[green union terrace chair]

Exit poll info:

And what about the Obama factor? President Obama campaigned for both the Democratic gubernatorial candidates, even visiting New Jersey as recently as Sunday to stump for Jon Corzine. Still, majorities of voters in both states (56 percent in Virginia and 60 percent in New Jersey) said President Obama was not a factor in their vote today. Those who said Mr. Obama was a factor in New Jersey divided as to whether their vote was a vote for the president (19 percent) or against him (19 percent). In Virginia, slightly fewer voters said their vote was for Mr. Obama (17 percent) than against him (24 percent).

Among Corzine supporters in New Jersey, 38 percent said one reason for their vote was to express support for Mr. Obama, while 39 percent of Christie voters said it was to express opposition to Mr. Obama.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/11/03 ... 4455.shtml

I think it's more interesting that nearly 40% of voters were influenced by Obama one way or another in a gubernatorial election rather than purely on the campaigns of the actual candidates.

[Cortez]

Truth be told, I was glad that the Republican candidate in the NY-23 race endorsed the Democrat, and I would like to think that at least a few of the right-wing extremists in the GOP wake the fuck up and realize that all the ideological "purity" in the world doesn't mean jack shit if you can't get elected.

For all those who would like to gloat about ny-23 lets keep in mind how: Obama went in directly and recruited the unbeatable republican candidate and solicited him for a high profile military job - the resulting chaos doesn't exactly scream "change is in the air". All that trouble to get one little notch on his belt. The Dem candidate ran against a lame duck "republican" who had to drop out of the race because she had so little support, and then the Independent candidate still almost won. Not much a victory.

[Average Joe]

For all those who would like to gloat about ny-23 lets keep in mind how: Obama went in directly and recruited the unbeatable republican candidate and solicited him for a high profile military job - the resulting chaos doesn't exactly scream "change is in the air". All that trouble to get one little notch on his belt. The Dem candidate ran against a lame duck "republican" who had to drop out of the race because she had so little support, and then the Independent candidate still almost won. Not much a victory.

Hey, look, a spin monkey.

[fisticuffs]

The Dem candidate ran against a lame duck "republican" who had to drop out of the race because she had so little support,

Really? Thought she was doing better than the Dem in that Race. Until the far Right came in guns a blazin' she was winning.

"change is in the air"

Yeah it is. Bush never would have appointed a Democrat to do much of anything.

You guys keep it up but I'm telling you this race to the extreme Right isn't going to pan out. Most people are not insane conspiracy theorist racist morons. They just aren't. Tailoring your platform to exclude anyone but the most Retarded Right is a LOSING strategy.

[fisticuffs]

Also Cortez. Look up "Lame Duck". You're using it in the complete wrong context.

[pjbogart]

You guys keep it up but I'm telling you this race to the extreme Right isn't going to pan out. Most people are not insane conspiracy theorist racist morons. They just aren't. Tailoring your platform to exclude anyone but the most Retarded Right is a LOSING strategy.

I think you're dead wrong on this, fist. Going to the extreme right is the only way Republicans can win elections, I heard it on Rush Limbaugh and he's 99.3% right (I heard that from Rush Limbaugh too). Secondly, most people are insane conspiracy theorist racist morons, they just don't know it yet. By having a platform rich in insane conspiracy theory racism, Republicans can successfully expose the silent majority which makes up about 90% of the electorate. Now that most of the country gets their news from Fox, they're finally in the know. As Michael Steele pointed out, Republicans are in a "transcendency."

For all of these reasons and more, tailoring your platform to exclude anyone but the most hardcore conservatives is a real winner of a plan, if you ask me. It won Virginia and New Jersey, didn't it?

[mrak]

Obama went in directly and recruited the unbeatable republican candidate and solicited him for a high profile military job - the resulting chaos doesn't exactly scream "change is in the air". All that trouble to get one little notch on his belt.

Are you suggesting that John McHugh is poorly qualified to serve as Secretary of the Army?

[Cortez]

Obama went in directly and recruited the unbeatable republican candidate and solicited him for a high profile military job - the resulting chaos doesn't exactly scream "change is in the air". All that trouble to get one little notch on his belt.

Are you suggesting that John McHugh is poorly qualified to serve as Secretary of the Army?

Honestly, its practically like rigging the election. I won't say I'm much concerned with the seat in congress, that election, or the army position - I won't even say I looked up "lame duck" . Just... its pretty shallow, pretty see through, and pretty pathetic as it stands.

[pjbogart]

Honestly, its practically like rigging the election. I won't say I'm much concerned with the seat in congress, that election, or the army position - I won't even say I looked up "lame duck" . Just... its pretty shallow, pretty see through, and pretty pathetic as it stands.

Wait a minute. He was offered a position, he accepted it and it left an open seat in the House which a Democrat eventually won. You refer to this as "rigging the election?" So are you saying that he was the only electable Republican in the district and Obama, knowing this, handed the seat to the Democrats by getting the only electable guy out of the way? Huh?

What's shallow and see through? Offering a guy a position that he really wants? Are you sure he didn't throw his own name in the hat when the position became open?

You aren't making any sense.

[mrak]

Wait a minute. He was offered a position, he accepted it and it left an open seat in the House which a Democrat eventually won. You refer to this as "rigging the election?" So are you saying that he was the only electable Republican in the district and Obama, knowing this, handed the seat to the Democrats by getting the only electable guy out of the way?

It's way better than that, pj.

Obama was so bent on getting another Democrat elected to the House, he deliberately vacated a congressional district that hasn't elected a Dem in more than a century.

From there it follows naturally that the Republican running in this Republican district would, um, get forced out the race by the dumber-than-shit teabagger right, all of which... y'know... forced the Republican electorate to elect a Democrat!

I mean, how much more obvious and transparent can it be than that?

[otto105]

Lost in all the rightwingnut election night back slapping is the fact both gop governor-elects ran to the center politically and far and fast from the palin teabagged side of the party...

[Talon Newsman]

He was offered a position, he accepted it and it left an open seat in the House which a Democrat eventually won. You refer to this as "rigging the election?"

Sometimes even a liberal like PJ here gets one right. McHugh is not remotely blameless in this.

By accepting this post, he committed an unconscionable act grossly unbecoming a Republican:

He put country before party.

The Obama admin can have him.

[boston_jeff]

Jersey is the armpit of the Union. A machine state run by corrupt, union-controlled worms... unless they're electing a Republican governor. And then, suddenly, that state represents national resentment. Or something.

As a Midwesterner, I prefer to think that states like Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin represent more of a realistic view of the national pulse.

Huh?

[Cortez]

Honestly, its practically like rigging the election. I won't say I'm much concerned with the seat in congress, that election, or the army position - I won't even say I looked up "lame duck" . Just... its pretty shallow, pretty see through, and pretty pathetic as it stands.

Wait a minute. He was offered a position, he accepted it and it left an open seat in the House which a Democrat eventually won. You refer to this as "rigging the election?" So are you saying that he was the only electable Republican in the district and Obama, knowing this, handed the seat to the Democrats by getting the only electable guy out of the way? Huh?

What's shallow and see through? Offering a guy a position that he really wants? Are you sure he didn't throw his own name in the hat when the position became open?

You aren't making any sense.

Never one for the details, adverbs skim right by the mind of our little friend PJ - "practically", PJ, "practically". "Only electable Republican..?" He was the guy who was going to take the seat before the race was tampered with by the president. Look I already said I don't care about the seat or the ny23 election. Because its not dear to me, I feel no reservations whatsoever about calling it see through. The WH wants to say the 2009 elections have zero national significance - its actions regarding ny-23 show otherwise, hence, see-through. Stacking the deck in the NY-23 election while getting trounced in New Jersey and Virginia why? To hold that one victory up for Dems in congress who 1) are up for reelection in 2010 and 2) are wavering on the health care bill. i.e., -

Dems (in districts that voted Bush/McCain): "We don't think we can vote with you on your bill because the voters hate it and we won't have any chance of being elected if we do."

White House: "Ah but see things aren't all bad if Bill Owens can win a seat that's been with the Republicans since the Civil War, surely you have nothing to worry about (not like we stacked the cards or anything) (SURE it applies to your districts, SURE it does...)".

[pjbogart]

You're an idiot, Cortez. And I don't mean "idiot" as in "I disagree with you therefore you must be an idiot." I mean "idiot" as in, "you lack intelligence and should refrain from engaging in conversations because you wear your stupidity on your sleeve like a badge of honor."

BTW, the White House doesn't tell Representatives to "vote for their bill" because the White House doesn't have a bill because they're the executive branch and bills are written by the legislative branch. Holy cow... Obama has gone out of his way to let the House and Senate hammer out health bills without his tampering and you're sitting their complaining about the White House's bill. Why? Because you're a tool. Because you hate all things Obama and since you hate the health care bill (which one is that?) it must have been written by Obama. Personally. He signed it and everything.

I see where Fox finds their viewers.