Democrats Falling Off A Cliff…

[Arraya]

Another D voter in Mass

From the front line of this battle (I’m from MA), I’ll give you my observations.

This vote was not really a repudiation of Obama as much as it was a very poor politician going up against a seemingly very good one. Scott Brown looks like a normal guy, talks like a normal guy, has a visible family (daughter was on American Idol and made it quite far, wife is a local TV news reporter), and has the ability to connect with normal people. Conversely, Martha Coakley has a bad name (I mean bad as in “Martha Coakley”, which sounds like the kid you made fun of in 3rd grade), has an odd accent, is not very personable, and doesn’t seem to understand the value of personal connections. She comes off as aloof and perhaps a bit arrogant.

Most of the people I know voted for Scott Brown, not because they liked his stance on the various issues – in fact, the overwhelming majority could not tell you anything meaningful about the man or his positions; it seems to have been more of a general sense that he’s like one of us, and somehow Martha is not. Most people I talk to don’t have any clue about what the issues are regarding health care reform and financial reform. They just liked him better.

As for me, this was the first election of my adult life that I did not participate in. I’ve decided that to vote would be to endorse the bullshit system in it’s current form, and I’m simply unwilling to do that. Bring me a candidate that brings me real hope for change and maybe I’ll show up. But I’m not playing this fucking game anymore.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Brian: You’re wrong about that revolution. As I pointed out to Partypup in another post, its entirely possible to have a revolution in this country without a shot being fired.

Jefferson was a strong advocate for such an “overthrow” and the beauty of America is that it allows for such a bloodless coup through the power of franchise.

There was a time when there were more than two choices of party to vote for (anyone remember the Whigs?) and there is no one to say that there can’t be again.

Brown’s victory in MA is not necessarily a complete repudiation of Obama (as some in the GOP are claiming), but its also not a testimonial for either party. Rather, as Pup, Zeit and Arraya have astutely pointed out, its a recognition by individuals throughout this country that their vote does have power and the power to reject “Business as Usual”. I agree with Neeta: This is some cool shit going on.

I could care less about either party, but I do care about my country. You can grind on, blasting away at Republicans for being narrow minded bigots (stay away from that mirror, Brian) and Dems for having great Progressive ideas/ideals (these being roundly rejected by the electorate), or you can recognize, as Pup says, that we’re at a crossroads in our history and the times, they are a changin’.

As the old Chinese proverb/curse goes: “May you live in interesting times”.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Brian: You’re wrong about that revolution. As I pointed out to Partypup in another post, its entirely possible to have a revolution in this country without a shot being fired.

Jefferson was a strong advocate for such an “overthrow” and the beauty of America is that it allows for such a bloodless coup through the power of franchise.

There was a time when there were more than two choices of party to vote for (anyone remember the Whigs?) and there is no one to say that there can’t be again.

Brown’s victory in MA is not necessarily a complete repudiation of Obama (as some in the GOP are claiming), but its also not a testimonial for either party. Rather, as Pup, Zeit and Arraya have astutely pointed out, its a recognition by individuals throughout this country that their vote does have power and the power to reject “Business as Usual”. I agree with Neeta: This is some cool shit going on.

I could care less about either party, but I do care about my country. You can grind on, blasting away at Republicans for being narrow minded bigots (stay away from that mirror, Brian) and Dems for having great Progressive ideas/ideals (these being roundly rejected by the electorate), or you can recognize, as Pup says, that we’re at a crossroads in our history and the times, they are a changin’.

As the old Chinese proverb/curse goes: “May you live in interesting times”.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Brian: You’re wrong about that revolution. As I pointed out to Partypup in another post, its entirely possible to have a revolution in this country without a shot being fired.

Jefferson was a strong advocate for such an “overthrow” and the beauty of America is that it allows for such a bloodless coup through the power of franchise.

There was a time when there were more than two choices of party to vote for (anyone remember the Whigs?) and there is no one to say that there can’t be again.

Brown’s victory in MA is not necessarily a complete repudiation of Obama (as some in the GOP are claiming), but its also not a testimonial for either party. Rather, as Pup, Zeit and Arraya have astutely pointed out, its a recognition by individuals throughout this country that their vote does have power and the power to reject “Business as Usual”. I agree with Neeta: This is some cool shit going on.

I could care less about either party, but I do care about my country. You can grind on, blasting away at Republicans for being narrow minded bigots (stay away from that mirror, Brian) and Dems for having great Progressive ideas/ideals (these being roundly rejected by the electorate), or you can recognize, as Pup says, that we’re at a crossroads in our history and the times, they are a changin’.

As the old Chinese proverb/curse goes: “May you live in interesting times”.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Brian: You’re wrong about that revolution. As I pointed out to Partypup in another post, its entirely possible to have a revolution in this country without a shot being fired.

Jefferson was a strong advocate for such an “overthrow” and the beauty of America is that it allows for such a bloodless coup through the power of franchise.

There was a time when there were more than two choices of party to vote for (anyone remember the Whigs?) and there is no one to say that there can’t be again.

Brown’s victory in MA is not necessarily a complete repudiation of Obama (as some in the GOP are claiming), but its also not a testimonial for either party. Rather, as Pup, Zeit and Arraya have astutely pointed out, its a recognition by individuals throughout this country that their vote does have power and the power to reject “Business as Usual”. I agree with Neeta: This is some cool shit going on.

I could care less about either party, but I do care about my country. You can grind on, blasting away at Republicans for being narrow minded bigots (stay away from that mirror, Brian) and Dems for having great Progressive ideas/ideals (these being roundly rejected by the electorate), or you can recognize, as Pup says, that we’re at a crossroads in our history and the times, they are a changin’.

As the old Chinese proverb/curse goes: “May you live in interesting times”.

[Allan from Fallbrook]

Brian: You’re wrong about that revolution. As I pointed out to Partypup in another post, its entirely possible to have a revolution in this country without a shot being fired.

Jefferson was a strong advocate for such an “overthrow” and the beauty of America is that it allows for such a bloodless coup through the power of franchise.

There was a time when there were more than two choices of party to vote for (anyone remember the Whigs?) and there is no one to say that there can’t be again.

Brown’s victory in MA is not necessarily a complete repudiation of Obama (as some in the GOP are claiming), but its also not a testimonial for either party. Rather, as Pup, Zeit and Arraya have astutely pointed out, its a recognition by individuals throughout this country that their vote does have power and the power to reject “Business as Usual”. I agree with Neeta: This is some cool shit going on.

I could care less about either party, but I do care about my country. You can grind on, blasting away at Republicans for being narrow minded bigots (stay away from that mirror, Brian) and Dems for having great Progressive ideas/ideals (these being roundly rejected by the electorate), or you can recognize, as Pup says, that we’re at a crossroads in our history and the times, they are a changin’.

As the old Chinese proverb/curse goes: “May you live in interesting times”.

[DWCAP]

Personally I dont really see alot of what the MSM does. I think the real political miscalculation was the misreading of what the vote in 2008 really was. Alot of independent voters used it as a chance to cast a vote against Bush and his broken policies. So they voted for the guy with a different letter behind his name and a slogan of ‘change’. McSame was what killed McCain.

But then there was no change. Same policies, same winners/loosers, same general everything, just more of it. The real McSame was revieled, and again people voted against it. That is it. Most voters (me included)dont understand how you can fix a problem by doing what got you there over and over again, just in larger amounts. Health care is just noise.

And,

I dont believe the policial bailout of everyone who needed one saved us from anything, other than my children actually enjoying their taxes and bankers/CEOs having to report 6 figure bonus’s instead of 7. All the bad debt, all the speculation, and all the legal graft need to be flushed and the pain of it will be felt. Now we just get to feel it over a longer period of time, and the people who benifited most from the boom dont have to feel the bust as bad. Was that really worth a few trillion?

[DWCAP]

Personally I dont really see alot of what the MSM does. I think the real political miscalculation was the misreading of what the vote in 2008 really was. Alot of independent voters used it as a chance to cast a vote against Bush and his broken policies. So they voted for the guy with a different letter behind his name and a slogan of ‘change’. McSame was what killed McCain.

But then there was no change. Same policies, same winners/loosers, same general everything, just more of it. The real McSame was revieled, and again people voted against it. That is it. Most voters (me included)dont understand how you can fix a problem by doing what got you there over and over again, just in larger amounts. Health care is just noise.

And,

I dont believe the policial bailout of everyone who needed one saved us from anything, other than my children actually enjoying their taxes and bankers/CEOs having to report 6 figure bonus’s instead of 7. All the bad debt, all the speculation, and all the legal graft need to be flushed and the pain of it will be felt. Now we just get to feel it over a longer period of time, and the people who benifited most from the boom dont have to feel the bust as bad. Was that really worth a few trillion?

[DWCAP]

Personally I dont really see alot of what the MSM does. I think the real political miscalculation was the misreading of what the vote in 2008 really was. Alot of independent voters used it as a chance to cast a vote against Bush and his broken policies. So they voted for the guy with a different letter behind his name and a slogan of ‘change’. McSame was what killed McCain.

But then there was no change. Same policies, same winners/loosers, same general everything, just more of it. The real McSame was revieled, and again people voted against it. That is it. Most voters (me included)dont understand how you can fix a problem by doing what got you there over and over again, just in larger amounts. Health care is just noise.

And,

I dont believe the policial bailout of everyone who needed one saved us from anything, other than my children actually enjoying their taxes and bankers/CEOs having to report 6 figure bonus’s instead of 7. All the bad debt, all the speculation, and all the legal graft need to be flushed and the pain of it will be felt. Now we just get to feel it over a longer period of time, and the people who benifited most from the boom dont have to feel the bust as bad. Was that really worth a few trillion?

[DWCAP]

Personally I dont really see alot of what the MSM does. I think the real political miscalculation was the misreading of what the vote in 2008 really was. Alot of independent voters used it as a chance to cast a vote against Bush and his broken policies. So they voted for the guy with a different letter behind his name and a slogan of ‘change’. McSame was what killed McCain.

But then there was no change. Same policies, same winners/loosers, same general everything, just more of it. The real McSame was revieled, and again people voted against it. That is it. Most voters (me included)dont understand how you can fix a problem by doing what got you there over and over again, just in larger amounts. Health care is just noise.

And,

I dont believe the policial bailout of everyone who needed one saved us from anything, other than my children actually enjoying their taxes and bankers/CEOs having to report 6 figure bonus’s instead of 7. All the bad debt, all the speculation, and all the legal graft need to be flushed and the pain of it will be felt. Now we just get to feel it over a longer period of time, and the people who benifited most from the boom dont have to feel the bust as bad. Was that really worth a few trillion?

[DWCAP]

Personally I dont really see alot of what the MSM does. I think the real political miscalculation was the misreading of what the vote in 2008 really was. Alot of independent voters used it as a chance to cast a vote against Bush and his broken policies. So they voted for the guy with a different letter behind his name and a slogan of ‘change’. McSame was what killed McCain.

But then there was no change. Same policies, same winners/loosers, same general everything, just more of it. The real McSame was revieled, and again people voted against it. That is it. Most voters (me included)dont understand how you can fix a problem by doing what got you there over and over again, just in larger amounts. Health care is just noise.

And,

I dont believe the policial bailout of everyone who needed one saved us from anything, other than my children actually enjoying their taxes and bankers/CEOs having to report 6 figure bonus’s instead of 7. All the bad debt, all the speculation, and all the legal graft need to be flushed and the pain of it will be felt. Now we just get to feel it over a longer period of time, and the people who benifited most from the boom dont have to feel the bust as bad. Was that really worth a few trillion?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]This is some cool shit going on.[/quote]

Allan, this cool shit has been going on for over 200 years.

But I’m having trouble understanding why some see this recent election as any more significant than any other.

Maybe we are all in violent agreement: Our democratic process is a marvel of human accomplishment. It is a blessing that we all enjoy and should never take for granted.

Some elections lead to massive upheaval (e.g. Presidential election of 1860). Some are part of a series of shifts in national sentiment (congressional elections, 1994). Sometimes that sentiment shifts back in a few years.

Every election contributes to a change, sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually. Like you mentioned, Jefferson said something to the effect that every election is a bloodless revolution by design. They are all important in some way because they are all part of a beautiful process that, despite it’s quirks, is masterfully designed and has proven itself to work for centuries.

Given that, I just don’t see why this particular election is a big deal. Perhaps history will prove otherwise, but I really think we are letting the media over-hype this. Yes, there are issues at stake. But, relative to our history, the current issues today are pretty ordinary.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]This is some cool shit going on.[/quote]

Allan, this cool shit has been going on for over 200 years.

But I’m having trouble understanding why some see this recent election as any more significant than any other.

Maybe we are all in violent agreement: Our democratic process is a marvel of human accomplishment. It is a blessing that we all enjoy and should never take for granted.

Some elections lead to massive upheaval (e.g. Presidential election of 1860). Some are part of a series of shifts in national sentiment (congressional elections, 1994). Sometimes that sentiment shifts back in a few years.

Every election contributes to a change, sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually. Like you mentioned, Jefferson said something to the effect that every election is a bloodless revolution by design. They are all important in some way because they are all part of a beautiful process that, despite it’s quirks, is masterfully designed and has proven itself to work for centuries.

Given that, I just don’t see why this particular election is a big deal. Perhaps history will prove otherwise, but I really think we are letting the media over-hype this. Yes, there are issues at stake. But, relative to our history, the current issues today are pretty ordinary.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]This is some cool shit going on.[/quote]

Allan, this cool shit has been going on for over 200 years.

But I’m having trouble understanding why some see this recent election as any more significant than any other.

Maybe we are all in violent agreement: Our democratic process is a marvel of human accomplishment. It is a blessing that we all enjoy and should never take for granted.

Some elections lead to massive upheaval (e.g. Presidential election of 1860). Some are part of a series of shifts in national sentiment (congressional elections, 1994). Sometimes that sentiment shifts back in a few years.

Every election contributes to a change, sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually. Like you mentioned, Jefferson said something to the effect that every election is a bloodless revolution by design. They are all important in some way because they are all part of a beautiful process that, despite it’s quirks, is masterfully designed and has proven itself to work for centuries.

Given that, I just don’t see why this particular election is a big deal. Perhaps history will prove otherwise, but I really think we are letting the media over-hype this. Yes, there are issues at stake. But, relative to our history, the current issues today are pretty ordinary.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Allan from Fallbrook]This is some cool shit going on.[/quote]

Allan, this cool shit has been going on for over 200 years.

But I’m having trouble understanding why some see this recent election as any more significant than any other.

Maybe we are all in violent agreement: Our democratic process is a marvel of human accomplishment. It is a blessing that we all enjoy and should never take for granted.

Some elections lead to massive upheaval (e.g. Presidential election of 1860). Some are part of a series of shifts in national sentiment (congressional elections, 1994). Sometimes that sentiment shifts back in a few years.

Every election contributes to a change, sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually. Like you mentioned, Jefferson said something to the effect that every election is a bloodless revolution by design. They are all important in some way because they are all part of a beautiful process that, despite it’s quirks, is masterfully designed and has proven itself to work for centuries.

Given that, I just don’t see why this particular election is a big deal. Perhaps history will prove otherwise, but I really think we are letting the media over-hype this. Yes, there are issues at stake. But, relative to our history, the current issues today are pretty ordinary.

[Author]

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