Republicans win in New York and New Jersey as well as Bob McDonnel in Virginia. I can't say I'm surprised. I'm sure their will be the nay sayers, but this is a message to Obama and his liberal friends that Americans are fed up, and even in the bluest of states like New York and New Jersey, they're singing red.
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More by *Carol ~Bronx Southern Belle D. |
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Comments: 57 ( 2 removed by *Carol ~Bronx Southern Belle D. )
Perhaps this will cause the elected officials still in office to take notice of The People, but I doubt it. If they've not listene to The People for generations, they will keep winning elections by saying just the right thing to get into office and then follow after the big money once in office.
J O B S
Are those back yet? That is the underlying issue here.
Our unemployment is 15.3% here.... LOOKING UP????
That's a really good joke but I'm too broke to laugh.
Where are you? That's awful. That's horrible. What about stimulus for the people who are suffering?
I'll have what Sarah is drinking......
They seen the "previews" to the big show tonight and they aren't liking these previews one bit.
Yes, NJ Governor, TOMARROW, we begin the needed CHANGES ::) I am not in NJ, but hope this state is neXt -run again Robert Ehrlich! This time, people may jus' GET IT!
"Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light, was so brightly she waved....")>>
No offense to Linda, but the lyrics are "what so proudly we hailed," not "was so brightly she waved."
http://www.usa-flag-site.org/song-lyrics/star-spangled-banner.shtml
I'm not trying to be rude; I just want to correct the mistake.
Honestly, it's the politicians - no the party - because they are all basically the same - rich people doing things for other rich people in order to help make themselves richer or more famous. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Has everyone forgotten which President got us into this economic situation in the first place? Have you forgotten who took us into Iraq? So many of our current problems are a direct result of deregulation of the financial institutions. They show absolutely no responsible behavior or restraint.
That's why we got the beginning of the results as of last night. If you can't
take responsibility for what you did, the voter's will vote for someone who will.
It was sooo funny because it is soooo true. You can see their spin predictions here on gather.
I fell asleep but after the liberal Republican lost. It's not about Republicans and Democrats. It's about liberals and conservatives. We weren't rooting for the Republican in N.Y.
That's the whole point, Carol. The reason your candidate lost is there is a rift in the Republican party, between the moderates and those you describe as "conservatives," aka radical right wing. People are tired of the zealots diverting attention from the real issues -- there is too much at stake and it's time to get down to brass tacks.
There is a danger in reading too much into the elections, given the differences between the two gubernatorial contests, which were shaped far more by personalities and parochial interests than any overarching national themes.
In New Jersey, Democrat Corzine sought to salvage his candidacy by declaring Obama a full partner in his governorship. In Virginia, Democrat Deeds offered only halfhearted support for the president, a sentiment the White House returned in kind.
McDonnell's victory, in the president's backyard, seemed cut-and-dried for weeks, if not months. He was a stronger, more polished candidate than Deeds, with history on his side: Virginia voters have not elected a governor from the same party as the president in more than 30 years.
Property taxes were said to be a major issue and they were. They have been for the 40 years I've been a voter and probably before that. Those that are not aware should know that property taxes in New Jersey are levied by local municipalities, not by the state. Revenue from property taxes primarily goes to running schools. It also funds municipal expenses. The state's main role in controlling property tax has been to provide funding to schools and municipalities in an effort to help the municipalities keep their property taxes down. The state also gives most citizens a property tax rebate each year. Corzine's sin was to cut back the rebate to the wealthier residents while also cutting back on some school funding.
In addition to cutting back on hiring state employees and not replacing employees that retired or left public service, Corzine negotiated a salary freeze, an average 8.5% salary cut for workers through the use of furlough days, increased medical insurance premiums and co-pays for medical services and drugs, cut the number of holidays for state workers. None of these actions have ingratiated the governor to the workers who are also tax payers and voters. They've been asked to do a lot and they have reluctantly agreed to do their part.
Christie ran stating that he will make major cuts in the number of state workers. One has to wonder where he is going to cut given the fact that there have already been cuts and hiring freezes. State workers have been doing more with less for years yet they continue to be used as scape goats by both parties.
In addition to cutting back on state employees, Corzine tried a few different plans out on the public to see if they would support them. They included leasing the NJ Turnpike and raising the sales tax. But the people of the state have been trained by politicians from both parties that there will always be another gimmick that will get us through. Unfortunately, the gimmicks these governors used, primarily Christie Whitman, are what caused the state's financial disaster. A disaster that was predicted after Ms. Whitman pulled off some shadey financial deals. The predictions indicated the sh** would hit the fan around 2007 and indeed it did. Not that there weren't problems before that. There were but governors came up with one time gimmicks to stall for time. Corzine promised to try to avoid those gimmicks. But when he put the problem and his proposed solutions before the people, the people said no. No governor since Florio has had the ba**s to face the state's fiscal problems head on. It will be interesting to see if Christie can do it. Considering his less than enthusiastic support, he will have a tough time getting the people behind him.
Mort Kondracke: "We have no way of knowing" how 2001 outcome would affect 2002 midterms. On November 5, 2001, Mort Kondracke commented: "I don't know what effect this will have on the 2002 election. And the 2002 election is -- could be decided on the basis of terrorism, and the fact that law enforcement -- the Republicans have an advantage in defense and law enforcement. And the Democrats, if it's a lousy economy, that may be the big issue. We have no way of knowing." Kondracke continued: "But the history of the matter is that in 2002 the chances are that the party in control of the White House will lose. It's almost -- lose seats, yes, in the House and Senate. In which case, the Republicans could lose control of the House." (Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, 11/5/2001; via the Nexis database)
Mara Liasson: "A handful of off-year elections can't be used to predict" outcome of 2002 midterms. On November 7, 2001, Mara Liasson said: "A handful of off-year elections can't be used to predict what may happen next year when all of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate is up for election. But last night Democrats proved they could run to the middle and keep their base in both a conservative state like Virginia and a classic swing state like New Jersey." (NPR's Morning Edition, 11/7/2001; via Nexis)
Dick Morris: "If you have a Republican president, people are going to vote Democrat, and if you have a Democrat president, they're going to vote Republicans." On November 6, 2001, Dick Morris said of the "two Democratic victories" in New Jersey and Virginia: "If you have a Republican president, people are going to vote Democrat, and if you have a Democrat president, they're going to vote Republicans. That's why the Republicans got 37 governorships while Clinton was president." Morris added: "[N]ow the Democrats are picking them all off because Bush is president. People want divided government, and that's what you're seeing, and that's what you will see in '02, a Democratic trend, not because they don't like Bush" (Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, 11/6/2001; via Nexis)
David Broder highlighted the difference between open gubernatorial races and congressional races with "popular incumbents." On November 6, 2001, David Broder said in an appearance on CNN: "The striking thing about these races was that Republicans did not have incumbents to run, and the candidates that they came up with as the successors that they hoped to elect were -- did not have nearly the breadth of appeal, not nearly the personalities of the people that they were trying to sec -- to replace." He continued: "And that carries some warning signs, I think, perhaps more for next year's governors' races where the Republicans will be in the same position, trying to replace popular incumbents, not so much in the congressional races where we expect most of the incumbents will be running again." (CNN's Greenfield at Large, 11/6/2001; via Nexis)
Michael Barone: "I don't think that the issues and personalities" in Virginia and New Jersey races "are going to be congruent with very many" races in 2002 or 2004. On November 5, 2001, Michael Barone said: "[I]f you're talking about a harbinger -- are the odd-year elections a harbinger of the off-year elections and the presidential-year elections, I think the answer is, only to the extent that the issues and personalities are congruent." He later added: "I don't think that the issues and personalities in that race in Virginia or in New Jersey are going to be congruent with very many Congressional and House and Senate races in '02, or the presidential race in '04." [Special Report, 11/5/2001; via Nexis)
Laura Ingraham: "Both sides are going to spin this," but "to call this some kind of watershed moment against Republican views is nonsense." On November 7, 2001, Laura Ingraham said of the election results: "Both sides are going to spin this, Alan [Colmes], but to say -- to call this some kind of watershed moment against Republican views is nonsense." (Hannity & Colmes, 11/7/2001; via Nexis)
Similarly, some media have warned against reading too much into 2009 races in NJ, VA
WSJ: "[I]solated, off-year contests aren't always reliable indicators of what will happen in the wider federal and state races held in even-numbered years." In a November 3 article, The Wall Street Journal noted that "isolated, off-year contests aren't always reliable indicators of what will happen in the wider federal and state races held in even-numbered years." Observing that "Democrats and Republicans are jostling to glean messages" from the races, the article pointed out that "it can be difficult to draw broader conclusions from off-year contests, which often turn on local issues. ... Each of Tuesday's three high-profile races has unique factors that could confound efforts to discern national trends."
Christian Science Monitor report highlights the importance of local issues in NJ, VA. In a November 2 article, The Christian Science Monitor noted that "the big issue in New Jersey is property taxes -- the highest in the country," while in Virginia, "the big local issue is transportation" as well as "quality of the candidates."
David Frum said claim that a Republican sweep would be "a mighty victory for the fire-breathing style" of conservatism "is a deeply unrealistic assessment." In a November 2 blog post, conservative columnist and former Bush speechwriter David Frum wrote: "Conservatives on radio and the web are preparing to hail a Doug Hoffman victory in NY-23, if it occurs, as a mighty victory for the fire-breathing style." Frum added: "This is a deeply unrealistic assessment. In two of the three most watched races in the country, the candidate of the president's party is running neck and neck against his main challenger -- in the midst of the worst recession since World War II. This is what you call a conservative politics that is "working"? What would it look like if conservative politics were failing?" [Emphasis in original]
Chuck Todd: "[T]hese races say much more about Deeds/McDonnell or Corzine/Christie than they do about Obama." From Todd's November 3 blog post:
If Democrats lose in New Jersey and Virginia, that certainly would be a shot in the arm for a Republican Party that hasn't fared well in the in the past two election cycles (losing control of Congress and the White House). That outcome also could give Democrats pause that the voter coalition that propelled Obama to victory last year (liberals, young voters, minorities, independents) appears dormant or is no longer intact. But is that a referendum on Obama? Not so much. For starters, how much does Creigh Deeds losing in Virginia say about Obama, when the president's approval rating in the state is at 57% among registered voters and 54% among likely voters, according to the most recent Washington Post poll? And if Jon Corzine's favorable rating in the Quinnipiac poll was at 38% back in March (near the height of Obama's honeymoon), and it's at 39% now, how does that say much about Obama and his popularity/presidency? Likewise, if Democrats are able to split the races by winning in New Jersey or even pull off the upset in Virginia, does that mean Obama's presidency is on easy street? Absolutely not. In short, these races say much more about Deeds/McDonnell or Corzine/Christie than they do about Obama."
http://mediamatters.org/research/200911030050?lid=1074213&rid=36886379
That's a bit too much flame bait for my taste. Why don't you take a cold shower?