Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:43 am Post subject: Republicans sweep house
The republicans in the senate and house tonight made a large sweep in the elections today. The odds are going to be set as 55-45 on the senate in favor of the republicans. If the president wins the election as well, it will be the first time in 100 years that the republicans have been in control of the government for a whole decade. Looks like our war efforts and our presidents proposals will have strong backing by our congress now that they even more in the majority. What do you guys all think of this?
Joined: Jul 17, 2004 Posts: 486 Location: Amerika (most of the time)
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:04 am Post subject:
It's amazing to me that Republicans have been successful in convincing large numbers of poor and middle class people to vote against their own self-interests. Like I said in another post this election was about God, guns and gays with a little fear of the Arabs thrown in.
Now what really concerns me about this election is that Bush has NOTHING to stop him now. The Democrats are weak and useless now. If you thought these first four years were interesting, wait until you see these next four years. Peak Oil, Petrodollar shakeup, Massive Debt... _________________ Simon's Law: Everything put together falls apart sooner or later.
I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.--Anne Frank
The republicans in the senate and house tonight made a large sweep in the elections today. The odds are going to be set as 55-45 on the senate in favor of the republicans. If the president wins the election as well, it will be the first time in 100 years that the republicans have been in control of the government for a whole decade.
Don't forget that he probably gets to appoint a new judge as well. I'm not too familiar with the US governmental system, but it seems to me like most of the checks and balances have been seriously undermined by this development. Looking at the geographical spread of the votes it appears that the big cities in the US are basically held hostage by rural conservative America.
Quote:
with a little fear of the Arabs thrown in.
I got the feeling that a lot of the rural people voted for Bush because they fear terrorism. In stark contrast, the city dwellers, which have statistically the largest chance of ever getting hit by terrorism, voted for Kerry. I'm not sure how to explain that.
Anyway my overwhelming feeling at this moment is that of grave concern. Partly because of the impending reelection of Bush, but mostly on the way he's elected. I mean here you have a president which has been elected by an overwhelming majority, yet the opposition chooses to cling on to a one in a billion chance that they can reverse the results.
I already heard that the Reps accuse the Dem governors of New Mexico and Ohio of sabotaging the elections by denying them their victory speech. In all fairness the results there could have, and should have, been called a long time ago. I have to admit that I also have no clue about what the Dem's want to achieve with this.
This has already a quite harsh and bloody campaign and its elections were even worse. How are you ever going to normalize the relations between the Reps and the Dem's after this? Especially since there is no need for dialog, from the Rep side. They have the complete mandate anyway.
Joined: Jul 17, 2004 Posts: 486 Location: Amerika (most of the time)
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:08 am Post subject:
[quote="smiley]
I got the feeling that a lot of the rural people voted for Bush because they fear terrorism. In stark contrast, the city dwellers, which have statistically the largest chance of ever getting hit by terrorism, voted for Kerry. I'm not sure how to explain that.
[/quote]
You are correct that rural people fear terrorism and security was a paramount issue on the minds of many but it is wrapped up in a Muslim/Arab/fear of the "other" mindset that Dubya hammered (obviously pretty effectively) throughout the election. Many city people are far more secular/exposed than rural people so it was harder for Bush to exploit the whole God/christianity/islamic terrorist factor. Also don't forget the gay marriage thing that riles up conservative Christians more than anything and was expertly exploited by Bush. Wow, I guess it is easy to scare the hell out of people and make them support you even when the facts are not in your favor. _________________ Simon's Law: Everything put together falls apart sooner or later.
I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.--Anne Frank
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 508 Location: Republic of Texas
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 5:06 pm Post subject:
I think that if you don't like what the Republicans are selling, you're in a rapidly shrinking minority. I'd say this applies to 95% of the posters on this website. _________________ The road goes on forever and the party never ends - REK
Joined: Aug 10, 2004 Posts: 1104 Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 5:22 pm Post subject:
pip wrote:
I think that if you don't like what the Republicans are selling, you're in a rapidly shrinking minority. I'd say this applies to 95% of the posters on this website.
The above comment demonstrates great ignorance of the past and the present. Lyndon B Johnson absolutely destroyed the Goldwater Republicans in 1964. Wiped his butt with them and threw them aside. 48% of the people chose John Kerry over George Bush in this election. Not a landslide in any form.
The pendulum has swung, but how far? This was not a wipeout election. It was a shifting, that is true. But little more. The Republicans will treat it as a mandate. But with 2005 and 2006 there will likely be a few hens coming home to roost. Bush and folks will be on the receiving end, not Kerry. That may cause the pendulum to shift in the opposite direction once again.
Your understanding of statistics, e.g. the 95% mentioned above, it therefore defectve.
Posts like this are what make the content of this website marginal at many times. Short time perspective. Little understanding of history. I invest for the long-term. I plan for the long-term. So many people on this site read a few articles about tight oil supplies and they're immediately polishing their guns and hiding in their bunkers. Short-term thinkers if you ask me.
Joined: Apr 04, 2004 Posts: 578 Location: Western US
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:29 am Post subject:
Rural people scared of terrorism?
Why the hell would we be scared of terrorism. It would be a huge waste of time to attack areas of low population density. I know a lot of rural people and believe me, that's of little thought. Kerry went down because he didn't bring anything to the table, therefore the incumbent won. I don't even think it was because people like Bush as much as it was that the only sound bites anybody heard from Kerry was "war veteran" and "I have a plan". I got over being a war vet six months after I was discharged, he should have done the same and brought his "plan" out of the closet. Sound bites and shiny trinkets that resemble them don't impress me. Sorry RC, I like a lot of your opinions but I think that one is way off. _________________ You observed it from the start
Now you’re a million miles apart
As we bleed another nation
So you can watch you favorite station
Now you eyes pop out your sockets
Dirty hands and empty pockets
Who? You!
c.o.c.
Joined: Jul 17, 2004 Posts: 486 Location: Amerika (most of the time)
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 1:47 pm Post subject:
dmtu wrote:
Sorry RC, I like a lot of your opinions but I think that one is way off.
I think you are right. Yesterday was kind of emotional for me. I think I was holding out hope that a Kerry administration could save us from the ravages that will be Peak Oil. Strange that I would think that knowing what I know about the system and how impossible it will be to move away from hydrocarbons. Like Savinar said, "Bush isn't the problem and Kerry isn't the solution".
You're analysis is pretty accurate though. Terrorism wasn't that big of deal for most Americans (especially most of those that voted for Dubya). Religion and homosexual marriage were WAY more important to most people (even though my viewpoint is a bit jaundiced because I'm deep in the Bible Belt). It's a shame that Iraq is not that big of a deal to most people but then I realized that most Americans probably could not find Iraq on a map to save their life. That's not to say that Americans are morons. I think it's pure plain and simple that most Americans just don't give a crap about too much of anything that is not outside of these borders. That's why Dubya's "fight them over there so we don't fight them here" is so damn effective. Oh well, these will be interesting times to say the least. _________________ Simon's Law: Everything put together falls apart sooner or later.
I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.--Anne Frank
Joined: Sep 29, 2004 Posts: 2330 Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:08 pm Post subject:
Picking a president is an emotional decision for the average joe, who is not trained to think objectively. There really isn't much going on upstairs in the average American, I'm sorry to say.
From an emotional standpoint, GWB and his family is warm and fuzzy compared to the divorced, then marry a millionairess Kerry. Also, in a popularity contest, Teresa Heinz is a disaster for John Kerry, while Laura Bush is an asset for GW.
So you have your choice between a happily married, abet somewhat simpleton (being simple minded also helps with average joe who has an inferiority complex) standing president and a divorced, long winded Boston intellectual. Of course Bush won.
Joined: Jul 17, 2004 Posts: 486 Location: Amerika (most of the time)
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:50 pm Post subject:
Kingcoal wrote:
Picking a president is an emotional decision for the average joe, who is not trained to think objectively. There really isn't much going on upstairs in the average American, I'm sorry to say.
From an emotional standpoint, GWB and his family is warm and fuzzy compared to the divorced, then marry a millionairess Kerry. Also, in a popularity contest, Teresa Heinz is a disaster for John Kerry, while Laura Bush is an asset for GW.
So you have your choice between a happily married, abet somewhat simpleton (being simple minded also helps with average joe who has an inferiority complex) standing president and a divorced, long winded Boston intellectual. Of course Bush won.
Right on. Don't forget that Kerry was a dumbass also by trying to pander to the Average Joe. Remember the NASCAR quote and goose hunting episodes. It really made Kerry look ridiculous. Teresa would have been a fun first lady because you can tell that she doesn't give a rat's ass about what anyone else thinks. I guess being worth a few hundred million will do that to you. You're also right that the election was a contest between a simpleton and an intellectual. It's a shame that a person has to dumb down for a majority of the electorate. Too bad Kerry couldn't pretend to be somewhat dumb and affable (like Clinton and Reagan pulled off). _________________ Simon's Law: Everything put together falls apart sooner or later.
I don't think of all the misery, but of all the beauty that still remains.--Anne Frank
Joined: Apr 21, 2004 Posts: 508 Location: Republic of Texas
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 3:27 pm Post subject:
The swing toward the right started 10 years ago when the Congress changed hands. This election is part of more than a "little shift". The justices that will be nominated in the next four years will cement the conservative control of the government for the next generation.
Bush is a strong leader that speaks simply and means what he says. He backs his beliefs up with actions. The left sees no value to these qualities which is exactly why they are being left out in the cold. If we see peak oil in the next four years, the value of a strong leader is apparent.
The other option was a guy who needed an opinion poll to make a decision. _________________ The road goes on forever and the party never ends - REK
Joined: Sep 18, 2004 Posts: 252 Location: East Malaysia
Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 2:56 am Post subject:
Pip, I am not US citizen so I don't care about so called video game 'election' in your motherland. Why don't you people over there just use a normal pen and just draw a circle over your candidate name ? No ambiguity. No accussation of electronic fraud.
Quote:
I'd say this applies to 95% of the posters on this website.
George W. Bush is Not the Problem. John Kerry is Not the Solution.
According to the Republicans , it seem like they are heroes. They like their sons and daughters to come back in body bags and given military honor burial ceremonies. For King and Country. Only brave Republicans joined the army so they can come home in beautifully decorated coffins with military burials.
Those cowards can become Democrat and stay in their home and don't invade any countries as they are cowards remember... If this is your reality, then we non-US people prefer cowards to rule their own country so the world will be a more peaceful place to live.
Long live cowards. We admire your suburban house, car and your civilized world. Dead to Rambo wannabe , we hate you and hope that the mortar I fired just now send you to your maker.
The government in Ireland tried to bring in electronic voting a few months age. Spent €50 million on machines. Uproar by opposition parties. Experts were brought forward who proved the things could be tampered with. Whole scheme was scrapped. Pens and paper for us too Borneo.and long may it continue. _________________ www.askaboutenergy.com
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4280 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 9:31 am Post subject:
Don't forget Kerry's remark about Cheney's daughter during the debate. I was no big backer of Kerry (if anyone, i would've preferred Dean) but when he said that I just thought it was such a ridiculous comment. He pronounced Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI incorrectly ( A BIG NO NO--those people are hardcore Packer fans). Dubya was just more like the avg american (dumb and simple) and along with a solid family got him elected.
I believe Kerry was seen as a fake and Bush as genuine.
The majority of Kerry backers were Bush haters. Bush has to realize he might have 59million supporters, but he also has 54million people who don't care for him, along with the majority of Europe/mideast.
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