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Wednesday, November 7. 2012

It is Tuesday, 8:18PM in San Diego, and Fox and CBS both just called the election for Obama.

The Democrats look to actually be picking up some Senate seats, the Republicans holding the House. All Republicans can hope and pray for during the next four years is that court challenges slow the Obamashackle to tie America down in regulatory chains, China keeps buying our increasing debt, that the very aged Supreme Court justices take their vitamins, and the international jackals transform into lambs. Not much to hang a hat on, is it? Actually, much reason to feel hanged. If you have children, better get them to learn to live frugally, study and work hard, and develop resilience and intestinal fortitude. That's all that will save them.

I'll leave it to others, maybe myself Wednesday morning, to sound smart about this debacle

‘The most important election since 1860′ - Jason (12) asked me which presidential elections were most important. I answered, 1800 for setting the Jeffersonian course of the new nation, 1828 for Andrew Jackson's version of "power to the people", 1860 for Lincoln, the Civil War, and the decades of recriminations after, 1932 for FDR's reshaping of America, 1980 for Reagan resteering America back to confidence and prominence, 2004 for rejecting defeatism, and 2012 for again a major fork in the road for America, which is looking from the electoral projections we're f**ked. What are your pick(s)?

Father Brown: California’s governor becomes an evangelist for high taxes.

Palestinian girl tries to goad soldiers into lashing out:Video documents 10-year-old cursing, spitting at soldiers in attempt to provoke violent reaction – that never comes

UN nuclear chief: Iran not cooperating with probe of suspected secret work on nuclear weapons

Liberal Exceptionalism

It's not just the major newspapers: Four years later, college newspapers that once supported Obama abandon him

Winds of Change from the East: How Poland and Hungary Led the Way in 1989

Real Housewives Of Atlanta Beat Navy SEALS!

Obama Administration rushing policies to kill coal power after Nov. 6

Judge issuing order to reinstate booted Philadelphia election officials, Republicans say + New Black Panthers Back at the Same ’08 Polling Place in Philadelphia

GOP senators: Thousands of ballots unlikely to reach military voters in time

UNRWA's Self-serving Agenda

CBS Controversy over Benghazi Interview Grows

It’s Now Public: Editors Rejigger Polls

Haiti Flails in Sandy's Wake

And a few more from Bird Dog -

Bill O’Reilly: “It’s Not a Traditional America Anymore”

TUCKER CARLSON AND NEIL PATEL: Wave goodbye to the Obama media

Majority of voters see America on wrong track

Via Drudge:

OBAMA 54,773,837*
ROMNEY 53,716,689

All things considered, could anybody have done a better job than Romney? I doubt it.

Robbins:

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff of the Obama White House, said the election would be decided in “five states and 500 precincts,” and it may have been even fewer.

and

The United States is populated by groups of people who may as well be living in different countries. They have separate histories, cultures and visions for the future. They are two distinct nationalities, divided by mutual distrust and joined by mammoth public debt.

Posted by Bruce Kesler in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 06:00 | Comments (31) | Trackbacks (0)

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Sorry, I'm still in shock and disappointed that the county I live in, Hillsborough in Florida:Tampa, went for Obama a 2nd time. I may have to rethink where I live. My kids live in Tennessee, maybe its time for a move. Again still in shock. Reminded of an HL Mencken quote which I will mess up, the American people voted for something and they will get it hard. Please correct me. Prayers last night and this morning to our servicemen around the globe who must be equally disappointed but are in harm's way.

#1 grant1863 on 2012-11-07 06:45 (Reply)

A majority of Americans are socialists and want a European-style socialist government. They got it, and they will keep it. The Republicans are in permanent decline unless they can morph into another European-style socialist party similar to the Christian Democrats.

The ancient Greek philosophers taught that all forms of government are unstable and eventually are replaced by something else. In the case of democracies, the next stage is a tyranny. The best our children can hope for is Franco not Stalin or Hitler. But if our economy does collapse a la Weimar, we will get Hitler.

Obama is not Hitler, but Hitler is lurking somewhere in the wings hoping for his chance.

#2 bob sykes on 2012-11-07 06:58 (Reply)

The United States is populated by groups of people who may as well be living in different countries. They have separate histories, cultures and visions for the future. They are two distinct nationalities, divided by mutual distrust and joined by mammoth public debt.

To a degree, yes. The only way to explain the consistently close popular votes is to recognize there is a significant part ot the population that has no real culture other than the "pop culture" of the moment and whose sole vision for the future is dictated by ad agencies. These are the droids you are looking for, they are the ones deciding elections.

They are the reason we are well and truly fucked.

#3 B Moe on 2012-11-07 07:03 (Reply)

"Could anyone have done better than Romney?"

Uh YES. DUH.

Even w/ Romney's ineptitude (or apathy) he had control after the first debate, and still gave it away.

Yes gave it away. All those columns you posted of how Romney took the "safe" way in the final debate were wrong. And I did point it out at the time.

I'm not sure Romney wanted to win, that was a big point. But yes, a committed, intelligent, communicative candidate would have won.

The bigger concern is why the GOP doesn't want such candidates. What's the play that's really going on.

#4 DrTorch on 2012-11-07 07:10 (Reply)

IT is a changing world!
I hope all repubs are not such dim lights..
MUTT can thank the tea party for losing

#5 RL on 2012-11-07 07:14 (Reply)

The TEA Party? Really? So what did they do now?

Pfft. Conservatives are supposed to embrace reality.

#5.1 DrTorch on 2012-11-07 07:42 (Reply)

I just watched social "conservatives" blow the two easiest Senate races ever. The Tea Party had nothing to do with these buffoons.

Maybe the GOP establishment and primary voters will give up on the God-squad candidates now.

#5.1.1 NJSoldier on 2012-11-07 09:47 (Reply)

The last quote is a highly accurate summary of the situation.

"The United States is populated by groups of people who may as well be living in different countries. They have separate histories, cultures and visions for the future. They are two distinct nationalities, divided by mutual distrust and joined by mammoth public debt."

This is entirely unsurprising overall.

It strikes me as obvious that the "Irish", the "British" and the "Germans" just fit in very well to American values and assimilate very fast. These people are no longer welcomed to the USA officially and these are the people who stick to legal processes, having relatively developped economies of their own.

Loyalty is not connected to geographic heritage, but letting in millions of Mexicans, many of whom are refugee-like rather than pro-Ameican, and then giving them amnesty seems crazy. Having a green card "lottery" with quotas from entirely unenlighted places also seems crazy. They seem crazy because they were, but now it makes no difference at all.

This is not meant to be rude or offensive, but if you go from having a "white" country with an established black minority (1960s - 90% white 10% black), all of whom have a firm "American" identity to a 50-50 mix you cannot expect the country to maintain the same character. America is an evolving term and America today means something different from even five years ago. This was always the case through history, but this difference is suddenly quite profound.

#6 Paddy on 2012-11-07 08:20 (Reply)

I'm afraid you're right. Our country has evolved, as it must. It's hard to feel optimistic, though.

#6.1 Estoy Listo on 2012-11-07 09:05 (Reply)

After this election, the older you are, the better.

If you're old, you'll continue to get your govt. stipend. The country will slide into a huge France, maybe England if we're lucky, and by the time it gets intolerable, you'll be dead. Your only worry is if you have kids. They'll take it on the chin because they're the ones who will end up paying for all the cool free stuff that will be spread around. There will be even more people to vote for them now.

All this assumes there is no successful revolutionary movement or candidate. It also assumes there is no successful secessionary movement. I'm ready for either but in the mean time, I might be scouting for somewhere else to live - and I don't mean another state.

#7 mudbug on 2012-11-07 08:28 (Reply)

It should also be acknowledged there is something very wrong with the results this time.

1. Obummer had Bruce Springsteen play in Wisconsin shortly before election day but he didn't draw anywhere near the crowds Romney was. Am I to believe that people in Chicago, and Madison WI are more interested less interested in seeing Bruce than seeing Bruce and then voting? The same argument goes to the much larger crowds in general that Romney drew.

2. There were fewer REPUBLICAN votes this time than in 2008. Does that make ANY sense to ANYBODY?

3. The main issue on people's mind was the economy and while most still blame Bush, according to the polls, most do not think Obummer is doing a good job. So they voted for him anyway?

I it is quite possible this race was stolen on a fairly massive scale. There was one party who has made it their business to make voting easier - so easy that it is not difficult to cheat. They won. If that is not cleaned up, they will continue to win. The only good news on that front is that there are more GOP governors now.

#7.1 mudbug on 2012-11-07 08:57 (Reply)

I would add that the total vote was down by 14 M in comparison to 2012. Every report I had heard was that the polls were much more busy than last time. Something else that doesn't make sense...

#7.1.1 mudbug on 2012-11-07 09:27 (Reply)

You are right mudbug. It just doesn't add up.

Romney had the crowds and enthusiasm behind him, Repub turnout was predicted to be way up, 0bama's record is well known, won't reiterate, and yet, Romney was only able to flip, what? Indiana and NC from 2008?

And not only that, 0bama smoked Romney in states he was supposed to be competitive in.

Scratching my head.

#7.1.1.1 feeblemind on 2012-11-07 16:36 (Reply)

Hey! All is not lost, I hear tell that one can now smoke dope in Denver and legally get "Rocky Mountain high"!

(/sarcasm)

On a more serious note; I think Romney lost, not because he wasn't a good candidate - in my opinion he is/was. I think it was just a matter of folks voting for "free stuff" - free healthcare, free food, free Obamaphones! And it was a matter of ignorance - too many today trust the news media to be honest.

Further, given the charring that Palin's family went through, good people, especially on the Republican side, will NOT run for office. Most Republicans are decent, kind, and moral. They love their families too much to put them through the nonsense that Democrat families never seem to go through.

Michelle Obama was never mocked as badly as "horsey set, rich white girl" Ann Romney. Al Gore's kids (even after getting caught smoking dope) never went through the crap thrown at the Palin kids nor were the Obama kids subject to the hounding that Bush's daughters had to endure.

The women on The View never questioned or made ignorant assumptions about Michelle's religion as they did with Ann Romney (who BTW, handled such ignorance with a lot of grace).

No, I think decent, family-loving Repblicans will avoid being demonized by the news media and others on the left. So, sadly, I am afraid that we have seen the last of decent Republican candidates.

#8 Charles on 2012-11-07 08:33 (Reply)

All right, then bring on the hungry and determined Republican candidates. We live in the land of the blind. Hope for Obama's health.

#9 Claritas on 2012-11-07 08:39 (Reply)

A majority of Americans are socialists and want a European-style socialist government.

I've been trying to wean myself off politics and just stick with economics but I got sucked in by the election and was very disappointed by the results last night. Thinking that the Democrats want to turn us into Europe and that Romney could steer us away from that was wrong headed in a big way. Government can't really steer anything because the market will out. Besides, with our debt we are already Europe - Greece times 50. Our mandatory entitlement payments and debt costs are more than the entire take of the tax system. There is no money for HHS, EPA, FBI, TSA, or defense - none - and there won't be even with higher taxes and budget cuts. I have no idea what printing all this new money will do but Ponzi doesn't seem like a workable long term plan. So now we wait for the market to rebalance things. Something that would have happened under Romney too. One day the market will wake up and say this isn't right and nearly over-night our world will be different. I don't know how it will wind down but it will in our life-times and I worry about our kids. Who's in charge at the time will make little difference.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-06/it-doesnt-matter

#10 Colorado on 2012-11-07 08:44 (Reply)

What were the election results among males, would be the question.

It's a male vs female culture, mostly, I suspect.

There's a reason they didn't let women vote, which is that the economy has to work.

#11 rhhardin (Link) on 2012-11-07 08:55 (Reply)

Thats not really fair rhhardin. I'm pretty sure its a "cool" thing. O was perceived as cool, R was not. Simple as that. Oh, and the massive fraud too.

#12 pbird on 2012-11-07 10:20 (Reply)

The Unions, NAACP, ACORN and a host of other left wing groups stole the election. It is clear for those who have eyes to see and I am sure it will become more clear in the weeks and months ahead. But nothing will be done about it or to prevent it from happening in 2014 and 2016. There may be no recovery from this and I use the word "recovery" in a political sense not economic. I think this is simply the last gasp. Expect the dream act, free health care and school for illegals and open borders. Expect the older folks on Medicare to have their access to health care restricted while at the same time illegals will be streaming over the border to get free health care and cradle to grave welfare. Let the looting begin...

#13 GoneWithTheWind on 2012-11-07 10:29 (Reply)

Mitt didn't match expectations. I got caught up in the Romney bandwagon just like the rest of us but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Gotta do what you gotta do from here on.

I have a feeling that the Obama administration isn't going to live up to the hype again and this time, the MSM cheerleaders are not going to be able to ignore the potential economic disaster the Obama administration, and in particular the EPA, is going to visit on the US.

#14 Tom Francis on 2012-11-07 10:31 (Reply)

"All things considered, could anybody have done a better job than Romney? I doubt it."

When you're running against a goddam Marxist and you don't tell people that's the way it is, you've ceded the high ground from the get. Brakabama thinks the wrong side won the Cold War. He's an enemy of this country. Romney never mentioned that. He could have easily controlled the conversation had he made it about what a wretched piece of shit Brakabama is.

He betrayed us.

#15 ccoffer on 2012-11-07 10:37 (Reply)

Like I said several months ago--this election was decided a while ago. You might ask yourself the question: why was everything tied up in a neat little bow before midnight?

#16 faculty wife on 2012-11-07 10:54 (Reply)

This sums up the election perfectly.

http://tinyurl.com/cggarfd

#17 Joel on 2012-11-07 10:56 (Reply)

"The United States is populated by groups of people who may as well be living in different countries. They have separate histories, cultures and visions for the future. They are two distinct nationalities, divided by mutual distrust and joined by mammoth public debt."

That hits the nail on the head along with comments about the media's distortion. It's sad that the voters' addiction to freebies has changed the nature of the U.S.A. Having lived in an urban area for 70 years, I can assure you I have never seen a public so divided by race, religion (Islam is the new Jew or Catholic of my childhood years), culture and a total disinterest in having a job.

Refinement is long gone -- the language used by some of the politicians and the people speaking for them was demeaning and would have been bleeped by TV stations only a few years ago. The Obama/Duncan Core Curriculum education system is rewriting history, overlooking the need for careful writing and debate (simply call someone a liar, interrupt and yell a little louder), forgetting the exceptionalism that brought and continues to bring immigrants to our country so they can excel, and throwing millions of dollars at Muslim charter schools while ignoring the needs of people who have lived here for generations.

If America is such a racist, aggressive, imperialistic society, stay in your own country. Improve your native culture. Build your economy. Get rid dictators or monarchists who run your country, deny you human rights, murder your young and rape your women. Our men and women have fought years of wars to save your systems and direct you toward a democratic form of government; leave us alone.

#18 jma on 2012-11-07 12:12 (Reply)

On Doc Mercury's poll I said that Romney would get the election stolen from him, I haven't had time to go over all the results (most aren't out yet and I suspect never will be) but now I don't think that is what happened.
I believe the 47% figure is the number that has changed. I think that over the last four years Obama has been successfully creating a climate in which his type of "citizen" could grow.
If the founding fathers had stuck a amendment in that said "No one may exercise the franchise in national elections who derives more than 49% of his income from the state.", then we wouldn't be in this spot this morning.

#19 John the River (Link) on 2012-11-07 12:24 (Reply)

I couldn't sleep last night. First time that ever happened to me over something political. I feel that my country is doomed.

I am curious about one thing. I understand the racial minorities voting for Obama. But why do the white people of New England vote for him to such an overwhelming degree? The white people of the midwest and south do not. Is New England just totally liberal? Why?

I plan to travel light right now. I am starting to unwind my connections to New York, and looking to move to a place where I feel more simpatico. Still in the US, but another, redder state. I just can't take it up here.

#20 Park Slope Pubby on 2012-11-07 12:34 (Reply)

Speaking as a native New Englander, I recall attitudes around me when I was growing up (in the '40s) involving prejudices against: Southerners, FDR democrats, foreign minorities, Catholics, and "negroes". The latter group were said to need to be re-settled in Africa, with government help.

To the extent that these prejudices have not died out or been deemed unsuitable for private expression, I think some of them are still in the mix of New England liberalism. Soft bigotry of low expectations, etc. -

#20.1 Claritas on 2012-11-07 14:42 (Reply)

We are looking at Utah. This would have been unimaginable 10 years ago. Not now.

#20.2 MissyW on 2012-11-07 16:34 (Reply)

Yes, I was thinking of Utah too. In addition to everything else, it istruly beautiful hiking country. Also, it is far away from hurricanes, and I know I'd fit in there, even though I'm not Mormon.

I am still curious about New England liberalism. I understand NY liberalism, we have a huge cultural heritage of left-wing Jews, they dominate Manhattan, all the media, etc (not being anti-semitic here, just stating facts). But New England I just don't get. I saw the results last night for all the New England states, and they were just stunningly lop-sided. Almost all of them were 60-40. Who are the New England liberals? Students? College professors?

Most of the blue collar white people in NYC (where I have lived forever) are conservative (that's why Giuliani won twice). But that doesn't seem to be true of New England.

At any rate, I have definitely crossed New England off my list. I also like North Carolina.

#20.2.1 Park Slope Pubby on 2012-11-07 17:04 (Reply)

Several months (a few years?) ago Maggie's linked to an article discussing how today's NE progressives are just a carry forward of their puritan roots, when that group thought they could perfect society through rigorous gov't regulation and control.

They eventually lost God (well overtly), and now it's just gov't control to create their perceived perfect society.

Good article, helped tie things together for me. Maybe someone can dig up the link.

#20.2.1.1 DrTorch on 2012-11-07 17:31 (Reply)

As a native New Englander I can tell you the answer is much simpler. Most have been Democrats from birth, Their parents and granparents were Democrats. And many are/were union members. I grew up there in the 40's as well and my memory of attitudes was that it was a melting pot and the different religions and groups usually got along just fine. But it is also important to know that voter fraud is/was a way of life in New England second only to Chicago.

#20.3 GoneWithTheWind on 2012-11-08 00:12 (Reply)

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Wednesday, November 7. 2012

Weeping Wednesday Links