Did you vote?

[Jmustang1968]

I am not really pro-Republican, but I am anti-Democrat, so I am generally pleased with this outcome.

The Republicans big problem of getting a solid presidential candidate. All of the frontrunners are too polarizing or have some sort of character flaw that will be hard to win with.

[Jmustang1968]

Republicans won. I guess not everyone wants to live on food stamps and handouts forever. Some people actually want to work. I think it's overall good the republicans won.

Okay, first of all stop with the lame attempts to start arguments. I think I speak for the whole mod team when I say that we are tired of you starting crap with other board members. You want to post on this board, knock off the vitriol, baiting, and negativity. Please don't mistake this for a suggestion.

Secondly, and I think this bothers me even more than your transparent attempt to start conflict over this topic, you are wrong. Food stamps, disability payments, and other aspects of the social safety net that fall under the catchall 'welfare' are distributed disproportionately across Southern states states that, as we all saw last night, will vote Republican even when it is not at all in their best interest. This is not exactly hard to find information. You live in Alabama - ever been to any rural counties and wonder how it is people manage to live out there with nearly no work to speak of? Ever see a "Vote Democrat" sign out in that area?

What happened last night was the GOP finally figuring out after 6 years of getting stomped that the key to winning mid-term elections is not to appeal to the base: GOP die hards who are (usually irrationally) terrified of anything happening to their guns, benefits, or Bibles will come out and vote no matter what - you could set the polling station on fire and these guys would still get their ballots filled out. What the GOP needed to do was shut up about anything and everything that could terrify Democrats and Independents into voting in a non-Presidential election.

And they succeeded, brilliantly. In the last two months the GOP managed to strangle the Tea Party in any contested states (probably a win for all concerned) and went entirely mum on the subjects of the ACA, border control, taxes, reproductive rights - anything that can incite moderates and liberals to go to the polls. It was an amazing gameplan and it paid off.

You kinda just did what you warned jvalentine against in your 4th paragraph...

[dsheinem]

And they succeeded, brilliantly. In the last two months the GOP managed to strangle the Tea Party in any contested states (probably a win for all concerned) and went entirely mum on the subjects of the ACA, border control, taxes, reproductive rights - anything that can incite moderates and liberals to go to the polls. It was an amazing gameplan and it paid off.

Yup. Props where props are due. It is pretty typical for the party in opposition to the sitting president to pick up a half dozen senate seats or so in a midterm (which is why the results aren't that shocking), but the Republicans did manage to run a campaign of non-information and non-crazy talk for the most part.

Fits well with their practices of non-governing, I think

[Flake]

And they succeeded, brilliantly. In the last two months the GOP managed to strangle the Tea Party in any contested states (probably a win for all concerned) and went entirely mum on the subjects of the ACA, border control, taxes, reproductive rights - anything that can incite moderates and liberals to go to the polls. It was an amazing gameplan and it paid off.

You kinda just did what you warned jvalentine against in your 4th paragraph...

Not at all - I think you're reading negativity where none exists. Objectively, those are the things that the GOP almost always goes a little too extreme in their public views and that is what gets Democrats and Independents - who are notoriously unreliable in non-Presidential elections - out to vote.

To cite an example: Wendy Davis. She got beat last night in Texas. It wasn't even close. But it was a LOT closer than it really should have been given that Greg Abbot has been groomed for this position for over a decade. She wouldn't have even been an electoral blip if Rick Perry hadn't overreached on the topic of reproductive rights last year.

[Jmustang1968]

And they succeeded, brilliantly. In the last two months the GOP managed to strangle the Tea Party in any contested states (probably a win for all concerned) and went entirely mum on the subjects of the ACA, border control, taxes, reproductive rights - anything that can incite moderates and liberals to go to the polls. It was an amazing gameplan and it paid off.

Yup. Props where props are due. It is pretty typical for the party in opposition to the sitting president to pick up a half dozen senate seats or so in a midterm (which is why the results aren't that shocking), but the Republicans did manage to run a campaign of non-information and non-crazy talk for the most part.

Fits well with their practices of non-governing, I think

And the Dems in the Senate didnt pass House bills, so it works both ways in this one.

[Luke]

Coach K continues to prove the only thing he understands in life is basketball.

Powell would have probably been an interesting president, but my take is that he's not a good enough politician to play all the campaign games and jump through all the hoops he needs to in order to get elected.

Without a doubt what Coach K understands, he understands very well. Not just basketball, but education, leadership, mentoring, being a Father, and I'm pretty sure he's also the best coach in any sport of all time. He understands more than just balls of baskets.

You said it. Powell isn't a politician, he's a leader.

[Luke]

Jvalentine starts a thread...

People knee jerk like a four year old trying out double dutch.

It's all J's fault.




Hypocrisy.

"I have this cold sore in my mouth! I keep poking it but that's not helping!".

[AppleQueso]

*farts again*

[Luke]

poop

[AppleQueso]

poop

Luke, please, this is a serious discussion.