Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

[JF_Gophers]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

I didn't know Dems in MN even had to run ads. I thought they won by default.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Kep, when do we get the 2016 campaign fired up?

Hill's been on a book tour since summer. I'd say it's already going...

There actually has been a 2016 thread for a whole. It predates the 2014 thread if you can believe it. As far as you and I go, we've got to get our platform worked out first.

I just got in from voting. Voting at the same time 2 years ago I had to wait 5 minutes. Today I was the only voter the entire time I was there -- 12 poll workers and me.

If the "silent majority" Dem GOTV wave is happening, it aint in my precinct...

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Hill's been on a book tour since summer. I'd say it's already going...

There actually has been a 2016 thread for a whole. It predates the 2014 thread if you can believe it. As far as you and I go, we've got to get our platform worked out first.

I just got in from voting. Voting at the same time 2 years ago I had to wait 5 minutes. Today I was the only voter the entire time I was there -- 12 poll workers and me.

If the "silent majority" Dem GOTV wave is happening, it aint in my precinct...

My precinct had people lined up at 6:30 this morning and had over 100 voters cast ballots before I went through the line at 7:20 A.M.

 

[MattS]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

I just got in from voting. Voting at the same time 2 years ago I had to wait 5 minutes. Today I was the only voter the entire time I was there -- 12 poll workers and me.

If the "silent majority" Dem GOTV wave is happening, it aint in my precinct...

I will vote after work tonight and I am interested to see how many will have voted ahead of me. I live in a very red town inside a very blue county and turnout is almost always low (for the population size). I wonder if it will change this time since so many people are here are anti-SAFE Act and Anti-Cuomo.

 

[geezer]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

I stopped to vote (just so I could approve of wolf hunting and write in Mel Pearson for governor) and the place was a tomb. The weird thing was the parking lot was packed. I asked them about it, they said nobody is stopping to vote this morning because all the construction vehicles parked here for the work across the street is making the place look too busy. Strange situation, and this in Keweenaw Co. where I can make up 1% of the vote by myself in some races.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Our district judge candidates are so bad I'm writing in my wife.

The choices for Rep in Michigan's 8th are bad enough that I looked up the Libertarian candidate. For everyone's enjoyment, I give you this caveman:

http://www.jamesweeksii.com/

Can you say, "Death to all but METAL!!!!" \m/

I did not vote for him. Unfortunately, the big L Libertarians in this state are completely insane, and they all seem to regurgitate the same party platform of "All taxation is armed robbery. End the Fed and fiat currency. Shutdown the "military police state". Intellectual property is a farce and all software should be free/open source. Blah blah blah."

 

[MattS]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

I stopped to vote (just so I could approve of wolf hunting and write in Mel Pearson for governor) and the place was a tomb. The weird thing was the parking lot was packed. I asked them about it, they said nobody is stopping to vote this morning because all the construction vehicles parked here for the work across the street is making the place look too busy. Strange situation, and this in Keweenaw Co. where I can make up 1% of the vote by myself in some races.

I heard this morning there was a lot of power outages in Maine and that is was going to affect voting there as many polling place were without power.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Here is the thing I find kind of funny.

What we know from Rover, Kepler, Rachel Maddow and the like is that Republicans are racists. They're crazy. They're are morbidly old. They are hypocrites. They're obstructionists, and incapable of governing. They are so far in the extreme it's not possible to go more extreme. And, something like only 25-30% of the population has a favorable opinion of the Republican party, and their policies.

They're going to win today? Who in the heck are they running against?

Read the article on the last page, that is why they are winning. The GOP is gonna take the Senate not because they are favored by the people, but because the other party isnt favored by the people.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Read the article on the last page, that is why they are winning. The GOP is gonna take the Senate not because they are favored by the people, but because the other party isnt favored by the people.

True. But the GOP is hated more from the polls I've seen and were talked about this morning on Morning Joe. It's an anti-incumbent election. Everyone who isn't locked into something is generally voting against whoever is in office thinking that will actually change something. Or they're voting against the President to justify voting for Mitch McConnell as majority leader. The Bone Man's done such a great job let's get his Twin in there to run the Senate.

 

[Bob Gray]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

I voted early by mail, as I got tired of standing line 2+ hours at the precinct while little old ladies try to figure out how to check peoples' names off the voter list. Seriously, they are nice as anything, but the line moved painfully slow, and it had happened a few elections in a row. I prefer going to vote on election day, but not when I have to stand in line that long.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

True. But the GOP is hated more from the polls I've seen and were talked about this morning on Morning Joe. It's an anti-incumbent election. Everyone who isn't locked into something is generally voting against whoever is in office thinking that will actually change something. Or they're voting against the President to justify voting for Mitch McConnell as majority leader. The Bone Man's done such a great job let's get his Twin in there to run the Senate.

And it will reverse itself in 2 years.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

And it will reverse itself in 2 years.

Yes, but from what I heard this morning the gerrymandering the GOP did was so good that the House won't change until 2022. By then we should have SS and Medicare completely in the trash bin.

 

[Bob Gray]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Yes, but from what I heard this morning the gerrymandering the GOP did was so good that the House won't change until 2022. By then we should have SS and Medicare completely in the trash bin.

Gerrymandering, as with so many things, cuts both ways.

 

[unofan]

I happened to see a number of tv ads from this campaign, although I'm sure not the number that Iowa residents were exposed to.

The thing that struck me was that Ernst's ads were just very well done, and Braley's were not. In pretty much all of Ernst's ads she was on camera, speaking to the voters. She may very well be nuts. But she didn't come across that way in her ads. I never saw an ad in which I saw Braley actually speak. All of his were the voice of doom ads talking about how Ernst's election will mean the end of the world.

I compare that with the Minnesota race. Again, in many of Al Franken's ads he is on camera talking to you. The voters get to hear his own words about what he will or will not do, what he believes in. Very good ads, compared with McFadden who in many ads seems to have followed the Braley model.

The two best ads this entire cycle in Iowa are from the Stache (Branstad) and the democratic candidate for Secretary of state. The Stache's ad where it's just music and economic numbers with no talking works (course when you're up 20 points, you can play positive).. And Brad Anderson's ad with his family taking about how he's a democrat, his mom's a republican, his kids are independent, etc. works for a position that should frankly be non partisan (you register businesses and tally votes).

The single worst ads have been from the California billionaire running the next gen climate action PAC. I swear he's secretly trying to help Ernst, because those ads have been so bad I don't see how they help Braley at all.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Read the article on the last page, that is why they are winning. The GOP is gonna take the Senate not because they are favored by the people, but because the other party isnt favored by the people.

Exactly.

But I was just struck by the juxtaposition last night. I saw some people from the progressive end of the spectrum talking about many of the same things Rover and Kepler and others on here have been repeating. The Republicans have all these defects, and can't be trusted to govern. They have this tiny approval rating. The only way they can save their party is to engage in party-wide introspection. "And, in other news, it looks like the Republicans are going to hold the majority in the House, take back the majority in the Senate, and hold a majority of the governorships."

W.T.F.? I'm not sure the Republicans are the only ones who need a little party introspection (which they certainly do). Sounds like the Democrats could use another confab and put on the agenda as question #1, "Why is it that we can't consistently beat these cretins again?"

 

[BassAle]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Hill's been on a book tour since summer. I'd say it's already going...
I just got in from voting. Voting at the same time 2 years ago I had to wait 5 minutes. Today I was the only voter the entire time I was there -- 12 poll workers and me.

If the "silent majority" Dem GOTV wave is happening, it aint in my precinct...

I voted on my way to work this morning. There were probably 30 people waiting in line in front of me when I got there (this is the busy metropolis of Bar Harbor Maine). There were as many people still waiting to vote when I left too. Bar Harbor is pretty liberal, and we have a tea bagger Governor up for re-election (snuck in on 3-way race), so that might be driving turn out here. This was also the early rush of voters on the way to work, I expect it will be slow throughout the day with another rush after work.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Gerrymandering, as with so many things, cuts both ways.

Just stating a fact. The House is gone and the Dems have no shot at it for the next 8 years.

 

[Bob Gray]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Just stating a fact. The House is gone and the Dems have no shot at it for the next 8 years.

As I'm just stating a fact that both sides engage in gerrymandering. The fact Reps may have an edge right now in some states hardly means that Dems haven't gerrynamdered plenty also. The way the system is set up, there is every incentive to gerrymander, for both parties.

 

[huskyfan]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

talk about your war on women ... from both sides? geez.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: Campaign 2014: The Epic Struggle To Win The Senate And Change Nothing

Our district judge candidates are so bad I'm writing in my wife.

I always write in a name of a friend for something like "soil conservation district rep" or "water conservancy district rep" just to see it show up in the final results. Call it an audit of the county auditor (vote counters).