The Midterm Elections

[onekidanddone]

On 8/3/2018 at 1:01 AM, AmazonGrace said:

According to this poll it's pretty damn close 

 

Didn’t Teddy Poo challenge O’rouke to debates? I’d pay to see that

[fraurosena]

      

Lawmaker lists fake Sacha Baron Cohen award on campaign site

Quote

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) on Friday acknowledged that his campaign website listed a “bogus award” from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen as one of his “awards and recognitions.”

On the website of Patriots for Perry, the lawmaker’s campaign website, one of the more than two dozen awards listed is the “Yerushalayim Television, 2018 70 for 70 (Recognizing Friends of Israel).”

The award is the same one “given” to former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) when he was duped by Cohen for the actor's Showtime “Who is America?” TV series.

After multiple reports pointed out that the award was fake, Perry responded on Facebook, saying that he doesn’t think the award is real.

“After several attempts to interview me (all declined) for what we discovered was a mockery, this addition clearly got by,” he wrote. “We’re human, we made an administrative mistake, and I own it.”

He said that the mistake was not “newsworthy” and criticized the media for covering it.

“But reporting this as newsworthy - which it's far from - only further divides us, rewards those who not only try to humiliate in the name of entertainment, but also make a mockery of Israel (one of our closest Allies and of whom I'm a staunch supporter), and detracts from substantive issues that define a stronger community,” he said.

Nearly 24 hours after Perry’s response, the award was still listed on the Patriots for Perry website. The Hill has reached out to the campaign for comment.

Cohen has tricked a number of lawmakers, mostly Republicans, and other high-profile political figures for his new undercover show. Georgia state lawmaker Jason Spencer was forced to resign after he exposed himself and used the n-word on camera on Cohen's show.

 

[Soulhuntress]

Midwestern Baptist College grad.  Bless his heart.

[Cartmann99]

I'm very sorry that the sane people in Virginia get lumped in with this jackass:

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Forget left and right. This is what will determine the midterms."

Spoiler

Politics is regularly described in terms of “left” vs. “right.” But other binaries can be more relevant. “Forward” vs. “backward” often define a choice facing an electorate better than the standard ideological categories. And the most powerful faceoff of all may be “reform” vs. “corruption.”

Much commentary on the 2018 midterm campaign has focused on a drift or a lurch left in the Democratic Party, the measurement of the port-side tilt varying from analyst to analyst. In fact, more moderate progressives have done very well in the primaries so far, but Democrats are certainly less enamored of centrism than they were during the 1990s.

What is missed in this sort of analysis is that many, maybe most, of us don’t think in simple left/right terms, and countless issues are not cleanly identified this way. The same is true of elections. When the returns are tallied in November, the results may be better explained by the reform/corruption dynamic than any other.

New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait was one of the first journalists to suggest how important corruption could be during this year’s campaign. Writing in April, Chait argued that it “should take very little work” for Democratic candidates “to stitch all the administration’s misdeeds together into a tale of unchecked greed.”

The advantages of the corruption issue are (1) “corrupt” really is the right word to describe the Trump administration; (2) a concern over corruption transcends philosophical dispositions; and (3) the failure to “drain the swamp” is one of President Trump’s most obvious broken promises. Instead, Trump has turned the swamp into an immense toxic-waste dump. The stench emanates from Cabinet officials driven from office by egregious behavior and from Trump’s own violations of long-standing norms limiting business dealings by presidents and their families.

But the corruption issue goes beyond meat-and-potatoes sleaze. Our democracy itself is in danger from the overpowering influence of money on our politics, unchecked foreign intervention in our elections and an increasing willingness of Republicans to bias the system in their favor through gerrymandering and restrictions on access to the ballot.

And Trumpian corruption has shown that we counted too much on the decency of public officials. Alas, we now know that basic expectations — from the release of tax returns by presidential candidates, to the avoidance of blatant conflicts of interest — must be codified. Scandals are like that: They teach us where existing laws fall short.

A program to renew self-rule is coming to a congressional campaign near you. In late June, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) introduced a resolution outlining a broad agenda that has been co-sponsored by 163 House Democrats. It is a promissory note to the electorate, outlining areas where the party is working on legislation it pledges to enact should it win a majority.

They would start by restoring the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act, gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013; providing for nationwide automatic voter registration; ending purges that illegitimately disenfranchise many citizens; and outlawing gerrymandering by requiring states to establish cross-party commissions to draw district lines.

A high priority would involve creating a campaign-finance regimen aimed at encouraging congressional candidates to rely on small contributions, while also restoring the public-finance system for presidential campaigns. Sarbanes and Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.) — two leading foes of the tyranny of big money in politics — have joined forces to harmonize proposals each has offered over the years.

Responding directly to recent abuses, the package would codify ethics expectations of public officials — including presidents. To fight foreign meddling, it calls for “real-time transparency of political advertisements on all advertising platforms,” an idea championed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

Sarbanes said in an interview that the goal is not simply to have a campaign theme that appeals to conservatives, independents and progressives alike, but also to commit his party to specific actions. “This is not a message you wear,” he said. “This is a message you own.”

Even if Democrats won the House, enacting their program into law would likely involve a struggle beyond the 2020 elections. But the transformative eras of the past — the Progressive, New Deal, civil rights and post-Watergate periods — were all the product of a long gestation and continuous organizing.

They were also sparked by a disgust with the status quo. “There are moments in history,” said Fred Wertheimer, the president of Democracy 21 and veteran clean-government advocate, “when scandals create the possibility of fundamental reform.” This would be a happily ironic coda to the Trump presidency.

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

Here's the poll 

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Drala]

I live--and more importantly VOTE!--in Ohio's 12th congressional  district.  Talk about a gerrymander!  I've posted a map below, but you have to see it in relation to the entire state to appreciate what a mish-mash it really is.  I live in the tip of the district's urban finger that pokes down into north-central Columbus.  The majority of the district is rural--and I mean RURAL--especially as you head toward the northeast and southeast.  It will be a small miracle if the district flips. 

I'm hopeful.  My precinct, which is heavily blue, was buzzing with activity this morning.  We vote in every election, and this was unusually high turnout for a special election.  The efforts by the Dems to get out the vote in my district has been a sight to see.  Yesterday, my husband received a hand-written note in the mail from a stranger.  It was urging him to vote for Danny O'Connor in the special election.  The note  was written by a fellow from New Orleans, LA!  We've gotten lots of postcards and flyers , but a hand-written note is a first for us.

[Cartmann99]

If you live in one of the states having an election today, can you please post what time the polls close in your area? I'd like to have a rough idea of when results will start hitting the media.

Also, thank you for voting!!!

 

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[Drala]

3 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

If you live in one of the states having an election today, can you please post what time the polls close in your area? I'd like to have a rough idea of when results will start hitting the media.

Also, thank you for voting!!!

 

Polls close in OH12 at 7:30 pm.  Early results may be too close to call.  If the Dems flip the district, it will be close.  OH12 hasn't gone blue since 1982.  I'm surprised--and thrilled--the district is even in play.

[Ali]

3 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

If you live in one of the states having an election today, can you please post what time the polls close in your area? I'd like to have a rough idea of when results will start hitting the media.

Also, thank you for voting!!!

 

Michigan closes at 8 p.m. Eastern. 

[Soulhuntress]

1 hour ago, Ali said:

Michigan closes at 8 p.m. Eastern. 

And the polls are hopping.

[Ali]

8 minutes ago, Soulhuntress said:

And the polls are hopping.

Yes, Mr. A had to wait because they ran out of ballots.

[Cartmann99]

 

 

[onekidanddone]

20 minutes ago, Ali said:

Yes, Mr. A had to wait because they ran out of ballots.

That is impressive for a mid term election where the run out is often notoriously low. I hope that the busy poles means Democratics are getting fired up and are outnumbering the Rethugs. 

[onekidanddone]

44 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

 

 

Sadtrombone.com

[Ali]

44 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

That is impressive for a mid term election where the run out is often notoriously low. I hope that the busy poles means Democratics are getting fired up and are outnumbering the Rethugs. 

NBC Detroit just did a quick election update. They said that Oakland County is having a lot of issues with running out of ballots. Some people are still waiting to vote. There are estimates of 70 to 80 percent turnout in some precincts.

[Cartmann99]

16 minutes ago, Ali said:

There are estimates of 70 to 80 percent turnout in some precincts.

[Soulhuntress]

25 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

Gretchen 50% Abdul 35%.  I like Abdul a lot but can vote for Gretchen without too many qualms.  And maybe she will fix the damn roads..... ;

[Ali]

23 minutes ago, Soulhuntress said:

Gretchen 50% Abdul 35%.  I like Abdul a lot but can vote for Gretchen without too many qualms.  And maybe she will fix the damn roads..... ;

I am mainly relieved it is not Shri. I liked Abdul, but thought Gretchen was the better choice.

[Soulhuntress]

3 minutes ago, Ali said:

I am mainly relieved it is not Shri. I liked Abdul, but thought Gretchen was the better choice.

Shri was a darker skinned Trump (shivers).  I am quite happy with Gretchen.  

[AmazonGrace]