The 2012 "Election" thread

[seemslikeadream]

Nate Silver

[lupercal]

it's incredible how many times the same argument can be made in the same way. appealing to 'small differences in a candidate's temperament' as a persuasive rhetorical trope is weak.

Yes, it's a weak argument, and unpersuasive, and made continually in soi-disant "progressive" venues. But you have to consider that it's also a) pretty useless, b) unrelated to the current US political geography and c) originally intended to demoralize the left, specifically potential Democratic voters, and thus to help maintain the electoral advantage of the MIC and its functionaries. In other words it's supposed to be weak. It's the stale old Chomsky "coke-pepsi" lie that refuses to die and has been out of date basically forever. Maybe it explained Eisenhower-Stevenson or Truman-Dewey but I doubt if it's ever had much to do with reality.

Thus we get elections as "marketing spectacles" and massive Dem campaign expenditures as mutually agreed caprices, not as necessary efforts to match well-funded big business media outlays, and no mention of the real issues in this campaign which are Iran, MENA, Social Security, ACA, jobs and pensions, to name a few. The article posted by ninakat is an even more oblivious iteration of the Chomsky baloney, or is it the same one he's already posted 600 times, hard to tell.

Anyway my finger in the wind tells me that BO is going to have to win without Ohio and maybe Florida, as Ohio by all accounts is planning on going into Minnesota mode and run out the clock on certifying its results until after the electoral college meets. According to this map it can be done but as usual Dems will to overcome a massive cheat factor in order to eke out a victory:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

[justdrew]

Victims of the meningitis outbreak blamed for 29 deaths across 19 states are now reporting spinal infections, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Most of the reports of the infection, known as an epidural abscess, have originated in Michigan, site of 112 meningitis cases during the outbreak.

“This is a significant shift in the presentation of this fungal infection, and quite concerning,” said Dr. Lakshmi K. Halasyamani, chief medical officer at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “An epidural abscess is very serious. It’s not something we expected.”

Nationally, 404 people have been diagnosed with meningitis since late September, after using a contaminated steroid issued by the New England Compounding Center (NECC). The Food and Drug Administration confirmed the company’s link to the outbreak last month when it matched the contaminant involved in the outbreak, Exserohilum rostratum, to a steroid batch the company made in August.

Salon reported on Tuesday that while NECC has been reprimanded several times over the past decade, the company was spared from more serious sanctions by entering into a consent agreement with a state agency, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy.

The company’s president and co-owner, Greg Coniglario, was also revealed to have hosted a fundraiser for Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), one of 10 senators to sign a letter asking the FDA to loosen regulations on the drug compounding industry.

Coniglario has allegedly contributed thousands of dollars to both Brown’s campaign and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

About 14,000 people were injected with the steroid, methylprednisolone acetate, after it was initially shipped to hospitals. The drug is mostly used to treat neck and back pain, but some patients reported infections after being injected for arthritic joint pain.

Both NECC and a sister company, Ameridose — also owned by NECC’s owners, Coniglario and Barry Cadden — have been shuttered during the investigation, and their products have been recalled.

Raw Story (http://s.tt/1rS8s)

[justdrew]

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, whose decision to try to restrict early voting was thrown out first by an Ohio judge, then a federal appeals court and denied a hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court, will be back in court again this month after he issued a last-minute directive on provisional ballots that not only contradicts Ohio law but is also in violation of a recent court decision and the opposite of what Husted’s own lawyers said he would do.

As reported by Judd Legum at ThinkProgress, Husted ordered election officials not to fill out a section of the provisional ballot that verifies what form of identification that the voter produced and that, if it is incorrectly filled out, the ballot will automatically not be counted. However, under the law establishing the provisional balloting procedures, according to the lawsuit filed against Husted on Friday, it is election officials that are supposed to record the type of ID provided, not the voter — and that election officials are supposed to attempt to resolve any questions on the spot.

Husted has until Monday to respond to the suit, and the court has said that it plans to resolve the issue before provisional ballots are counted on November 17, 2012.

The Columbus Dispatch reported on Thursday that poll workers — not just observers — trained by the Voter Integrity Project, the Ohio affiliate of the tea party True The Vote project, will be in charge of providing provisional ballots and recording IDs. The Voter Integrity Project advertises that its training goes “beyond” what the Secretary Of State offers to poll workers, even though they technically are supposed to follow only the instructions of the Board of Elections.

[Allegro]

A side bar note to the above ^^^ post.

Jon A. Husted, a Roman Catholic

Pedophilia legislation controversy Wiki excerpt

In 2006, the Ohio Senate passed a piece of legislation, S.B. 17, in favor of granting new rights to victims of pedophilia, however, Husted and his associates in the House were accused of gutting the legislation upon its arrival after allegedly being lobbied by Catholic Bishops. House bill Am. Sub. S. B. No. 17, written by Bill Seitz, resulted in a civil registry instead of a civil window in which to bring suit past the designated statute of limitations [4]

[justdrew]

Virginians report receiving letters threatening to expose them as non-voters
By Megan Carpentier | Saturday, November 3, 2012 18:50 EDT
A new voter intimidation tactic surfaced in central Virginia this week, where registered voters reported receiving letters threatening to expose them to their neighbors if they didn’t show up at the polls this year.

Similar letters emerged last week in North Carolina, another swing state, and both recipient lists appear to have been culled from lists of registered voters sold by the state Board of Elections to “political groups, courts, candidates and incumbents,” among others, according to Caroline County General Registrar Deneen Moen. However, those that buy the lists aren’t allowed to share the names with other groups or use them to intimidate voters.

“If they felt intimidated, then they felt intimidated,” by the letters, Moen added, and thus “it’s against the law.” She suggest those that received the letters to report it to their local registrar.

[Nordic]

Here's a good one.



I got this in the mail today. So did some other people I know.

It looks like an official "here's how we recommend you vote" thing from the Democratic Party.

But it's not. It will, however, fool a lot of people.

It tells you to vote for Obama and Biden for President, of course ....

But then it also advises you to vote "NO" on Prop 37. Prop 37 is the proposition that will force food manufacturers to label foods as to whether or not they have GMO's in them.

This is supported by 90% of Americans, supposedly, but a recent poll that came out yesterday said that 58% of Californians are now against this!

This would be because there has, apparently, been a mega-onslaught of propaganda paid for by Big Food.

This would be one of them, and it's a complete dishonest scam. It's not even good propaganda. It's just a trick.

Lower than low.

If the propagandists win this one, I give up. I seriously will give up. It's a complete no-brainer, but propaganda rules this country.

[ninakat]

^^^ Wow -- just wow. There isn't an emoticon to go with what I'm feeling.

[seemslikeadream]

Nate Silver

The Romney Death Stench Grows: Ryan Allies Leak His Post-Loss Plans
bydavidkc
docstymie has a great diary on the rec list right now showing one sure sign that the Romney campaign is unraveling: confidential campaign insiders pointing out that Romney really wanted Chris Christie - not Paul Ryan - to be his running mate. On her show last night, Rachel Maddow pointed out another sure sign that the Romney death stench is growing: confidential campaign insiders - you gotta love those confidential campaign insiders! - are openly speculating to the AP about Paul Ryan's plans when - oops IF - Romney loses. Rachel pointed out that this AP story is eerily similar to stories that started coming out about Sarah Palin around this time in the McCain campaign's final death spiral four years ago. Tick tick tick.

The AP story is based on interviews with "Ryan allies" who spoke on the condition of anonymity "to discuss private proposals they were preparing for him" after the Romney-Ryan ticket tanks. It really makes for some humorous reading.

According to the anonymous "biggest boosters" of Ryan, he "probably can write his own ticket" after Nov. 6!! Here are some of the possible roles they envision for Ryan after President Obama starts his second term:

Paul Ryan the Quitter!

Some of Ryan's closest pals are so worried about the Dems in Congress being mean to Ryan when he returns as a loser to Washington, that they are urging him to follow in the illustrious footsteps of the last Republican VP loser, Sarah Palin, and just quit!

A return also would make Ryan a leading target for Democrats. For the next few years, Democrats would lay traps in legislation, forcing him to take sides on measures that could come back to haunt him during a presidential bid.
That is why some of Ryan's biggest boosters are considering whether it wouldn't be better for Ryan to resign from the House.

Don't deal with those mean, sneaky Democrats Paul. Just run away!
Paul Ryan the Professor!

According to Ryan's awestruck allies, Paul Ryan is such a serious, intelligent, "wonky" guy that he would make a wonderful college professor!!!

After all, on the campaign trail, Ryan is as much lecturer as campaigner. Aides routinely set up giant video screens so Ryan can use visual aids to walk audiences through the minutiae of budget politics. Graphs and charts are as common as yard signs and American flags at some events, with Ryan settling into his role as explainer in chief.
It's no accident he embraces the "wonk" label aggressively. It could make him an attractive figure as a guest lecturer or visiting professor.

Paul Ryan as explainer in chief? Really? Really?? Like when he explained his tax proposals here??:


That would make for one damn short college lecture.

Paul Ryan the Thinker!

Yes, the alternative-universe allies of Paul Ryan see him as a Big Thinker of Big Thoughts who could set up shop in Washington to do some Heavy Thinking for all of us.

Or Ryan could set up an office at a Washington think tank and focus on issues that interest him. That would give him a platform to shape public policy without the frustrations of electoral politics.
Both options would give Ryan some space to contemplate serious issues. One of the chief reasons Romney put him on the ticket — and one of the reasons he accepted — was to have high-minded debates about Washington's relationship with the public.

Paul Ryan wants to have high-minded debates??? Like this one?:


Hmm. I guess I missed the lesson in debate class when they advised us to run away if we didn't like the direction of the discussion.


Paul Ryan the Breadwinner - Finally!

In Paul Ryan's inner circles, it's apparently a big problem that his wife earns more than he does. So his allies see his election loss as a great opportunity to make some big bucks so that he can finally - finally! - wear the pants in the family.

Ryan could cash in and become a lobbyist. His family is on solid financial footing, thanks in part to wife Janna Ryan's family money. Last year, the couple reported adjusted gross income of more than $323,000. Yet Ryan himself has never been a major earner. He started out as a congressional aide and waited tables to pay the bills.
In the end, I only know one thing for sure. That on November 6 he will be Paul Ryan the Loser!
Go Obama!! GOTV!

[Project Willow]

Could be triggering...

.........................................






I dreamt last night that I lost time and woke up in a facility for Mormon slaves. It looked like a hospital. There was a line of beds and other contraptions, and handlers were busy manipulating the bodies of tranced-out men and women, training them physically to be penetrated in various ways. I tried to escape, but every time I thought I had made it to the outside world, I found myself in yet another compound run by the same people.

[chump]

=====================


Oh-h-h the joys of living in undecided territory. The list below is not even complete. For instance, it does not include O'bama's visit on July 29th when he toured the Waldo Canyon fire zone; nor does it include the numerous highly publicized visits by family members of both sides throughout the summer and fall.
http://www.denverpost.com/politics/ci_2 ... y-election

Next stop, Colorado
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and rivals Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have paid plenty of attention to Colorado in the past year. A look back at the candidates' visits.
Jan. 26: OBAMA — Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora
Feb. 4: ROMNEY —Colorado Springs
Feb. 6: ROMNEY — Arapahoe High School in Centennial
Feb. 7: ROMNEY— Auraria in Denver
April 24: OBAMA — University of Colorado at Boulder
May 9: ROMNEY — Fort Lupton
May 23: OBAMA — Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado Springs
May 29: ROMNEY — Craig
July 10: ROMNEY — Central High School in Grand Junction
July 10: ROMNEY — Central High School in Grand Junction
Aug. 2: ROMNEY — Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden
Aug. 2: ROMNEY — The Republican Governors Association in Basalt
Aug. 8: OBAMA — Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction
Aug. 8: OBAMA — Auraria in Denver
Aug. 9: OBAMA — Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo
Aug. 13: RYAN — Lakewood High School in Lakewood
Aug. 28: OBAMA — Colorado State University in Fort Collins
Sept. 2: OBAMA— University of Colorado at Boulder
Sept. 6: RYAN — Colorado Springs airport in Colorado Springs
Sept. 13: OBAMA — Lions Park in Golden
Sept. 23: ROMNEY — D'Evelyn High School in Denver
Sept. 24: ROMNEY — Pueblo airport in Pueblo
Sept. 26: RYAN — Fort Collins
Sept. 26: RYAN — America the Beautiful Park in Colorado Springs
Oct. 1: ROMNEY — Wings Over the Rockies museum in Denver
Oct. 3: ROMNEY — University of Denver in Denver for the first debate
Oct. 3: OBAMA — DU for the debate
Oct. 4: OBAMA — Sloan's Lake park in Denver
Oct. 17: BIDEN — Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley
Oct. 21: RYAN — Colorado Springs airport in Colorado Springs
Oct. 22: RYAN — Pueblo West
Oct. 22: RYAN — Fort Lewis College in Durango
Oct. 22: RYAN — Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction
Oct. 23: ROMNEY and Ryan — Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison
Oct. 24: OBAMA — City Park in Denver
Nov. 1: RYAN — Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley
Nov. 1: OBAMA — University of Colorado at Boulder
Nov. 2: RYAN — Montrose airport in Montrose
Nov. 3: ROMNEY — Colorado Springs
Nov. 3: ROMNEY — Greenwood Village
Nov. 3: BIDEN — Arvada
Nov. 3: BIDEN — Pueblo
Sunday: OBAMA — Aurora*
Sunday: RYAN — Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock*
Monday: RYAN — Johnson's Corner in Johnstown*

Oh boy! Another Colorado connection!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... ney-group/

Mysterious Docs Found in Meth House Reveal Inner Workings of Dark Money Group

The boxes landed in the office of Montana investigators in March 2011.

Found in a meth house in Colorado, they were somewhat of a mystery, holding files on 23 conservative candidates in state races in Montana. They were filled with candidate surveys and mailers that said they were paid for by campaigns, and fliers and bank records from outside spending groups. One folder was labeled “Montana $ Bomb.”

The documents pointed to one outside group pulling the candidates’ strings: a social welfare nonprofit called Western Tradition Partnership, or WTP.

Altogether, the records added up to possible illegal “coordination” between the nonprofit and candidates for office in 2008 and 2010, said a Montana investigator and a former Federal Election Commission chairman who reviewed the material. Outside groups are allowed to spend money on political campaigns, but not to coordinate with candidates.

“My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that WTP was running a lot of these campaigns,” said investigator Julie Steab of the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices, who initially received the boxes from Colorado.

The boxes were examined by Frontline and ProPublica as part of an investigation into the growing influence on elections of dark money groups, tax-exempt organizations that can accept unlimited contributions and do not have to identify their donors. The documents offer a rare glimpse into the world of dark money, showing how Western Tradition Partnership appealed to donors, interacted with candidates and helped shape their election efforts.

I watched the Frontline episode http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... big-money/ , and learned a bit on how the Big Money is targetting specific state and local representatives who get in their way, and supporting business friendly local ballot initiatives and candidates who'll do what they're told - with an unlimited, unaccountable money pipeline.

Attorney James Bopp was the intellectual architect behind the landmark Citizens United case that was decided by the Supreme Court. The Citizens decision held that independent political spending is a form of protected speech. Bopp told FRONTLINE that he believes further deregulation of political spending would improve the democratic process. This is the edited transcript of an interview conducted on July. 27, 2012.

James Bopp and the Supreme Court are going to Hell. They are liars and have no conscience. Of couse, it is a bullshit argument and he and the Supreme Court are merely sitting up for biscuits. I can tell that the economy is going to suffer a major slump - just from the layoff in the marketing sector when the election is finally over! I'm ready to disconnect my phone, and this is a pile of just the last few days worth of mail:

They look strikingly like the Montana mailers pictured in the Frontline special. No party affiliation is ever mentioned in the ads. Considering how well organized and funded this election cycle has been, I can guess who is co-ordinating this blitzkrieg. I'd say follow the money, but I don't think one could! A quick break out of the mail:


2 pro republican ads
11 Anti democratic incumbant ads
1 pro Democratic incumbant ad
1 anti republican ad
1 for a school tax
1 to go vote

Go figure! When you consider vote counting fraud, the stupidity of the electorate, and the incredibly well organized big money campaign to swing the government at every level, this election is as fixed as the Super Bowl. An analysis of the markets could likely tip their hand because somebody knows who is going to win on Tuesday.

[ninakat]

^^^ Thanks chump, that was interesting. Here in NC I've received probably as much political junk mail although the majority of it has been for Obama, including three knocks on my door by Obama solicitors despite my very clear sign saying "NO SOLICITORS." Anyway, they're really out this year, even more than 4 years ago..... I guess he's got the bucks to get the volunteers (aka war criminal enablers) out there in a big way.

And yeah, the election has been decided and my view is we're going to have 4 more years of "liberals" with their heads in the sand. Lesser of the evils? Not really. But we've all agreed to disagree on that sore little subject, haven't we?

You Got to Ride It: Journey Through a Post-Election Landscape
Written by Chris Floyd
Sunday, 04 November 2012



There was an election. The winner was a man pledged to murder and plunder. His followers rejoiced that the murder and plunder would be flavored to their taste, done by one of their own. The losers lamented the fate of the nation because their man would not be in charge of the murder and plunder. Bitterness was everywhere. Poison, illusion.

The sun rose. The broken system, heaving and buckling under the weight of its foul excrescences, staggered on.

No answers. No resolution. No mercy, not from the structures; only from ourselves, each to each, one to one, moment to moment, hands touching, clutching, tearing free, in the turbulence of the waves.

You got to ride it best you can....

SONG: You Got to Ride It
http://soundcloud.com/chris-floyd/you-got-to-ride-it

[ninakat]

[ninakat]

^^^ So, 2000 all over again (sans Supreme Court, please god)? Romney wins popular vote, Obama wins electoral college. Ain't gonna be no landslide for either muthafucka, but it still feels like Obama squeaking by.

[8bitagent]

Looks like GOP strategists, Republicans are already talking about losing and blaming the Hurricane. MSNBC thinks the election is in the bag for Obama.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49686908/

I guess, the narrative now is that if Romney somehow wins, it will no doubt be by vote fraud. I can imagine civil unrest, or at the least mass anger if it appears thats the case.
Also you can imagine that a second term Obama, every racist nutjob will be going balistic, at least verbally.