The Official Midterm Election Thread

[Ken]

Sarah Palin’s Hee Haw-on-helium shtick is my selection.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Palin is unlistenable.

So is Barbour. OH, GOD. May I never have to listen to that voice again.

[Ken]

Barbour’s voice is vintage Grand Wizard.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I guess to me it's just fat rich country club southerner.

[ms.petra]

Nancy Pelosi.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

To me Nancy Pelosi always sounds like she's addressing a group of kindergartners, but I forgive her, because I admire her so much. No doubt in the House she is often surrounded by stupidity.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Hillary Clinton used to sound like she was addressing groups of 5 year olds too. I think someone gave her a heads-up (somewhere in the middle of campaign 2008), because she changed her delivery and now is infinitely less off-putting.

[ms.petra]

I don't like anything about Ms. Pelosi.

[ms.petra]

Shall the voters for the City and County of Denver adopt an Initiated Ordinance to require the creation of an extraterrestrial affairs commission to help ensure the health, safety, and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relation to potential encounters or interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles, and fund such commission from grants, gifts and donations?

The last question on my ballot! :)

[RandomAnthony]

ms.petra wrote: "I don't like anything about Ms. Pelosi."

high-fives Petra

[RandomAnthony]

Neil Cavuto on the later afternoons in Fox has a really weird voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ozAC...

[Sarah]

ms.petra wrote: "Shall the voters for the City and County of Denver adopt an Initiated Ordinance to require the creation of an extraterrestrial affairs commission to help ensure the health, safety, and cultural awa..."

Wait. For real?

[ms.petra]

for real!

[Sarah]

Well, that's very forward thinking of them.

[janine]

dark chocolate almonds! raisins smothered in chocolate! (i needed some procrastination)

[Ken]

Arizona has a referendum on its ballot for a proposed law requiring local law enforcement to check the planetary status of all Arizonans encountered in the course of their duties. (Frankly, I’ve been a Jan Brewer birther for a long time, still not convinced of her terrestrial citizenship).

Here in California I voted for Prop. 19 legalizing marijuana, which I expect to make us a great deal more diplomatic when visitors from the Mothership begin to arrive.

[Sarah]

Is it a yes to pass, or a no?

[Ken]

I think it's behind in polling. On the other hand, its proponents tend to listen to music at louder volume, and often miss the pollsters’ calls.

[Ken]

I just want to give a shout out to the folks in Oklahoma who had the foresight to place an initiative on the ballot banning Sharia Law. Americans for too long have lived under the threat of servitude under an Ayatollah’s thumb.

[Sarah]

Ken wrote: "I just want to give a shout out to the folks in Oklahoma who had the foresight to place an initiative on the ballot banning Sharia Law. Americans for too long have lived under the threat of servitu..."

Noooooooooooooo. Really?

The one I'll be glad to have over and done with is Anne Arundel County's slots question.
Pro slots at Arundel Mills: "Giant casino! It's not at the mall, just in the same town, contrary to what you've heard. Bobby Flay! Cheesecake Factory! Why would you deny us?"

Anti slots: "Do you really want a slots parlor near your mall? Gambling near your children? Vote no and put slots at Laurel Park racecourse where they belong."

I'm actually in favor of the second variation, since the racing industry could use slots and they are definitely already set up for gambling, but I hate their scare tactics.

[Ken]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Media/oklaho...

Islamic Sharia Law to Be Banned in, ah, Oklahoma

Oklahoma is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban state judges from relying on Islamic law known as Sharia when deciding cases.

The ban is a cornerstone of a "Save our State" amendment to the Oklahoma constitution that was recently approved by the Legislature.

The amendment -- which also would forbid judges from using international laws as a basis for decisions -- will now be put before Oklahoma's voters in November. Approval is expected.

[RandomAnthony]

I would like to know that we, as moderators, voted not to use Sharia law to make major decisions on TC, too. I'm sure you all feel safer now.

[RandomAnthony]

Next up, by the way, we're voting on whether or not to use first century ecclesiastical law, Vulcan guidelines, or Barney's moral code, too...just to be sure. We're trying to cover all the bases. Thank you for your fine model, Oklahoma!

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Let's not use the law of conservation of mass, or the law of the seas, or elder law, or the laws of the land, or the law of diminishing marginal utility, either.

[Ken]

So far, so good: no state has banned Man Law.

[RandomAnthony]

They're in the middle of the country. Maybe they feel that way in the middle they can't get in trouble because other countries would have to pass through all the other states to get there.

[Ken]

Oklahoma Republicans dragged this initiative onto the ballot as bait to improve Republican turnout, in much the same way that national Republicans spurred efforts in 2004 to get state initiatives on state ballots banning gay marriage in order to drive up Republican turnout. There’s strong appeal here to the xenophobic/paranoid/ignoramus constituency. Gay-baiting brought them out before, so now it’s on to the mainstreaming of Islamophobia.

Since, obviously, decisions in American courts must be grounded in state and federal law (Let’s just say a judge citing Sharia Law for the basis of her decision has a very good chance of reversal on appeal) in practice this initiative is somewhere between irrelevant and gloriously and magnificently batshit insane. But no doubt, it exemplifies this ominously nuttier than imaginable election cycle.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Blumenthal defeated Linda McMahon in Connecticut, that's good.

[Lori]

Rand Paul, head stomper, won? Great.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I will be curious to see how this ballot initiative in Washington turns out.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/02/news/...

When voters in Washington state head to the polls, not only will they decide whether to check the box marked (R) or (D), but also if their millionaire neighbors should pay higher taxes.

An initiative on the state's ballot calls for establishing an income tax of 5% on single taxpayers earning $200,000 or more and a 9% rate on incomes above $500,000. (The threshold would be doubled for married Washingtonians.)

Washington is one of a handful of states with no income tax, and if the initiative passes, it would be the first state to enact a personal income tax since Connecticut in 1991...

[Ken]

The House is a goner for Dems. But Republicans have no chance whatsoever to take the Senate. So far, Dems seem to be doing a little better than expected in the gubernatorial races.

[Ken]

I’m engaging in a sacred Rastafarian ritual I hope will smoke out last minute voters for the pot initiative.

[Lori]

LG - there's a several extremely important initiatives on the ballot in WA. And btw, Bill Gates himself helped write the income tax proposition.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Lori wrote: "LG - there's a several extremely important initiatives on the ballot in WA. And btw, Bill Gates himself helped write the income tax proposition."

I know that both Gates Jr. and Sr. support it, but I wasn't aware they helped writ it.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Oh God, Haley Barbour is speaking. AAAARRRGGGGHHHH.

[Phil]

To be consistent, Oklahoma must now ban judges from using New Testament laws in deciding cases.

[Phil]

Sarah Pi wrote: "I'm actually in favor of the second variation, since the racing industry could use slots and they are definitely already set up for gambling, but I hate their scare tactics."

I would think racetracks would be against slots on the premises because it would take dollars from the pari-mutuel pot.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Five states have ballot initiatives establishing a constitutional right to hunt and fish.

Hey! Oklahoma approved the anti-Sharia amendment, wooooo!

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Rhode Island defeated a ballot initiative to change its name. (From State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, to Rhode Island.)

[ms.petra]

I feel like the little purple/red dot in the blue circle on the map that is Denver. :(

[Knarik]

Barabra Boxer won in CA!!! And Jerry Brown too. I am glad!

[Sarah]

Phil wrote:
I would think racetracks would be against slots on the premises because it would take dollars from the pari-mutuel pot.
I w..."

Racetracks want PEOPLE. Right now, we're surrounded by states with slots at racetrack casinos, and they're stealing all the MD gamblers. If the MD racing industry tanks, the breeders will go places with better incentives, and all the beautiful horse farms will be turned into developments.

[Sarah]

In MD, Kratovil lost to Andy Harris, who I find absolutely terrifying, but the rest of our races went the way I wanted them to.

I've got a close eye on the California Attorney General race, which is deadlocked.

I am disappointed that Iowa did vote out the gay marriage judges.

Does anybody know how the extraterrestrials did in Colorado?

[Lori]

I stand corrected by Misha! As usual. :D

Anxiously awaiting the Senate results in WA. It's a joke that it is so close.

[Sarah]

Hey hey! Colorado Senate race was just called for the Democrat, Bennet.

[[deleted user]]

We here in Arizona have just entered the third rung of Hell with the election of Jan Brewer as governor AND Ben Quayle...ooohhhhhh, the horror, the horror.
Now more than ever we need the medical marijuana law!!!
John McCain has been re-elected...so now he can get back to ignoring Arizona.

[Phil]

Misha wrote: "Anxiously awaiting the Senate results in WA. It's a joke that it is so close.

I've been flooded with e-mails from both sides about why the remaining ballots are going to be give their candidate a..."

The most populous (by far) county in the state went heavily toward Ms. Murray, and has a lot of votes left to count. I give her the upper hand here.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Mike wrote: "We here in Arizona have just entered the third rung of Hell with the election of Jan Brewer as governor AND Ben Quayle...ooohhhhhh, the horror, the horror.
Now more than ever we need the medical m..."

Wow. I wasn't following Quayle's race at all - was he expected to win?

Interesting how McCain got reelected ignoring Arizona, but Feingold couldn't pull off the same thing in Wisconsin.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Our governor's race still hasn't been determined. The Democrat has 46.5%, the Republican 46.2% with 99% of precincts reporting.

The Republican, Bill Brady, wants to teach creationism in schools, ban abortion, and repeal the minimum wage. (Illinois has had several recent Republican governors, but no one even approaching this level of crazy right winginess.) Kind of interesting how he can come so close to winning in a blue state...

[RandomAnthony]

I grew up in Chicago...not sure I even knew what a Republican was until I was in college.