HELLUVA DEAL!!!

oh.. and FITZ!

just ’cause

Woo Hoo!

Thanks for the Snoopy dance.

Go Webb!!!

WOOHOO… SNOOPY DANCE!

Yes!

SO who is Bush going to fire tomorrow to try and change the subject?

Her’s to Duke Cunningham, Safavian and Abramoff having a lot of company in the very near future.

get on top of that doghouse snoopy and bark like you never barked before.

Ha ha!

We won, Republicans, and you didn’t. Sore losers!

I hardly dared to hope.

Let the hearings commence! Subpeonas all ’round, please.

Goddam this is fun. Wathing the talking heads tonite, and I didnt even want to throw anything. Well, ok I did, but only a few times.

Where am I going to direct all this venom?

Am I destined to become a placid lamb?

Should I take up golf. :)

Subpoenas, bitches!

And Mike Stark, wherever you are, THANK YOU. You da man. I owe you a really big wet sloppy kiss.

When things are calm again, can we please please please put our campaign hats back on and get some help down to Ciro Rodriguez? He has a chance to unseat Henry Bonilla in TX-23 in December.

Arf!

hey Rightroots: turf luck. your seed(y) money is scattered by the four winds

Macaca – another YouTube casualty. The truth shall set you free, bitchez.

Now, if we can just replace Joe with a Stepford-Leiberman who will act like a Democrat.

Special congratulations to the state of Virginia for rejecting the uncloseted son of the confederacy. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

When I was 12 I got to interview the Snoopy Charlie Brown. Now I work for the political Charlie Brown.

SNOOPY!!

Thanks for the graphic. It makes me very happy.

Like I wasn’t already happy enough with the WEBB VICTORY!!!

Life is good! Sometimes the good guys DO win.

weeeeeee!

what fun :)

It’s not over until it’s over. Fox hasn’t called it for Webb yet ;)

Tomorrow Bush will fire himself!

Details at 11.

Can we have a ticker-tape parade for Joe – except this being the 21st Century, we drop a bunch of computer monitors on him?

yabba dabba doooo

Maher on Larry King (I’m paraphrasing):

“The Republican Party is now the old Confederacy. That’s Karl Rove’s legacy.”

A toast, to Virginia attorneys, who have been all over this election, and at the ready for any funny stuff.

now that santorum lost, maybe he can pull the window shades up and cut the grass at his penn hills home. after that he can read the ten million newspapers piled up on his stoop.

This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!

Rick

LJ/Aquaria @ 12

When things are calm again, can we please please please put our campaign hats back on and get some help down to Ciro Rodriguez? He has a chance to unseat Henry Bonilla in TX-23 in December.

Yes. We will do this. Ciro will get a lot of attention.

good day sunshine

Republicans are furious with Dubya. The cannibalism begins. Fealty rewarded with betrayal.

Thanx George.

rickeagle @ 27

This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!

Rick

Happy Birthday, Rick!

Maher on larry king just said Ken Mehlman is gay.

hooray for us all!

let’s give ourselves muscle strain patting ourselves on the backs!

we worked hard! it paid off!

in your face, limbaugh!

.

.

Patrick 4/4 @
22

Can we have a ticker-tape parade for Joe – except this being the 21st Century, we drop a bunch of computer monitors on him?

Oh! thanks for the LOL. Not that I’m not happy about “things” but I am writing a lecture due soon, and every laugh helps. And Dana, thanks for the laugh earlier about the mountain falling on Bush. Wish I could remember exactly how you put it, but it WAS funny.

Y’all want proof that the tables have turned?

Ready?

Dallas went Dem. Yes, that Dallas. A majority of County offices went Dem, including the DA, County Judge, County Treasurer, County and District Clerks, and some 46 judges. Forty-six… Holy Toledo, who wouda thunk it?

http://www.dallasdemocrats.org/default.aspx

Paraguay waits

Hooray all! I do think having the Internet as an alternative to top-down corporate media made a difference in this election.

Al Gore invented it just in time!

Cute!!! Thanks for the laugh.

Chairpeople!

rickeagle @ 27

This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!

Rick

Happy birthday! Hope every birthday of yours coincides with enormous progressive advances.

Hope it’s a good one.

Oh baby, yeah, that needed a Snoopy dance!!

You know, we really do need to do some prep work on Charlie Brown’s district very soon, within days. I’m sure egregious and Nate will get us up to speed, but I think we very much need to get one more seat to take Joe out of play. If the shoe drops soon on Doolittle, we need to be ready to rock!! Lots of blog coverage on Doolittle’s shortcomings, more coverage on Brown’s capabilities.

But a Snoopy dance for now!

scarecrow @ 28

LJ/Aquaria @ 12

When things are calm again, can we please please please put our campaign hats back on and get some help down to Ciro Rodriguez? He has a chance to unseat Henry Bonilla in TX-23 in December.

Yes. We will do this. Ciro will get a lot of attention.

Great! Thanks! He could really use the help. Dems combined took 49% of the vote, which was more than Bonilla got.

We can take him. It can be done. But it will not be easy. I’ll shut up now, so everyone can have fun. We deserve it.

when quoting Frank Zappa last night I forgot the most important line:

Movin’ to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon

(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)

not to drop a turd in anyone’s oatmeal, but anyone else wondering why Holy Joe didn’t get the SecDef nod? my fear is that he’s holding out for something much bigger. imagine Chenron has “medical issues” (maybe from his “hunting trip”)and resigns, (especially since he got the same ringing endorsement that Rummy did last week) aWol appoints HoJo in an effort to appear a “uniter, not a divider” (commence wanking motion) and he gets in (will need 2/3 approval in both chambers for this to happen.) Gov Rendell appoints a repug replacement and it goes 50/50 with HoJo casting the deciding vote. how much stroking will HoJo’s ego need to keep him in his bff’s pocket?

Ed*ard Teller @ 24

Maher on Larry King (I’m paraphrasing):

“The Republican Party is now the old Confederacy. That’s Karl Rove’s legacy.”

Beautiful and TRUE.

Oh, and happy birthday Rick.

Y’know, I can feel my sense of humor returning. Gradually, but, it is.

I think the next two years are going to be fun….

I’ll join in that Snoopy dance! I’ve spent too much of today on my own. What I really want to do is hold hands with somebody and jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs. Group hug time!!!

I keep having flashes of the prologue of “Fellowship of the Ring”, when Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron’s hand and he implodes and all his followers are left powerless and defeated.

OK, maybe that’s a little overdone, but it is a cool scene.

If this holds it will take some serious wind out of Holy Joe’s program. I was not looking forward to him having the swing leverage that was seriously developing. We need a righteous sword and not one compromised by Lieberman.

twolf1 @ 32

Maher on larry king just said Ken Mehlman is gay.

well, he was looking quite Haggard last night

Any comments on whether or not we want Cheney to remain as
V.P. for the next two lame duck years or root for the Fitz to snag
him. Any professional comments on the feasibility of this”
It truly is a great day in America. Now Bush will not get through
any more right wing judges to the Supreme Court. The damage is
truly there and we will have to live it for a long time.
We must win the White House in 08. Less than two years away.
Two years of IN YOUR FACE BUSH—NO BIPARTISAN CO-OPTATION

CBS: Webb Takes Virgina, Dems Take Senate

Looks like Ken Mehlman might the be the next victim into the cannibal pot.

-GSD

Go Webb, even though he’s one of those crazy netroot supported socialist whackos.

“The Republican Party is now the old Confederacy. That’s Karl Rove’s legacy.”

Confederacy of Snoopy* Dunces

*(NSA kind of snoopy)

Damn, I need more sleep or more caffiene. Just remembered Doolittle’s in the House, not Senate.

Oh well — we still need to get a 2/3rds House as our next target.

Come on, Ciro Rodriguez…Come on, Charlie Brown!!

twolf1 @
32

Maher on larry king just said Ken Mehlman is gay.

It’s bad enough that the most serious reporting on television is on “The Daily Show”. Now we have a comedian on CNN telling us what every TV journalist doesn’t have the guts to say.

preznit giv me turkee @ 43

not to drop a turd in anyone’s oatmeal, but anyone else wondering why Holy Joe didn’t get the SecDef nod? my fear is that he’s holding out for something much bigger. imagine Chenron has “medical issues” (maybe from his “hunting trip”)and resigns, (especially since he got the same ringing endorsement that Rummy did last week) aWol appoints HoJo in an effort to appear a “uniter, not a divider” (commence wanking motion) and he gets in (will need 2/3 approval in both chambers for this to happen.) Gov Rendell appoints a repug replacement and it goes 50/50 with HoJo casting the deciding vote. how much stroking will HoJo’s ego need to keep him in his bff’s pocket?

Nah, won’t happen. If Bush were to nominate a Dem (even one as shallowly so as Lieberman) as VP, the raving loonies in the `pug party would be calling for Lieberman’s immediate impeachment (and would that be a fine howdy-doo turnabout’s-fair-play for Lieberman :) ).

Those of us who are praying folk have repeatedly begged God to smite this evil that is killing our nation.

Many prayers have been answered yesterday and today. Not always on our time: I want patience and I want it now…but in good time, and in His plan for us.

Matthew 25 is the to-do list for my professional life; Ephesians 6 is the inner guide: Put on the full armor of God…Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

I’ll bet Justice Stevens is sleeping better tonight.

montag @ 56

preznit giv me turkee @ 43

not to drop a turd in anyone’s oatmeal, but anyone else wondering why Holy Joe didn’t get the SecDef nod? my fear is that he’s holding out for something much bigger. imagine Chenron has “medical issues” (maybe from his “hunting trip”)and resigns, (especially since he got the same ringing endorsement that Rummy did last week) aWol appoints HoJo in an effort to appear a “uniter, not a divider” (commence wanking motion) and he gets in (will need 2/3 approval in both chambers for this to happen.) Gov Rendell appoints a repug replacement and it goes 50/50 with HoJo casting the deciding vote. how much stroking will HoJo’s ego need to keep him in his bff’s pocket?

Nah, won’t happen. If Bush were to nominate a Dem (even one as shallowly so as Lieberman) as VP, the raving loonies in the `pug party would be calling for Lieberman’s immediate impeachment (and would that be a fine howdy-doo turnabout’s-fair-play for Lieberman :) ).

Hmmm. Confirm and impeach. Could be fun.

Hey, does anybody have a subscription (free registration) to http://www.tnr.com/ ? Howie mentioned an article by Rick Perlstein that mentioned Blue America.

~~Did Rahm’s strategy work?
Who really deserves credit for the Democratic comeback?
by Rick Perlstein~~

Howie talks about it at: http://downwithtyranny.blogspo…..but-i.html
(but his link doesn’t work).

Anyway, I am too stressed right now to go through the “free” registration process at TNR, but maybe if someone is alread registered, they could check out the article and post the bit about Blue America. Ta!

Encore!

U2 beautiful day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Fjh5utC2s

YEE FUCKING HAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

egregious wasn’t the only one who wanted a “happy feet” Snoopy dance! The only thing I ever in my life drew that looked like what I saw in my mind was a Snoopy happy dance “short timer” calendar for my first hubby after we sweated out our 3rd Vietnam levy in Germany. Snoopy, he be special for me!

Here’s some theme music…..

Now dance those webbed feet off!

-GSD

A week or two ago, I read a reference to GOP Senators party-switching in the event of a Dem takeover. Anyone else hear that, or rumors of switchers to make Dems have 52 or 53 votes in Senate?

Hey Lakers.

I just paused to consider what happened Tuesday, culminating with KO’s announcement that Webb won.

Fucking A.

Everyone take a bow. Hug yourselves. You all are awesome.

GSD @ 52

There is already talk of Michael Steele for head of the RNC. WAPO has it here: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

preznit giv me turkee @ 43

not to drop a turd in anyone’s oatmeal, but anyone else wondering why Holy Joe didn’t get the SecDef nod? my fear is that he’s holding out for something much bigger. imagine Chenron has “medical issues” (maybe from his “hunting trip”)and resigns, (especially since he got the same ringing endorsement that Rummy did last week) aWol appoints HoJo in an effort to appear a “uniter, not a divider” (commence wanking motion) and he gets in (will need 2/3 approval in both chambers for this to happen.) Gov Rendell appoints a repug replacement and it goes 50/50 with HoJo casting the deciding vote. how much stroking will HoJo’s ego need to keep him in his bff’s pocket?

We’ve always known that the fight would be ugly. This is only the first round of many.

Egregious!!!!!!!!!

Wait a minute– what about the missing petty cash from Liberman’s campaign?

We’re not just forgetting about it, are we?

montag @ 55

Nah, won’t happen. If Bush were to nominate a Dem (even one as shallowly so as Lieberman) as VP, the raving loonies in the `pug party would be calling for Lieberman’s immediate impeachment (and would that be a fine howdy-doo turnabout’s-fair-play for Lieberman :) ).

well, for impeachment to happen it’d mean that John Conyers would have to initiate it. not likely IMHO

Hi mods -

Is the refresh comments button taking the night off? (if so, I hope it enjoys the well-desrved rest and returns to us – well – refreshed.

(this thread and others aren’t showing the “refresh” button – the pages just keep loading but never finalize…)

Most of all, thanks for your work and for the fdl community!

You ain’t kidding Frank.

montag @ 45

Y’know, I can feel my sense of humor returning. Gradually, but, it is.

I think the next two years are going to be fun….

I like this guy. We can learn from this.

Riesz Fischer @ 69

Wait a minute– what about the missing petty cash from Liberman’s campaign?

We’re not just forgetting about it, are we?

Trust me, the group here isn’t forgetting ANYTHING when it comes to Joe Lieberman.

Jane, you totally rock!” Webb, Tester, McInerny! Christy! Snoopy! Yes!

To coin a phrase: “It’s morning in America!”

Sam @
50

Any comments on whether or not we want Cheney to remain as
V.P. for the next two lame duck years or root for the Fitz to snag
him.

Don’t know what the pros think, but personally I have had enough of blackguards sliding by.

pontificator @
5

Yes!

SO who is Bush going to fire tomorrow to try and change the subject?

LJ/Aquaria @
12

When things are calm again, can we please please please put our campaign hats back on and get some help down to Ciro Rodriguez? He has a chance to unseat Henry Bonilla in TX-23 in December.

I think we’re all taking a day off, but we all know that the real work begins again tomorrow for 2008. I’m hoping that BlueAmerica PAC goes from strength to strength, as I trust it will. But, Firepups gotta howl at least once a year…

AAARROOOOO…..

Bonnie @ 46

I’ll join in that Snoopy dance! I’ve spent too much of today on my own. What I really want to do is hold hands with somebody and jump up and down and scream at the top of my lungs. Group hug time!!!

[holding hands, jumping up and down and screaming at the top of our lungs: WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!]

Looks like Bush has the curse of Tecumseh.

preznit giv me turkee @
70

montag @ 55

Nah, won’t happen. If Bush were to nominate a Dem (even one as shallowly so as Lieberman) as VP, the raving loonies in the `pug party would be calling for Lieberman’s immediate impeachment (and would that be a fine howdy-doo turnabout’s-fair-play for Lieberman :) ).

well, for impeachment to happen it’d mean that John Conyers would have to initiate it. not likely IMHO

Disagree. I think he is more than likely to initiate it. Maybe in babysteps, but it will be a slippery slope.

mlk @ 66

GSD @ 52

There is already talk of Michael Steele for head of the RNC. WAPO has it here: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

Ken Mehlman, why the long face?

-GSD

egregious @
18

When I was 12 I got to interview the Snoopy Charlie Brown. Now I work for the political Charlie Brown.

SNOOPY!!

Thanks for the graphic. It makes me very happy.

Like I wasn’t already happy enough with the WEBB VICTORY!!!

Life is good! Sometimes the good guys DO win.

Charles Shultz? Another great Minnesotan, by the way.

ccmask @ 80

Looks like Bush has the curse of Tecumseh.

And we thought that only applied to physical death.

PeteCO @ 47

I keep having flashes of the prologue of “Fellowship of the Ring”, when Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron’s hand and he implodes and all his followers are left powerless and defeated.

OK, maybe that’s a little overdone, but it is a cool scene.

Not overdone at all. We must use all our weapons. Stories, myths, songs–Had Enough? They are part of our power.

Today on the radio here in N.Va. I heard, in succession, We Are the Champions and then Takin’ It to the Streets….

doing the investigation dance….

into the tru comm salsa

finale with a waltz to the Hague

next election tango for true progressivism (is that close to a word?) :~}

Balrog @ 80

preznit giv me turkee @
70

montag @ 55

Nah, won’t happen. If Bush were to nominate a Dem (even one as shallowly so as Lieberman) as VP, the raving loonies in the `pug party would be calling for Lieberman’s immediate impeachment (and would that be a fine howdy-doo turnabout’s-fair-play for Lieberman :) ).

well, for impeachment to happen it’d mean that John Conyers would have to initiate it. not likely IMHO

Disagree. I think he is more than likely to initiate it. Maybe in babysteps, but it will be a slippery slope.

I was referring to a possible HoJo impeachment, not aWol/Chenron

Valley Girl @
60

Hey, does anybody have a subscription (free registration) to http://www.tnr.com/ ? Howie mentioned an article by Rick Perlstein that mentioned Blue America.

~~Did Rahm’s strategy work?
Who really deserves credit for the Democratic comeback?
by Rick Perlstein~~

Howie talks about it at: http://downwithtyranny.blogspo…..but-i.html
(but his link doesn’t work).

Anyway, I am too stressed right now to go through the “free” registration process at TNR, but maybe if someone is alread registered, they could check out the article and post the bit about Blue America. Ta!

Send me an email and I’ll be happy to send you a copy of the article.
cl
caoimhin at
sover dot
net

All those who knew that today the Dems would control the House and the Senate, and that Rumsfeld would be unemployed, raise your hands.

OK, me to me and rwcole, but who else?

woot

No Dr. Evil. It applies to any kind of death.

If this holds it will take some serious wind out of Holy Joe’s program. I was not looking forward to him having the swing leverage that was seriously developing. We need a righteous sword and not one compromised by Lieberman.

Lieberman has become very powerful. If Lieberman switches over to the Repugs, the senate goes 50-50. Cheney’s vote turns it Repug. Historically, when the senate is 50-50, the chairmanships are split between the parties, but there is no law to enforce that. The Repugs, who would have control of the Senate, could choose to retain all of the chairmanships.

Lieberman can hold this over the demos heads. He can force a vote to go his way with the threat that he will switch parties. The only thing stopping this would be an internal moral compass where Lieberman sees himself as a Democrat. Is there any reason to believe that this exists?

The 51-49 lead in the Senate makes Lieberman very powerful indeed. Heckofajob Chuck.

kirk murphy – try clearing your cache

kirk murphy @ 71

Hi mods -

Is the refresh comments button taking the night off? (if so, I hope it enjoys the well-desrved rest and returns to us – well – refreshed.

(this thread and others aren’t showing the “refresh” button – the pages just keep loading but never finalize…)

Most of all, thanks for your work and for the fdl community!

I’m seeing the refresh comments button and comments are coming up quickly. Browser issue? Try clearing cache? Get DSL?

rickeagle @
27

This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!

Rick

Wow! Happy, happy birthday, Rick… I hope you have MANY, MANY, MANY more….
just like this one!

Before dancing too much, revoltin’ Joe Lieberman, who drew so much energy blogwise, came out of this with more power than ever before. He’s the swing vote in the Senate and, given his trackrecord, will make the Dems grovel for his miserly support. He’ll be perfectly positioned to sabotage the Dems, during a time when the public is going to start increasingly blaming them for how things are going. The Dems ‘control’ Congress, so why shouldn’t they blame them.
Long term Joe will be a continued poison for the Dems.

Eureka Springs,AR @
36

Paraguay waits

And I feel really sorry for Paraguay…

JohnSwifty @ 83

egregious @
18

When I was 12 I got to interview the Snoopy Charlie Brown. Now I work for the political Charlie Brown.

SNOOPY!!

Thanks for the graphic. It makes me very happy.

Like I wasn’t already happy enough with the WEBB VICTORY!!!

Life is good! Sometimes the good guys DO win.

Charles Shultz? Another great Minnesotan, by the way.

Hey Jonathan Swift,

Does it seem weird to look at the ocean of Blue on the US map, only to see two Red lakes in the middle of Minny?

Happy the consolation prize is what it is. And I plan to make life miserable for Cruella DeBachmann.

EvilDrPuma @ 84

ccmask @ 80

Looks like Bush has the curse of Tecumseh.

And we thought that only applied to physical death.

For the BFEE, political death is pretty much the same thing…. :)

Balrog @ 88

All those who knew that today the Dems would control the House and the Senate, and that Rumsfeld would be unemployed, raise your hands.

OK, me to me and rwcole, but who else?

woot

I only got a third of the way. It was pretty clear that the Dems would control the House. I hoped that they might take the Senate. I hadn’t thought about Rummy jumping the ship immediately after.

Looks like we hit the trifecta!

Pacifica @ 90

If this holds it will take some serious wind out of Holy Joe’s program. I was not looking forward to him having the swing leverage that was seriously developing. We need a righteous sword and not one compromised by Lieberman.

Lieberman has become very powerful. If Lieberman switches over to the Repugs, the senate goes 50-50. Ch

eney’s vote turns it Repug. Historically, when the senate is 50-50, the chairmanships are split between the parties, but there is no law to enforce that. The Repugs, who would have control of the Senate, could choose to retain all of the chairmanships.

Lieberman can hold this over the demos heads. He can force a vote to go his way with the threat that he will switch parties. The only thing stopping this would be an internal moral compass where Lieberman sees himself as a Democrat. Is there any reason to believe that this exists?

The 51-49 lead in the Senate makes Lieberman very powerful indeed. Heckofajob Chuck.

Agreed, but Joe is going to be most happy as a member of the majority. He’s not going to vote with a lame minority.

RevDeb @ 58

I’ll bet Justice Stevens is sleeping better tonight.

Bullseye

This one has better sounbd!

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..mp;search=

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

In light of Webb’s sweet victory I thought it would be a good time to point out L’il Debbie’s column from last Sunday in which she laments over the bad treatment the WaPo gave poor Senator Macaca and other worthy Republican politicians. My e-mail to her (apologies for the length), is below the link to her screed. No answer from her, no doubt because I’m way too impolite and feverish.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01462.html

Dear Ms. Howell:

I am a long-time Post subscriber and reader. I was appropriately appalled by your inauspicious and embarrassing debut as ombudsman a number of months ago, when you bent over backwards to prove how “objective” and “fair” you were by blaming Democrats for Abramoff-related Republican corruption and slamming Post columnists you felt weren’t “fair” enough to Republicans (Froomkin, Milbank). At the time, you were justly chastised by readers and since then seemed to retreat to a richly deserved oblivion and irrelevancy, mostly doing harmless surveys and wondering whether the Post was writing enough about local transportation issues and the like. You easily could be ignored. One might even have hoped that you had undertaken some self-reflection and had taken the criticisms to heart.

Now, however, you have waded back into the subject of “Balance and Bias on the Political Beat,” and once again you have written a column (Sunday, November 5) that is remarkable for its craven and abject willingness to accept and echo Republican complaints about Post campaign coverage. You really never do learn, do you?

How dare you describe both James Webb and Sen. George Allen as “two less than sterling candidates?” Are you now ombudsman for voters’ choices? What is your basis for saying that both Webb and Allen have been “mired in controversy,” as if reports of Webb’s past statements about women in the military have reached anything like the crescendo of serious charges against Allen for both past and recent behavior? Quoth Debby Howell: “Allen supporters think he can’t catch a break; I empathize.”

Then you go after Style political profiles because you think readers are too dumb to distinguish feature pieces in Style from news coverage. Just as you thought readers would confuse Froomkin with a Post White House reporter? Nothing like respecting the intelligence of Post readers, eh, Ms. Howell? You are all aflutter that Style has been too favorable to Democratic candidates and not favorable enough to Republicans. You interrogate the Style section deputy editor. Again, quoth Debby Howell: “I longed for a more critical eye, especially in the Cardin piece, which seemed relentlessly positive. Several readers thought Steele’s profile should have mentioned that he flunked the bar exam, but lots of folks do that. Pro-Steele readers were right to say the Post underplayed the story about several prominent black Prince Georges County Democrats endorsing Steele. It was given one-column display on the Metro section front page.” In Debby Howell’s world Republican complainers are always right, Democratic complainers reliably wrong, if even mentioned.

You then go on to elevate and “sometimes agree” with readers’ complaints that even the Post’s photos are biased against Republicans! You say the photos show Democrat Martin O’Malley “smiling, looking chipper” and his opponent, Governor Robert Ehrlich “looking grim.” Did it ever occur to you that “grim” is exactly, precisely the dominant facial expression of Maryland’s current governor so that in fact the photos portray him accurately? No, in Debby Howell’s world it’s better that the photographers wait for a rare photo of Ehrlich smiling (as was on today’s front page) to create that false “balance” with which you are so constantly and reliably enamored.

Ms. Howell, with “friends” like you (journalists who regard themselves as personally liberal and then overcorrect to the point of being ridiculously over-sensitive to perceived “liberal bias”), we don’t need enemies.

You remain an embarrassment to the Post and to the profession of ombudsman.

Sincerely,

John Casper @ 101

RevDeb @ 58

I’ll bet Justice Stevens is sleeping better tonight.

Bullseye

I’ll bet he’s even thinking of a creme brulee for dessert this evening….

Around here we’ve already gotten used to saying Speaker Pelosi.

I don’t want to jinx anything–now that it’s been called for Webb, how long until we can practice saying something similar for the other chamber?

rickeagle @ 27

This is the best birthday I’ve ever had!

Rick

Happy Birthday! I found out that a friend of mine had a birthday yesterday. I sent him a message saying “I got you a new government. Do you like it?” :-)

egregious @
57

Those of us who are praying folk have repeatedly begged God to smite this evil that is killing our nation.

Many prayers have been answered yesterday and today. Not always on our time: I want patience and I want it now…but in good time, and in His plan for us.

Matthew 25 is the to-do list for my professional life; Ephesians 6 is the inner guide: Put on the full armor of God…Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

and get up and boogie, too!

Thou hast turned me from mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.

Psalm 20, verse 11

Balrog @
89

All those who knew that today the Dems would control the House and the Senate, and that Rumsfeld would be unemployed, raise your hands.

OK, me to me and rwcole, but who else?

woot

Not me, admittedly. I had the House, and am hardly surprised at Rumsfeld, especially after the commencement of hectoring Mr. Wolf through press conferences began, but I didn’t dare hope for the Senate. It’s a wonderful surprise.

And with so many Dems elected at state and local levels, a lot of the GOP machine’s precious networking has been disrupted.

Balrog @ 99

Agreed, but Joe is going to be most happy as a member of the majority. He’s not going to vote with a lame minority.

Agreed. Lieberman will always do what gets Lieberman the most attention. Jumping to the GOP and making Cheney cast tiebreaker votes puts the attention on Cheney. Ergo, Lieberman will not do that.

He may have power, but he’s hamstrung by his own predictable narcissism.

fallenmonk @
48

If this holds it will take some serious wind out of Holy Joe’s program. I was not looking forward to him having the swing leverage that was seriously developing. We need a righteous sword and not one compromised by Lieberman.

Not so much – the 51 includes Joe.

Without him it’s a tie.

ccmask @ 102

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

Maybe, unless you count the death of neurons. In hindsight, it’s not hard to see the Alzheimer’s setting in during his second term.

Raw Story headline: Right-wing icon: Republicans have failed country… Soon…

Hey ET! I haven’t been around much, so you may have already commented- reaction to the AK outcome? Benson’s numbers looked impressive, considering the battle she had to fight.xxxooo Will she run again?

Balrog @ 100

Pacifica @ 90

If this holds it will take some serious wind out of Holy Joe’s program. I was not looking forward to him having the swing leverage that was seriously developing. We need a righteous sword and not one compromised by Lieberman.

Lieberman has become very powerful. If Lieberman switches over to the Repugs, the senate goes 50-50. Ch

eney’s vote turns it Repug. Historically, when the senate is 50-50, the chairmanships are split between the parties, but there is no law to enforce that. The Repugs, who would have control of the Senate, could choose to retain all of the chairmanships.

Lieberman can hold this over the demos heads. He can force a vote to go his way with the threat that he will switch parties. The only thing stopping this would be an internal moral compass where Lieberman sees himself as a Democrat. Is there any reason to believe that this exists?

The 51-49 lead in the Senate makes Lieberman very powerful indeed. Heckofajob Chuck.

Agreed, but Joe is going to be most happy as a member of the majority. He’s not going to vote with a lame minority.

Yeah, if he switched parties he would no longer hold anything over on the Dems.

But I would think the decision to pursue the missing petty cash from his campaign would be up to the attorney general of Connecticut. So his position as a triangulator would not help him. Am I right?

Ergo, Lieberman will not do that.

take the “R” out of Lieberman and you get “ego”

CityGirl @ 104:

Testify, sister! Well spoken!

twolf1 @
113

Raw Story headline: Right-wing icon: Republicans have failed country… Soon…

link is up now:
Right-wing icon: Republicans have failed this country

Webb’s victory being announced as breaking news during Countdown was just the best!

preznit giv me turkee @
49

twolf1 @ 32

Maher on larry king just said Ken Mehlman is gay.

well, he was looking quite Haggard last night

{Snork} Some names are just assigned in heaven, aren’t they?! Snork!!

mlk @ 66

GSD @ 52

There is already talk of Michael Steele for head of the RNC. WAPO has it here: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

I think we need to come up with a middle name for Steele that reminds voters of the dirty tricks he approved of with the bogus “sample ballots”.

Maybe something along the lines of Michael “Sample Ballot” Steele.

Here are some of the choice points made in the article.

. . . .In two competitive House races in the Bluegrass State, Emanuel’s first choices lost by eleven and nine points. In the 2nd District it was Colonel Mike Weaver, the cofounder of Commonwealth Democrats, a group of conservative Democratic state legislators. In the 4th, it was Ken Lucas, a former congressman whom Robert Novak recently called “moderate conservative” in a column on Emanuel’s “recruiting coup” in coaxing Lucas out of retirement. Both were the kind of candidates Emanuel has favored in his famous nationwide recruiting drive. Yarmuth, meanwhile, was founder of the state’s first alternative newspaper, said things on the campaign trail things like “the No Child Left Behind Act … is a plan deliberately constructed to create ‘failing’ schools,” and called for “a universal health care system in which every citizen has health insurance independent of his or her employment.”

It was a pattern repeated across the country. New Hampshire’s 1st District delivered Carol Shea-Porter, a former social worker who got kicked out of a 2005 Presidential appearance for wearing a T-shirt that said turn your back on bush. That might have been her fifteen minutes of fame–if, last night, she hadn’t defeated two-term Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley. For the chance to face him, however, she had to win a primary against the DCCC’s preferred candidate, Jim Craig–whom Rahm Emanuel liked so much he made the unusual move of contributing $5000 to his primary campaign. Shea-Porter dominated Craig by 20 points–and then was shut out by the DCCC for general election funds.

Not all Emanuel’s losing recruits were beaten in primaries. Some were beaten in the general election. Christine Jennings, a banker and former Republican gunning for Katherine Harris’s former House seat lost in a squeaker to conservative Republican Vern Buchanan. Dan Seals, a black moderate in the Barack Obama mold who criticized the Democratic Party even in speeches to Democratic crowds, lost to the Republican incumbent in Emanuel’s backyard, Illinois’s 10th District–as did the DCCC’s most talked-about recruit, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois’s 6th. Emanuel poured as astonishing $3 million into her campaign. It bought her a three-point defeat. Activists say the money would have been better spent on all the promising candidates to whom Rahm wouldn’t give the time of day.

Many of them won anyway. John Hall is poised to become the Democrats’ version of Sonny Bono–a former environmental and anti-nuclear activist and co-author of the hit 1970s hit “Still the One,” he just won New York’s 19th District House seat. Chris Carney, now heading to Washington to represent Pennsylvania’s 10th, beat beleaguered incumbent (and alleged-strangler) Don Sherwood. “Until Carney was ahead by double digits,” complained Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny, a blog that backed his candidacy, “Rahm wouldn’t take his phone calls.” Larry Kissell, a high school social studies teacher, is, as of this writing, in a statistical dead heat with an incumbent Republican from of all places, North Carolina. Says Klein: “If Rahm had a little bit of foresight to see this guy was for real, and to see that he was a candidate who could have won, a little bit of money would have made all the difference for him.”

Still, Kissell didn’t go into battle unarmed. The thing all these successful candidates share in common is backing by the same dirty-necked bloggers and netroots activists that pundits have been calling the political kiss of death. Yarmuth, Shea-Porter, Hall, and Kissel–in addition to Democratic pickups Jerry McNerney in California, Joe Sestak and (perhaps) Lois Murphy in Pennsylvania, Bruce Braley in Iowa, Kirstin Gillibrand in New York, and Senators-elect Jon Tester of Montana, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Sherrod Brown of Ohio–were all beneficiaries of a PAC called Blue America, a joint project of the blogs Firedoglake, DownWithTyranny, and Crooks & Liars. “Most of the candidates we support come directly from our readers,” Klein says. . . .

******

He finishes with:

The bloggers, blunt as they may be, think they have a better plan for building a lasting Democratic majority. Last night’s results suggest the rest of us should start taking it seriously.

“Blunt” Another code word like “gaffe,” which in D.C., means accidentally telling the truth.

slainte,
cl

EvilDrPuma @
110

Balrog @ 99

Agreed, but Joe is going to be most happy as a member of the majority. He’s not going to vote with a lame minority.

Agreed. Lieberman will always do what gets Lieberman the most attention. Jumping to the GOP and making Cheney cast tiebreaker votes puts the attention on Cheney. Ergo, Lieberman will not do that.

He may have power, but he’s hamstrung by his own predictable narcissism.

Check.

In hindsight, it’s not hard to see the Alzheimer’s setting in during his second term.
—
Yeah, he was perfect for the GOP. Just like the boy wonder.

Patrick 4/4 @
111

fallenmonk @
48

If this holds it will take some serious wind out of Holy Joe’s program. I was not looking forward to him having the swing leverage that was seriously developing. We need a righteous sword and not one compromised by Lieberman.

Not so much – the 51 includes Joe.

Without him it’s a tie.

If Joe jumps, it’s 50-50. Then Darth gets the last vote.

punaise @ 116

Ergo, Lieberman will not do that.

take the “R” out of Lieberman and you get “ego”

The GOP spent $22M so Lieberman could vote for the NEXT majority leader, ours!

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dare I write it?

America is for lovers, again.

You go, city girl! Quality righteous indignation.

egregious @ 85

PeteCO @ 47

I keep having flashes of the prologue of “Fellowship of the Ring”, when Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron’s hand and he implodes and all his followers are left powerless and defeated.

OK, maybe that’s a little overdone, but it is a cool scene.

Not overdone at all. We must use all our weapons. Stories, myths, songs–Had Enough? They are part of our power.

Today on the radio here in N.Va. I heard, in succession, We Are the Champions and then Takin’ It to the Streets….

I continue to claim yesterday was really Helm’s Deep. A great victory, but the real work is just now beginning. An honest appraisal still shows a lot of darkness. But it’s now rational to hold hope.

EvilDrPuma @ 110 and Balrog @ 99:

I hope you are right about Lieberman. With all of this good news (the best day since Nov. 8th, 2000) I hate to be a pessimist.

Bill giving Dean props!

EvilDrPuma @ 112

ccmask @ 102

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

Maybe, unless you count the death of neurons. In hindsight, it’s not hard to see the Alzheimer’s setting in during his second term.

and the death of hope…

Balrog @ 97

Hey Jonathan Swift,

Does it seem weird to look at the ocean of Blue on the US map, only to see two Red lakes in the middle of Minny?

Happy the consolation prize is what it is. And I plan to make life miserable for Cruella DeBachmann.

You go! There aren’t many that you can say are actually deserving of disgust from the Land O Lakes, but she’s the exception to prove the rule.

Still, we’re sending Amy Klobuchar! Also, in the house we’re sending Tim Walz and he’s as good a representative of any state as you will ever find. I couldn’t be more proud to send this folks out. Democracy is a fine, fine thing.

ralphbon @ 127

You go, city girl! Quality righteous indignation.

that’s some fine writing

Patrick 4/4 @ 131

and the death of hope…

Today, it feels like hope returned to the cast after taking a season off to get back to its roots in theatre.

So, was it a shutout? Did no R wrest control from any sitting D?

santa:
bring them ankle bracelets and orange jump suits for xmas.

By winning both houses, we have control over what bills hit the floor, what bills get priority in both houses.

But the Senate is the plum prize.

We have control over judicial nominees there.

This upset could not have happened at a better time.

TPM:

100% of precincts reporting, Darcy Burner is up by about a thousand votes over Rep. Reichert (R) out in WA-8.

Bush has said and others have opined that Rumsfeld wanted out for some time now. So what did Rumsfeld have to say about it?

October 1, 2006 in Managua, Nicaragua

When a reporter asked Rumsfeld if he had considered resigning recently, he responded: “No, how many times do I have to answer that?”

http://www.defenselink.mil/new…..px?ID=1390

September 25, 2006 Remarks of Rumsfeld with Hamid Karzai

Q Mr. Secretary, on Capitol Hill today, again, there were several retired generals who called for your resignation. Are you considering resigning at all —

SEC. RUMSFELD: No.

Q — and if so, why not?

SEC. RUMSFELD: I’m not.

http://www.defenselink.mil/Tra…..iptID=3731

September 11, 2006 Radio Interview with Secretary Rumsfeld and Monica Delta

DELTA: Last question. How do you feel when — one of the political issues is that people are asking for your resignation. What do you think? Are the American people happy with your work?

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Oh, goodness. You know, history will decide all of that. It’s politics time in Washington, D.C. It’s an election season. It’s always been so, and I expect it always will. I mean, who’s ever served as Secretary of Defense during wartime has faced the same kinds of divisions that we see. It happened during the Revolutionary War; during the Civil War; during World War I and II. There were heated debates, obviously, during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Even during the Cold War, there were heated debates, and that’s life. That goes with the territory.

I left off this link to avoid being thrown in moderation. I’ll give it in a second.

EvilDrPuma @ 135

Patrick 4/4 @ 131

and the death of hope…

Today, it feels like hope returned to the cast after taking a season off to get back to its roots in theatre.

That was one long-running show.

Caoimhin Laochdha- OH! Thanks for posting that National Review article. It really is great!

Hope that Howie or Jane or Christy does a post at FDL that quotes some of the great bits, so that it can be spotlighted.

And that last link was

http://www.defenselink.mil/Tra…..iptID=3720

JohnSwifty @ 133

Balrog @ 97

Hey Jonathan Swift,

Does it seem weird to look at the ocean of Blue on the US map, only to see two Red lakes in the middle of Minny?

Happy the consolation prize is what it is. And I plan to make life miserable for Cruella DeBachmann.

You go! There aren’t many that you can say are actually deserving of disgust from the Land O Lakes, but she’s the exception to prove the rule.

Still, we’re sending Amy Klobuchar! Also, in the house we’re sending Tim Walz and he’s as good a representative of any state as you will ever find. I couldn’t be more proud to send this folks out. Democracy is a fine, fine thing.

I’m content.

You know, I was just sitting here wondering how many kisses and huggs, S.R. Sidarth (of the “Macaca” incident) got from complete strangers, today. a UVA student who helped us win the US Senate!!

It would appear that without the “Macaca” incident, Allen would surely have won.

egregious @ 56

Those of us who are praying folk have repeatedly begged God to smite this evil that is killing our nation.

Many prayers have been answered yesterday and today. Not always on our time: I want patience and I want it now…but in good time, and in His plan for us.

Matthew 25 is the to-do list for my professional life; Ephesians 6 is the inner guide: Put on the full armor of God…Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Well, I’ve always found it easier and shorter to simply pray that “God’s will be done.” It may be hubris on my part to think that His will matches my desires, but sometimes it happens… Makes for a shorter prayer! Oh, and I NEVER, EVER pray that anyone should die… Not even Cheney. I merely suggest that it might be time that God call him home… (I have a very active prayer life now!)

Riesz Fischer @
69

Wait a minute– what about the missing petty cash from Liberman’s campaign?

We’re not just forgetting about it, are we?

hmmmm

doing the investigation dance….
– Eureka Springs @ 85

Don’t forget the current investigation.

What’s up, Doc?”.

Balrog @ 89

All those who knew that today the Dems would control the House and the Senate, and that Rumsfeld would be unemployed, raise your hands.

OK, me to me and rwcole, but who else?

woot

In the pool, I believe I had the Senate correct at 6, and the House at 39. (I’ve always been an optimist.) But I can’t claim to have known that Rummy would be out.

egregious @ 85

PeteCO @ 47

I keep having flashes of the prologue of “Fellowship of the Ring”, when Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron’s hand and he implodes and all his followers are left powerless and defeated.

OK, maybe that’s a little overdone, but it is a cool scene.

Not overdone at all. We must use all our weapons. Stories, myths, songs–Had Enough? They are part of our power.

Today on the radio here in N.Va. I heard, in succession, We Are the Champions and then Takin’ It to the Streets….

Egregious, I wanted to show you something. When I first started finding my voice in cyberspace, there was a video I watched that was put together after the 2004 elections. It brought tears of power and pride to my eyes when I first watched and posted it. It kicked me into action when I realized I needed to do more and hurl myself headfirst into the fight. The Good Fight! And damn it, it just did it again when I watched it ten minutes ago to remind me what the hell this is all about.

My Anthem!

Listening to Scarborough right now just throws kerosene on my fire in how much more work there is still left to do.

Speakout @ 145

You know, I was just sitting here wondering how many kisses and huggs, S.R. Sidarth (of the “Macaca” incident) got from complete strangers, today. a UVA student who helped us win the US Senate!!

It would appear that without the “Macaca” incident, Allen would surely have won.

Fom small things mama
Big things one day come

LJ/Aquaria @ 137

By winning both houses, we have control over what bills hit the floor, what bills get priority in both houses.

But the Senate is the plum prize.

We have control over judicial nominees there.

This upset could not have happened at a better time.

I’m going to hazard a guess that the first time Bush tries to ramrod some new piece of shit through this Congress, he’ll take a month in Crawford to figure out why he pulled back a bloody stump.

Marion in Savannah @
78
LJ/Aquaria @
12

When things are calm again, can we please please please put our campaign hats back on and get some help down to Ciro Rodriguez? He has a chance to unseat Henry Bonilla in TX-23 in December.

I think we’re all taking a day off, but we all know that the real work begins again tomorrow for 2008. I’m hoping that BlueAmerica PAC goes from strength to strength, as I trust it will. But, Firepups gotta howl at least once a year…

AAARROOOOO…..

If you will notice, I prefaced my remarks with “When we are calm again…”

I understand about celebrating, but understand as well that the battle is not over. We cannot rest too long on our laurels, or opportunity will pass us by.

aReader @ 63

A week or two ago, I read a reference to GOP Senators party-switching in the event of a Dem takeover. Anyone else hear that, or rumors of switchers to make Dems have 52 or 53 votes in Senate?

Any idea where you saw that? I check lots of places daily and I don’t recall this at all.

Still no word of Webb’s victory on Fox News site… (holding breath)

egregious @
57

Those of us who are praying folk have repeatedly begged God to smite this evil that is killing our nation.

Many prayers have been answered yesterday and today. Not always on our time: I want patience and I want it now…but in good time, and in His plan for us.

Matthew 25 is the to-do list for my professional life; Ephesians 6 is the inner guide: Put on the full armor of God…Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

Right on Egregious! I absolutely agree with you. Things happen for a reason…2004 happened because the discontent hadn’t built up enough. Come 2006 we got a full and forceful flush.

I don’t think Howie is going rest on his laurels….

I don’t see any real chances for Republican defections in the Senate.

Of the moderates, Chafee was the best prospect but he was sent packing….

McCain and Hagel are candidates, but they are stalwarts as is Specter.

The two Maine R’s, still don’t see it happening and the two NH R’s, I don’t see flipping.

That said, there is now significant reason for these moderates(I exclude McCain and Hagel from that classification)to tack center left and become power brokers.

I see the slightest possibility of Hagel switching to Independant to run for President. That would get him some press time and he could play it as a move away from the GOP’s.

As for the House? Who knows. Most of the moderates in the margins were swamped out.

I still say that there is a possibility that Governor Arnold could switch to Independant.

I can also see Mayor Blomberg in NY switching into the Independant column for a Presidential gambit too.

-GSD

Patrick 4/4 @ 140

That was one long-running show.

“I loved this election. It was much better than ‘Cats.’ I’m going to read the numbers again and again and again.”

Ralphbon–by the numbers as they stand, it was a shutout.

There is still one razor-close race (1500 votes) in GA where the Dem incumbent leads but the race has not been called. (Until a few hours ago there were two such races in GA, but CNN has called one of them–GA-08–for the Dem.)

The other endangered seats–Mollohan in WV and Bean in IL came through. Not sure how pleased I am really about Mollohan, but c’est la Cafe Boeuf.

I guess this win kind of puts Armagedon on hold.

Redshift @ 149

Balrog @ 89

All those who knew that today the Dems would control the House and the Senate, and that Rumsfeld would be unemployed, raise your hands.

OK, me to me and rwcole, but who else?

woot

In the pool, I believe I had the Senate correct at 6, and the House at 39. (I’ve always been an optimist.) But I can’t claim to have known that Rummy would be out.

Lovely parting gifts as you leave the studio.

Carol Merrill, see to Redshift on his way out.

twolf1 @ 154

Still no word of Webb’s victory on Fox News site… (holding breath)

I hope Bill O’Reilly is doing the same.

punaise @ 139

TPM:

100% of precincts reporting, Darcy Burner is up by about a thousand votes over Rep. Reichert (R) out in WA-8.

That’s good news. Have you seen anything recently on Madrid/Wilson in New Mexico?

egregious @ 57 –

re : Ephesians 6 is the inner guide: Put on the full armor of God…Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

About a month before the election, I had a dream in which the Spirit appeared in the form of an awe inspiring Raptor that silently flew from it’s perch repeatedly attacking a variety of varmints infesting the yard until the yard was cleared.

My interpretation was varmints = political crooks and they were about to be attacked and exposed.

I noted around that time that many, including several prominent liberal bloggers who do not otherwise show any overt spiritual mention, said things like “There must be a God…”

Indeed!

I feel like quoting Martin Luther King –

Free at last,
Free at last,
Thank God Almighty,
I’m free at last!

we’ve captured the rapture and put it in a jar.

John Swifty – too bad we lost Mike Hatch. He was a great ATtorny General and the corporations are all breathing a sigh of relief.

EvilDrPuma @ 163

twolf1 @ 154

Still no word of Webb’s victory on Fox News site… (holding breath)

I hope Bill O’Reilly is doing the same.

While we’re at it, can we vote O’Reilly off the airwaves?

Interesting article, Caoimhin Laochdha. A thing about Rahm to keep in mind is that he has now failed spectacularly in two races in the Chicago area—a place where he is surrounded by effective Democratic politicians and political pros. Talk about ready to be picked off … If national Dems want to be taken seriously in northern Illinois, and there are still some advantages to that, then they’ll be backing up but quick from him.

Don’s fall and Gate’s replacement is already part of Baker’s plan to desingage from Iraq, it is the only reasonable explanation for speedy deliverance.

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

twolf1 @ 168

EvilDrPuma @ 163

twolf1 @ 154

Still no word of Webb’s victory on Fox News site… (holding breath)

I hope Bill O’Reilly is doing the same.

While we’re at it, can we vote O’Reilly off the airwaves?

ROFALAFEL

Valley Girl @ 156

I don’t think Howie is going rest on his laurels….

nor will Lauri rest on her Howells

(taking nominal liberties)

I think all the big tv stations should change heads on the bodies on these talk shows now that they can’t keep saying how great the gop are. I’ll bet there will be a massive clearing of the heads.

Hugh — think there’s been rumor that Rummy tried to resign several times, but Bush rejected it.

I suspect the real reason it happened today was a desperate need to change the topic of conversation. Too much chattering in the media about Dems, not enough about the Deciderer. (Happened recently with another event, can’t recall what it was now since so much water has passed under the bridge in the last 24 hours. But the White House needed to change the subject in a hurry and they did it.)

This “resignation” has Rove’s fingerprints on it. I expect we’ll see Mehlman’s head on a pike by the end of the month if not sooner, but not Rove. Bush still has a need for Rove, requires propping up and Rover is the one that has done the best job consistently.

I vote for another beer for myself

punaise @ 139

TPM:

100% of precincts reporting, Darcy Burner is up by about a thousand votes over Rep. Reichert (R) out in WA-8.

It’s a barn-Burner!

-GSD

Thanks, Prof.

Valley Girl @ 157

I don’t think Howie is going rest on his laurels….

Funny, I didn’t mention anyone by name.

GrandmaJ @ 167

John Swifty – too bad we lost Mike Hatch. He was a great ATtorny General and the corporations are all breathing a sigh of relief.

And Patty, but the good of the many outweighs the good of the few.

To me it looks like the WA-08 Darcy burner result linked from TPM is for King County only. Pierce county still outweighs it in favor of Reichert. But maybe there’s something I’m missing.

twolf1 @ 175

I vote for another beer for myself

Second.

punaise @
139

TPM:

100% of precincts reporting, Darcy Burner is up by about a thousand votes over Rep. Reichert (R) out in WA-8.

TPM is making the same mistake several other sites have made. They’re reporting results from only one of two counties in Burner’s district. Here’s the WA SoS site with totals for both counties.

Not necessarily OT:

Peace mom Sheehan arrested in Washington

Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate Wednesday to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by 80,000 Americans.

It seems to me that some guys never learn.

For those who barely lost (and those who lost by even more):
In 2004, my husband put heart and soul into trying to defeat Jim Ryun by supporting Nancy Boyda. While I also contributed my efforts, I basically said goodbye to him for the months before the election.
She lost.
Except last night, she won. She came back and she won. In Kansas. Despite appearances by Bush and Cheney in the last two weeks, she won.
Keep coming back at them. And run your own campaign. She kept a low profile and didn’t coordinate with the DC Dems. She did it her way and she won.
I think I can keep typing that for a few days. Nancy Boyda won over Jim Ryun. I think I held my breath for the last two weeks…..now I can breathe again.

scarecrow
Have you seen anything recently on Madrid/Wilson in New Mexico?

nope

LJ/Aquaria @
138

But the Senate is the plum prize.

AMEN!

Personally, I wonder what is next for Ned Lamont. My feeling is that he is a Howard Dean ‘04 Redux; defining the debate, and paving the way for Democrats to be DEMOCRATS– and being sacrificed in the name of expediency.

I hope he and Dean join forces at the DNC somehow….

But that is after he gets some well-deserved rest.

daroux @ 94

Before dancing too much, revoltin’ Joe Lieberman, who drew so much energy blogwise, came out of this with more power than ever before. He’s the swing vote in the Senate and, given his trackrecord, will make the Dems grovel for his miserly support. He’ll be perfectly positioned to sabotage the Dems, during a time when the public is going to start increasingly blaming them for how things are going. The Dems ‘control’ Congress, so why shouldn’t they blame them.
Long term Joe will be a continued poison for the Dems.

Well, until 2 or 3 Republican Senators are indicted or convicted or ridden out of town on a rail for having carnal knowlege of their kid’s hamster… Then we can kick Joe to the curb with impunity. Given this administration, how long do you think it will take for 2 Senators to be indicted/subpoenaed/outed???

Balrog @ 170

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

I suspect we’ll be hearing from Howie on this issue generally, fairly soon.

punaise @
42

when quoting Frank Zappa last night I forgot the most important line:

Movin’ to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon

(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)

just me and the pygmy pony . . .

I really dig karma.

Speakout @ 145

You know, I was just sitting here wondering how many kisses and huggs, S.R. Sidarth (of the “Macaca” incident) got from complete strangers, today. a UVA student who helped us win the US Senate!!

It would appear that without the “Macaca” incident, Allen would surely have won.

Oh, that reminds me of a great story I heard. Apparently, Larry Sabato, the top pundit of Virginia politics, teaches a seminar at UVa. It’s small and he’s famous, so it’s highly competitive, and students write application essays to get in. This fall, one student got in with a three-word essay.

S.R. Sidarth’s essay read simply, “I am Macaca.”

:-)

aReader @
64

A week or two ago, I read a reference to GOP Senators party-switching in the event of a Dem takeover. Anyone else hear that, or rumors of switchers to make Dems have 52 or 53 votes in Senate?

Yes, I can remember Mrs. Pelosi stating something to the effect that they had already had discussions some Members who had stated that they would vote with the Dems on various things. Cannot remember exactly when or where and don’t have a reference.

ccmask @
124

In hindsight, it’s not hard to see the Alzheimer’s setting in during his second term.
—
Yeah, he was perfect for the GOP. Just like the boy wonder.

By the time of the Iran Air 655 shoot-down (July 3, 1988), HWBush seemed to be handling many of the public duties either on his own or accompanying Reagan, to the point where I’ve been wondering whether there’s any straight dope on Reagan’s condition by 1988 or so.

RBG @ 181

TPM is making the same mistake several other sites have done. They’re reporting results from only one of two counties in Burner’s district. Here’s the WA SoS site with totals for both counties.

oops, then

punaise @ 134

ralphbon @ 127

You go, city girl! Quality righteous indignation.

that’s some fine writing

Seconded.

twolf1 @ 176

I vote for another beer for myself

Me too! LOL

Karl Rove, your lucky streak just ran out. You are now revealed as a rightwing crank and snakeoil salesman who has benefitted on the misery and misfortune of others. Now STFU!

ccmask @ 103

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

History will show who shot him. It’s not a pretty story.

Marion in Savannah @ 146

Oh, and I NEVER, EVER pray that anyone should die… Not even Cheney. I merely suggest that it might be time that God call him home… (I have a very active prayer life now!)

Would it be hubris to hope that HIS plan includes a rabid clutch of domesticated quails suddenly escaping and meating out a Hitchcockean brand of carnage in one of the more freakish accidents the Dakotas have ever seen?

Did Darth Cheney return from his election day hunting trip?

Rayne,

Rove is going to be under severe pressure.

The Decider let the architect create an election debacle. A 5 alarm shithouse fire that Rove spearheaded.

Old Turdblossom marched the Red Lemmings off the cliff and into the sea where they were devoured by pirhanas, sharks and alligators.

Old man Bush may tell Dubya to cut out the tumor that is Rove. It may be his only hopes of salvaging what is his shattered presidency.

I bet Poppy was weepy last night.

-GSD

Anyone know if there are any republicans in the senate who might be primed to go indie and vote with us? Is there even one moderate left? Could be a strategy to contain the Liebernit

Marion in Savannah @ 154

aReader @ 63

A week or two ago, I read a reference to GOP Senators party-switching in the event of a Dem takeover. Anyone else hear that, or rumors of switchers to make Dems have 52 or 53 votes in Senate?

Any idea where you saw that? I check lots of places daily and I don’t recall this at all.

It was like someone quoting a media site’s blog, or roundtable discussion, or something like that. Then I think someone speculated… Snowe, Collins, Specter, Warner, Vionovich?

Wish I could remember the exact reference.

Blub @ 200

Anyone know if there are any republicans in the senate who might be primed to go indie and vote with us? Is there even one moderate left? Could be a strategy to contain the Liebernit

there was talk earlier of a campaign to woo the Maine “sisters”

GSD @ 202

Rayne,

Rove is going to be under severe pressure.

The Decider let the architect create an election debacle. A 5 alarm shithouse fire that Rove spearheaded.

Old Turdblossom marched the Red Lemmings off the cliff and into the sea where they were devoured by pirhanas, sharks and alligators.

Old man Bush may tell Dubya to cut out the tumor that is Rove. It may be his only hopes of salvaging what is his shattered presidency.

I bet Poppy was weepy last night.

-GSD

Rove is now irrelevant. Much like Fox News ; )

Cheers!

egregious @ 197

ccmask @ 103

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

History will show who shot him. It’s not a pretty story.

Oh. You mean Nancy then.

Thanks, JC, rb, punaise. High praise coming from y’all. (She blushes and slinks back into the shadows.)

–

EvilDrPuma @ 183

Not necessarily OT:

Peace mom Sheehan arrested in Washington

Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate Wednesday to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by 80,000 Americans.

It seems to me that some guys never learn.

If I recall correctlly, it was Cindy Sheehan’s vigil near Crawford a year ago August that first stopped the WH ability to control the news. Then came katrina and after that, it was a dose or two of bad news for the WH and Republicans every week, almost without let up, that led us to today. Over a year later, the President still has no better answer for her simple question, “why did my son die” than he had then. She has been to jail many times since that first vigil against perhaps the most lawless regime in our lifetimes.

My favorite is when they refer to Allen as “once presidential hopeful”…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..&eurl=

707

GrandmaJ @ 167

John Swifty – too bad we lost Mike Hatch. He was a great ATtorny General and the corporations are all breathing a sigh of relief.

Yeah, it is a darn shame. That one hurt. But we gave Tim[a fee] Paalunty, plenty of trouble with a democratic state congress. We might get some roads now!

punaise—at least it gave me an excuse to send my first e-mail to TPM. Thanks.

DANCING in the streets in Sausalito!!!!

PLEASE also ask Howie (Thanks again!) how to get

“have you had enough….” out of our heads…?

or is that a permanent loop….yahoo!!!

Pombo DOWN, Rummie DOWN. Allen DOWN!!!
( NEXT time Mean Jean Schmidt and Michele Bachmann).

By the way, did Cheney come back from his hunting trip yesterday…?

Fuckin’ Vigurie is such a tool…principled Conservatives, what planet is is living on? They’re just looking to get a wingnut welfare job and get laid.

LJ/Aquaria @
138

By winning both houses, we have control over what bills hit the floor, what bills get priority in both houses.

But the Senate is the plum prize.

We have control over judicial nominees there.

This upset could not have happened at a better time.

Oh, darlin’, you could not possibly be more right!

scarecrow @ 206

EvilDrPuma @ 183

Not necessarily OT:

Peace mom Sheehan arrested in Washington

Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate Wednesday to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by 80,000 Americans.

It seems to me that some guys never learn.

If I recall correctlly, it was Cindy Sheehan’s vigil near Crawford a year ago August that first stopped the WH ability to control the news. Then came katrina and after that, it was a dose or two of bad news for the WH and Republicans every week, almost without let up, that led us to today. Over a year later, the President still has no better answer for her simple question, “why did my son die” than he had then. She has been to jail many times since that first vigil against perhaps the most lawless regime in our lifetimes.

Just in case clarification is needed…I did intend “some guys” to refer to Bushco, not Sheehan. Let’s face it, arresting her today is just one more black eye for a badly corrupt administration.

RBG @ 209

punaise—at least it gave me an excuse to send my first e-mail to TPM. Thanks.

I’m sure Josh will post the correction

STill curious about how ET and egregious size up the Benson results. She got 40%, which seemed pretty amazing considering what she was up against. Anyone seen a comment about this?

twolf1 @ 155

Still no word of Webb’s victory on Fox News site… (holding breath)

Eh, now that they’ve been scooped, they probably won’t announce it until Allen’s campaign leaks them the time for the concession speech.

Blub,

See # 158.

-GSD

Ed*ard Teller @ 108

egregious @
57

Those of us who are praying folk have repeatedly begged God to smite this evil that is killing our nation.

Many prayers have been answered yesterday and today. Not always on our time: I want patience and I want it now…but in good time, and in His plan for us.

Matthew 25 is the to-do list for my professional life; Ephesians 6 is the inner guide: Put on the full armor of God…Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

and get up and boogie, too!

Thou hast turned me from mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.

Psalm 20, verse 11

BENSON ‘08.

Let the race begin.

She’s the experienced dogsled racer, using a variety of mutts salvaged from the pound, that makes her the perfect candidate for us mutt/roots.

Bil @ 213

DANCING in the streets in Sausalito!!!!

PLEASE also ask Howie (Thanks again!) how to get

“have you had enough….” out of our heads…?

or is that a permanent loop….yahoo!!!

Pombo DOWN, Rummie DOWN. Allen DOWN!!!
( NEXT time Mean Jean Schmidt and Michele Bachmann).

By the way, did Cheney come back from his hunting trip yesterday…?

Pombo DOWN, Rummie DOWN. Allen DOWN!!!
( NEXT time Mean Jean Schmidt and Michele Bachmann).

And that POS, Cornyn, in 2008 ; )

Hey, maybe Tommy Yum and co. can do an update to “Had Enough”- “Did we win enough…”

punaise @
217

RBG @ 209

punaise—at least it gave me an excuse to send my first e-mail to TPM. Thanks.

I’m sure Josh will post the correction

He’s fast. It’s already done.

Balrog @ 170

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

Start the ENDOWMENT fund and we put in monthly pledges (just like church)

So a couple more rounds of the happy dance, and then it’s time to stoke up the fire and hold the Dem leaders’ feet to it. I’ll be damned if this turns into two years of pulled punches.

Time for bigtime remedial obstructionism, kids. We can’t let the Rahms, Chucks, and Holy Joes graciously turn the Capitol into Comity Central.

(figurative) Blood, Bitches!

Dems and Clusterfuck both playin kissy face for the moment- not likely to last.

You have to wonder about Clusterfuck’s decision to say just before the election that Rummy and Cheney would be with him through the last two years (at the same time he was interviewing Rummy replacements) followed by the resignation the day after the election.

He could have canned the fucker months ago- and perhaps he would have had a better election night- but why do THIS? I guess once he got the shit kicked out of him he wanted to make it clear that he’d been planning to do this all the time- so that he wasn’t accused of cratering to dem pressure.

Pretty strange behavior- and we’re gonna see the goopers goin through every step of this failed campaign to figure out HOW Clusterfuck lost the election.

The truth is, of course, that this election was lost by the gooper congress and president before the campaign ever started.

You gotta love the headlines on MSNBC

In order
- Dems take the senate
- Webb apparent winner
- Analysis: Headaches ahead for Bush
- Rumsfeld out
- Hastert to step back
- Impact on Wal-Mart

OK.. Impact on Wal-Mart? It’s stock price? WTF?

jinny @
193

aReader @
64

A week or two ago, I read a reference to GOP Senators party-switching in the event of a Dem takeover. Anyone else hear that, or rumors of switchers to make Dems have 52 or 53 votes in Senate?

Yes, I can remember Mrs. Pelosi stating something to the effect that they had already had discussions some Members who had stated that they would vote with the Dems on various things. Cannot remember exactly when or where and don’t have a reference.

The Dem leadership had been talking to Chafee off and on. Looks like it’s off again. . . for good.

I’ve seen comments and rumors about others as well, (e.g. Specter), but I do not believe those rumors.

cl

Patrick 4/4 @ 207

egregious @ 197

ccmask @ 103

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

History will show who shot him. It’s not a pretty story.

Oh. You mean Nancy then.

No, I mean cui bono. Follow it, it won’t take you very far til you happen upon the explanation.

Hugh @
140

Bush has said and others have opined that Rumsfeld wanted out for some time now. So what did Rumsfeld have to say about it?

October 1, 2006 in Managua, Nicaragua

When a reporter asked Rumsfeld if he had considered resigning recently, he responded: “No, how many times do I have to answer that?”

http://www.defenselink.mil/new…..px?ID=1390

September 25, 2006 Remarks of Rumsfeld with Hamid Karzai

Q Mr. Secretary, on Capitol Hill today, again, there were several retired generals who called for your resignation. Are you considering resigning at all —

SEC. RUMSFELD: No.

Q — and if so, why not?

SEC. RUMSFELD: I’m not.

http://www.defenselink.mil/Tra…..iptID=3731

September 11, 2006 Radio Interview with Secretary Rumsfeld and Monica Delta

DELTA: Last question. How do you feel when — one of the political issues is that people are asking for your resignation. What do you think? Are the American people happy with your work?

SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Oh, goodness. You know, history will decide all of that. It’s politics time in Washington, D.C. It’s an election season. It’s always been so, and I expect it always will. I mean, who’s ever served as Secretary of Defense during wartime has faced the same kinds of divisions that we see. It happened during the Revolutionary War; during the Civil War; during World War I and II. There were heated debates, obviously, during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Even during the Cold War, there were heated debates, and that’s life. That goes with the territory.

I left off this link to avoid being thrown in moderation. I’ll give it in a second.

Oh. My. Were you actually expecting ANY of that 1600 Pennylvania Avenue lot to tell the truth? How sweet. You must be VERY young and naive…

(Sorry for snarking on a commenter, but really… is there ANYONE AT ALL, ANYWHERE who takes anything that they say as truth? Really? Anyone? Anywhere??? At all…….)

I wonder how Cindy is going to like Paraguay. Heard he has a big ranch gate there…

Cozumel @ 206

GSD @ 202

Rove is now irrelevant. Much like Fox News ; )

Cheers!

I’m not so sure. Their entire lives are this political game and they are pissed. You think they’re gonna give up after one bad election? I think they’re already adjusting their gameplans, and it’s likely to be more diabolical than ever. They might be more relevant than ever now, and we need to more vigilant than ever to stop these crooks once and for all. It’s gonna be a long haul….

But it’s still time to CELEBRATE! I love FDL and Blue America. We’re just getting our own Wurlitzer tuned up and we’re ready to play some sweet, sweet music!

Blub @ 225

OK.. Impact on Wal-Mart? It’s stock price? WTF?

I’d love to see some impact on Wal-Mart. Like Monty Python’s sixteen-ton weight dropping out of the clear blue.

RevDeb @ 224

Balrog @ 170

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

Start the ENDOWMENT fund and we put in monthly pledges (just like church)

Go to the DNC site and sign up to be a Democracy Bond holder with me. I give Howard Dean $20 a month for the 50 state strategy. Things aren’t great here financially, but he still gets my $20.

GSD @ 158

I still say that there is a possibility that Governor Arnold could switch to Independant.
-GSD

I can see that too. Ed and the fam need to get him out to the Cape for a pleasant weekend talkin’ to…

Norm Coleman used to be a Democrat. That miserable little rat turd would probably jump at the chance to cross the aisle if anyone asked him. I hope they don’t ask him. I’d prefer to see George Galloway come back for a little chat with Normy!

rwcole @ 225

Dems and Clusterfuck both playin kissy face for the moment- not likely to last.

You have to wonder about Clusterfuck’s decision to say just before the election that Rummy and Cheney would be with him through the last two years (at the same time he was interviewing Rummy replacements) followed by the resignation the day after the election.

He could have canned the fucker months ago- and perhaps he would have had a better election night- but why do THIS? I guess once he got the shit kicked out of him he wanted to make it clear that he’d been planning to do this all the time- so that he wasn’t accused of cratering to dem pressure.

Pretty strange behavior- and we’re gonna see the goopers goin through every step of this failed campaign to figure out HOW Clusterfuck lost the election.

The truth is, of course, that this election was lost by the gooper congress and president before the campaign ever started.

Not so strange behavior. Rummy was toast. The key is when to throw the crumbs to the pigeons. Rummy is sacrificed to the election gods (”Message: I care”) and W doesn’t actually have to do anything else to satisfy the craving for blood and drama.

GSD — yeah, I hear you, but Dubya’s personal choice of staff has been immune to pressure from all other Repugs. Valuing loyalty above all else, he’ll keep Rover — particularly since Rover’s fortunes are immediately bound up in Dubya’s.

I’m still trying to figure out the nature of the bet Rove placed; as I commented this morning, Rover made a $20 million bet on Lieberman for a reason. That’s 20 mil that didn’t get spent on other Repug races, especially the tight ones.

Did Rover know the tight races might not benefit from the cash infusion, and make a calculated bet on a guaranteed payoff??

I used to think that Wal-Mart was actually a military surplus store. You know, selling the voters back what they already bought at a really good price.

Okay, I admit that I still believe it.

egregious @ 228

Patrick 4/4 @ 207

egregious @ 197

ccmask @ 103

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

History will show who shot him. It’s not a pretty story.

Oh. You mean Nancy then.

No, I mean cui bono. Follow it, it won’t take you very far til you happen upon the explanation.

Sorry. This one for me goes under the tinfoil hat with the Wellstone plane crash conspiracy.

Valley Girl @
114

Hey ET! I haven’t been around much, so you may have already commented- reaction to the AK outcome? Benson’s numbers looked impressive, considering the battle she had to fight.xxxooo Will she run again?

I commented in the late night thread about the Alaska races. I can’t find it now. At any rate, Diane will probably be muscled aside by a Democratic Party machine which gave her less money than egregious raised for her here. The two most likely potential opponents to Young at this point are ex-Governor and recently defeated Tony Knowles and the current Anchorage Mayor, Mark Begich.

Mark is Congressman Nick Begich’s son. Nick disappeared in a mysterious airplane accident, probably over Prince William Sound in October, 1972. Also aboard was House Majority Leader Hale Boggs. Don Young won the special election to fill the vacancy created by Begich’s death.

Nick Begich has the best campaign record of any leading Democrat in Alaska. He has alluded to interest in Young’s seat in the past. He’s serving his second term as Anchorage Mayor, and will be term-limited out at the same time one would be expected to run for the 2008 US Congress race.

scarecrow @
209

EvilDrPuma @ 183

Not necessarily OT:

Peace mom Sheehan arrested in Washington

Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate Wednesday to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by 80,000 Americans.

It seems to me that some guys never learn.

If I recall correctlly, it was Cindy Sheehan’s vigil near Crawford a year ago August that first stopped the WH ability to control the news. Then came katrina and after that, it was a dose or two of bad news for the WH and Republicans every week, almost without let up, that led us to today. Over a year later, the President still has no better answer for her simple question, “why did my son die” than he had then. She has been to jail many times since that first vigil against perhaps the most lawless regime in our lifetimes.

This is part of the history of ‘nets versus the congressional committees that should be kept up with, because Cindy Sheehan’s travails because of the war, and the abandonment of New Orleans and the Gulf area, were the loud, clear examples of important issues that our geniuses Schumer, Emmanuel, to an extent Reid, etc., didn’t think should be addressed forcefully during the campaign. Something to remember as issues start to get defined for the next round.

And from Babylon news service, that’s how I see it.

I donated to a list of Dem Secretaries of State on Blue America. I think it was in response to something I read on FDL. I know that Debra Bowen won in CA, but what about the rest of the slate?

JohnSwifty @ 235

Norm Coleman used to be a Democrat. That miserable little rat turd would probably jump at the chance to cross the aisle if anyone asked him. I hope they don’t ask him. I’d prefer to see George Galloway come back for a little chat with Normy!

HeLL No, not Norm Coleman.
Now his dad, maybe

Rayne @ 236

Did Rover know the tight races might not benefit from the cash infusion, and make a calculated bet on a guaranteed payoff??

That’s too much of the old Rove-as-supervillainous-mastermind meme. It’s just conceivable to me that the electorate spoke clearly for the first time in six years and Rove could do nothing about it.

RevDeb @ 223

Balrog @ 170

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

Start the ENDOWMENT fund and we put in monthly pledges (just like church)

Hi RevDeb- I think this is a great idea. The first I saw of it was an idea by Marion in Savannah on an FDL thread. I immediately emailed Howie. HE liked the idea, so it’s certainly on his radar.

Thanks for all the CT updates. Sorry I haven’t had time to comment in response. But, thanks for everything.

Understood, EDP, though I’ll admit to having thought for a moment.

And the actual MSNBC links to an article with this typically MSN headline…

“Election could be good and bad for Wal-Mart”

k. Thanks MSN.

ccmask @ 240

I used to think that Wal-Mart was actually a military surplus store. You know, selling the voters back what they already bought at a really good price.

Okay, I admit that I still believe it.

So… does this mean the Dems won’t have to hold hearings in the broom closet anymore?

:) :) :)

prostratedragon @ 245

Understood, EDP, though I’ll admit to having thought for a moment.

I had a feeling I hadn’t been as clear as I could have been. It’s too good a day to leave something like that to chance.

egregious @ 230

Patrick 4/4 @ 207

egregious @ 197

ccmask @ 103

I think the curse was broken by Reagan when he was shot and lived right?

History will show who shot him. It’s not a pretty story.

Oh. You mean Nancy then.

No, I mean cui bono. Follow it, it won’t take you very far til you happen upon the explanation.

The Manchurian Candidate was always a prop. The sharpshooter missed. They meant for him to succeed, and then who would be in charge? This crime family has an intent to take power over the decades. Watch and learn.

Albatross @ 247

So… does this mean the Dems won’t have to hold hearings in the broom closet anymore?

Not only that, there’ll be oaths when the Dems SAY there should be oaths.

You know what would be fun for a change…One full day of not talking politics.

Nah.

Bil @ 213

Victoria Wulsin V. Mean Jean is still undecided. This race has not been called and Wulsin has NOT concede.

Saturday most of the progressive groups in the state are going to be getting together and start planning for next year and for 08!

IT IS TIME to Celebrate and Launch 08!

bonkers @ 233

Cozumel @ 206

GSD @ 202

Rove is now irrelevant. Much like Fox News ; )

Cheers!

I’m not so sure. Their entire lives are this political game and they are pissed. You think they’re gonna give up after one bad election? I think they’re already adjusting their gameplans, and it’s likely to be more diabolical than ever. They might be more relevant than ever now, and we need to more vigilant than ever to stop these crooks once and for all. It’s gonna be a long haul….

But it’s still time to CELEBRATE! I love FDL and Blue America. We’re just getting our own Wurlitzer tuned up and we’re ready to play some sweet, sweet music!

Bush, Rush, Fox…every f’ing one of them has been dressed down, big time.

We have the two years to show America they made the right choice

squirrel hiller @ 137

santa:
bring them ankle bracelets and orange jump suits for xmas.

please

Mnnn. I love oats.

ET- thanks for the AK info. If Howie’s right about an indictment for Young, maybe there’ll be another election? If Young is removed from office, would there be a special election, or an interrim appointment?

Maybe the new leadership can stop this bullshit…

“It was a thumping,” Bush conceded at the White House. “It’s clear the Democrat Party had a good night.”

Starting to see “Democrat Party” more and more in the Corporate Media. Would love to nip this in the bud before it gets too entrenched in the general discourse.

egregious,

Avoiding a couple of blossoming zigs above…

I’ll be on the road with the UAA Wind Ensemble Thursday-Friday, but you can probably expect a THANK YOU!!! call from Diane and Kris real soon.

I spent part of today pulling signs from the now-frozen ground.

Another drive-by: Well done, team. Well done. DAMN well done. We got the Senate too. Much remains…but for tonight, all should party. I’ll be late for work tomorrow, for tonight I have a date with the bartender and glasses of Jamesons. Everyone pat yourselves on the back. We made it up the hill, and we’re still able to fight.

Damn good job. Damn good. Blessings to all.

Ghostman

egregious @ 249

This crime family has an intent to take power over the decades. Watch and learn.

Sorry, but I just don’t buy it. When has anybody ever managed to hold any plan or policy together across generations? It simply wouldn’t work.

Caoimhin Laochdha @
229

jinny @
193

aReader @
64

A week or two ago, I read a reference to GOP Senators party-switching in the event of a Dem takeover. Anyone else hear that, or rumors of switchers to make Dems have 52 or 53 votes in Senate?

Yes, I can remember Mrs. Pelosi stating something to the effect that they had already had discussions some Members who had stated that they would vote with the Dems on various things. Cannot remember exactly when or where and don’t have a reference.

The Dem leadership had been talking to Chafee off and on. Looks like it’s off again. . . for good.

I’ve seen comments and rumors about others as well, (e.g. Specter), but I do not believe those rumors.

cl

Oh, I don’t trust Spector one iota after the posing and lies he’s told after the past few years. Pity he wasn’t up for election.

If and when the comments are closed on this thread, will snoopy just keep dancing forever?

preznit giv me turkee @
43

not to drop a turd in anyone’s oatmeal, but anyone else wondering why Holy Joe didn’t get the SecDef nod? my fear is that he’s holding out for something much bigger. imagine Chenron has “medical issues” (maybe from his “hunting trip”)and resigns, (especially since he got the same ringing endorsement that Rummy did last week) aWol appoints HoJo in an effort to appear a “uniter, not a divider” (commence wanking motion) and he gets in (will need 2/3 approval in both chambers for this to happen.) Gov Rendell appoints a repug replacement and it goes 50/50 with HoJo casting the deciding vote. how much stroking will HoJo’s ego need to keep him in his bff’s pocket?

Riesz Fischer @
69

Wait a minute– what about the missing petty cash from Liberman’s campaign?

We’re not just forgetting about it, are we?

I heard that one of the CT Bloggers were going to follow through on it and not let the loserman get away with anything…if I see any more on the site, I will let you know….I am sure Loserman is trying to kill it…

Exhaustion is winning. Been a LONG “weekend.” Gotta get some sleep before going out tomorrow to stand in front of the MA State House in support of Gay Marriage. The Constitutional Convention is supposed to take it up tomorrow. I wish they would just move on and deal with real issues like health care. Ya think?

Anyway, g’night all. See you in the A.M.

263 posts. I just know if I say anything meaningful, I’ll get EPUed. :)

Nonetheless…HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!

Rayne,

I believe that they were really just full on arrogant.

Yeah, they dumped all that money into Lieberman to keep him in the game. But they just never figured on losing Montana, VA, MO, and RI. They poured millions into RI too…to the most disloyal of all of the Republicans.

They were banking on a close majority with a Lieberman in the pocket. They chose poorly, Lieberman is going where the power is and that aint with Bush these last two years.

-GSD

As to Rover…..He will learn the political maxim that everyone is expendable, even him.

If it is determined that Bush’s fortunes are better without Turdblossom…It’ll be Karl who in a flash.

Rove has singlehandedly engineered the ruination of the party that was to be “the permanant Republican majority”.

Trust me he told them. He had “THE math” he told them. The levees would hold he told them. The “much vaunted GOTV machine” would rule the day he told them. The “base” would come out because they hate them that queerz and Porto-Reekins and Neegras he told them. Instead Rove has ruined the coalition. He lost 25% of evangelicals…lost any gains in black and Latino voters for a another decade. Scared the hell out of the soccer and security moms. He returned the old Reagan Democrats back into the Democrats fold. This is the electoral equivalent of Hurricane Katrina and Rove’s name is Brownie…..only he didn’t do a heckuva job.

-GSD

DrPuma, what if your family could guarantee that 2 states w an enormous number of electoral votes wd be guaranteed to vote for specific people? Think long term. They certainly are.

Nate @ 150

egregious @ 85

PeteCO @ 47

I keep having flashes of the prologue of “Fellowship of the Ring”, when Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron’s hand and he implodes and all his followers are left powerless and defeated.

OK, maybe that’s a little overdone, but it is a cool scene.

Not overdone at all. We must use all our weapons. Stories, myths, songs–Had Enough? They are part of our power.

Today on the radio here in N.Va. I heard, in succession, We Are the Champions and then Takin’ It to the Streets….

Egregious, I wanted to show you something. When I first started finding my voice in cyberspace, there was a video I watched that was put together after the 2004 elections. It brought tears of power and pride to my eyes when I first watched and posted it. It kicked me into action when I realized I needed to do more and hurl myself headfirst into the fight. The Good Fight! And damn it, it just did it again when I watched it ten minutes ago to remind me what the hell this is all about.

My Anthem!

Listening to Scarborough right now just throws kerosene on my fire in how much more work there is still left to do.

Nate-

That was VERY powerful. I just sent it to all my friends. Thanks

Valley Girl @ 259

ET- thanks for the AK info. If Howie’s right about an indictment for Young, maybe there’ll be another election? If Young is removed from office, would there be a special election, or an interrim appointment?

Yes. Alaskans don’t want to see more nepotism like Frank Murkowski’s appointment of his daughter to his own Senate seat. If WHEN Young is indicted and removed, there will be a special election to fill the seat until the next regular.

Redshift -

“Oh, that reminds me of a great story I heard. Apparently, Larry Sabato, the top pundit of Virginia politics, teaches a seminar at UVa. It’s small and he’s famous, so it’s highly competitive, and students write application essays to get in. This fall, one student got in with a three-word essay.

S.R. Sidarth’s essay read simply, “I am Macaca.” “

As a retired college teacher, thank you for the wonderful story. You just widened my 24-hour grin by another inch.

Marion in Savannah @ 188

daroux @ 94

[snip]
Long term Joe will be a continued poison for the Dems.

Well, until 2 or 3 Republican Senators are indicted or convicted or ridden out of town on a rail for having carnal knowlege of their kid’s hamster… Then we can kick Joe to the curb with impunity. Given this administration, how long do you think it will take for 2 Senators to be indicted/subpoenaed/outed???

Laphraoig spew alert!

Ow!

ccmask @
124

In hindsight, it’s not hard to see the Alzheimer’s setting in during his second term.
—
Yeah, he was perfect for the GOP. Just like the boy wonder.

I saw symptoms of Alzheimers in his first term.

egregious @ 270

DrPuma, what if your family could guarantee that 2 states w an enormous number of electoral votes wd be guaranteed to vote for specific people? Think long term. They certainly are.

That does nothing to address my point. You can think as long term as you like–but you can’t guarantee that your offspring will think in the same long term you do. It’s nonsustainable. All the Bush family represents is transgenerational old-money, old-boy networking.

EvilDrPuma -

It’s just conceivable to me that the electorate spoke clearly for the first time in six years and Rove could do nothing about it.

That was my point; Rover could see that the cash infusions wouldn’t overcome the numbers on the ground. Having worked inside the machine with this election, I can see how the decisions are made. Rove had the internals from all the races and couldn’t see the $20 mil cash buying the votes needed.

Hence a bet on something with a better rate of return. But what was the return expected?

I’m not saying Rover’s a genius. Heck, this is what I would have done in his shoes if I’d had the numbers he had…but I also have a speculation about the nature of the investment.

You know it is very possible that Diebold screwed them.

Ed*ard Teller @ 270

Valley Girl @ 259

ET- thanks for the AK info. If Howie’s right about an indictment for Young, maybe there’ll be another election? If Young is removed from office, would there be a special election, or an interrim appointment?

Yes. Alaskans don’t want to see more nepotism like Frank Murkowski’s appointment of his daughter to his own Senate seat. If WHEN Young is indicted and removed, there will be a special election to fill the seat until the next regular.

Benson on the ballot?

Love the Snoopy song, Good Day Sunshine, Beautiful Day, and the others mentioned, but this one is for dancing on a grave.

Oh yeah.

We already have another candidate to get behind.

In Louisiana there will be a run-off because no one got 50% I think. Time to run William “Cold Cash” Jefferson out of town on a rail folks.

Donate to his challenger here.

-GSD

ccmask @ 277

You know it is very possible that Diebold screwed them.

I’m of the school of thought that says Diebold’s style of cheating can only turn a close race. Some races this year came out closer than others–but the trend suggests to me that either the machines stayed clean because they couldn’t make enough difference, or they were dirty and didn’t make enough difference anyway.

Rayne @
239

GSD — yeah, I hear you, but Dubya’s personal choice of staff has been immune to pressure from all other Repugs. Valuing loyalty above all else, he’ll keep Rover — particularly since Rover’s fortunes are immediately bound up in Dubya’s.

I’m still trying to figure out the nature of the bet Rove placed; as I commented this morning, Rover made a $20 million bet on Lieberman for a reason. That’s 20 mil that didn’t get spent on other Repug races, especially the tight ones.

Did Rover know the tight races might not benefit from the cash infusion, and make a calculated bet on a guaranteed payoff??

I think it’s an insurance policy for wind not floods. (Katrina Joe)

Allen got “Macaca-blocked”, eh?

so.

Balrog @ 179

GrandmaJ @ 167

John Swifty – too bad we lost Mike Hatch. He was a great ATtorny General and the corporations are all breathing a sigh of relief.

And Patty, but the good of the many outweighs the good of the few.

I’m very sorry that Wetterling lost too. However, it may be entertaining (in a can’t-watch-this-is-SO-embarassing kind of way) to see Bachmann become a Kathrine Harris or Jean Schmidt type one-woman circus. I’d rather have her in a less-than-marginal roll in DC than stirring up things here in MN.
Another other nice thing to think about is that Amy K. will be stepping into a situation where she may have more clout than dip-sh*t senior senator Norm Coleman. Bet Norm never dreamed that this would happen, haha.
And Tim Walz is just a sweet spot in the day. I’m so happy he won.

ccmask @ 277

You know it is very possible that Diebold screwed them.

Heh. To think of the THOUSANDS of “diebold” comments I’ve skipped over ; )

Twisted Martini @
235

RevDeb @ 224

Balrog @ 170

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

Start the ENDOWMENT fund and we put in monthly pledges (just like church)

Go to the DNC site and sign up to be a Democracy Bond holder with me. I give Howard Dean $20 a month for the 50 state strategy. Things aren’t great here financially, but he still gets my $20.

Thanks LoudMouth Soup. I’m in for $25. Perfect.

Cozumel @ 256

Bush, Rush, Fox…every f’ing one of them has been dressed down, big time.

We have the two years to show America they made the right choice

Yes, the next two years will be the key. I have faith (forgot what that felt like!) in Pelosi, Reid and Dean to walk that tightrope well enough to keep public opinion in their favor. Not overly thrilled with Reid and friends, but at least they’ll serve a purpose as we swing the pendulum back to the side of sanity. In ‘08, when Blue America has $5 million in the war chest, we’ll be able to get rid of some of the DINOS and keep this train chuggin’.

Type up your press releases boys and girls, its time to start outlining what we think is important these guys and gals do for us- Remember we’re not a special interest if its in the interest of the bottom 95%;)

Balrog @ 286

Twisted Martini @
235

RevDeb @ 224

Balrog @ 170

Hey, this talk about BlueAmerica starting tomorrow has me wondering…

Who’s going to be on the list? It would be sweet to start donating $5 at a time over 2 years.

Howie, fire it up!

Start the ENDOWMENT fund and we put in monthly pledges (just like church)

Go to the DNC site and sign up to be a Democracy Bond holder with me. I give Howard Dean $20 a month for the 50 state strategy. Things aren’t great here financially, but he still gets my $20.

Thanks LoudMouth Soup. I’m in for $25. Perfect.

This is a hugely doable suggestion. A permanent fund for a permanent majority.

This may be the most valuable idea I have seen in ages.

Valley Girl @ 218

STill curious about how ET and egregious size up the Benson results. She got 40%, which seemed pretty amazing considering what she was up against. Anyone seen a comment about this?

Hi VG,

ET dropped in earlier, seemed pretty baffed (wonder why?) but happy. Diane lost but Don Young is pretty sure to be indicted re the VECO thing and under AK law there must be a by-election. Guess who’s ready to roll when that happens? So, stand by to contribute to Diane for Senate when the time comes. Yes!

And damn it, it was worth a zig.

Nate I hope u see this. I watched that video it is powerful.

An existential question? Eschatology?

ccmask @
265

If and when the comments are closed on this thread, will snoopy just keep dancing forever?

new thread

Burns, Tester and Allen must like ol’ Joe about as much as we do right now. hehe

Rove wasn’t banking on Pus Limbaugh helping to push Claire McCaskill over the victory line in Missouri either.

The rightwing “attack, attack, attack” strategy had reached its saturation point this time around.

Except for Tennessee where they like their cats killed and they don’t like black men ogling their white women.

-GSD

Nate, thanks for sharing that video. It was awesome!

Hehehe.. still nothing about VA or the Senate on Foxnews. Maybe they’re planning to buy a re-count.. or seat a rump Congress

GSD @ 269 -

Mom is one of those evangelicals. Yacked at her a bit tonight. She didn’t come out and say it, but I could tell there was some relief. The hypocrisy that exists cannot be unknown to the “leaders”. No degree of sophistication can excuse it. Bless her 87-year-old heart.

Fun part is that there will be a ground swell for “inspection” of the ‘producing facility’. They are fucked.

Ed*ard Teller -

Thanks so much for your informative comment a few threads back about public radio.

I started listening in the San Gabriel Valley in the early 70’s – Pomona College was the best! Mt. Sac (IIRC) had a station – a whole quilt of diverse voices and ides.

I so miss that spark and energy. Much as I love teh toobs, ‘net access is still class-based – more so for mobile access.

Thanks for being part of community radio! It reached everyone.

[I later lived in Santa Monica and loved and supported KCRW. Broke my heart when - IIRC - the staton mgr spearheaded the change in NPR program pricing that nuked smaller affiliates…..

I still blergh when I hear Ruth’s voice.]

Ed*ard Teller @ 242

Valley Girl @
114

Hey ET! I haven’t been around much, so you may have already commented- reaction to the AK outcome? Benson’s numbers looked impressive, considering the battle she had to fight.xxxooo Will she run again?

I commented in the late night thread about the Alaska races. I can’t find it now. At any rate, Diane will probably be muscled aside by a Democratic Party machine which gave her less money than egregious raised for her here. The two most likely potential opponents to Young at this point are ex-Governor and recently defeated Tony Knowles and the current Anchorage Mayor, Mark Begich.

Mark is Congressman Nick Begich’s son. Nick disappeared in a mysterious airplane accident, probably over Prince William Sound in October, 1972. Also aboard was House Majority Leader Hale Boggs. Don Young won the special election to fill the vacancy created by Begich’s death.

Nick Begich has the best campaign record of any leading Democrat in Alaska. He has alluded to interest in Young’s seat in the past. He’s serving his second term as Anchorage Mayor, and will be term-limited out at the same time one would be expected to run for the 2008 US Congress race.

How can we make this not happen? Diane!!!

punaise @ 186

scarecrow
Have you seen anything recently on Madrid/Wilson in New Mexico?

nope

Last I heard, about noon, Madrid had closed to within something like 86 votes.

I don’t know if the 2004 race is instructive to this one. Wilson’s district is very hefty in retired federal and military personnel, who are often not around on election day, so absentee votes figure in prominently. In 2004, Romero was up by a couple of thousand votes on the day after the election, and then they started counting the absentees, and he ended up losing by something like 22,000 votes.

Absentees will figure prominently in this race, but having just checked the SoS site (unofficial results only), there’s one precinct outstanding (which could be absentees), and Madrid is down by about 1200 votes.

egregious @ 252

The Manchurian Candidate was always a prop. The sharpshooter missed. They meant for him to succeed, and then who would be in charge? This crime family has an intent to take power over the decades. Watch and learn.

Gotcha

Ghostman @ 262

Another drive-by: Well done, team. Well done. DAMN well done. We got the Senate too. Much remains…but for tonight, all should party. I’ll be late for work tomorrow, for tonight I have a date with the bartender and glasses of Jamesons. Everyone pat yourselves on the back. We made it up the hill, and we’re still able to fight.

Damn good job. Damn good. Blessings to all.

Ghostman

{{{{{{BIG HUG}}}}}}} Ghosty, and have a J for me (no ice, please)

montag @ 303

punaise @ 186

scarecrow
Have you seen anything recently on Madrid/Wilson in New Mexico?

nope

Last I heard, about noon, Madrid had closed to within something like 86 votes.

I don’t know if the 2004 race is instructive to this one. Wilson’s district is very hefty in retired federal and military personnel, who are often not around on election day, so absentee votes figure in prominently. In 2004, Romero was up by a couple of thousand votes on the day after the election, and then they started counting the absentees, and he ended up losing by something like 22,000 votes.

Absentees will figure prominently in this race, but having just checked the SoS site (unofficial results only), there’s one precinct outstanding (which could be absentees), and Madrid is down by about 1200 votes.

Holy Crap Batman. Whatever can be done anywhere else (everywhere else, in this case) cannot be done in New Mexico.

Lew Wallace, first Governor of NM territory

MYDD discussing party switchers (perhaps same rumor I remember reading):

http://mydd.com/story/2006/11/8/20413/1400

Patrick 4/4 @
241

Sorry. This one for me goes under the tinfoil hat with the Wellstone plane crash conspiracy.

Ron Brown, Mel Carnahan, and a few others are all easily explained by, for instance, a small twist of a screwdriver if you understand how aviation systems work at the technical level

Some day when you have spare time google senators and congressional reps who perished in flight. It’s a real interesting number.

bg @
306

montag @ 303

punaise @ 186

scarecrow
Have you seen anything recently on Madrid/Wilson in New Mexico?

nope

Last I heard, about noon, Madrid had closed to within something like 86 votes.

I don’t know if the 2004 race is instructive to this one. Wilson’s district is very hefty in retired federal and military personnel, who are often not around on election day, so absentee votes figure in prominently. In 2004, Romero was up by a couple of thousand votes on the day after the election, and then they started counting the absentees, and he ended up losing by something like 22,000 votes.

Absentees will figure prominently in this race, but having just checked the SoS site (unofficial results only), there’s one precinct outstanding (which could be absentees), and Madrid is down by about 1200 votes.

Holy Crap Batman. Whatever can be done anywhere else (everywhere else, in this case) cannot be done in New Mexico.

Lew Wallace, first Governor of NM territory

Living in NM I was able to hear one “debate” between the two candidates. First of all, let me say that I pulled the trigger for the Democratic slate. But, secondly, I was appalled at Madrid’s performance at the debate. Certainly Ms. Wilson continued to spout only the Bush talking points, but Madrid was totally lame and had no comeback when accused of taking $100k from a corporate contributor. She needs elocution lessons, a vocal coach and a brain, IMHO. Talk about holding your nose and voting.

The shame of it is that the Dems here couldn’t find a better candidate. Halliburton Heather was eminently beatable.

Good voters of Virginia, both Democratic and Republican, who voted for change Tuesday:

Thank you.

kirk murphy @
301

I started listening in the San Gabriel Valley in the early 70’s – Pomona College was the best!

And remains so.