Originally Posted By DlandDug >>Sean is on suicide watch right now.<< I'd say he's more like a shark smelling chum.
Originally Posted By DlandDug Out here in California last night was like a weird mirror image of every election since 1994. While the GOP made dramatic gains nationally, Californians continued to reliably elect anyone or anything with a "D" after their name. Last night was just the reverse. (Although we did get Jerry Brown as Attorney General!)
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom No Sean is going to say "I told you so". He is also going to point out that every single Democrat that was elected yesterday is far far right of Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. The Democrats that were elected are much more moderate than the "litimous test" for the Democratic Party. Even the Democrat that won a House seat in TN was against same sex marriage.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer The future of the Democratic party - if there is one - is along the center, and the way they used to be. They used to embrace some conservative, moderate and liberal points of view until fairly recently, when the northern, urban liberal wing took over the party in the 1960s. Once that happened, there was fertile ground for the GOP to cultivate among those who had once been conservative Democrats. It will be interesting to see whether or not the northern, urban liberal wing of the party retains control or whether or not power shifts to the more moderate heartland wing.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I will have to tell everyone more about my voting experience here in Georgia. One of the amendments was for a 40 million dollar additional funds for the parks and recreation Department to aquire more land for baseball fields, etc. Which passed. When you consider that he have an 800 acre National Park in our backyard this becomes really ridicilious. Seems to me that if you truely want to give children a place to play. Then why not increase the minimum size of a buildable lot so that homes actually have a backyard that children can actually play in instead of playing in the cul-de-sacs and streets. DUHHHH. I guess 45 parks and playground and one National Park just isn't enough for a community of 50,000. Then there was the good old School Department with yet another futile attempt to terminate the homestead exemption for those over age 65. I guess billions and billions of taxes just isn't enough. Lets make sure we slap a property tax on our elders as well.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Did those measures pass? Here in Washington, we rejected measures that would have eliminated the estate tax, made it almost impossible to pass or enforce zoning laws, and a ban on lap dancing. We passed measures to increase our bus service and to improve our roads.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<It will be interesting to see whether or not the northern, urban liberal wing of the party retains control or whether or not power shifts to the more moderate heartland wing.>> Power will have to shift. CNN's map of the House elections showed that the south has picked up a lot of blue. I'm sure the Democrats that won there are not "libs". I am truly hopeful that the Democratic Party will return to the center and once again become the great party that it was. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/house/" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/20 06/pages/results/house/</a>
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>Here's a phrase no one ever heard before 1994, "for english press 1". << Well, at least its still "1". I wonder how long until its "Para español, oprima uno, for English press 2"
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<and a ban on lap dancing.>> It's good to know that the voters up there in Washington State taking care of the state's truly serious problems.
Originally Posted By DlandDug For the numbers crunchers, here's a run down on the change in House seats in midterm elections since World War II. 1946...55...Republicans 1950...28...Republicans 1954...19...Democrats 1958...49...Democrats 1962....2...Republicans 1966...47...Republicans 1970...12...Democrats 1974...49...Democrats 1978...15...Republicans 1982...27...Democrats 1986....5...Democrats 1990....7...Democrats 1994...54...Republicans 1998....5...Democrats 2002....8...Republicans Average gain: 25.47 Apparently some will try to say that the Democrats had to get lots and lots of seats, on the basis that this is what happens in midterms. But, as can be seen in the figures above, the shifts are not all that significant, unless there is something really big going on (ie: Watergate in '74). Last night's results are on par with any other midterm election since World War II.
Originally Posted By ecdc Great commentary all around here this morning. It also looks like this major defeat for the Republicans was not some fluke of failing to get the base out - high voter turnout has been reported all around. So far I certainly don't see any gloating by Democrats in any of the MSNBC coverage. Quite the contrary, Barack Obama and others have said that while Americans have sent a clear message that they want change, they don't want partisan division.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>It also looks like this major defeat for the Republicans was not some fluke of failing to get the base out - high voter turnout has been reported all around.<< Actually, high voter turnout historically favors Democrats. The GOP wanted THEIR base to turn out in numbers. But the general consensus is that this is no longer a winning strategy. The party of Lincoln is going to have to go back to the tedious task of appealing to (gasp!) undecided voters.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer The election last night proved that America is a moderate nation - conservative in some ways, liberal in others. The party that truly connects with the moderates is the one that will be in power. Hopefully, the GOP will start running on it's traditional messages and values instead of running on fear and division. That worked in the early years of this war on terror, but that message failed them yesterday.
Originally Posted By DlandJB The future of the Democratic party - if there is one - is along the center, and the way they used to be.>> Yes, and this nearly mirrors your last post, but I think the future of both parties is in the center. Unfortunately, it is the wingnuts that they use to raise the cash.
Originally Posted By jonvn Have to agree with KT in post 133, and with other comments on here. The Republicans got lazy, gave up on their traditional values, got arrogant, and got corrupt. Then the gloating started. People like Tom Delay making comments about Democrats as if they were out to destroy the country, instead of being the "loyal opposition." That sticks in people's throats. It comes across as wrong, and does not help the situation. All different reasons, and it all came together. Now, the Democrats are going to have to move to the middle, where most everyone is already, to keep their jobs. People have run away now from the right wing extremism of the Republicans, because a lot of Democrats portrayed themselves as electable as they were not left wing extremists. If the Democrats turn into extremists as the Republicans did, and are seen as ineffective or overbearing, they'll get booted out too. But what it sounds like is that they are saying what people want to hear. That they all want to work together and that the sharp and useless partisanship is hopefully going to be put aside. Maybe it will, and maybe it won't. But they are at least saying the right things.
Originally Posted By Shooba I noticed that the jockeying for 2008 began in earnest last night. I forget which channel, but after they spoke to John McCain all the panelists noticed how different he looked. I wasn't sure what they mean at first - did he look upset or something? Nope, they noticed that he was presenting himself as "President McCain" based on the setting (flanked by the flag) he was in. Also, Hilary came out accompanied by the song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" (or something like that). And you gotta love Stephen Colbert with his "Congratulations Terrorists" cake.
Originally Posted By jonvn well, not really in the last few years. It just kept getting sharper and sharper. What I think people are sick of are things like what Tom Delay was saying which was how AMERICA IS GOING TO BE DESTROYED by this election. Give me a break.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>Isn't there talk about the "end of partisanship" after every election?<< Yes, there is. But we already have this: <a href="http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/11/payback_time_wh.html" target="_blank">http://blogs.abcnews.com/thebl otter/2006/11/payback_time_wh.html</a> EXCERPTS: >>Halliburton, the CIA and big tobacco companies are among the early targets identified by top Democratic staff to ABC News as likely targets for investigation once the Democrats take control of the House at the beginning of next year.<< Most disturbing: >>Rep. Conyers is in line to take over the Judiciary Committee. While one top hill staffer says, "His appetite for true investigation is untested," his new book takes on President Bush for violating the law on Iraq and secret prisons. Internet blogs are hyperventilating about possible impeachment hearings.<< Of course, that's just the bloggers. But if the Dems want to squander two years on fruitless impeachment hearings, go to it. It worked like a charm for Republicans during Clinton's lame duck term.
Originally Posted By jonvn What went on with Halliburton probably does need to be investigated. I don't know what big tobacco has to be investigated for. I don't think big tobacco has done anything wrong at all.
