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Selected News For Nov 1 – Nov 7

This thread is for the busy bees of S&L to post news items themselves.

In order to make the articles as readable as possible, please try to stick to the format described in the first of these weekly editions here.

Of course articles that fit under the topic of a recent thread should be posted there. As always, remember to excerpt heavily and to provide a link to the original source.

Related Articles:

 

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 12:00 am. You can leave a response.

60 Responses to “Selected News For Nov 1 – Nov 7”

  1. locomotivebreath1901
    November 1, 2008 at 10:04 am

    A Re-Distributionist Halloween

    Kids these days.

    Our adult children are healthy, happy, and married, but our grandkids are sadly proving to be a disappointment in this 24/7 media age.

    Every generation has a tough job to raise responsible & productive kids with good thinking skills, but it just goes to prove that common sense and hard work aren’t hereditary.

    Your efforts can be undermined.

    Our 4,6 & 8 y.o. grandkids stubbornly refused to enjoin the Halloween fun this year!

    “Why?”, I plaintedly asked.

    The eight y.o. old was the tiny gangs’ spokesman, and he proudly announced their intricate plot. “We hope to change this mundane ritual of investing time & effort for rewards. We expect the other kids to collect the goodies, and demand they give a fair share to us!”

    All the adults straightened up from this half-pint pow-wow; briefly glanced at one another, then angrily shouted, “OBAMA!!!!”

  2. artboyusa
    November 1, 2008 at 12:09 pm

    Tomorrow, 2 November, is the fourth anniversary of the cruel and cowardly murder of Theo Van Gogh, a man who turned jokes into weapons and who died for telling the truth. Please try to find a moment to remember Theo: his life was an example, and his death was a warning, to us all. Thanks.

  3. DEZ
    November 1, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    There yet may be one honest journalist left to turn out the lights.

    By Victor Davis Hanson

    There have always been media biases and prejudices. Everyone knew that Walter Cronkite, from his gilded throne at CBS news, helped to alter the course of the Vietnam War, when, in the post-Tet depression, he prematurely declared the war unwinnible. Dan Rather’s career imploded when he knowingly promulgated a forged document that impugned the service record of George W. Bush. We’ve known for a long time — from various polling, and records of political donations of journalists themselves, as well as surveys of public perceptions — that the vast majority of journalists identify themselves as Democratic, and liberal in particular.

    Yet we have never quite seen anything like the current media infatuation with Barack Obama, and its collective desire not to raise key issues of concern to the American people. Here were four areas of national interest that were largely ignored.

    http://article.nationalreview......amp;w=MA==

    Read the whole article, you will like this guy, and its a shame he will never be allowed to ask Bambi the hard question face to face!

  4. DEZ
    November 1, 2008 at 8:19 pm

    A few reports that are more than note worthy.

    http://littlegreenfootballs.co....._Term_Plan

    http://littlegreenfootballs.co.....n_PDF_Form

    Zombie and Sharmuta have done some very fantastic digging, and both deserve all the help they can get.

  5. pagar
    November 2, 2008 at 9:31 am

    If you have any friends in the coal producing states, you might want to help them get the word directly from Obama.

    “SHOCK Audio Unearthed OBAMA TELLS SAN FRANCISCO HE WILL BANKRUPT THE COAL INDUSTRY”

    Video

    Not to be outdone, Biden says: “Obama/Joe Biden “No Coal Plants Here in America”

  6. BillK
    November 3, 2008 at 4:08 am

    From a disturbed AP:

    Eighth-Grade Boy Sent Home From School for Jesus Christ Halloween Costume

    PARAMUS, N.J. — Dressing up as Jesus Christ for Halloween turned out to be a problem for a northern New Jersey boy.

    Alex Woinski, an eighth-grader at West Brook Middle School in Paramus, was sent home from school on Friday because of his costume.

    Alex, who has shoulder-length brown hair, wore a white robe, a red sash, sandals, a fake beard and a crown of thorns.

    His mother says Alex was told he could keep the costume on if he removed the beard and crown of thorns, but he declined.

    Superintendent James Montesano says the district doesn’t want students wearing costumes that could be distracting.

    Alex’s mother is Catholic, and his father is Jewish.

    He recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah and is studying Bible scripture, according to his mom.

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445904,00.html

    Somehow I suspect if he had dressed as say, Satan, that would have been A-OK.

  7. BillK
    November 3, 2008 at 4:19 am

    From the Los Angeles Times:

    For some white voters, Obama’s race is seen as a ‘bonus’

    Some regard casting a ballot for Barack Obama as a victory for diversity, an atonement for past sins and a catalyst for racial healing. But they say race is one of many reasons for their preference.

    By Richard Fausset

    Reporting from Atlanta — Will Hairston, a white Virginian, admits it freely: When he goes into the voting booth Tuesday, he will take Barack Obama’s race into consideration.

    It will be, he said, one more good reason to pull the lever for the Illinois senator.

    “For me, the Obama thing is a giant step forward for America,” he said. The 47-year-old’s ancestors once lorded over black slaves as owners of one of the Old South’s largest plantation empires. Electing a black candidate, he said, would show that “we’re not just the slavery nation, the Jim Crow nation.”

    This is the other racial dynamic that is shaping the opinion of some white voters, one that has taken a back seat to discussions of white bigotry: the reality that some whites regard a vote for Obama as a victory for diversity, an atonement for past sins and a catalyst for racial healing.

    For many of these voters, the topic is difficult to discuss candidly: Nobody wants to be accused of shallow “Kumbaya” motives. “You wouldn’t want it to be misunderstood,” said Raymond Arsenault, a civil rights history professor at the University of South Florida who supports Obama. “It sounds like identity politics.”

    But that is the charge being levied by some conservatives. In the final weeks of the election, they have been asking voters to consider whether a vote for Obama based on his race is a betrayal of the ideals of a colorblind society.

    The rise of a major black candidate may be “positive and transformational,” said Colin Hanna, president of the conservative issues group Let Freedom Ring. But Hanna contends that it is also an insufficient basis for choosing a president. “Because what you are doing is electing a policymaker,” he said, “not a token.”

    Hanna’s group has released a much-discussed Web ad that he said was targeted at voters of all races. In it, a black man evokes the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous dictum to judge people by the content of their character.

    “My vote will not be based on race,” the man says. “I will heed that wise man.” …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/op.....6919.story

    So remember, a vote for Obama assuages your white and/or rich guilt.

    Meanwhile, if people want to vote based on character, they must vote for McCain, given how Obama has readily proven to be a lying hypocrite willing to use his family for political gain and walk away from any member who is useless to him while saying how important family is to him.

  8. Diane
    November 3, 2008 at 4:46 pm

    I have somehow ended up on several Democrat Party mailing lists, although I usually ignore them. I opened one today and found this gem, ostensibly from Little Joe Biden:

    Diane –

    Last night, Barack took to the airwaves to make the case for real change. He used the time to tell the stories of ordinary people who need real solutions to their problems.

    The presentation reached its finale with Barack addressing the nation live from Florida — I’ve included the video of that moment below.

    But right now, I need to ask you for help.

    We just learned that the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee had a $20 million cash advantage on October 15th. That means we can expect to see a fierce blitz of negativity in the final days — so-called “robocalls,” mail pieces, and TV ads filled with smears and false attacks.

    We can’t let our opponents’ low-road tactics prevail. To stand up to this last-minute spending spree, we need to step up our efforts.

    The “low-road tactics” comment was amusing, but the complaint about a “last-minute spending spree” from a man who spent $600 million on his campaign and bought half an hour of time on all three networks in prime-time seemed to transcend ludicrous and encroach on insanity.

    Not that I expect Little Joe to notice that, of course.

  9. Gil
    November 3, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    Fox/Rasmussen battleground polls: Tightening
    November 3, 2008
    by Ed Morrissey

    Allahpundit covered the national polling from Fox and Rasmussen in his earlier post, and now a somewhat contradictory set of numbers have come out of the battleground states. The state polls show some hope for McCain yet in the states he needs to win tomorrow. Fox has yet to write its story, so let’s just peruse the toplines ourselves from the data.

    - Colorado – Obama leads 51/47, after last week’s 50/46. Within the MOE, but not much movement.
    - Florida – McCain lead 50/49, after trailing 51/47 last week. Definitely moving towards McCain.
    - Missouri – Dead heat at 49 all, after Obama led 48/47 last week. Movement to McCain.
    - North Carolina – McCain 50/49, after being up 49/48 last week.
    - Ohio – Tied at 49, after Obama led 49/45 last week. Movement to McCain.
    - Virginia – Obama leads 51/47, same as last week.

    Interestingly, Fox didn’t poll in Pennsylvania, or the results are not yet ready. In any case, those states with movement show it going to McCain, and he’s no longer trailing anywhere except Colorado and Virginia. Undecideds are going to McCain, and the battlegrounds appear to be firming up red. Of course, these are all states Bush carried in 2004, and to balance possible losses in Colorado and Virginia — still too close to call — McCain will need Pennsylvania.

    http://hotair.com/archives/200.....ightening/

  10. nuthingbettertodo
    November 3, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    Mmmmmm Hmmmmmm??

    Papers With Hillsborough Voter Info Found On I-4

    By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

    Published: November 3, 2008

    Updated: 11:39 am

    TAMPA – Hundreds of thousands of pages of what appear to be voter survey documents were found strewn along a section of Interstate 4 early this morning.

    The documents were discovered along a quarter-mile stretch of the highway near I-275 and contained names, addresses, phone numbers and party affiliations of Hillsborough County voters. Several empty cardboard boxes were found nearby.

    The papers also listed voters’ registration numbers, precincts where they are registered to vote and a check box next to each voter’s name indicating their preference of Barack Obama or John McCain in the presidential election and whether they needed a ride on Election Day.

    A spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson said the documents are likely survey forms, but they didn’t belong to the elections office.

    “They’re not our papers,” spokeswoman Mia McCormick said. “Sometimes candidates request this information for campaign surveys. But we don’t know whose they are.”

    She said the information in the documents is public record.

    Florida Department of Transportation workers discovered the documents at about 4 a.m. after they were seen on a video blowing around the highway.

    Kris Carson, a spokeswoman for the department, said the workers collected nine full bags of papers and have been holding the documents until the department is contacted by elections officials.

    “At this point, we’re planning to destroy them,” Carson said.

    So far, no one from either major political party had claimed the documents.

    “It’s obviously very embarrassing,” said Michael Steinberg, chairman of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party’s executive committee. “I’m sure that it wasn’t intentional.”

    http://www2.tbo.com/content/20.....d-along-i/

  11. BillK
    November 4, 2008 at 1:18 am

    From the Madison, WI Capital Times:

    Obama tearfully announces grandmother’s death

    By John Nichols

    Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham lived almost long enough to learn whether her grandson, Barack Obama, would become the 44th president of the United States.

    It was a measure of Obama’s youth that he had a grandmother who could watch him accept the nomination of the Democratic party for the presidency.

    It was a measure of the candidate’s devotion to the woman who raised him from the age of 10 that he left the campaign trail at one of its final turns — canceling late-October rallies in several cities, including Madison, to fly to Hawaii and say a last goodbye to his grandmother before her passing.

    Dunham did not quite make it to Election Day.

    She died late Sunday night, at age 86, after a battle with cancer.

    Her death, announced at the close of a campaign more remarkable than any in recent American history, added one last poignant twist to an election season that did not need another drama.

    For Obama, who made a tearful announcement of the news during a campaign stop in the battleground state of North Carolina, it was hardly necessary to note his grandmother’s pride at his historic accomplishments.

    But, along with his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, he did so on Monday, releasing a statement that read:

    It is with great sadness that we announce that our grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has died peacefully after a battle with cancer. She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure.

    Our family wants to thank all of those who sent flowers, cards, well-wishes, and prayers during this difficult time. It brought our grandmother and us great comfort. Our grandmother was a private woman, and we will respect her wish for a small private ceremony to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to any worthy organization in search of a cure for cancer.

    Madelyn Dunham is the “white grandmother” Obama spoke about in his historic “A More Perfect Union” speech on race relations, which he delivered in Philadelphia after a controversy involving his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, stirred up during the Democratic primary campaign.

    Speaking of Rev. Wright, the candidate said, “As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions — the good and the bad — of the community that he has served diligently for so many years. I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community.

    “I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother, a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.” …

    http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/312671

    You have got to see the photo accompanying the article:

    http://cdntn.madison.com/image...../90546.jpg

    Not staged. Not at all.

  12. BillK
    November 4, 2008 at 3:46 am

    In the “Does the Los Angeles Times have third graders writing their headlines?” department:

    Democrats hope to boost their fortunes in Congress

    Democrats are shooting for 60 seats in the Senate in order to overcome Republican-led filibusters. In the House, they hope to expand their majority by 20 to 30 seats.

    By Richard Simon

    Two years ago, Democrats wrested control of Congress from Republicans. Today, they are expected to expand their House and Senate majorities.

    Senate Democrats, who hold a 51-49 majority with the help of two independents, hope to wind up with the 60 seats needed to overcome Republican-led filibusters, a threshold they have not reached since Jimmy Carter was president.

    One complication is the party’s tension with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, one of the independents. Though he caucuses with the Democrats, Lieberman supported Republican John McCain for president and spoke at the GOP convention.

    Still, Lieberman’s generally Democratic leanings on domestic issues suggest he would help the party reach 60 votes to overcome many filibusters. Even if they fall short of 60 seats, Democrats might be able to win support from some moderate Republicans.

    In the Senate, 35 seats are up for election; Republicans are defending 23, compared with 12 for Democrats.

    In the House, Democrats outnumber Republicans 235 to 199, with one vacancy, and are projected to add 20 to 30 seats — maybe more. All 435 House seats are up for grabs. …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/po.....8267.story

    It’s just too bad Americans have no memory and don’t remember what happened when Jimmy Carter was President, and America’s youth simply knows him as “that nice kind Habitat for Humanity guy.”

  13. BillK
    November 4, 2008 at 3:56 am

    This is clearly a major error and should have been datelined tomorrow.

    Heads are going to roll for this one.

    From the Los Angeles Times:

    Breaking: Sarah Palin cleared in Troopergate by independent state panel

    By Andrew Malcolm

    A report by an independent state personnel board has cleared Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin of ethics violations in the firing of her public safety commissioner last summer.

    Released today, the last day of the presidential campaign as the 44-year-old mother of five hop-scotched across the country to numerous states in last-minute hectic campaigning, the report says there is no probable cause to believe Palin or any other state official violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with the firing.

    The report was prepared by an independent counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board.

    A separate legislative investigation recently concluded that Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, abused her office.

    The charges included she allowed her husband and staffers to pressure the public safety commissioner to fire a state trooper who went through a nasty divorce from Palin’s sister and other charges and that he Tasered their son and threatened members of the Palin family.

    Palin says the commissioner’s firing had nothing to do with the incident involving the trooper.

    Palin’s attorney Thomas Van Flein released a statement saying:

    “Gov. Palin is pleased that the independent investigator for the Personnel Board has concluded that she acted properly in the reassignment of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

    “The Governor is grateful that this investigation has provided a fair and impartial review of this matter and upholds the Governor’s ability to take measures when necessary to ensure that Alaskans have the best possible team working to serve them.”

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.co.....n-tro.html

    I guess it really is over for McCain/Palin if the Times reported on this today of all days.

  14. BillK
    November 4, 2008 at 4:03 am

    Why wait for a liberal to be inaugurated, says SCOTUS.

    From the Los Angeles Times:

    Supreme Court weighs lawsuits against drug makers

    In Wyeth vs. Levine, the justices appear closely split on whether to uphold the Bush administration’s policy that shields companies if the FDA has approved warning labels.

    By David G. Savage

    On the day before the nation elects a new president, the Supreme Court debated an important legal legacy of the outgoing Bush administration.

    Two years ago, the administration said drug makers should be shielded from being sued by injured patients if federal regulators had approved warning labels that weigh the risks of a prescription drug.

    Until then, consumers in most states could sue if they were hurt by a dangerous product, even if it had been approved by the federal government.

    The justices appeared to be closely split Monday on whether to uphold or reject the administration’s approach. The court heard arguments in the case of Diana Levine, a Vermont musician whose arm was amputated after she was injected by an IV push with an anti-nausea drug. The injection struck an artery and caused gangrene.

    Her attorney called this a catastrophic and well-known risk of injecting Phenergan, a drug made by Wyeth. She sued the drug maker in a Vermont court and said doctors and nurses should have been warned against injecting Phenergan under any circumstances. A jury agreed and awarded her $6.7 million in damages.

    At issue in the Supreme Court is whether the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act blocks state lawsuits that conflict with federal drug regulations.

    On Monday, attorneys for the Bush administration and for Wyeth urged the high court to throw out her suit and others like it because the Food and Drug Administration had approved a warning label for the drug that merely urged physicians to be cautious when injecting the drug.

    They said the approved warning label acts as a shield against suits. “The FDA was aware of all the forms of administration [of Phenergan] and the risk,” said Washington lawyer Seth Waxman, for Wyeth.

    Several justices questioned whether the FDA truly weighed the risks.

    “How could the FDA conclude the IV push was safe and effective?” asked Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. “On the benefit side . . . you have a drug that relieves nausea, and on the risk side, you have the risk of gangrene.”

    But Justice Antonin Scalia and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. appeared to be on the side of the drug makers. They questioned whether drug makers can be held liable if they alerted the FDA to these risks, but no change in the warning label was ordered. “The labeling says it is dangerous to use an IV push,” Scalia said.

    Disagreeing, an attorney for Levine said the warning label fell short of protecting patients. A “reasonably prudent manufacturer” who learned patients had suffered amputations would have warned against ever injecting this drug, Washington lawyer David Frederick said. The warning label “is not set in stone,” he added, and Wyeth could have added stronger cautions. …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/na.....7232.story

    Let’s ensure trial lawyers make big bucks, drug companies go out of business and American consumers never see the end product of medical research again.

    Just think how that’ll bring down medical costs; premature death always does.

  15. Liberals Demise
    November 4, 2008 at 7:58 am

    Damn I’m slow….just sent an E Mail about this. Glad to see someone else who finds this horrid too!!
    Thanks BillK……This election is trying to be stolen out from under our noses. Much as I despise lawyers, I’d like to be one now and with a limitless amount of money to challenge these Un- American bastards.

  16. BillK
    November 4, 2008 at 11:27 am

    No bias. No vote suppression. Just good “news” policy.

    From the Treason Times:

    Networks May Call Race Before Voting Is Complete

    By Jacques Steinberg

    At least one broadcast network and one Web site said Monday that they could foresee signaling to viewers early Tuesday evening which candidate appeared to have won the presidency, despite the unreliability of some early exit polls in the last presidential election…

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11.....ref=slogin

    Hell, why even have the election at all and just call it based on polls?

    After all, that’s what the networks have been doing for months now.

    One need not engage in speculation as to whether any of these statements would have been made had polls been showing McCain up by a mere five points or so…

    [Moved to its own thread.]

  17. Gil
    November 4, 2008 at 12:34 pm

    BillK;

    Obama’s grandmother was old, and had cancer.
    She also died incredibly well timed.
    Euthenasia, anyone?
    Barack went to Hawaii to say bye before the termination?
    Heck, he may have decided which day to terminate her for the best boost to his campaign.
    Those tears look so put on, don’t they?
    Of course, that is “family” business.. so, like his Hawaiian birth certificate..
    we don’t have any right in law to know what they chose to do to “granny”.
    Our knowing the truth will have to wait until Judgement Day.
    But for a man who does not respect life at one end of the spectrum.. (the womb)
    it takes very little to believe he is “practical” about the other end (euthenasia).

    Gil.

  18. BatK
    November 4, 2008 at 1:38 pm

    but apparently her absentee vote will still count.

  19. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 11:19 am

    I guess we have to take good news where we can.

    From the Los Angeles Times:

    Rep. Michelle Bachmann — she of the memorable chat with Chris Matthews — returns to D.C.

    By Don Frederick

    Michelle Bachmann found out the hard way that getting caught up in the moment with Chris Matthews can be hazardous to one’s political health. But she survived to serve another two-year term in Congress.

    In what no doubt became the most closely watched House race for Matthews, the Minnesota Republican retained a seat that was put in jeopardy after controversial comments she made on his MSNBC talk show a few weeks back.

    Lots of other folks from outside the district were paying attention to it as well, after Bachmann questioned Barack Obama’s patriotism and called for a wide-ranging media investigation of whether her colleagues on Capitol Hill held pro- or anti-American views. Her remarks sparked a spurt of donations to her Democratic rival, Elwyn Tinklenberg, and cast in doubt her reelection prospects.

    Bachmann first won the suburban and exurban district surrounding Minnesota’s Twin Cities two years ago by an 8-percentage-point margin.

    With most of the vote counted in Tuesday’s vote, she led Tinklenberg by 4 percentage points.

    She had to sweat it out for a while, but in her victory speech to supporters, she said: “Thank you, Team Bachmann! You rock!”

    No word on whether she’ll be sitting down soon with Matthews to discuss her close call.

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.co.....achma.html

    Personally, I’d like to think the influx of cash from conservatives that supported her helped her keep her seat after the RNC cut her off.

    Yet another reason why the GOP itself is now irrelevant.

    The party’s useless – we must just support individual candidates like Michelle Bachmann.

  20. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 11:22 am

    Another very, very minor glimmer of hope, from the Los Angeles Times:

    Democrats gain in both houses, but appear short of their Senate dream

    Democrats will control White House and both houses of Congress for the first time in 14 years. It appears, though, that they won’t quite muster the 60 seats needed to block filibusters in the Senate.

    By Richard Simon

    Democrats strengthened their grip on Congress in Tuesday’s elections, toppling Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole and John Sununu, but they appeared likely to fall short in their bid for the biggest prize on Capitol Hill: a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

    With the election of Barack Obama as president and their party in control of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for the first time in 14 years, Democrats are nonetheless in a better position to advance their initiatives.
    In the House, Democrats gained at least 17 seats, with fewer than 10 seats remaining undecided. They hoped to become the first party in more than half a century to make a net gain of 20 or more seats in back-to-back elections.

    In the Senate, they took at least five Republican-held seats, increasing their majority to at least 56 seats. Three other contests remained undecided early today, and a recount is expected in a fourth, Minnesota..

    Sixty votes are needed to break a filibuster. But with a larger majority, Democrats should be able to peel off enough Republican votes to achieve many priorities.

    Democrats benefited from Obama’s coattails and a strategy that sought to tie Republicans to the deeply unpopular President Bush at a time of economic hardship. As a result, no Democratic-held Senate seat appeared in danger.

    In North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan, who as a Capitol intern years ago operated the senators’ elevator, defeated Dole, a big-name Republican who was once considered a shoo-in for reelection. In New Hampshire, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen turned out Sununu.

    In the West, Democrat Tom Udall won the New Mexico Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. His cousin, Mark Udall, won the Colorado Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard.

    Claiming another formerly Republican seat, Virginia Democrat Mark Warner, a former governor, will succeed retiring Republican Sen. John Warner, who is no relation.

    In Minnesota, the most expensive Senate race, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman appeared to have bested Democrat Al Franken of “Saturday Night Live” fame, though the vote was extremely close and a recount is expected. In Oregon, Republican Sen. Gordon Smith and Democrat Jeff Merkley were still too close to call this morning.

    In Alaska, Ted Stevens, the longest-serving but scandal-plagued Republican senator, was in a tight race with Democrat Mark Begich, mayor of Anchorage.

    In Georgia, Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss held a slim lead over Democrat Jim Martin. If neither candidate ends up with over 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be required.

    In a bit of relief for Republicans, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky fended off a strong challenge from Democrat Bruce Lunsford to win reelection. …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/po.....1135.story

    Of course, the real question is will the Republicans who survived fight, or will they meekly try to “get along” the way Republicans have done even when they were the party in power?

  21. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 11:25 am

    What will come first – will a court rule it unconstitutional or will it simply be made legal at the Federal level?

    From the Los Angeles Times:

    Voters approve Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriages

    Passage of Prop.8 throws thousands of same-sex unions into doubt.

    By Jessica Garrison, Cara Mia DiMassa and Richard C. Paddock

    A measure to once again ban gay marriage in California led Tuesday, throwing into doubt the unions of an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who wed during the last 4 1/2 months.

    As the measure, the most divisive and emotionally fraught on the state ballot this year, took a lead in early returns, supporters gathered at a hotel ballroom in Sacramento and cheered.

    “We caused Californians to rethink this issue,” Proposition 8 strategist Jeff Flint said.

    Early in the campaign, he noted, polls showed the measure trailing by 17 points.

    “I think the voters were thinking, well, if it makes them happy, why shouldn’t we let gay couples get married. And I think we made them realize that there are broader implications to society and particularly the children when you make that fundamental change that’s at the core of how society is organized, which is marriage,” he said.

    But in San Francisco at the packed headquarters of the No on 8 campaign party in the Westin St. Francis Hotel, supporters of same-sex marriage refused to despair, saying that they were holding out hope for victory.

    “You decided to live your life out loud. You fell in love and you said ‘I do.’ Tonight, we await a verdict,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said, speaking to a roaring crowd. “I’m crossing my fingers.”

    Elsewhere in the country, two other gay marriage bans, in Florida and Arizona, were well ahead. In both states, laws already defined marriage as a heterosexual institution. But backers pushed to amend the state constitutions, saying that doing so would protect the institution from legal challenges. …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/lo.....5381.story

    I fully expect it to be appealed to SCOTUS by the end of the day.

  22. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    Milwaukeeans voted for fewer jobs and higher prices, too!

    From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Paid sick leave referendum wins big

    Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce considers legal challenge

    By Georgia Pabst

    City of Milwaukee residents overwhelmingly approved a binding referendum Tuesday that calls for private employers in the city to provide paid sick leave for all their workers, a measure strongly opposed by business leaders and Mayor Tom Barrett. The final vote tally showed 69% voted for the referendum with 31% against.

    Milwaukee now becomes only the third city in the country to require private employers to provide paid sick days. San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have approved similar measures.

    The referendum went on the ballot after a coalition of union and community groups led by 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, collected more than 40,000 signatures.

    Amy Stear, state director of 9to5, said Tuesday night that she was surprised by the margin of victory.

    “We knew this was an issue that resonated with people in the city who understand it’s so important for families to have the ability to work and care for their families,” she said. “We believe business will find this will be good for them too because the costs of retraining and rehiring will be offset.”

    Tim Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said a legal challenge will certainly be considered. He called the passage of the referendum “a foregone conclusion because of the way it was written.”

    Ninety-nine percent of employers believe it’s a step in the wrong direction, he said. “It will be a barrier to marketing Milwaukee as a place to create jobs.”

    In a written statement, Barrett said he respects the voter’ choice. “While I believe in the spirit of the proposal, it is at the federal level where I believe this issue needs to be addressed,” he said. The ordinance will put the city at a competitive disadvantage, he said.

    Supporters of the referendum relied on a seldom-used direct legislation law to bring the measure to a vote. When enough signatures were gathered, the Common Council had the choice of passing it or putting it on the ballot.

    The referendum must now be published in the newspaper within 10 days. It must be implemented within 90 days of publication. The mayor cannot veto the action and the Common Council cannot amend or repeal the measure for two years, except by another referendum.

    Under the measure, a full-time worker would earn a minimum of one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, or nine days a year. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees would be required to provide five days a year of paid sick time to full-time employees.

    The paid leave could be taken for illness or medical care for the employee or the employee’s child, parent or other relative. The time could also be used to attend to medical and legal issues resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

    Proponents waged a grass-roots, door-to-door campaign, distributing more than 200,000 pieces of literature that said no workers should have to lose a job because they are sick or have to care for a sick child.

    Sheehy said that the MMAC decided against a counter-campaign to persuade voters to vote “no” because the issue did very well in polls.

    “We made a business decision that it would be more effective to put our resources into a legal challenge,” he said.

    http://www.jsonline.com/news/s.....74059.html

    Remember how, when FMLA was passed, those responsible said forced paid leave wasn’t on the table?

    Milwaukee is of course just beating what the Federal Government will undoubtedly pass come January, but in the mean time look for Milwaukee businesses with nearby suburb locations to close, and those that remain to pass on increased costs to their customers.

    Big shock.

  23. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    No bias.

    From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Obama backer offers subs, snacks to poll workers

    By Dave Umhoefer

    The director of the state Government Accountability Board late Tuesday criticized an event sanctioned by Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign that involved a food giveaway, saying it created an appearance of vote-buying even if legal.

    Phil Walzak, an Obama spokesman in Wisconsin, characterized the effort as nonpartisan and said it stayed under a $1 limit that defines election bribery in Wisconsin.

    Kevin Kennedy, director of the board, bristled at Walzak’s contention that Kennedy’s office had granted “permission” for the giveaway. A junior staffer in his office gave a green light without having full information, he said.

    Kennedy said he warned the campaign that the giveaway to poll workers would create the impression of buying votes.

    “I told them it’s not the kind of activity that should be sanctioned through a campaign,” he said.

    He said the program as described to his office was not illegal because it would be hard to prove intent to influence people to vote for Obama. He was told the campaign workers handing out the food would not advertise their affiliation with Obama.

    But at Hampton School, 5000 N. 53rd St., a man who delivered sub sandwiches, snacks and bottled water around 3:45 p.m. made clear his Obama affiliation.

    Kennedy said he was surprised to hear that sub sandwiches were part of the giveaway because they clearly would be over the $1 limit.

    The Obama campaign wanted “everyone to have a comfortable experience,” Kennedy said. “But there are two sides in an election, and one side thinks you’re buying something.”

    Kennedy said he was frustrated about several tactics of the Obama campaign.

    “They wanted to push the envelope on everything,” he said.

    In Racine, Obama supporters handed out voter registration forms. They weren’t technically doing anything illegal, but they were not following the rules set by the state, he said.

    Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said it would be premature to say the party is challenging the Racine ballots. But she said the party is concerned about the behavior at the polls and is talking with the Government Accountability Board about it.

    Kennedy said his office also received many requests from lawyers in both parties working as observers – requests that they be allowed to “help” voters with questions inside polling places. He said his office discouraged it.

    “If you’re there to observe, you’re there to observe. You’re not there to assist,” he said.

    http://www.jsonline.com/news/p.....51324.html

    No impropriety at all. Nope.

  24. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 4:40 pm

    Surprise!

    “Change” brings you the Clinton administration.

    From Television Week:

    Podesta, Genachowski Join Obama Transition Team

    By Ira Teinowitz

    President-elect Barack Obama today formally announced a transition team, saying it would be headed by John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett and Pete Rouse.

    Mr. Podesta was the final White House chief of staff in the Clinton administration. Ms. Jarrett is CEO of Chicago development firm Habitat Co. and a former Chicago city official Mr. Rouse is chief of staff for Sen. Obama’s Senate office.

    The team includes several people intimately familiar with media issues, including Julius Genachowski and former Federal Trade Commission member Christine Varney.

    Mr. Genachowski was a chief counselor for former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and subsequently an executive for Barry Diller’s IAC/Interactive. He is now an investor and technology strategist. Mr. Genachowski was a Harvard classmate of Sen. Obama’s and played a major role in the writing of the Obama campaign’s media issues platform. He has been mentioned as among the possibilities to head the Federal Communications Commission.

    Mr. Genachowski also has been mentioned as a candidate to fill the White House chief technology officer position Sen. Obama wants to create.

    Ms. Varney, who was assistant to the president and secretary to the cabinet in the early days of the Clinton administration, became an FTC commissioner from 1994-97; she was an advocate of children’s issues, especially those related to Internet privacy.

    The transition team also includes former Commerce Secretary William Daley.

    The transition team also includes Donald Gips. Mr. Gips was former chief policy adviser to Vice President Al Gore and chief of the FCC’s international bureau; he now is group VP-corporate strategy and development, for Level 3 Communications.

    http://www.tvweek.com/news/200....._obama.php

    Remeber also the “controversy” when the AP noted that Palin tended to name friends and political supporters to staff positions?

    Silly me, she was “unqualified”; Obama is “learning.”

  25. JohnMG
    November 5, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    So much emphasis on “communications” so early in the transition. Media issues. Internet privacy. Technology officer. FCC. Level 3 communications. Will there be a “Ministry of Communications” scrutinizing 1st Amendment rights?

    Certainly not.

  26. BillK
    November 5, 2008 at 5:43 pm

    JohnMG,

    Substitute “reeducation” for “communication” and you’ll understand.

  27. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 1:41 am

    “Republican” Arnold Schwarzenegger acts to ingratiate himself by imitating Obama.

    From the Orange Country Register:

    Schwarzenegger proposes 90-day foreclosure moratorium

    By Mathew Padilla

    Gov. Schwarzenegger today unveiled plans to halt some of the bleeding in the housing market and keep people in their homes, including a 90-day ban on foreclosures. He also proposed changes to the way home loans are made to avert another housing bubble.

    His announcement appears something of a reversal from earlier in the year when he vetoed three key bills related to the home-loan industry, including AB 1830, which proposed making more explicit that mortgage brokers have a fiduciary duty to their clients. The governor now proposes making them fiduciaries. (Courts have previously ruled there is a fiduciary relationship.)

    AB 1830 also included restrictions on subprime loans, including caps on prepayment penalties and a prohibition on negative amortization.

    The governor said in a release he wants his proposals considered during a special session of the Legislature he will call to also deal with the budget crisis.

    If the 90-day moratorium is adopted, lenders could avoid it by demonstrating they have an aggressive system in place to modify loans of troubled borrowers.

    The governor says lenders should reduce monthly payments by 20% to 30% by lowering interest rates on mortgages to as low as 3%, extend mortgage terms to 40 years, and delay some principal payments to the end of the loan term.

    The goal is to reduce loan payments so borrowers are only spending 38% of their gross income on housing.

    However, lenders would only have to modify loans if it is in their economic interest to do so, meaning less costly than foreclosure, said Preston DuFauchard, head of the California Department of Corporations, which would enforce the new rules along with the Department of Real Estate.

    “What we are doing is trying to create a new industry standard,” DuFauchard said.

    And here are other changes the governor proposes:

    • The Department of Real Estate and Department of Corporations will now be able to enforce federal laws and regulations such as the Truth in Lending Act and others, and to discipline real estate licensees who violate those laws and regulations.

    • Lending practices will be reformed to protect borrowers by expanding fiduciary duties for mortgage brokers so that borrowers can be assured they are getting a loan that suits their circumstances and penalizing lenders who make false or misleading statements.

    • Licensing requirements for loan originators will be increased and standardized.

    • California will contribute to a national database for the public to access license status and disciplinary records of all loan originators to prevent dishonest originators from victimizing consumers.

    • Pre-counseling interviews will be required for borrowers entering into risky “non-traditional” mortgages, as defined by the federal government, to ensure they understand and accept the terms to which they are agreeing.”

    http://mortgage.freedombloggin.....rium/2735/

    Hmmm.

    The goal is to reduce loan payments so borrowers are only spending 38% of their gross income on housing.

    Remember when if you didn’t meet that guideline, you simply wouldn’t qualify for a loan?

  28. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 1:52 am

    Now that McCain has lost, what can he do?

    Why, he can help convince other Republicans to surrender!

    From a gleeful AP:

    Democrats say McCain can help mediate standoffs

    By Beth Fouhy

    PHOENIX (AP) — Before resting from the grueling presidential race, John McCain began discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now that he has promised to work with the man who defeated him for president.

    Democrats, who padded their majorities in the House and Senate, have a suggestion: McCain can mediate solutions to partisan standoffs on key legislation as he did to help avert a constitutional meltdown over judicial confirmations in 2005.

    “There’s a need for the old John McCain, a leader who worked in a bipartisan way,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday.

    GOP leaders, never fond McCain’s independent streak or blunt style, nonetheless are reaching out to keep him in the fold and keep Republican ranks as robust as possible during the next Congress, two knowledgeable GOP officials said on condition they not be named because the conversations were private.

    One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. That will put the four-term Arizona senator in a position to influence Democrat Barack Obama’s plan to set a timetable to withdraw U.S. troops from combat in Iraq.

    “That would be good,” Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said in a telephone interview. “I would love to see McCain work with President Obama in dealing with Iraq in a way that Republicans and Democrats could agree on.”

    During the campaign, McCain staunchly opposed setting such a time frame, even as the Iraqi government began working with the Bush administration to do so.

    But in conceding the presidency to Obama Tuesday night at a Phoenix hotel, McCain pledged “to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

    He allowed that defeat was disappointing but said that starting Wednesday “we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.”

    Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold and an unsuccessful effort with Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to pass comprehensive immigration reform. …

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN

    Thus shredding Republicans if their last bits of significance whatsoever.

    If there was any doubt of the kind of President McCain would have been, this should erase them once and for all.

    He really is a completely clueless idiot:

    “We fought as hard as we could. And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours,” McCain told supporters Tuesday night. “I don’t know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I’ll leave that to others to determine.“

    I’m sorry, you can’t tell me McCain wasn’t chosen by Democrats to be the candidate they could defeat, and every Republican primary candidate who refused to fight McCain at all levels – Giuliani, Romney, Fred Thompson – is equally deserving of blame.

    Out of a nation of elected Republicans, seemingly the only ones I have respect for at this moment are Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann.

  29. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 2:19 am

    From a defiant AP:

    Fort Dix Informant Admits During Cross-Examination He Didn’t Plan to Give Stolen Money Back

    CAMDEN, N.J. — Lawyers for the five men accused of planning an attack on soldiers at New Jersey’s Fort Dix are trying to chip away at the credibility of a paid government informant.

    Attorney Rocco Cipparone got Mahmoud Omar to admit, under cross-examination, that he didn’t intend to pay back more than $4,000 that he stole from a bank.

    Cipparone also asked Omar about encouraging a nephew to settle a business dispute with violence and about a film pirating scheme that he had mentioned on tape.

    Wednesday was Omar’s fifth day on the witness stand.

    For the first four days, government prosecutors asked him to clarify about secret recordings he made with the defendants.

    Earlier this week, testimony at the trial centered on a map of the New Jersey military installation that was found in one suspect’s home.

    Prosecutors say the men’s possession of the map represents a concrete step in their plans to attack soldiers at Fort Dix and that the map connects the conspiracy to defendant Serdar Tatar, whose father owns a pizza shop that delivered to Fort Dix soldiers. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,447424,00.html

    Of course the AP points out that “no attack occurred” so of course this trial is so much silly nonsense and racism.

  30. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 2:25 am

    I hope no one ever took her made-for-TV “I’m a conservative!” act seriously.

    From Fox News:

    Conservative Elizabeth Hasselbeck Supporting Barack Obama

    The View’s conservative cutie Elizabeth Hasselbeck stunned viewers today by throwing her support behind president-elect Barack Obama.

    Executive Producer Barbara Walters asked Hasselbeck, who campaigned with John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin, how she felt after seeing McCain/Palin go down to defeat on election night.

    Hasselbeck said her daughter Grace, 3, had asked her who won and who lost the election. “No one lost,” Hasselbeck said she told her child. “Seriously, today is a victory for this country.”

    Hasselbeck said the massive voter turnout and the excitement of the presidential contest inspired her. “I will get in a long line of supporters … for this president,” she said.

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,447385,00.html

    The sad thing is that Palin fell for her “conservative” act when she had Hasselbeck campaign for her.

  31. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 5:50 am

    Ready to projectile vomit?

    Today’s “the world is a better place now” article from the Washington Post:

    U.S. Again Hailed as ‘Country of Dreams’

    Around the World, Obama’s Victory Is Seen as a Renewal of American Ideals and Aspirations

    By Kevin Sullivan

    LONDON, Nov. 5 — Through tears and whoops of joy, in celebrations that spilled onto the streets, people around the globe called Barack Obama’s election Tuesday a victory for the world and a renewal of America’s ability to inspire.

    From Paris to New Delhi to the beaches of Brazil, revelers said that his victory made them feel more connected to America and that America seemed suddenly more connected to the rest of the world.

    “As a black British woman, I can’t believe that America has voted in a black president,” said Jackie Humphries, 49, a librarian who was among 1,500 people partying at the U.S. Embassy in London on Tuesday night.

    “It makes me feel like there is a future that includes all of us,” she said, wrapping her arm around a life-size cardboard likeness of the new U.S. president-elect.

    “Americans overcame the racial divide and elected Obama because they wanted the real thing: a candidate who spoke from the bottom of his heart,” said Terumi Hino, a photographer and painter in Tokyo. “I think this means the United States can go back to being admired as the country of dreams.”

    Kenya, where Obama’s father was raised as a goatherd, declared Thursday a national holiday, and in Obama’s ancestral village of Kogelo, people danced in the streets wrapped in the American flag.

    In South Africa, Nelson Mandela, the civil rights icon who helped bring down his country’s apartheid regime, released a letter to Obama in which he said, “Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place.” …

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....02053.html

    Or, “liberals the world over welcome the election of a leader who will follow them down the path to destruction.”

    Unfortunately, the last person to really dream of changing the world to make it a better place was Ronald Wilson Reagan.

    He “defeated” the USSR.

    Only to have them become resurgent and take over the US too.

    Funny how that works.

    The world is thrilled as American freedom is destroyed.

    Sounds about right.

  32. sheehanjihad
    November 6, 2008 at 7:10 am

    U.S. Again Hailed as ‘Country of Dreams’

    It’s when this country has to wake up from this dream that reality will rear it’s ugly head. And it wont be able to get back to sleep either.

  33. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 7:29 am

    Will of the voters? Never!

    From Los Angeles’ KTLA Television:

    L.A., S.F. City Attorneys Challenge Gay Marriage Ban

    LOS ANGELES — The city attorneys of Los Angeles and San Francisco have filed a request for the state Supreme Court to overturn the gay marriage ban. …

    http://www.ktla.com/content_la.....feedID=171

    No surprise whatsoever, nor was it when “protests” over the ban turned violent last night.

    Voters will never learn that their votes don’t really count when it’s something the left is against, will they?

    [Moved to its own thread.]

  34. JohnMG
    November 6, 2008 at 8:09 am

    Everything in this article is generic. Pick a political race and start substituting names, and the conclusions/speculations would be just as (in)valid.

    None of us should be shocked concerning what passes for journalism in today’s world. We’ve had at least two years to study the phenomenon.

  35. 1sttofight
    November 6, 2008 at 9:07 am

    Welcome to ObamaLand. You voted for him, Now stop whinning.

    Obama campaign workers angry over unpaid wages

    Former Obama workers claim they were short-changed

    Diane Jefferson

    Jeremy Brilliant/Eyewitness News

    Indianapolis – Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.

    The line was long and the crowd was angry at times…

    They might as well get used to being disappointed by The One now that the election is over because the dems have no use for the darkies until the next election. But they keep going for that carrot every fricking time, are they just too stupid to learn?

    [Moved to its own thread.]

  36. Liberals Demise
    November 6, 2008 at 9:18 am

    OOOOOOoooooooo…..the nuts don’t fall far from the tree! GET SOME!! I’m hoping all the angry Obamites were TAXED on said wages. Lets face it…..we all have to do our part!!! God….I’m giddy. There is a smile on my face! Thanks 1sttofight!! (singing as he kicks up his heels and dances away)

  37. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 9:38 am

    Uh, duh.

    From Television Week:

    Media Hops on Obama Bandwagon

    Following Barack Obama’s win on Election Day, many TV commentators got emotional in describing the historic occasion—possibly to the point of getting carried away, the Washington Post says. “I think our excitement at the imminent history matched the nation’s,” said MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, who compared Obama’s election to the day man first walked on the moon.

    http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tv.....dwagon.php

    Possibly to the point of getting carried away?

    One was the triumph of the American spirit and will for the good of the country.

    One was simply Americans wanting to know when they could get theirs.

    Sad but true.

    Ironically we could never go to the moon today; far too many Democrats would be whining about how the money could be better spent on social programs than wasted on a folly in space and how it was just beyond our capacity to achieve so we should just give up.

    Could you imagine the televised hearings after the Apollo 1 deaths alone?

  38. BannedbytheTaliban
    November 6, 2008 at 10:38 am

    From Fox News:

    Obama’s Friends Appear Poised to Hold Clout in Washington

    Barack Obama owes a lot of favors.

    His successful bid to be America’s 44th president was aided by unprecedented fundraising, and he gained the early support of mutinous Democrats who rebelled against the better known and more experienced candidates in the primaries.

    Now Obama’s effort to craft his administration and his agenda before he becomes president on Jan. 20 could be influenced in large part by those who helped put him in the position to be making those decisions.

    Much as George W. Bush brought his Texas advisers to Washington, and Bill Clinton tapped his Arkansas connections before that, Obama can be expected to bring Chicago to the nation’s capital on Inauguration Day — and even before.

    http://elections.foxnews.com/2.....ashington/

    You see Obama’s friends and associates are off limits, completely irrelevant to the campaign. Mention of which is just muckraking by evil, hateful republicans who are stooping to the lowest levels of partisan politics. They have no effect what-so-ever on Obama’s political philosophy, personal opinions, or how this country will be run once change and hope have come to America.

  39. 1sttofight
    November 6, 2008 at 10:41 am

    I figure The One is like the little yapping dog that is always chasing cars. He has finally caught one, now what does he do ?

  40. BannedbytheTaliban
    November 6, 2008 at 1:25 pm

    Anyone notice how the stock market is reacting to the Obama victory? Massive sell offs. I’m sure people want to make money before Dumbo taxes away all their profits. Funny how I don’t see it mentioned anywhere in the news. If McCain won, I’m sure the dive would have been billed as a referendum on failed Bush economic policies.

  41. GuppyNblue
    November 6, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    BannedbytheTaliban
    People have already observed that Obama’s (or Hillary’s for that matter) capital gains taxes would cause many to move their money out of the market. You’re right, now that we’ve had the giveaway mortgage debacle, the media can ignore that fact and tell the idiots its Bush and the evils of capitalism.

  42. 1sttofight
    November 6, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    This is not good for the Chief Thug Tizzle in Charge.

    Obama’s record on firearms triggers run on sales in state

    By Jason Blevins and Nancy Lofholm
    11/06/2008

    GRAND JUNCTION — John Faulkner and his wife, Brenda, thought Wednesday was a good day to buy a handgun.

    “I’m 37 years old, and this is the first time in my life that I am really scared for our future,” said Faulkner, an oil field worker, as he perused the collection of weaponry in A Pawn Shop here.

    At Aurora’s Firing Line gun shop, Steve Wickham was also purchasing. “Anything I can get my hands on,” he said as he cradled a $699 9mm handgun.

    Same thing in Lakewood: “I was selling guns before I even opened the door,” said George Horne, owner of The Gun Room. “It’s gone completely mad. Everyone is buying everything I’ve got on the shelves. Sales have been crazy.” …

    http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10910395

    Yall best get them while you can. Also stock up on all the ammo you can get since that will be the easist to ban.

  43. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 4:13 pm

    BannedbytheTaliban, the MSM will of course paint this as “Bush’s plans aren’t working and we’re spiraling ever deeper – if only Obama were in place now.”

  44. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 5:33 pm

    The Los Angeles Times continues to report on the Palin clothes “controversy” with a lawyer being dispatched to Alaska to “retrieve them”:

    http://sweetness-light.com/arc.....ent-123297

  45. BillK
    November 6, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    Why, of course not!

    From the AP:

    No charges for ex-NY governor in prostitution case

    By Tom Hays and Adam Goldman

    NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors said Thursday that they will not bring criminal charges against Eliot Spitzer for his role in a prostitution scandal, removing a legal cloud that has surrounded the former New York governor since his epic downfall eight months ago.

    U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said investigators found no evidence that Spitzer or his office misused public or campaign funds for prostitution. Investigators found that Spitzer solicited high-priced call girls, but federal prosecutors typically do not prosecute clients of prostitution rings.

    “In light of the policy of the Department of Justice with respect to prostitution offenses and the longstanding practice of this Office, as well as Mr. Spitzer’s acceptance of responsibility for his conduct, we have concluded that the public interest would not be further advanced by filing criminal charges in this matter,” Garcia said in a statement.

    A remorseful Spitzer issued a statement in which he expressed relief that he will not face charges.

    “I appreciate the impartiality and thoroughness of the investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and I acknowledge and accept responsibility for the conduct it disclosed,” he said. “I resigned my position as Governor because I recognized that conduct was unworthy of an elected official. I once again apologize for my actions.”

    Spitzer was out of town and unavailable for further comment.

    He resigned in March after it was disclosed he was referred to in court papers as “Client-9,” who spent thousands of dollars on a call girl at a swanky Washington, D.C., hotel on the night before Valentine’s Day.

    Garcia said that Spitzer later revealed to investigators that on multiple occasions he arranged for women to travel from one state to another state to engage in prostitution.

    The scandal ruined a promising political career for Spitzer, who won a landslide election in 2006 with a vow to clean up corruption. He has remained out of the spotlight since his shocking resignation, spending time with his wife and three daughters, working for his father’s real estate business and occasionally being photographed running in Central Park.

    The lawyer for Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the former call girl whose tryst with Spitzer sparked the investigation, said she’s glad the matter is resolved.

    “She’s going to move on with her life,” attorney Don D. Buchwald said.

    Authorities could have charged Spitzer with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans carrying women or girls across state lines for “prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.” But the legal experts say the law is rarely used to prosecute johns.

    “I would have been more surprised had he been charged,” said Elkan Abramowitz, chief of the criminal division in the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan in the 1970s. “Once they determined that he didn’t use state or campaign money but apparently must have only used his personal money, I am not surprised they decided not to prosecute.” …

    http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10916858

    Mark it down now; here the MSM’s planned political resurrection of Eliot Spitzer begins.

  46. texaspsue
    November 6, 2008 at 6:28 pm

    Uh Oh, here comes the Fairness Doctrine…………

    http://radioequalizer.blogspot.....ivist.html

  47. BillK
    November 7, 2008 at 4:09 am

    Ah, academia, the only place where pay raises have absolutely nothing to do with financials.

    From the Madison, WI Capital Times:

    UW Regents weigh pay increases against maintaining costs

    By Todd Finkelmeyer

    It’s the University of Wisconsin System’s version of a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

    On the one hand, system leaders agree it’s time to seriously address the issue of low pay — at least when compared to peer institutions — for faculty and staff. To help close this widening gap, some are asking that UW System President Kevin Reilly request a hefty 7.78 percent annual pay plan increase for each of the next two years.

    Yet as determined as people seem to be to tackle this pressing issue, no one knows where the money is going to come from to solve the problem. After all, the state is facing a budget shortfall of at least $3 billion, and many system leaders are leery about making students shoulder the large pay increase in the form of significant tuition hikes.

    “As the old adage goes, we’re trying to turn lemons into lemonade,” Reilly said Thursday during a UW System Board of Regents meeting at Van Hise Hall on the UW-Madison campus. “And we’re going to be squeezing those lemons extra hard in these coming months and years.”

    The regents spent about two and a half hours listening to presentations and discussing the topic of faculty recruitment and retention challenges. And while there were plenty of tough questions being asked, there were no easy answers.

    “We are in a really hard economic time and we are facing a lot of difficulty,” said Kevin Opgenorth, who attends UW-Platteville and is one of two students on the Board of Regents. “Realistically, I think everyone is going to have to put their portion into the pot. So the question is, ‘Who puts what portion into the pot?’ And I would like to see the students’ portion of that remain at a minimal amount. But, realistically, I think you would be hard-pressed to say that students will not see a tuition increase.”

    No decisions were made Thursday. The Board of Regents will vote on a final pay plan recommendation at its next meeting Dec. 4-5 in La Crosse, and forward it to the Office of State Employment Relations for approval.

    UW System leaders say the issue of academic work force recruitment and retention is becoming increasingly important for a couple reasons.

    First, the work force both nationally and within the system is getting older. In 1985-86, 27 percent of UW System faculty members were 55 and older, while that number grew to 39 percent in 2007-08. Similarly, the UW System’s academic staff and limited appointees also are aging — with 15 percent 55 and older in 1997-98 and 28 percent 55-and-older last school year.

    When UW System institutions try to replace these retirees, they’ll be competing for the best and brightest against universities across the nation — and even the globe — who are facing similar losses. And if, as some experts are predicting, the number of new academic professionals entering the work force can’t keep pace, it could set the stage for what Reilly referred to as a “talent auction.”

    The UW System also needs to retain its faculty and staff to successfully move forward with its Growth Agenda for Wisconsin, which is designed to help a higher percentage of state residents attend college and earn degrees. The idea is for the UW System to be the economic engine that can drive the state’s knowledge-based economy. …

    But system leaders say recruiting and retaining top faculty and staff is getting increasingly difficult due to the relatively low salaries it pays. …

    http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/313285

    The answer, of course, will inevitably be increased federal funding.

    A “talent auction?” That sounds suspiciously like (gasp!) a market economy.

  48. BillK
    November 7, 2008 at 5:01 am

    More anti-Palin agitprop from the Los Angeles Times:

    Sarah Palin returns to a chillier Alaska

    The governor’s approval ratings have fallen since she joined the campaign trail. She’ll have to mend fences over Troopergate, budget concerns and her national ‘pit bull’ image.

    By Kim Murphy

    Reporting from Anchorage — On election day, a smiling Sarah Palin touched down briefly on home turf at Wasilla City Hall to cast her vote, declaring how much she was looking forward to waking up in “transition mode” as vice president. Then she headed off to spend election night in Arizona with Sen. John McCain.

    One day later, Palin was on a plane back to Alaska, this time to pick up where she left off before joining McCain’s presidential campaign: as the state’s overwhelmingly popular governor, praised for her bipartisanship by Democratic allies in the state Capitol, championed for her fight for ethics reform and presiding over a state with, thanks to soaring oil prices, a multibillion-dollar surplus.

    But wait — what fairy tale is that? After several months co-starring with its governor in one of the hardest-fought presidential campaigns in modern U.S. history, America’s 49th state bears little resemblance to the friendly, folksy place Palin left in August.

    With her vice-presidential carriage turned back into a pumpkin, Palin faces a return to a state rife with hard feelings, a sagging budget and rising political uncertainty. Will its powerful veteran U.S. senator hold on to his job despite a felony corruption conviction? And what can Palin do about her home-grown political adversaries, some of them showing a gleeful appetite for torpedoing whatever national political ambitions the governor may harbor?

    Palin’s approval ratings in Alaska, once in the stratospheric 80% range, have tumbled to a mere mortal 65%. A minor dust-up over the firing of her former public safety commissioner has blossomed into two full “Troopergate” investigations, with some lawmakers threatening to lead off the coming legislative session by sending some of Palin’s senior aides to jail.

    The state faces the potential of an operating deficit if oil prices go much below $63 a barrel. The heavy lifting to get Alaska’s natural-gas pipeline off the ground is going to have to go through a not-so-friendly new Democratic administration in Washington. And with a stronger Democratic majority in Congress, Palin likely will wait for the proverbial freeze-over before anyone drills in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

    How she gets through the next few months is crucial to her future, analysts say, since Palin’s return to Alaska is an inevitable costume change before her national relaunch — probably in 2012, or sooner if she decides to run for the U.S. Senate.

    “She’s obviously been bitten,” said former Alaska Atty. Gen. John Havelock. “She’s seen Paris, you know?”

    A small crowd was chanting “2012! 2012!” as Palin’s plane touched down in Anchorage on Wednesday night, though the governor said she would be thinking more about getting her kids back in school than running for president.

    “We’ll see what happens then,” she said. “I just thank God for this opportunity that I have to be your governor.”

    Most Republican strategists are predicting that Palin will chalk up another couple of years of executive experience in Alaska and take the opportunity when appropriate to speak out on national issues.

    “I think she’s got a great future,” said Kenneth L. Khachigian, attorney and senior advisor to President Reagan. “What she should do is go back and get resettled . . . and get sort of reoriented back to Alaska.”

    Khachigian counseled against even a suggestion that she might run for president next term. Instead, he said, Palin should “create a little suspense and mystery about her future.” …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/pr.....1599.story

    Oh no! Palin’s satisfaction rating is down to 65%!

    While Congress’ is in single digits.

    I would think that means Congress needs Palin, not vice-versa.

  49. BillK
    November 7, 2008 at 5:05 am

    More on Obama’s “mandate” from the Los Angeles Times:

    Obama prepares for presidency as electoral, Senate margins widen

    He gets his first classified security briefing and accepts invitation from Bush to visit the White House. Fresh tallies give North Carolina to Obama while Democrats gain another Senate seat.

    By Peter Nicholas and Michael Finnegan

    Reporting from Chicago — As the scale of his mandate widened Thursday, Barack Obama began preparing for a rare wartime transfer of power, getting his first classified national security briefing, accepting an invitation to meet with President Bush next week and naming a White House chief of staff.

    Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago congressman who is widely considered one of the Democratic Party’s sharpest strategists, accepted Obama’s offer to run the White House.

    Obama spent part of the day returning calls to nine world leaders who had phoned to congratulate him on a historic victory that put his party firmly in command in Washington. Election results still dribbling in increased his odds of achieving his ambitious agenda. Obama can bank on solid majorities in the House and Senate, plus a decisive margin of victory.

    Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon conceded defeat Wednesday, pushing the Democratic hold on the Senate to 57. And fresh tallies showed that Obama narrowly won North Carolina, which had not voted for a Democrat for president in 32 years.

    With that pickup, Obama carried nine states the Republicans won four years ago, while his electoral vote victory over John McCain rose to 364 to 162. Missouri is the lone state still too close to call.

    At the White House, the Bush administration is making plans for the transition. The Justice Department has already given security clearances to the president-elect’s transition team.

    Bush told his staff Wednesday to see to it that the Obama team hits “the ground running.” The two men are to meet at the White House on Monday. On the agenda will be the Iraq war and the reeling financial markets.

    “We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a new president settle in,” Bush told Cabinet members and other White House staff gathered on the South Lawn. “This will also be America’s first wartime presidential transition in four decades. We’re in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us, and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people.”

    In a statement released by his campaign, Obama said: “Michelle and I look forward to meeting with President Bush and the first lady on Monday to begin the process of a smooth, effective transition. I thank him for reaching out in the spirit of bipartisanship that will be required to meet the many challenges we face as a nation.” …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/po.....8902.story

    What, Obama didn’t take Holy Water to prepare for a meeting with Satan himself?

  50. BillK
    November 7, 2008 at 5:15 am

    See, it’s not worries about Obama, it’s sales data sending the market down.

    From the Los Angeles Times:

    Retailers post worst October sales figures since at least 1971

    The report sends stocks lower for a second straight day. More bad economic news is expected as the government reveals unemployment figures for October.

    By Maura Reynolds and Andrea Chang

    Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington — New signs piled up Thursday that the ailing economy is taking another turn for the worse, with a mounting toll on ordinary Americans.

    Retailers reported the worst October sales figures since at least 1971, a grim harbinger for the holiday shopping season. The report sent stocks lower for a second straight day, handing the Dow Jones index its biggest two-day percentage loss since Wall Street’s October 1987 collapse.

    Another dose of bad news is expected today, when the government reports on unemployment for October. Economists estimate that 200,000 or more jobs disappeared last month, about double the average this year. That would bring job losses to about 1 million in 2008.

    “This is probably just beginning for the average worker and consumer,” said Ed Leamer, director of UCLA’s Anderson Forecast, who predicts that large job losses are likely to continue for five or six months.

    “The consumer is going to do some serious belt tightening, which means that businesses won’t sell as much and that means employment is going to be cut,” Leamer said.

    Americans are already reining in their spending. Sales at major chain stores surveyed fell by 0.9% last month compared with October 2007 — and by 4.2% if discount king Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is excluded, the International Council of Shopping Centers said.

    “These are awful numbers,” said Michael Niemira, the council’s chief economist. “All this concern about the financial markets caused consumers basically to freeze up any purchase that had a whiff of discretionary spending.”

    Based on October’s numbers, Niemira lowered his holiday sales forecast to a 1% gain for the combined November and December period, down from his earlier estimate of 1.7% growth.

    Luxury retailers in particular suffered, with high-end department store chains Neiman Marcus Inc., Nordstrom Inc. and Saks Inc. all posting double-digit declines.

    Neiman Marcus is reducing inventory and marking down prices after suffering a staggering 26.8% sales decline, Chief Executive Burton M. Tansky said.

    “We expect retail demand will remain weak for an extended period of time as our affluent customer reacts to the continuing volatility of the financial markets,” he said.

    On the other end of the spectrum, Wal-Mart exceeded expectations and reported a 2.4% sales increase, excluding fuel sales. But even the world’s largest retailer is nervous.

    Eduardo Castro-Wright, who heads Wal-Mart’s U.S. division, said he feared that consumers “have maxed out.”

    “Our customers, like a bunch of Americans, are going through some hard times,” Castro-Wright said during a visit to Los Angeles last month. “Clearly the consumer is making a choice in terms of looking for better value to stretch their dollar and make ends meet.”

    Other retailers that fared poorly included Abercrombie & Fitch Co., down 20% from a year ago, and San Francisco-based Gap Inc., which suffered a 16% drop. …

    http://www.latimes.com/busines.....3887.story

    The key to take away from this is:

    All this concern about the financial markets caused consumers basically to freeze up any purchase that had a whiff of discretionary spending.“

    Yes – the press’ continued drumbeat about falling markets that in no way affect the average consumer but benefited the Messiah in the race for the White House caused consumers to stop spending, exacerbating retailers’ problems.

    In interview after interview you’ll hear people say the same thing – “I’m doing fine, but I’m worried about my neighbor.”

    But of course if you talk to their neighbors, they’ll say the same thing.

    As we all know, consumer spending drives the economy, and the press has succeeded in frightening Americans into believing their neighbors are eating dog food and they should be ashamed of themselves if they buy anything.

    Nice job, guys.

    The fun part? Discretionary spending, say on newspapers, goes first.

  51. sheehanjihad
    November 7, 2008 at 7:24 am

    http://elections.foxnews.com/2.....tulations/

    TEHRAN,Iran — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday congratulated Barack Obama on his election win — the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    An analyst said the statement was a gesture from the hard-line president that he’s open to some sort of reconciliation with the

    Obama has said he is willing to hold direct diplomacy with Iranian leaders as a way to break the impasse between the two countries or give the U.S. more credibility to press for tougher sanctions if talks fail. His policy marks a departure from the Bush administration, which has refused high-level engagements with Iran.

    In his comments, Ahmadinejad congratulated the Democrat on “attracting the majority of voters in the election.” The text of Ahmadinejad’s statement was carried by the official IRNA news agency.

    Ahmadinejad also said he hopes Obama will “use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name for history” during his term in office.

    Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.

    Current U.S.-Iranian relations remain tense, with Washington accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons and of providing support for Shiite militants who are killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq — charges Iran denies.

    In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a contender for prime minister in her country’s elections, warned against any dialogue with Iran — a first sign of Israeli disagreement with the incoming U.S. administration.

    “Dialogue at this time is liable to broadcast weakness,” cautioned Livni, who is head of the governing Kadima Party. “I think early dialogue at a time when it appears to Iran that the world has given up on sanctions could be problematic.”

    Israeli officials describe Iran as the biggest threat to the Jewish state’s existence, citing Ahmadinejad’s frequent calls for Israel’s destruction and its development of long-range missiles capable of striking the Jewish state.

    Livni has repeatedly said she hopes international diplomacy prevails. But she doesn’t rule out force if U.N. sanctions don’t pressure Iran to scale back its nuclear aims. In June, she said Iran “needs to understand the military threat exists and is not being taken off the table.”

    Iran sees Obama’s victory as a triumph over the unpopular policies of U.S. President George W. Bush, who repeatedly clashed with Iranian leaders while in office over Iran’s nuclear program and its opposition to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.

    Ahmadinejad went on in his Thursday message to say that “nations of the world” expect changes from Obama — mostly that he will change current U.S. foreign policy.

    That policy, Ahmadinejad claimed, was “based on warmongering, occupation, bullying, deception and humiliation, as well as discrimination and unfair relations” and has led to “hatred of all nations and majority of governments toward the U.S. leaders.”

    Ahmadinejad also said that Obama is expected to replace such a policy with “an approach based on justice and respect, as well as lack of intervention in the affairs of others.”

    Iranians will welcome such changes, Ahmadinejad added.

    Iran’s government refused to publicly side with any of the U.S. candidates throughout the presidential race, although Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said last month that Obama seemed “more rational” than John McCain.

    Saeed Leilaz, an independent analyst in Tehran, said Ahmadinejad’s message was a “positive step” that now leaves Washington with the responsibility for the next one. Leilaz added he believes Obama’s victory will “weaken radicalism” in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and North Korea
    ———————————————————————————————————————————————-

    Yes! And so it begins!! Iran’s favorite nut job is so confident in Obama’s lack of resolve and gross inexperience that he can openly support his presidency, knowing full well that annexing Iraq will be only a matter of months as our new King forces us to pull out and leave Iraq hanging.

  52. JohnMG
    November 7, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Will Obama be able to compromise the security of the U S and the rest of the free world?

    Yes, he can!!

  53. BannedbytheTaliban
    November 7, 2008 at 8:51 am

    Get use to it, Change has come to America:

    N.C. State students admit to racist graffiti

    Raleigh, N.C. — Four North Carolina State University students could face disciplinary action in connection with racist graffiti in the university’s Free Expression Tunnel, officials said.

    The tunnel is a place where students are encouraged to speak their minds.

    While some painted pro-Barack Obama messages in the tunnel Tuesday night following the historic presidential election, racist graffiti, including the phrases “Shoot Obama,” “Black House” and other terms that bordered on threats against the president-elect, were in the tunnel early Wednesday, campus police said.

    Campus police said four students have come forward and admitted to spray painting the words. The Secret Service searched their residences and found no real threat against Obama, police said.

    The names of the students have not been released.

    The wall was painted over Wednesday. Campus police said hate crime charges will not be filed because no crime was committed.

    The incident prompted hundreds at the school to gather Thursday for a unity rally at the campus Brickyard.

    http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3913132/

    Shame to see it happen to my Wolfpack.

  54. BillK
    November 7, 2008 at 9:12 am

    The Ministry of Propaganda has viewing for you.

    From Broadcasting & Cable:

    HBO Acquires Obama Documentary

    Edward Norton’s Class 5 Films docu to premiere in 2009

    By Alex Weprin

    HBO has acquired the rights to a documentary from actor Edward Norton’s Class 5 Films following President-Elect Barack Obama. The still untitled doc will premiere on HBO in 2009.

    The documentary crew has been following Obama since his trip to Africa in the summer of 2006, and since then has had “unprecedented access to Obama, his senior campaign staff, family, friends, and volunteers,” throughout his campaign, according to the network. The crew will continue shooting footage through the inauguration. The film will document his rise, while “examining American politics and culture through the prism of his candidacy.”

    Director Amy Rice initiated the concept in 2006, recalling his speech at the Democratic national Convention. Norton approached Senator Obama and his staff “months prior to his decision to run for President,” and he granted them access shortly thereafter.

    “Senator Obama’s history-making race for the White House has given our film a perfect framework to explore the pulse of the country at this vital moment in our history,” Norton said, announcing the film. “We believe this film will capture a tipping point in American history when a new generation of leadership emerged and old prejudices were finally vaulted over. We’re thrilled that this film will be presented by HBO, which has long been one of the notable champions of the documentary film but, more importantly, offers us by far the best chance to share this film with the widest audience.”

    Norton, Stuart Blumberg and Bill Migliore are producing the feature, with Rice and Alicia Sams directing.

    Sam Pollard, editor of HBO’s When The Levees Broke, will edit the film.

    http://www.broadcastingcable.c.....12416.html

    How much do you want to bet this will be mandatory viewing, shown in school classrooms across the country?

  55. BannedbytheTaliban
    November 7, 2008 at 10:43 am

    Looks like the MSM succeeded in demoralizing republican voters into staying home:

    Turnout did not explode

    “Despite lofty predictions by some academics, pundits, and practitioners that voter turnout would reach levels not seen since the turn of the last century, the percentage of eligible citizens casting ballots in the 2008 presidential election stayed at virtually the same relatively high level as it reached in the polarized election of 2004. … The percentage of Americans who cast ballots for president in this year’s presidential election will reach between 126.5 million and 128.5 million when all votes have been counted.” There were 121.5 million votes cast in 2004. Turnout would be about 61% of the electorate, about 1 point higher than four years ago. “A downturn in the number and percentage of Republican voters going to the polls seemed to be the primary explanation for the lower than predicted turnout.”

    http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpo.....new-3.html

  56. sheehanjihad
    November 7, 2008 at 10:48 am

    the MSM is going to be at the forefront of blindly following the socialist policies of the new King too…just watch and see.,

  57. nuthingbettertodo
    November 7, 2008 at 11:53 am

    Newt Considers a Run for RNC Chairman

    The word among GOP insiders here in Georgia is that Newt Gingrich is considering throwing his name in the hat to be the next Chairman for the RNC.

    As Georgia Republican Leadership meet today to plan for the expected run-off of Saxby Chambliss against Jim Martin, my sources tell me Gingrich is having meetings to discuss his own race.

    Newt is best known for leading the charge for the Contract with America. It is this famed Contract that has been credited for the Republican take-over of the US House and Senate in 1994. It is also well believed among traditional Republicans that it has been the abandonment of this contract by elected Republicans that has lead to their downfall.

    Since his retirement from elected office, Gingrich has stayed involved in the political grind on many different levels. Newt has released several books, founded American Solutions, and has acted as a political analyst appearing on numerous political programs and radio talk shows.

    The Republican base in Newt’s home state of Georgia still hail him as a hero and hold him in high regard much like national Republicans do Ronald Reagan. Considering the obvious divide among Republican voters, Newt Gingrich just may be the leader they need to help them once again unite. Gingrich has a proven record of understanding the will of the American people and his experience as a leader is a proven matter of record.
    http://www.digitaljournal.com/.....amp;local=

  58. 1sttofight
    November 7, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    the MSM is going to be at the forefront of blindly following the socialist policies of the new King too…just watch and see.,

    Going to be??? They have been there for years my friend. They just don’t try to hide it anymore.

  59. sheehanjihad
    November 7, 2008 at 12:16 pm

    Good point 1st….good point.

  60. BannedbytheTaliban
    November 7, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    Other institutions will be chiming in too, not just the MSM:

    Teacher’s political discussion with students under review

    Fayetteville, N.C. — Cumberland County Schools officials expressed shock and disappointment Friday upon learning of an online video in which a local teacher tells a student her father might be deployed for years because the family supported John McCain for president.

    A Scandinavian film crew making a documentary last spring on support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama captured McArthur Elementary School teacher Diantha Harris talking to her fifth-grade students about Obama and McCain.

    When one girl said she was backing McCain because her parents were, Harris responded, “Oh Lord.” She later called the war in Iraq “senseless” and told the girl that McCain planned to keep U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years, if necessary.

    …………Officials discussed the matter with the girl and her parents, who said they weren’t upset about the exchange with Harris, according to McPhaul. The parents said the girl had a good experience in Harris’ class last year, she said.

    http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3918046/

    First of all I want this teacher arrested for a hate crime. She hates republicans, the military, the USA, etc… Second, one can conclude from her name her ethnic persuasion and why she is an Obama supporter. Third, if this had been a black kid, being told Obama wasn’t going to give his family extra money by a white teacher, well, we can all imagine the outrage.

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