GOP sweep: Big governor victories in Virginia, NJ
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0
Wolfpack
Obama's team has been defeated soundly in Virginia. The state went for him by 6% last year but will go Republican by 20% or more this year.
0
WayneRooney10
Tested and found wanting. Must have been Murdoch and the boys at Fox, done him in!
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skipthesong
seems like Christie did win NJ and he had to compete against two - the Dem and the Indy. I was hoping for an Indy win. But its good they got the very overly rich guy out.
0
skipthesong
Actually, I found that out myself, so WayneRooney, please forgive me.
But "Must have been Murdoch and the boys at Fox, done him in!" I thought no one watched Fox!!!! Maybe they picked the wrong fight. Rivera is on Fox!
0
tkoind2
How do two governors amount to a sweep for the Republicans? Anyone paying attention to US political history knows that often voters swing to the opposite pole of the standing president when electing governors. It happens all the time and isn't that big an indicator beyond a long track record of similar behavior.
To say that this constitutes a major electoral shift is sensationalism at best and historically uniformed idiocy at worst.
Local and national issues are often viewed differently.
In the end, if the American public are so unstable and flakey that they are shifting in less than one year, then the real message here is that the nation has no clue about its own self interests of finding stable solutions to very real problems.
But in fact I think we are seeing a frightened public who see a 10% unemployment rate on the horizon and are afraid. So they are hedging bets by voting one way nationally and another locally. Again this happens all the time.
The real problem is when you look at wallstreet and the same people who laid of hundreds of thousands of people are now boggled as to why the public are still not consuming. Are they really that daft?
If you want consumer confidence, then you need to deliver job security so people feel that they can afford to spend a little. You cannot have your cake and eat it too capitalist morons. Keep laying people off and they will keep hoarding their money and your stocks will continue to be weak. And on the voting side people will continue to vote with their gut and not necessarily with their best interests.
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seijichuudo9sha
Well said by tkoind.In the face of this temporary setback we all need to put up a brave front.Personally, I see nothing wrong with using the r-word to describe voters in Virginia and New jersey, and using it often and for maximum shame effect.
0
USNinJapan2
Awesome. So much for Obama's first report card...
0
RomeoRamenII
Heh, with all of Obama's campaigning for the democrats in these states as well as fundraisers, it's pretty obvious he not a factor.
0
skipthesong
If I were a republican, I wouldn't be popping the cork right now. Barely first base and I think the media is making this far too much of an item.
tko: I usually like your posts, but if you talk to a lot of people in the US, they'll tell you they are scared. Health care? I really have not come up on anyone who puts that as a priority or even a sub. Again, I think the dems don't appreciate their position enough and have taken a lot for granted.. We'll know in a year or so though.
I still wish more of you would look at indy's more. Did you see the amount of cash for this campaigns? tired of the rich ruling us.
0
DickMorris
The conversative morally correct are coming back big time. Looks like Obama will be a 1 term lame duck President.
These are the first steps towards a routing for Obama in the next Presidential elections.
0
seijichuudo9sha
Its all too much to deal with right now. New jersey,Virginia repub victories and voters in Maine repealed the Gay-Marriage Law, outlawing It once again.
Winger "humor": Obama is officially still opposed to same sex marriage, so this is actually a victory for him.
Real funny.If you like Glen Beck.
0
OneForAll
America still has some moral backbone. I hope Obama gets a reasonable healthcare bill thru, something that can be fine tuned. One that is prolife and profamily.
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SushiSake3
Dick Morris - "The conversative morally correct are coming back big time."
Incredibly, everything about that statement is wrong. :-)
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Taka313
Skip, I have to disagree with you on the health care front. As I stated in another thread, I was in a meeting last week with the CEO of TRICARE North. He stated that in 2000, free health care was the 17th most popular reason for joining the uniformed services. In 2009, free health care was the SECOND most popular reason.
Everyone I talk to here in Kentucky puts health care as a HUGE priority (of course, 2/3 of the state being chain smokers doesn't help).
As for these elections, calling 2 gubenatorial victories as a "sweep" seems like hyperbole to me.
Taka
0
Taka313
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, hyperbole in the media is the most destructive force to the truth that mankind has every faced. ;-)
Taka
0
Beelzebub
Back to US government gridlock. Electing representatives and paying them salaries is a total waste since the two-party system makes it impossible to get anything done.
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sailwind
Agreed....A one party system is better, a one party system that Beelzebub would approve of.
0
RomeoRamenII
Obama spent all that time personally campiagning for the governors of NJ and VA in a losing effort while a decision on Afghanistan was put on Dither.
The bloom is definately off the Obama rose.
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Sarge
How could the Democrats lose two governorships to the Erepublicans when the Republicans have been written off as "irrelevant"?
"free health care"
I keep hearing about this, but as far as I know, doctors, nurses, hospital workers, medicine manufacturer workers, etc., are still getting paid...
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seijichuudo9sha
"in 2000, free health care was the 17th most popular reason for joining the uniformed services. In 2009, free health care was the SECOND most popular reason."
The SECOND!!!????That is just such an incredible stat, I am blown away,man! it's like reading that faith in teh Pelosi-Reid Congress, in power since 2006, is what saved our military.
0
Good_Jorb
The people have shown Obama and the Democrats they are unhappy with the way things are by electing people from the Republican party. The Republican party has only ever shown that they are almost equally as bad when it comes leadership, are just as clueless when it comes to fiscal management and are just as political. A shame really.
0
TheQuestion
I really hope this carries over to Michigan, I'm happy with my Dem senators for the most part but I just can't stand the idea of another one in Lansing. Even if they're a crap governor, at least it will be a different kind of crap.
0
yabits
Yeah, the choice between the Democrats and Republicans is often one of castor oil or rancid castor oil.
0
hworta269
They called it a sweep because the GOP won 100 percent of all State Governor elections that were being held. In Virginia it was a double digit lead and in New Jersy they won in a solidly Democratic state even with groups like ACORN that registers dead people and helps others vote over and over again. So in New Jersy the GOP guy probably won by 3 or 4 more percentage points.
0
hworta269
No the Dems only in power for less then a year have probably dont more damage to the American economy then any other recession ever has all added up. Just wait untill the effects from just printing money to make budget shortfalls comes out of the woodwork. The dollar will probably collaps i n the next few years no matter what the government does from now on.
0
Good_Jorb
I see so the markets only started to crash after Obama became president. Both the Democrats and Republicans(and DCI) killed Hagel's Fannie Mae bill. Neither Democrats or Republicans have ever reduced deficit spending. In fact in the last 40 years almost every president has double the national debt.
Like the money printed for TARP and the Auto bailouts?
0
zurcronium
Good Jorb,
the US markets are up 60% since Obama became president. Check your facts.
0
Good_Jorb
I was being facetious, perhaps I should have included [sarcasm][/sarcasm] but really now. Yes the markets may be up now but the other half of the W will come when inflation/interest rates start to rise. Obama aside both Democrats, Republicans and well a lot of the gerenal American public bare responsibility for the market crash and why anyone would vote for a Democrat or Republican is beyond me.
0
sfjp330
the US markets are up 60% since Obama became president. Check your facts.
What if the U.S. market is up 60 percent since Obama? Dow at 6600 level in March 15th and today, close to 10,000 level. This really don't mean that much. This is still 40 percent below 14,000 level in peak of 2008 with substantial instability in commercial and residential loans. Over 114 banks were closed in the U.S. up to 9/30/09. The real problem is the deficit for fiscal year 2009, which ended Sept. 30, came in at a record $1.42 trillion, more than triple the record set just last year. In addition, future deficits are currently projected to total $9.1 trillion in the coming decade.
0
hworta269
The government did not "print" money for the TARP, which I was just as against as well. All the money going in to the American economy now is coming from government "printed" money that was printed at the behest of Obama. Most people dont realise how bad current American economic policies are. The world was going to adopt a 50 year plan to quit using the dollar as the reserve currency and after the first few weeks of Obama's economic policies the world shifted that to ASAP quit using the dollar policy. The Chinese economists laughed at the Fed reserve chairman when he told them in China that the dollar was a worth wile investment vehicle. The current American president has put more money on the debt then every single president in American history combined and within his first 3 months in office and wants to add just as much each year for the next 10 years.
0
Good_Jorb
He is just another president to almost double the debt. In 8 years that Bush was in power the dedt went from $5.73 trillion to $10.7 trillion an increase $4.97 trillion or increase in debt of 87%. If Obama's deficits total $9.1 trillion, that would be an increase in debt of 85%. 87% and 85% are almost indentical, which just reinforces the fact that niether party has any real clue as to what they are doing and Obama hasn't changed anything about the way the government spends.
0
zurcronium
Guys, 90 percent of the Obama debt comes from the bush programs. Take the stupid war in Iraq out for example and trillions are saved.
The point is bush bankrupted the government for stupid wars and welfare for the rich. Obama is trying to save the US economy from the bush depression. Like I said, get your facts straight.
And lets all remember clinton left the government in surplus for bush. So good jorb your points about democrats fail. Last time before that the fed government was in surplus was under Carter, another democrat. Republicans always want to run up debt by raising spending and lowering taxes.
0
yabits
Hey, zurcronium. To quote Dick Cheney:
"Deficits do not matter."
Translation: They don't matter when Republicans are spending like drunken sailors.
0
yabits
As I recall, it seemed to mean a lot back in February to the Republican posters who daily reminded us how little confidence the markets had in our new president.
0
sfjp330
Facts are China is the single largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasurys with over $800 billion. The money it lends to the Feds finances our significant budget deficits. Americans have been paying about $450 billion a year in interest on the national credit card; without that debt to pay off, personal income taxes could be almost 40 percent lower.
0
usaexpat
As much as the Republicans want it to be a reforendum on Obama it's not. Corzine couldn't have won, he was hated.
0
JoeBigs
Glad to see that the folks from NJ decided to start fresh. Just hope the new Gov does not cave into the corruption of NJ.
To be honest I really did not know that there was a Democrat in the Virgina gov mansion. I thought that it was a strong red state.LOL
What was a good sign for our nation is the defeat of the Conservative party candidate in NY 23rd. Glad to see that our nation does not want to follow the far right. Hope that gave the Republicans a wake up call.
Stick to the Center-Right and avoid the far right.
0
Taka313
You know Sail, there are numbers bigger than two also. It looks in your haste to try to slam Beelzebub, you forgot that. It's part of your radicalization I guess.
Taka
0
SuperLib
Why would they laugh? They have $800 to protect. Anytime they try to erode confidence in the dollar they watch their investments lose value. Same with Japan. Not only do they have to protect the debt they currently own, they also have to worry about Honda and Toyota who get most of their profits from the US in US dollars.
They can talk about switching currencies all they want, but it probably won't happen in our lifetime. You can't have it both ways....you can't protect your dollar investments while at the same time trying to downplay the dollar. You're going to lose either way.
0
sailwind
Taka,
According to the latest polls 61% believe the country is headed on the wrong track under this President. I'm part of that 61%. If that makes me a 'radical'in your eyes...oh well.
The majority of voters (61%) continue to believe the nation is heading down the wrong track, down slightly from last week. This finding has remained fairly consistent after dropping nine points from the week prior to the president’s inauguration.
0
Noliving
Ya over an 6 year period.
Yes but at the same time the US economy was also on the way down too that year, several states were already in the very beginning of going into a recession when bush arrived in office.
0
Delarapier
Good on New Jersey.
Maybe there is hope for the States yet.
0
seijichuudo9sha
I just keep telling myself the repubs are irrelevant, and that cheney's favorability rating is probably still at 8 percent.
0
yabits
That can only be because people feel he's continued too many of the policies initiated by his predecessor, as so many Republican posters are fond of pointing out.
0
sailwind
According to the latest polls 61% believe the country is headed on the wrong track under this President
That can only be because people feel he's continued too many of the policies initiated by his predecessor, as so many Republican posters are fond of pointing out.
Yabits,
Another brilliant insight as to why Virginia and New Jersey voted for Republicans less than 9 months after Obama got elected.
0
yabits
The insight was in response to the comment that supposedly 61% of people think the country is headed in the wrong direction. (Did you forget about that?)
If we were to go back one year, nearly 90% of the people KNEW the country was headed in the wrong direction. Obama, in nine months, has managed to get nearly 30% to think differently. Facing the severe problems we have faced, that may be fantastic. I think more would come over to his side if he made a much greater break with the failed Bush policies.
0
Taka313
Sail, So, because you think the country is headed in the wrong direction, that gives you the right to slam Beelzebub for claiming that he would prefer something other than a two-party system. Your beliefs give you the right to assume that he meant a Democratic permanent majority and not a multi-party system with more than two parties.
Noted.
The fact that you refused to even consider that is what makes you now a radical, not believing the country is headed in the wrong direction (while ignoring that many thought the country was headed in the wrong direction before Pres. Obama).
Taka
0
Taka313
Sail,
I also have to laugh at your poll about the country being headed in the wrong direction. If 60 percent or so say the country is headed in the wrong direction and the president is polling at above 50% approval and the Democrats have higher approval than republicans whose leader, mitch mcconnel suffers from approval rates in the 20% range, who do you think the American public is pissed at?
Man, when you jumped off the deep end, you went head first.
Taka
0
Taka313
Holy Cow Yabits, you're right. I just looked at RCP.com and last year about now, little over 80% said the country was headed in the wrong direction.
So what we are experiencing here is acute ODS. Yep, fewer people think the country is headed in the wrong direction and because a black democrat is in power, that's now apparently a bad thing.
Simply amazing.
Taka
0
yabits
Hello, Taka313:
Isn't it funny how some people believe that Inauguration Day somehow represents a complete restart of history? Like the turning of an Etch-a-Sketch upside-down and shaking it to remove everything that happened before.
Would that could only be possible!
0
yabits
If the polling question were to be asked: "Do you believe the country is headed in a better direction now than it was a year ago?" -- The percentage of "no" responses would provide a very quick tally of delusional idiots in the sampled audience.
0
Sarge
The Democrats losing New Jersey is like Ted Kennedy losing Massachusetts. How could this happen?
0
yabits
It happens through the willful and complete ignorance revealed in questions like that one.
The Democrats and Republicans have exchanged control of the New Jersey state house on a regular basis over the past 40 years. Remember Tom Kean? (probably not). Remember Christine Todd Whitman? Both were recent Republican governors of New Jersey.
As for Massachusetts, I seem to recall the names of William Weld and Mitt Romney as occupying in the governor's seat in the not too distant past.
Making something out of complete nothing seems to be a common Republican tendency these days. I give you Sarah Palin... (cue snare drum and cymbal.)
0
Sarge
"Making something out of a complete nothing"
Yes, yabits, the supposedly irrelevant Republicans winning two governorships despite Obama's campaigning for the Democrat losers is a complete nothing, ha ha ha!
"I give you Sarah Palin"
Sorry, Sarah Palin is also "irrelevant" ha ha ha!
0
yabits
I never claimed that the Republicans were irrelevant. There are plenty of "nothings" that the Republicans set out there for the delusional to vote for. After the string of debacles of the previous 8 years, having so many people still so duped as to be likened to chickens voting for Colonel Sanders is certainly not irrelevant. Not when it causes so much damage to our nation.
My hope is that someday Republicans will be as irrelevant as they richly deserve to be. Unfortunately, it may require more of their leadership [sic] to get the really dumb and slow to finally wisen up. (It took a Hoover to bring about FDR; it took a Bush to pave the way for Barack Obama.)
Great hope does come with the younger generation, who would rather associate themselves with an accordion band than with Republicans.
0
zurcronium
This is like the body twitching after its been dead for hours. The republican party will fall apart as the palinistas and the few remaining sane republicans people will never agree on where the party needs to go next. Its like watching a slow motion train wreck.
Better indication of the future was the congressional seat in NY that was republican for decades and is now democratic due to palin interference.
0
sailwind
Taka,
Sail, So, because you think the country is headed in the wrong direction, that gives you the right to slam Beelzebub for claiming that he would prefer something other than a two-party system. Your beliefs give you the right to assume that he meant a Democratic permanent majority and not a multi-party system with more than two parties.
Noted.
The fact that you refused to even consider that is what makes you now a radical, not believing the country is headed in the wrong direction (while ignoring that many thought the country was headed in the wrong direction before Pres. Obama).
I read Beelzebub's post and I commented on it. To me it sounds like he is advocating a one party state. He has had plenty of time to refute me or clarify his position. he has not, but you do seem to feel you can speak for him after all going so far as to call my comment 'radical'. When all you are doing is speculating as to Beelzebub's real position. I have read his posts in the past and he is very far left wing and it would be no shock if he was a real socialist just as Yabits is ( you want radical? Yabits can't wait for the "Glorious Revolution" when all the capitalists pay for their "crimes agaisn't humanity").
Second point.....
So what we are experiencing here is acute ODS. Yep, fewer people think the country is headed in the wrong direction and because a black democrat is in power, that's now apparently a bad thing.
I could care less about Obama's skin color he could be orange and with purple polka dots for all I care. Why is it with the left that they always want to bring the 'race card' in if someone actually has to fortitude to 'gasp' actually dis-agree with their enlightened views? I am a fiscal conservative and Obama is a big spending liberal you think I'm actually going to change and support his policies? Gawd, I was hoping he would be a centrist but boy I was wrong. And the good independent voters of both Virginia and New Jersey came to same conclusion.
Last thing Taka....... It is my opinion that you and the left will now attempt to demonize anyone who disagree's with your views by painting them as either 'radical' or 'racist'. I found that very sad and disturbing.
0
lostrune2
Seems VA and NJ voted Republican despite (not because of) Obama since Obama still has a 54% approval rating (relatively speaking, that's pretty good for a sitting President). However, while the majority still like Obama, many do disagree with some of his policies. VA, until recently, has been a Republican state, and NJ, while usually Democratic but only by 3-4% margin, really didn't like the crazy Corzine.
.
In the meantime, what Palin didn't realize about NY is, despite a solid Democrat state, NYers regularly vote Republican mayors and governors, just not the ultra-conservative types, unlike Alaska. It may be good to some that the Party is purged of non-purists, it won't help them gain the numbers in Democrat states to wrestle back the majority seats in the House of Representatives. There may be more cohesiveness in a purer Party, but the majority Party gets to control the powerful committees in Congress.
0
lostrune2
sailwind,
.
Why would anyone expect Obama to be centrist when he's more liberal than Hillary Clinton, and many Republican voters didn't like Hillary and were hoping she'd be defeated in the Primaries. It's similar thing with Bush Jr., when many independents expected Bush to be centrist. (The thought of depending on unpure independents would give Sarah Palin a heart attack.)
.
But yeah, labeling "radical" and "racist" isn't good form, as well as labeling "unpatriotic" and "communist." People should just stop with the labels.
0
Taka313
Sail, I concede that YOU don't care about race however, your ODS is quite undeniable.
Now if you can go back and comment on the facts I presented instead of trying to take the moral high ground after attacking another poster, MY degree of sadness and disturbance would abate quite a bit since you completely ignored those facts this time around.
Long story short, try again camper.
Taka
0
Taka313
"When all you are doing is speculating as to Beelzebub's real position. I have read his posts in the past and he is very far left wing and it would be no shock if he was a real socialist just as Yabits is ( you want radical? Yabits can't wait for the "Glorious Revolution" when all the capitalists pay for their "crimes agaisn't humanity")."
What an awe inspiring comment. Allow me to translate:
When Taka speculates: Bad
When Sailwind speculates: moderate good and morally pure.
You "speculated" that Belezebub only wants a 1 party system.
You "speculated" that he didn't reply for nefarious reasons and not that he simply didn't check this thread again.
Then you "speculated" that Yabits is a socialist.
Allow me to speculate. In my speculation, that was the most hypocritical post from you EVER. So no, Sail, no accusations of racism but you definitely hit the hypocrite juice pretty hard yesterday afternoon. Hypocrite juice bongs or IV drip?
Taka
0
victimcrat
Sweep. Sweep.
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