concession speech

[redblack]

smitty and rich, it’s time to admit that i was wrong when i said that republicans were in for a nasty surprise. your guys won. (nationally, anyway. my guys all won here at home.)

congratulations, and good luck governing. we’ll see if your philosophies really can pull us out of this mess, and if you can work with democrats to make things any better.

don’t take this to mean that i’m giving up, though. i just thought i would give you a place to heap scorn and ridicule on me – a nice, quiet thread where i can eat crow and concede this election before moving on and fighting twice as hard.

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[JoB]

redblack…

no worries. they don’t intend any of their policies to pull us out of anything. That wouldn’t sell to the angry crowd come 2012.

Republicans will huff and puff in the House and they will blame a deadlocked Democratic Senate for not passing actual bills….

and god forbid.. if something slips through.. they will blame the President who signed it..

just like they blamed Clinton for the bill a republican House and Senate passed that allowed the combining of private and commercial banking that set the stage for the sub prime mess to get so far out of hand and nearly collapse our economy.

If he hadn’t signed it.. none of this would have happened.

I have always said that Clinton had a lot more to be criticized for than Monica..

but I thought our side really should have held his feet to the fire for that one…

not the hypocrites who crafted and passed the bill.

i truly hope they enjoy this tapdance.

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[HMC Rich]

Redblack, thanks but this is not a victory to celebrate. The electorate is more informed and getting more polarized. With the Fed monetizing the debt also, we are seeing the dollar devalue while inflation is just starting. This is getting scary.

I hate the word mandate. I liked womandate when I was single. Just kidding. Just like the last two previous elections I think people are voting change.

I believe and others can argue against me that this election was about spending in Washington DC regarding bailouts, stimulus, Obamacare and unemployment.

The unions and loyal democrats kept the heat turned up the last two weeks for the local candidates. Am I happy my dues went to convince people to vote for Mrs. Murray? No, not really but sometimes we have to grin and bear it.

I will say, the Tea Party did make a difference. Not everywhere, but in enough places. Whether Grass Roots or Astroturf, when enough people take notice, change happens.

JoB, Now Mitch McConnell is on the No More Earmarks band wagon. The Tea Party is already making him notice and flip flop. How long it lasts? Beats me.

Strategically, the Republicans will play the blame game. Not taking the Senate might have actually helped their cause. They will send votes from the House and the Senate will vote for or against causing some uncomfortable choices, especially for incumbents in the next election cycle.

And the dynamic between the Executive Branch and the Congressional Branch will be interesting to watch.

Finally, Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm%E2%80%93Leach%E2%80%93Bliley_Act Please read the Legislative History Paragraphs.

3 Republicans pushed that bill. Voted on with Bipartisan support and signed into law by President Clinton. Yes, blame Gramm and fellow Republicans but also blame the Democrats and Clinton along with the Republicans. Unintended consequences are quite interesting. The criticism and defense paragraphs at the bottom of the link are interesting too. So Jo, Bipartisan hypocrites.

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[redblack]

hold the phone, rich! stop the presses!

did you say “my dues?”

why on earth would a republican join a union?

or did you mean AARP dues? :D

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[redblack]

and another thing: yes, unions and democrats turned up the heat, but in the senate race, murray was outspent 2 to 1 by rossi.

so the other lesson from this election is that money can’t always buy an election.

but the main reason big money came out in full force was because this is a year when district lines are re-drawn for the u.s. house. plain and simple political chess, fueled by money and deception about democrats.

republicans want to gerrymander themselves another 10 years of victories.

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[redblack]

sorry for the serial posts, but you addressed many topics.

“bi-partisan” usually means both parties ganging up on the working class. i prefer “non-partisan.”

NAFTA, the telecom act… clinton governed more like a republican.

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[DP]

Note to Democrats:

How to Lose an Election in Five Easy Steps

1) Embark on grand public policy initiatives that don’t take effect until after the next election but are perceived as costing lots of money right now. (Health care reform. Withdrawal from Afghanistan.)

2) Do things half-way. (Health care reform. Stimulus package.)

3) Don’t explain or defend your programs to voters. Instead, act apologetic or try to change the subject.

4) Let your opponent control the narrative. Let him cast you as the friend of big corporations and tag you with responsibility for “Wall Street bailouts.”

And, most importantly . . .

5) Ignore your base. Don’t rally the masses of ordinary people to your side, except for purposes of getting out the vote. Discourage your supporters from engaging in any kind of peaceful mass protest, because let’s be honest: crowds of people in the street are messy. And scary.

 

On his latest installment of “The Jefferson Hour,” Clay Jenkinson, speaking in character as Thomas Jefferson, lambasted the Democrats for the way they handled the mid-term elections. To my amazement, Jefferson actually said the Dems deserved to lose this round — because they’re so stupid.

Thomas Jefferson’s words, folks.

Not mine.

http://www.jeffersonhour.org/

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[JoB]

DP..

hubris is a terrible thing..

this president should have emulated jimmy when it came to governing..

and Bill when getting out the vote.

unfortunately.. he got it backwards.

he is young. he will learn.

but maybe not soon enough.

South America is looking like a better retirement option all the time.

We will see if big money is really willing to collapse the American economy completely.

We know they are able.

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[Smitty]

I’m not going to ridicule you. You are obviously a very informed, intelligent, reasoned liberal. I admire people who stand by their beliefs and don’t just shout down those who disagree with them as ignorant, racist, gun-toting, Fox loving hillbillies. I do change my opinion every now and then believe it or not, and I hope some on the Left do so as well.

That said, The R’s would have to be monumentally stupid to not win more seats in 2012(as well as win the Presidency). The D’s still run the show. If things get better – the R’s take credit. If things stay the same – they can shift the blame to the party still “in charge”.

Lots can happen in two years – and Lord knows that the R’s are capable of just about anything – including self destruction.

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[Carson]

If things get better the R’s take credit? I am sure they will try, but owning the lesser of the 3 branches of the leg doesn’t give them much to stand on now does it? You better hope they figure out the tea bag issue in the next 2 years!

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[DP]

Per Smitty: “The D’s still run the show.”

But even when the D’s do run the show, they still don’t run the show. Know what I mean? — They compromise when they don’t have to, they don’t take fair credit for the goods they do deliver, and they let themselves be cowed by a vocal minority.

Who could ever forget this one for example:

or this one:

— Seminal moments in the so-called national health care reform debate.

I wonder, where were the millions and millions of currently uninsured Americans who will supposedly be getting affordable health care coverage in 2014? They sure as hell weren’t at those Town Hall meetings, and they apparently weren’t there at the voting booth either.

These folks should have turned out in droves for the Dems this November, but they didn’t.

Why?

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[JoB]

DP..

most people will believe a lie if it is told to them often enough… advertising dollars bought a lot of lies in this election.

That is what i find frightening about FOX news.. they make no pretense at living up to either their fair and balanced slogan or the truth.

And their listeners don’t hold them to it either.

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[Smitty]

Smitty said “I admire people who stand by their beliefs and don’t just shout down those who disagree with them as ignorant, racist, gun-toting, Fox loving hillbillies.”

Carson said “You better hope they figure out the tea bag issue in the next 2 years!”

JoB said ” advertising dollars bought a lot of lies in this election.

That is what i find frightening about FOX news.. “

I rest my case.

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[redblack]

thanks for the kind words, smitty. but if you’ve ever spent time among common folks, you know that there are a whole lot of well-intentioned, hard-working americans who don’t really think their prejudices through, and who don’t spend a lot of time rationalizing about government process and functionality.

hell, there are a lot of people who work in the financial district downtown with the same problem.

whatever their political stripe or income level, they’re easily swayed by the “candy” in television ads. the meaner the better, in most cases. it’s the reason why msnbc and newscorp are battling for ratings, after all. the phrase “playing the ends against the middle” comes to mind.

you can swipe at jo, carson, and me, but you, too, have some basic prejudices and beliefs about liberals that aren’t necessarily true – whether you’d ever admit it or not. i have similar beliefs and prejudices about conservatives.

but here we are, hashing it out in a friendly manner.

cheers!

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[JoB]

Smitty.

a case built on air is not a case.

challenge the ideas by challenging the facts they are based on…

FOX news went to court to defend their right to dissemble… and they won.

It was a sad day.. but our courts ruled that news programs have no obligation to report the truth… and there has been a steady decline in the quality of our nightly broadcasts since then.

want me to find the link for you?

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[JanS]

something that carson said…struck me…. “owning the lesser of the 3 branches of the leg doesn’t give them much to stand on now does it?” So..it’s the lesser of the three legs that thinks it’s the most important…isn’t that just typical – lol…sorry…it’s late..had to throw that in there.

Smitty…us libtards are gonna be watching the “R”‘s really, really closely…they are gonna at least have to do SOME of what they profess they’re gonna do. And…it’s their feet that will be closer to the fire…at least for me it will be. They wanted it..now let’s see if they have the wherewithall to do it right. I’m thinking in two years not much will have changed…but then, I’m cynical.:)

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[JoB]

JanS..

this libtard won’t watch the Rs any more closely than she watches the Ds…

Smitty will just notice it more:)

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[HMC Rich]

Redblack. Your Senate race spending numbers may be correct but my fellow brothers and sisters of the Union were out in full strength advocating voting for Mrs. Murray. I did not get Rossi advocates knocking at my door. The people helping Democrats can ignore many counties in this state and focus on the bigger metropolitan areas, whereas the GOP goes to quite a few different areas in the states. So, I repeat, without a last minute rallying of the troops, Rossi might (and I say might) have won but Mrs. Murray’s campaign got out the vote. So be it. Cantwell is next.

Clarification.

1. I am not old enough to belong to AARP

2. There are Republicans and Independents in unions, believe it or not.

3. Assumptions that all union members are Democratic is wrong.

4. Unions are needed to fight corporate greed in some industries. Not all but some.

5. Unions are only as strong as their members and if the union reps are weak the members will suffer.

6. Unions and their pension plans are part of the problem for the future, but… not all pensions plans are equal and not all unions and their retirement/benefit packages are bad.

7. I am not a strong union member but there are times when support is needed.

8. Government unions have surpassed non-government unions in membership. I am against any government union. But it also tells me government is bad since they need a union to protect themselves. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703837004575013424060649464.html

9. Why are certain unions (and major businesses) being granted exemptions from Obamacare now that it has passed? I mean really, isn’t it good for everyone? We know all it is doing is raising our costs and the problem wasn’t even close to being fixed. Unlike Zeke Emanuel (Rahm’s brother), I am for children and seniors getting free healthcare while the rest of us pay for ourselves and them. They want the opposite because the young and old don’t generate taxes. Screw You Zeke. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574374463280098676.html

Be careful what you wish for.

JoB, Fox has many left wingers on these entertainment shows to give their side. That is where the viewers are. http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/28999

Are most of the hosts center right and right? Sure, but Bob Beckel, Kristin Powers, Juan Williams, Doug Schoen, and plenty other Democrats are on their just about every night. It was cool to see Geraldine Ferraro along side Sarah Palin Palin on election night. Yes, the network leans right. But they do allow dissenting opinions. And FOX kicked the competitions butt in viewership overwhelmingly. I understand your bias against them and that is fine.

And yes. People should watch Democracy Now and other outlets. Lets not be so blinded by our ideology that we cannot listen to dissenting opinion. But even you realize there is very little true journalism eminating from the corporate media at times. Some, but not always.

The MRC (which is a conservative watch dog group) noted how the word extremist was used by the MSM. They found that only right wingers were called extremists. (Hmmm, But…where were the riots at the Tea Party events?)

A lot of water has passed under the bridge from the lawsuit you site. It is a footnote now. One people should know about. Just like Dan Rather. Walter never did like him. I miss Walter. Now he was a news man who did not let his personal views get in the way.

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[HMC Rich]

Oh, Yes Jan. The Republicans should be watched closely. They screwed up last time and spent too much. Hopefully they get it right this time.

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[redblack]

rich, i was joking about AARP. losing your sense of humor in your old age?

i have to focus on this, though:

“Why are certain unions (and major businesses) being granted exemptions from Obamacare now that it has passed?”

do you have a cite for this?

i’m guessing that there are a lot of conservatives/republicans who don’t understand how union benefit structures work, and when they see that unions are exempted – probably because they have already negotiated health care benefits – they’re “scandalized.” i.e. unions already do what “obamacare” mandates: most union members’ health care benefits are paid by the employer.

i’m guessing “obamacare” also prevents union members from getting government assistance or reimbursement, since that would be double-dipping.

(shouldn’t it really be “democratcare” or “congresscare,” though?)

funny. this health insurance reform bill is the farthest thing from socialized medicine that anyone could conceive, and republicans are wetting their pants over it. or pretending to, anyway, so they can turn people against their government instead of against the insurance industry, where their ire really belongs.

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[JoB]

HMCRich…

ROFLOL…

I have seen the left wing pundits on FOX.

After watching them i can see why you might think mainstream media is left leaning.

left of right is not a left perspective.

as for that lawsuit being a footnote…

it would only be a footnote if the ruling had been overturned.

Every time any news broadcast turns to the legal department to ask if what they are about to put on the air is legal … that ruling informs the decision.

Far from being a footnote..

it is now an ingrained principle of news reporting…

An editor no longer considers whether it is legal to lie or to omit contradictory information.. they consider the likelihood of exposure and whether that exposure will lose them viewers.

FOX’s success has proven that credibility issues can be overcome with advertising.

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[JoB]

redblack..

“this health insurance reform bill is the farthest thing from socialized medicine that anyone could conceive, and republicans are wetting their pants over it. or pretending to, anyway, so they can turn people against their government instead of against the insurance industry, where their ire really belongs.”

painfully true.

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[JoB]

HMCRich…

don’t get too comfortable with whatever benefits your union (one of the good unions?) provides.

All it takes to wipe those benefits is bankruptcy… and the companies involved don’t even have to go out of business.

While it’s easy to see how that isn’t so good for the workers or the union.. it’s less easy to see how that isn’t good for us either.

Re-organization busted the pensions of members of the Airline Pilots Union..

but it also busted the work safety rules that prevented a pilot from flying multiple short hops over a 24 hour period without accounting for the time spent on the ground between flights.

think about that next time you step on an airplane. Perhaps the train or driving might be better for those shorter hops after all. You have no way of determining when your cockpit crew reported for work.

If you are counting on a flying veterans like the guy who landed the plane on the river to save your bacon if things go wrong.. you should think again.

The pilot sitting in the pilot’s seat in the cockpit isn’t as likely to have gotten there by way of their many years of experience flying..

unless they loved flying so much that they turned down buyouts and accepted a major paycut to continue flying… they moved to more lucrative employment.

When airlines reorganize they hire cheaper pilots…

No single union’s strength is based on it’s leaders ….

A union’s strength is based on the overall strength of unions..

when union busting became popularized..

all unions suffered as a result.

Talk about a sales job…

convincing union workers to turn against union workers by labeling unions good and bad.

There is a prime example of working against your own self interest.

ever wondered what big business thinks makes a union “good” ?

I am betting they believe the only good union is a busted union.

that’s something worth thinking about.

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