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November 09, 2016 07:14 AM UTC

Wednesday Open Thread

  • 43 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Apparently it was not a bad dream.

Comments

43 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread

  1. top line:

    2012   Democrat popular vote   65,915,795

    2016   Democrat popular vote   59,233,484

    Seems like the voter suppression by legislatures, court acquiescence, FBI insinuations, and Democratic triumphalism had an impact.

    1. No, it's been eight years of an imperial Obama presidency, and the assumption that Hillary was "entitled" to be the next Democratic president (remember that, Bernie fans?) that caused about 6 million less popular votes for the Democratic nominee. 

      "Voter suppression" is a myth and a poor excuse for a pathetic political strategy put forth by the Democratic Party.  If a citizen really wants to cast a ballot, there are many ways — and time — to do it.

      The truth is people are tired of the Clintons and all the scandals that seem to follow them.  It is surprising how many "blue" states voted against a "third term" for the Obama presidency and were glad to put the Clintons behind them once and for all.

      Frankly, the national Democratic Party has more internal problems than the national Republican Party does.  The GOP had 17 presidential candidates, including two Hispanics, a woman, and a black.  The Democrats had 5 presidential candidates, two of who were former Republicans.  The last two standing — Sanders and Clinton — were 75 and 69, respectively. 

      It does not seem that the Democrats have much of a bench nationally or even in this state.  It is remarkable that it was the Colorado Republicans, not Colorado Democrats, that had two black candidates on the ballot for federal elected offices.

      Voters, across the nation, weren't buying what Democrats were selling in 2016.  It will be interesting if they continue to pursue the "War on Women" strategy in 2018.  It hasn't worked in the last two cycles.

      1. Yep. Their beautiful minds just made them have make a "statement" and to throw those 20 million people off their health insurance..you know, because it is all about them. Just pathetic

  2. In eight years we have gone from Dem President, Dem Senate and Dem House to Republican President, Republican Senate and Republican House.

    Perhaps some introspection as to what the Dems did over the last 8 years that pissed off so many voters is in order.

    In Colorado eight years ago, 4 House members and 2 Senators, now 3 House members and 1 Senator.

    It was not your message, it is what you did with the opportunity.

      1. Well, obviously, voters feel better having Republicans owning it than Democrats. 

        The real question now is will the Senate Democrats be the obstructionists they complained about the Senate Republicans being? 

        Considering 23 Democratic Senate seats (plus the two Independents that caucus with the Dems) are up for election in 2018, I do not think so.  There is already talk that Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is thinking about switching to Independent and caucusing with the Senate GOP.  The political pendulum is starting to swing back to the right.  

        1. You don't know shit. Democrats will be as obstructionist as we need to be. The nuclear option on the Supreme Court, for a start. Merrick Garland needs to be confirmed with simple up or down vote. Middle of the night session, recess appointment, whatever it takes. Stop fucking around with these clowns.

          How are Republicans going to keep their charade going when Trump is brought up on racketeering charges, sexual assault and harassment civil suits, IRS penalties, voter suppression (violation of the consent decree), treacherous conspiracy with Russian intelligence, and whatever else he's been flagrantly violating. I think he'll be impeached. This is why he's already threatening Paul Ryan.

          Even in our worst of times with our worst presidents (Harding, Nixon, more), the American people have not stood outright criminals in the highest office in the land.

          1. Trust me, Mamajama55, if Harry Reid pulls the nuclear option, in the lame duck session, the 54 GOP senators will vote down Merrick Garland's nomination.  Then, the nuclear option will be in effect for the next four years of a Trump presidency.  Be careful what you wish for.

            Frankly, I thought Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP handled Judge Garland's nomination very poorly.  They should have held the hearings and then voted against his confirmation, if they wanted.  It's happened plenty of times before by both parties.

            If Hillary Clinton wasn't brought up on charges, neither will be Trump.  Civil suits and IRS penalties are not impeachable offenses.  Voter suppression by someone who didn't even hold any political power?  That's a neat trick!  Racketeering charges?  Good luck with that. 

            "Treacherous conspiracy with Russian intelligence?"  I think Russian intelligence got everything they needed from Hillary's private e-mail server, Eric Snowden, and Wikileaks.     

            By the way, you left Jimmy Carter off the list of our worst presidents.

          2. I'm with you on that one MJ. I give him two years until his precious Republican Congress is forced to start impeachment proceedings. There's such a smorgasbord of crimes to pick from. And, as Karen said this evening, by 2020 no one will be able to figure out how he ever won since no one will cop to voting for him.

      1. Congratulations to your mom, David.  It really does take a lot of guts to seek public office today.  It also takes a lot of work to actually serve. 

        I also have a lot of sympathy for the children — regardless of their age — whose parents seek public office.  It must be agonizing to hear people say terrible things about your mom or dad, especially when you know it isn't true.

        1. My mom & sister agree a lot more than they disagree. Most of the political discussion around the house is talking through the impact of things.

          With that said, if the two of them ever hit a major disagreement, I'm guessing everyone else in the legislature is going to run for their lives.

  3. Al Sharpton, Charlie Rangle, and Ruth Bader Ginzburg all said they would leave the country if Trump became president.  Hopefully they are honorable people and keep their word.

    On January 20, 2017 we will start draining the swamp.

     

    1. Actually, allyn, you won't be draining much of anything. Case in point: Obamacare, what will be done with over 10,000,000 people who now have health insurance? Thus far, I haven't seen much of an answer from my fellow Republicans, altho I thought Orinn Hatch of Utah was working on something. Don't remember details now; it's been a few years. But I recall that I was liking much of it.

      2nd case in point: completely repealing Obamacare eliminates the major increase from the Affordable Care Act in funding to fight Medicare fraud. How is that dealt with?

      In general, there always is room for reforms of one kind or another when the out-of-power party takes over. The issue becomes not throwing the baby out with the bath water. 

  4. Bright spots:

     

    Rachel Zenzinger (Dem)

    47.8%

     

    (36,616)

    Laura Woods (GOP)

    46.1%

     

    (35,310)

    Hans Romer (Lib)

    5.9%

     

    (4,573)

     

     

     

    Thank god for Libertarians.

     

      1. "Drowning the Greens" would be stupid and pointless. They didn't vote (D), but they didn't vote (R), so if they had all died before the election, it would have made exactly zero difference to the outcome.

        You should want to "enlist the Greens" or "convince the Greens" or "recruit the Greens" instead.

  5. Sources: Gardner to lead Senate GOP campaign arm

    Colorado GOP Sen. Cory Gardner has locked up enough votes to be the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman for the 2018 cycle, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter told POLITICO.

    The freshman senator, whose political team has been laying the groundwork to help the Senate GOP’s campaign arm for nearly a year, made a final round of phone calls to win enough support to take the job. His competition, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), is expected to support Gardner’s bid next week in leadership elections.

  6. Being freely honest, I do not like Trump and consider him a pompous ass. I did not vote for him. But, as a Republican, I have to "own" him and his performance. There is a bright side. Trump is erratic enough that one never quite knows where he will come down on an issue. Had Cruz gotten the nomination and won, we'd be looking at the "rapture" and the beginning of theocracy. And Trump is not a hard line far rightie. Now that he's elected, he can chart his own course; maybe listen at times to Paul Ryan and Ditch McDonnell, or not. The national Dems do have their work cut out for them. Elizabeth Warren is not the answer and Bernie will be too old in 2020.

    Locally, I was generally pleased. Public lands opponent Laura Woods went down. Single payer got wiped out; as did the tax & spend tobacco tax. Death with dignity passed. The JeffCo school tax & bond measures went down; half billion for a district with flat enrollment did not make fiscal sense. And the best news of the evening; SCFD was re-authorized. 

    1. Thank you, CHB. I couldn't imagine that you voted for him. Unlike too many of the loud-mouthed Republicans who troll this site, you obviously have more that three functional brain cells. Unfortunately, POTUS-elect doesn't seem to. 

  7. Andrew,

    You so very regularly misrepresent things.

    Yes.  President Obama was our President for 8 years, but he had a Democratic senate for a very short time.  You'll remember Al Franken was late in being seated, the Scott Brown took Edward Kennedy's seat.

    You also seem to have failed to remember the impact of 8 years of obstructionism by the Republican leaders, most recently represented by their failure to even hold hearings for a Supreme Court justice, a gambit they played well to a populace that doesn't seem to care about the constitution and duties of elected leaders. 

     

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