP gains but it'll be through decreasing turn out at the ballot box because of the lack of a visible alternative to the left of conservative democrats. Little else.

 

[Peter_Puget]

For the nth time over the last few months, Politico has been trying to confuse a drop in confidence in Obama with greater approval of conservative policies. But far from it being the case, approval of the GOP isn't budging and peaking around 20%: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/21/poll-confidence-in-obama-drops-no-gains-for-gop/

 

Flat to decreasing support for conservative policies is in fact shown on most issues: a majority of americans being against further deployment in Afghanistan, a steady large majority support for a public health insurance option (despite misleading reports and polls), etc..

 

To be sure, long term loss of confidence with Obama will likely translate into GOP gains but it'll be through decreasing turn out at the ballot box because of the lack of a visible alternative to the left of conservative democrats. Little else.

 

 

Cliff Notes version of J_B's post:

Peter's right! (No pun intended!)

[olyclimber]

well duh. if people were expecting the messiah and only got an intelligent, articulate person, of course they're going to be disappointed. the bar was set pretty high by the last president! it will be hard to fuck up the country more. But we must not lose faith that he can! LOL. I'm not disappointed with him yet....I'll give him a year and then take stock in how he has done. if he hasn't walked on water by then and turned all the water into wine, then i'll gladly move to impeach him and throw my vote for The O'Reilly/Palin ticket.

[StevenSeagal]

Palin's already run for VP, so she's got plenty of experience to run for President now.

[j_b]

For the nth time over the last few months, Politico has been trying to confuse a drop in confidence in Obama with greater approval of conservative policies. But far from it being the case, approval of the GOP isn't budging and peaking around 20%: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/21/poll-confidence-in-obama-drops-no-gains-for-gop/

 

Flat to decreasing support for conservative policies is in fact shown on most issues: a majority of americans being against further deployment in Afghanistan, a steady large majority support for a public health insurance option (despite misleading reports and polls), etc..

 

To be sure, long term loss of confidence with Obama will likely translate into GOP gains but it'll be through decreasing turn out at the ballot box because of the lack of a visible alternative to the left of conservative democrats. Little else.

 

 

Cliff Notes version of J_B's post:

Peter's right! (No pun intended!)

 

as if it were news that conservative could attain power only through failure of the democratic process. I am sure that if it happens thanks to a ~35% turn-out at mid-term elections, you'll still manage to call it a landslide.

[pope]

Are you kidding me? The Hawks are 3-0 in the preseason and winning games even after what would be normally considered fatal mistakes. Can't wait for the opener!

[Jim]

Are you kidding me? The Hawks are 3-0 in the preseason and winning games even after what would be normally considered fatal mistakes. Can't wait for the opener!

 

Anything will be better than the Mariners for crying out loud.

[olyclimber]

FUCK I AM ANGRY! WHERE IS THE NEAREST TOWNHALL?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Are you kidding me? The Hawks are 3-0 in the preseason and winning games even after what would be normally considered fatal mistakes. Can't wait for the opener!

 

a winning record in the preseason is meaningless

[Pete_H]

A banal sports cliche about a winning record in the preseason is even more meaningless.

[tvashtarkatena]

 

as if it were news that conservative could attain power only through failure of the democratic process. I am sure that if it happens thanks to a ~35% turn-out at mid-term elections, you'll still manage to call it a landslide.

 

or would you call it more of a rock glacier?

Edited September 1, 2009 by tvashtarkatena

[tvashtarkatena]

Last time I checked the dumber half of Merka wuz still around.

[j_b]

More like 1/4 since only ~50-55 % of the voting age pop goes to the box (only 35-38% for mid-term elections). Reagan's "landslide" was 27% of people old enough to vote. Over the last 30 years every time turn out approached 55%, a Democrat was elected president, which puts in context the underhanded efforts by republicans to suppress the minority vote (a combined majority nowadays).

[Peter_Puget]

Yes, the Republicans are such animals........

[ivan]

good thing for medicare or dude woulda been fawked!

[Jim]

Yes, the Republicans are such animals........

 

But he didn't complain about his government-funded socialist program when.....

 

A hospital spokeswoman says the man lost half the finger, but doctors reattached it and he was sent home the same night.

 

She says he had Medicare.

 

[Peter_Puget]

LOL Even without insurance that would have happened except they might have let him spend the night.......

[StevenSeagal]

This only confirms what we all knew: those in favor of health care reform are actually flesh eating zombies.

 

Hey Peter, how do you know the zombie was a democrat? Maybe he was a moderate Republican!

 

 

[olyclimber]

Yes, the Republicans are such animals........

 

now now Peter....it doesn't say he was a republican. he might have been a libertarian.

[tvashtarkatena]

Like most of PP's posts, this one really informs the debate.