Vox Populi – 11-7-2014

Hey all! Vox Populi, our live weekly chat about the week’s events begins tonight at 7:00 PM PST! Can’t imagine what happened this week that we could chat about but we always find something. Hope to see you then!

adlib 7 days ago

Sorry I missed you, Harleigh! And no, this is the Ted Cruz/Joni Ernst 2016 chat room…er…rant room.

adlib 7 days ago

Hey there!

adlib 7 days ago

Welcome back!

adlib 7 days ago

Uh…Chuck Todd fell off a swing and cried when he skinned his knee.

adlib 7 days ago

I can only imagine how batshit crazy everything will get with a Repub Congress and a Repub Presidential campaign.

adlib 7 days ago

It’s now a Town Drunk Convention!

adlib 7 days ago

Make that Village Idiot Convention.

adlib 7 days ago

The real contest is who can outcrazy who.

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I can imagine them trying to top each other as they demand something crazier and crazier. And Yep, Joni Ernst looks to be a real rival with Ted Cruz for “Craziest in a Republican Role”.

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“I offer a bill to end Obamacare…and bring polio back!”

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“And I offer a bill to kill Obamacare, bring polio back…and contaminate our water supply with radiation!”

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They’ll demand science books say that the Earth is 6,000 years old take out the theory of gravity since it’s only a theory an “I’m not a scientist”.

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Ecol-AYE!

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SyphilYES!

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“I propose a law that requires a Citizenship ID not to be choked to death.”

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“And I propose that we change the definition of immigrats to mean ‘kindling”‘”

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“I propose that the US Chamber of Commerce be authorized as a death panel.”

adlib 7 days ago

Hey Mr. Funk!

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Harleigh, kick some asses down there for us, okay?

adlib 7 days ago

Funk – Yet!

adlib 7 days ago

PPO – Americans have grown accustommed to consuming garbage. It’s no coincidence that the McRib came back by popular demand around election time.

adlib 7 days ago

Just lost a comment, everyone else posting okay?

adlib 7 days ago

Hey CL! McRib is a pink-slime shaped mold with corn syrup filled “barbecue sauce”…it’s GREAT!!!

adlib 7 days ago

Hey Kes! Those aren’t leftovers, we call those Ernstables.

adlib 7 days ago

Kes – McErnsts?

adlib 7 days ago

Ernstestines?

adlib 7 days ago

PPO – I don’t think the Repubs have any intention of working…aside from offering up poisonous bills that they can use to excite their base and try to hurt Dems who vote against them.

adlib 7 days ago

Wow, I didn’t know our chat software embedded tweets! Cool! Though the content of the tweet is idiotic. No, the Senate Dems will filibuster it.

adlib 7 days ago

CL – No need even for a veto since Dems will filibuster. Only possible veto would be if a bad budget is passed through reconcilliation.

adlib 7 days ago

Funk – A valid concern but there are too few Blue Dogs left in the Senate, they still won’t have enough votes.

adlib 7 days ago

CL – I go back and forth on this. Since anger and fear are the main motivators for American Voters, if terrible bills get passed by a Repub Congress that can override an Obama veto, there will sure be a big grassroots vote for Dems in 2016. What I hate though is that too many Americans need to have terrible things come crashing down on them from Republicans before they smarten up enough to vote against them.

adlib 7 days ago

I hear the Latino leaders who wanted to send a message to Obama by not voting are also angry at their faces and have voted to cut their own noses off to send their faces a message.

adlib 7 days ago

Night Harleigh!

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – Doesn’t matter when it comes to gerrymandering, districts can’t be changed until 2021 so the 2020 elections are critical.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – The Repubs always have an advantage in propaganda because their message is about terrifying voters out of their minds and getting them mindlessly angry. Dems are about policy, even lying about that isn’t as potent as lying about, “We’re all gonna be killed thanks to Obama!!!”

adlib 7 days ago

I do agree, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has got to go. Look what a great job Howard Dean did compared to her.

adlib 7 days ago

Funk – Good point. But even so, the “Obama who?” campaign she spearheaded was incredibly horrible.

adlib 7 days ago

It is ebb and flow though folks, Repubs slaughtered Dems in 2010 then Dems came back and Obama was re-elected in 2012. This is the reality we’re in, the off year electorate is more RW then when more people vote in Presidential elections. Let’s not forget that and allow ourselves to be demoralized about the future. What will be a better ad for a Dem wave in 2016 than a Repub controlled Congress going nuts?

adlib 7 days ago

Funk – History repeating itself. Al Gore could have won more clearly (and not allowed the opportunity for the Repubs and SCOTUS to steal the election) if he had campaigned as part of the Clinton partnership. So stupid to run away from your party’s leader, it never works. Try defending him and your shared values, Dem politicians. It works in other elections.

adlib 7 days ago

CL – Not true, we picked up Senate and House seats.

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CL – Dems kept control of the Senate in 2012 and increased their number of seats in the House.

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CL – Holding the Presidency is far from irrelevant. Can you imagine what would be happening to this country next year if Romney had won in 2012?

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Murph – That’s just not true holistically. One election, Repubs win, an off year election when Dems had a ton more contested seats up for grabs. The party out of power always does well historically in off years, let’s keep things in perspective. Dems have won both of the previous Presidential elections and only won an off year election when Bush was President. The pattern is consistent.

adlib 7 days ago

Funk – Iowa makes me feel queasy in my Ernstestines.

adlib 7 days ago

CL – The main reason House control is lost to Dems is losing in 2010 and gerrymandering. I’ve said for some time, the Dems won’t be able to retake The House until after 2021 IF Dems win statehouses and fix the gerrymandering. And hey, how about laws getting passed in states like we have here in CA that takes redistricting out of the hands of scheming politicians? That could help too!

adlib 7 days ago

BTW, hey Sabreen!

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I know you feel that way, that the ones with the most money always win but that wasn’t true in 2012. It sure makes it harder to win but money can only do so much, if there is a strongly compelling reason to vote in the other direction, people will and did.

adlib 7 days ago

Hey KT!

adlib 7 days ago

CL – That is very cool! Hey how about that as a doable agenda. Get the Progressive millionaires to finance propositions in states to make redistricting impartial?! That could fix a lot of these problems without needing a wave election.

adlib 7 days ago

CL – So true, had the Dems gotten behind the message of their positive agenda and accomplishments…and not turned on Obama, they could have had a strong pushback against Repubs.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I disagree but you did put your finger on it. The sight of all these hostile Repub ads accompanied by cowardly Dems refusing to even admit they voted for Obama, made for a self-fulfilling defeat. But change the Dem part of that dynamic and have them fighting like they did in 2008 and 2012 for ideals and the outcome could have been very different. Money makes a difference but the last election cycle, in which SuperPACS were operating just as they were in this one, proves that more money does not assure victory.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – When you consider that only 1/3 of eligible voters voted, there is another avenue to pursue, activating a majority of the 66% of voters to vote Dem. Clearly, they are not motivated by the money the Repubs spent. So let’s think outside the box and fight fire with CO2 instead of fire.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I’m very disappointed in this election too but assuming that this year’s bad outcome is what will happen every election now is just playing into Repub propaganda. How many seats did the Kochs and Co. win in 2012? I think it’s best to look at the big picture and not get trapped in one election defining all future elections.

adlib 7 days ago

Ann/Blondannas, very nice to have you at The Planet and here on Vox!

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I had the same thing happen but I think your comments are posting, they’re just not showing up on your screen. Try closing then reopening your screen and I’ll bet you see them.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – Did you see my comment about closing your Vox window? It may be a memorey or caching thing. Try closing and reopening the window and you should find all your comments posted.

adlib 7 days ago

It’s a memory or caching thing, Murph. Close your browser than reopen, all should be well.

adlib 7 days ago

Yep, we’re seeing all your comments, Murph, even though you’re not.

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Kes – That BS characterization of Dems and Repubs only lasts between cycles when Repubs don’t have power. Once they have power, they blow up their image and burnish the Dems’.

adlib 7 days ago

Night Kes, have a great weekend!

adlib 7 days ago

CL – Wow…sure hope that wasn’t the main reason, that another Dem demographic sat out the election to “send a message”. Elections aren’t texting, they give power to your adversaries when you don’t vote. Sorry but this goes back to my post about American voters being “dumb” and voting (or not voting) based primarily on emotion.

adlib 7 days ago

Seeya PPO!

adlib 7 days ago

Smiley is a vindictive twit. He wants Pres. Obama to fail as much as Rush Limbaugh because he felt slighted by them. What a douche.

adlib 7 days ago

blondannas, I do think you’re right, the more under seige he is by the radical Repubs in Congress, the more I think people will rally to him. He’ll be standing up to protect the majority of Americans as Repubs hammer him to help the 1%. In a way, this had to happen and may not be for the worst in the long run (but the next two years won’t be pleasant).

adlib 7 days ago

CL – Sure sounds like a lot of Dems used the election to “unfriend” Dems for not supporting Obama. Brilliant, they think Dems weren’t nise to them, wait till they see how the radical Repubs they let take over treat Obama. Dumb.

adlib 7 days ago

Sabreen – Yep, West is a jerk too. Same story, he and Smiley thought that when Obma was elected, they should be given sleepover rights at the WH and when Obama didn’t become their BFF, they turned on him like bratty 13 year olds. What childish, small minded men.

adlib 7 days ago

And folks, what about Hillary holding back from financially supporting the Dems this year. She may have campaigned for many…whose support she wanted when she runs for President but remember, she declared she would sit on a huge mountain of cash and not use any of it to help anyone else.

adlib 7 days ago

CL – The Repubs are an authoritarian organization so it’s natural that they will always be the party of lockstep and mindless following. Dems simply can’t compete at that because Dems have minds and are not seeking an authority to follow. We have to use our strengths, our diversity and creativity to battle the Borgs (not become Borgs ourselves).

adlib 7 days ago

Sabreen – Hate to say it but I do think O’Malley’s loss may have taken him out of the 2016 Presidential race. It’s not fair but when you lose an election, you’re stigmatized (as a Dem, Repubs love losers) and the key thing is to be able to fundraise. That can be hard after you’ve lost your office, you can look like damaged goods. It all depends on if he can still be successful at fundraising.

adlib 7 days ago

See you then KT, sleep well!

adlib 7 days ago

CL – The character flaw of some on The Left is the need to LOOK independently minded and principled instead of just being it. So they loudly attacked Obama for not being perfect, they agreed with Repubs on Obama and his agenda being wrong for America then they don’t turn out to support Dems and Obama. Instead of dumb, let’s just call these folks guilty of hubris and ignorant because of it. When you add votes up, a vote for a Repub equals one for him/her. A vote not made for a Dem also adds one more for the Repub because instead of countering that vote, another Dem vote is needed just to tie it. So by not voting Dem because they think Obama hasn’t been Progressive enough, they are de facto voting for a Repub who is light years farther away from them politically.

adlib 7 days ago

Sabreen – Sorry, my bad! Right, O’Malley termed out! Whole other story then! I did hear some pudnits trying to dump on his prospects because Brown lost and was hisguy but that’s just blather. Scratch my comment about O’Malley!

adlib 7 days ago

Night Funk! Best to the family!

adlib 7 days ago

CL – What happens when Repubs gain power is that the anti-Obama Dems will recede back into the party, united with other Dems against Repubs who will have taken the spotlight away from Obama. Seen this time and again, a mutual enemy like Bush and a Repub Congress unite and energize Dems, when Dems have power, they turn on themselves.

adlib 7 days ago

Night CL! We need to catch up!!!

adlib 7 days ago

Sabreen – I am so with you, Boehner’s threat is so empty, the last thing they want is to attack Obama for getting things done, especially on immigration, and using their time in Congress to impeach a President who can’t be removed by the Senate because there aren’t enough votes for a 2/3 majority.

adlib 7 days ago

And if Obama was removed, though it’s not possible, we’d have President Biden, just as big of a nightmare for Repubs!

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I have been boycotting MSNBC so I didn’t see that but it’s part of my reason for boycotting them. They are a corrupt, corporate-driven channel that is a faux-left channel, pushing the corporate agenda most of the time with token Progressive hosts. Kes mentioned the same thing about the total blackout on news about the billions spent secretly on the election. They are collaborators with the Koch machine in this way (and now show pro-Koch ads).

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – Because Obama has principles and the others don’t.

adlib 7 days ago

blondannas, I think you’re right. The Tea Party Repubs are ready to take over now and Boehner and McConnell may try to stay ahead of them but they smell blood in the water. The TP Repubs will push hard for impeachment and if Obama is clever, and he is, he should issue lots of important EOs to stoke that conflict.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – What I think when I see that going on is racism, pure and simple. The first black President feels enormous pressure to come off as confident, open and assured as he can and the press seem to recognize that because of this, they can diss him publicly and not have him slap them down as the “angry black President”. Such an undercurrent of racism in the way the MSM treats Obama, never have seen it with any other President including the worst in our lifetime, Bush.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – right with you on going full metal EOs!

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Sabreen – My theory is that these voters voted on their emotions alone. They’re mad at our government for not helping them so they voted against Obama by voting for Repubs. They’re upset and stressed about how little they’re paid so they voted for the minimum wage. It’s all about their feelings, not any bigger picture. Personally, I hate such narrow minded voters yet sometimes they vote the way we want them to.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I get what you’re saying but remember when he wouldn’t call on Fox News people, he was attacked as angry and vindictive. Whatebver he does, if he doesn’t accede to the MSM’s rude questioning, he will be portrayed in some way as an angry black man. Not saying that he should care about that now but I’d bet that’s on his mind.

adlib 7 days ago

Ann, good points. I do think that as Repubs take centerstage, the far Left and moderates will gravitate back to a unity with Dems in response to a mutual enemy. But up until now, you’ve had these short term thinkers undermining their futures.

adlib 7 days ago

Sabreen, right with you on all you said. I too recognize that Jackie Robinson sensibility in him, refusing to take the bait and get upset or act in a way that would validate the racist portrayals of who he really is. Makes me angry that the press itself could have such a powerful racist undercurrent towards our President.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – You nailed it! Indeed, both the whiners on the far Left who have incessantly attacked Obama and the ignorant voters in the middle and left all see the President and his party as in charge and controlling everything. That ignorance brings about votes like this year’s.

adlib 7 days ago

Sabreen, they often poll the public on basic civics, all up and down the age scale and most Americans don’t know much about our government. A huge majority can’t name the VP, Speaker or Majority Leader, not one SCOTUS member nor can they list the branches of government…or how many there are. Americans love saying we’re the greatest democracy and most have no clue what a democracy is except “great”.

adlib 7 days ago

Night Sabreen, have a great weekend!

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – I’m fine with that, I just think he’s not.

adlib 7 days ago

I do anticipate that Obama will use his last two years to get done all he can by EO and not allow any poisonous GOP bills to pass. But I do worry about passage of the TPP.

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – Some democracy…where we don’t even teach our kids about democracy. And we’re the greatest? How would any of them know?

adlib 7 days ago

Murph – Check out these poll results from April: While little more than a third of respondents (36 percent) could name all three branches of the U.S. government, just as many (35 percent) could not name a single one. Just over a quarter of Americans (27 percent) know it takes a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate to override a presidential veto. One in five Americans (21 percent) incorrectly thinks that a 5-4 Supreme Court decision is sent back to Congress for reconsideration.

adlib 7 days ago

Holy mackeral!

adlib 7 days ago

Well, it’s about that time to close up the Vox Bar for the night! Thanks to all for making it another rousing Friday night! Wishing everyone a good night and a great weekend! See you here next Friday night at 7 PST!

adlib 7 days ago