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[Aaron Strife]

I think the giant gavel really is symbolic of how much of a joke U.S. politics is.

 

[ivysaur12]

What a mix of botox and tanning spray

This could be us but you playing

 

[Aaron Strife]

Caption contest.

Boehner: "Hey Nancy. Thanks for getting your caucus to save my ass by supporting all the must-pass bills that my lunatic caucus won't vote for. Now I'm going to go on Fox News and talk about how you're the devil reincarnate."

Pelosi: "Oh you!"

 

[ivysaur12]

It's my new Facebook cover photo. I think I'll also miss my old one, though:

 

[RustyNails]

Brazzers?

 

[Fenderputty]

So seems my city, Los Angeles, is going to pass a minimum wage bill that'll jack up the rate to $13/hr. Not sure how I feel about this. While it's nice to see politicians actually giving a decent jump, I do worry this might be a bit too much, and may actually have a negative impact on businesses.

Thoughts?

Did they give a timeline for incremental bumps or was this all at once?

 

[NeoXChaos]

I see we have acquired a bigger Diablos than Diablos himself.

These 2 years should be fun here...

Who is diablos....??

x(

 

[gcubed]

Welp, they did it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/b...impact-of-bills.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

The rule change was just one of several that passed the House on party lines, 234-172, and started the 114th Congress out on a contentious note. One change, adopted with bipartisan support, will require scholars from research organizations to disclose contributions from foreign governments to their institutions before testifying before the House.

Other changes were more partisan. One new rule allows the House to overturn recommendations of an independent panel created by the Affordable Care Act to trim Medicare costs. Another makes it more difficult to shift Social Security money between the program’s different trust funds, increasing the likelihood that deep cuts to disabled workers and their families will be made as the Disability Insurance Trust Fund nears depletion in 2016. That quickly drew condemnation from AARP, the powerful lobby for retired people.

Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
The House rules package also continues the chamber’s special investigation into the 2012 attacks on the diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, as well as its lawsuit against President Obama. But no change has been sought for so long or engendered more debate than mandatory dynamic scoring.

 

[Wilsongt]

Welp, they did it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/b...impact-of-bills.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

It wouldn't be congress without more Benghazi.

 

[benjipwns]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...r-kirby-delauters-name-without-authorization/

Kirby Delauter, a Frederick County (Maryland) Council Member threatens a local journalist (Bethany Rodgers) for … using his name without permission in a newspaper article. No, really:

Uh, Council Member: In our country, newspapers are actually allowed to write about elected officials (and others) without their permission. It’s an avantgarde experiment, to be sure, but we’ve had some success with it.

lol local politics

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

EV banned?

And I know its " the only thing that matters is inflation " but even that is simplifies

EV is not banned, he just quit posting on NeoGAF because the forum members and moderators called him out for saying that Ukrainian rebels shooting down a plane was America's fault. And because he kept posting conspiracy links to Russian blogs no one had ever heard of to the distaste of the forum. He's extremely pro-Russian in their invasion of the Ukraine and felt that NeoGAF was too politically correct or something for not respecting his conspiracies.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

EV is not banned, he just quit posting on NeoGAF because the forum members and moderators called him out for saying that Ukrainian rebels shooting down a plane was America's fault. And because he kept posting conspiracy links to Russian blogs no one had ever heard of to the distaste of the forum. He's extremely pro-Russian in their invasion of the Ukraine and felt that NeoGAF was too politically correct or something for not respecting his conspiracies.

Why the fuck is anyone pro-Russia in the Ukrainian invasion!?

 

[benjipwns]

He's not pro-Russia so much as wanting to bring balance against all the Western neo-liberal capitalist propaganda that gets passed off as "impartial news" but blatantly supports American capitalist neo-liberal fascist foreign policy.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Why the fuck is anyone pro-Russia in the Ukrainian invasion!?

As Benji said, it's anti western capitalism

 

[Rhomega Beta]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...r-kirby-delauters-name-without-authorization/

lol local politics

Follow-up from The Frederick News-Post: Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter. Check the first letter of every paragraph.

 

[jamesinclair]

Speaking of anti-western capitalism, how do we get Jerry brown to be the next president?

As the Texas economy goes down in flames this year, while California shines high and bright, he'd win in a landslide.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Speaking of anti-western capitalism, how do we get Jerry brown to be the next president?

As the Texas economy goes down in flames this year, while California shines high and bright, he'd win in a landslide.

Cryogensis

 

[jamesinclair]

Cryogensis

Hes the same age as Reagan was, with 35 years of medical advancements

 

[Jack Remington]

Welp, they did it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/07/b...impact-of-bills.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

Wait, the macroeconomic effects of tax cuts would be scored, but the macroeconomic effects of stimulus or spending measures would not be?

 

[B-Dubs]

Wait, the macroeconomic effects of tax cuts would be scored, but the macroeconomic effects of stimulus or spending measures would not be?

Welcome to the politicization of the CBO. Nobody anywhere thought this was a good idea but they went and did it anyway.

 

[Jeels]

Speaking of anti-western capitalism, how do we get Jerry brown to be the next president?

As the Texas economy goes down in flames this year, while California shines high and bright, he'd win in a landslide.

What does or doesn't happen to the Texas economy will have no effect on who wins a national election.

 

[Chris R]

Frontline tonight was so fucking depressing, even more so when you add in the latest election results. NRA will continue to fuck this country up for years to come.

A good watch if you have an hour to burn though. Also, google, wtf is up with "hoax" and "conspiracy" being the first things to pop up when you search "Sandy Hook"

 

[ErasureAcer]

Frontline tonight was so fucking depressing, even more so when you add in the latest election results. NRA will continue to fuck this country up for years to come.

A good watch if you have an hour to burn though. Also, google, wtf is up with "hoax" and "conspiracy" being the first things to pop up when you search "Sandy Hook"

Was watching basketball but my gf said the same...it was depressing as heck. I'll have to catch a repeat or watch it online.

 

[neurosisxeno]

Welcome to the politicization of the CBO. Nobody anywhere thought this was a good idea but they went and did it anyway.

I would say it's more like economists unanimously said it was a terrible idea but the GOP wanted it because it's the only way their economics policy looks like anything other than shit.

 

[ivysaur12]

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/why-ohio-democrats-might-turn-to-a-30-year-old-senate-candidate-20150106

January 6, 2015 Political parties would normally shy away from even the possibility of entrusting a multimillion-dollar Senate campaign, one against an entrenched incumbent in a race that could determine control of the majority, to a 30-year-old city councilman. But in Ohio, some well-connected Democrats are reacting positively to the news that Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld has dipped his toe in the water. To them, the fresh-faced politician is reminiscent of another former Senate longshot with little pedigree or experience: New Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

Sittenfeld began collecting donations this week for a potential Senate bid, according to a report by The Cincinnati Enquirer. And though bigger Democratic names like former Gov. Ted Strickland or Rep. Tim Ryan have attracted more speculative attention ahead of GOP Sen. Rob Portman's reelection, Sittenfeld told National Journal in an email Tuesday that he'll be making an announcement of his own "in the days ahead."

City Council to U.S. Senate is, by any standard, an enormous jump. Portman is widely regarded as one of Democrats' toughest targets this cycle, and if Sittenfeld were successful, he would become one of youngest members in the Senate's history. And on top of that, Strickland—one of the oldest, most-liked, and well-established Democrats in the state—says he's still making up his mind about a bid of his own, which would almost certainly sideline Sittenfeld.

But as Democrats face a promising-looking map—yet one with a meager bench of potential candidates thanks to a combination of gerrymandering and multiple electoral wipeouts—the party may need to get a bit creative with its candidates this cycle. Already, Democrats in three of the country's biggest Senate races have narrowed their wish lists to just a single candidate each, two of whom have already lost Senate races in the past.

In Sittenfeld, however, some Democrats see an exciting prospect for a fresh face after spending last cycle getting beat by one. Ernst took political observers by surprise when she rose from little-known Iowa state senator to GOP superstar in a personality-driven campaign. (Ernst first made her name touting her talent for "cutting pork"—a skill she picked up castrating hogs on her family farm.) Sittenfeld, a clean-cut Princeton grad, has already proven his ability to steal the spotlight once. He was the top vote-getter in the 2013 City Council race, taking more than 38,000 votes, more than the 22,000 Ernst took to win her state Senate race in 2012 before making the jump.

Longtime Ohio political consultant Jerry Austin said he wasn't sure whether Sittenfeld was the right candidate to challenge Portman. But in his experience advising underdogs like the late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, Austin said the young candidate displayed political talent he and other longtime Ohio Democrats hadn't seen in close to 40 years.

"I've had conversations with people in the state, people who have been around like I have," Austin said in an interview. "I've said, 'When was the last time we had a Democrat, and you met this person and you said, I don't know what this guy or this woman wants to do when they grow up, but here's a potential star?' Everybody agreed the last time we saw somebody like that his name was [now-Sen.] Sherrod Brown.... Well, this kid from Cincinnati, he's impressed people the same way."

"When you look at the fact that he was able to finish first in our City Council election, it's proof he's been very popular down here across a wide range of groups," said Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Tim Burke. "He's very well regarded in the African-American community and organized labor. And on top of that, you don't finish first in our community down here unless you can pick up a significant number of Republican votes as well."

"In Ohio you've got to have resources," said Strickland. "Running statewide is a huge challenge. I've run statewide in Ohio twice, I've raised the resources I needed twice, and I think I could do it again."

Yet Ohio Democrats aren't automatically recoiling from the relatively untested Sittenfeld. Asked to appraise the younger Democrat, Strickland said, "I really admire his energy and commitment to public service." It's a measure of Sittenfeld's unusual pedigree—and what could be an unusually quick rise.

Pics for hottness:

It sounds like Strickland will run in 2016 anyway, which will make the entire article moot. I also had no idea how gerrymandered Ohio was: its four D districts are D+12, D+30, D+15, and D+14. That's out of 16 districts. Insane. And Boehner has the most R leaning district in the state at R+12.

If Sittenfeld wanted to run for congress, Cincinnati is in Ohio's 1st, which is R+6. Also, wow, Cincinnati (and its suburbs) are completely split in half for its districts. MASTERFUL GERRYMANDERING.

 

[jamesinclair]

What does or doesn't happen to the Texas economy will have no effect on who wins a national election.

Of course it will.

The Republicans - all of them - campaign on "look how great slashing taxes is, look at Texas! Look at California going into bankruptcy due to all the liberals and their liberal things!"

Fast forward to summer 2015. Texas has to cut 3 billion from their budget because low oil prices and tax cuts destroyed their plans. Unemployment is up 2%. Meanwhile, California is shining its Jerry Brown rays of success onto the nation.

 

[Lucky Forward]

ruh roh

Ben Carson’s History Book Plagiarizes SocialismSucks.Net And Many Other Sources

Several sections of potential Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson’s 2012 book America the Beautiful were plagiarized from various sources, BuzzFeed News has found.

In many cases Carson cites the works that he plagiarizes in endnotes, though he makes no effort to indicate that not just the source, but the words themselves, had been taken from different authors.

The case is similar to a 2013 report from BuzzFeed News that found Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul plagiarized in his book while citing the works he copied in the footnotes. Paul’s book was eventually updated to include attribution.

In one instance, Carson cites wholesale from an old website that has been online since at least 2002, Socialismsucks.net.

In another example, he plagiarizes from two authors whose works he mentions in passing at earlier points in the book: Cleon Skousen, a conservative historian who died in 2006, and Bill Federer, another conservative historian, who Carson thanks in the acknowledgements for helping get his book published.

Sam Wells, the owner and creator of SocailismSucks.net, confirmed he wrote the text Carson plagiarized in his book.

“The comments at the bottom of the page are mine,” he told BuzzFeed News.

Other sources taken nearly verbatim include a CBS News article, a Liberty Institute press release, a local newspaper article, and various internet sites.

In Carson’s book, he writes about being caught plagiarizing in college and being given the chance to rewrite the paper after it was discovered.

 

[Wilsongt]

ruh roh

Ben Carson’s History Book Plagiarizes SocialismSucks.Net And Many Other Sources

Conservatives seem to have missed out on English and Ethics 101 when it comes to publishing. In a just world, they would be shitcanned, like that Democrat who did it, but in a world like today, the Republicans can get away with it.

We all make jokes about it, but not the GOP!

Dems Respond To McConnell Taking Credit For Economic Growth: 'Hahahahahahahahahahaha'

"After so many years of sluggish growth, we're finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope; the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama administration's long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress," McConnell said on Wednesday. "So this is precisely the right time to advance a positive, pro-growth agenda."

The comment provoked snide chuckles from Democrats. The Democratic National Committee emailed out a statement with the subject line "DNC to McConnell: Hahahahahahahahahahaha."

Here's the statement from DNC Communications Director Mo Elleithee:

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. That Mitch McConnell is one funny guy. He likes to remind people all the time that he’s not a scientist. Now we know he’s not a mathematician or an economist either. The fact is, under President Obama we’ve had 57 straight months of private sector job growth leading to nearly 11 million jobs added. All Republicans have given us is a government shutdown that cost the economy $24 billion. I get why he wants to take credit for the economic recovery. But maybe he should first do something to help contribute to it.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Whew, dodged a bullet with Mark Penn's name on it.

Hillary Clinton is beginning to put together the pieces for a likely campaign, tapping two top strategists — including President Barack Obama’s pollster — to work with her in the lead-up toward an ultimate decision.

Robby Mook, who worked on Clinton’s 2008 campaign and is widely expected to be Clinton’s campaign manager, and Joel Benenson, Obama’s pollster who had for months been eyed for a role on her team, have been working with her as she makes a final decision and begins to put together a framework for a staff, according to people close to the former Secretary of State.

Mook was campaign manager for Terry McAuliffe's campaign, in which he campaigned explicitly as a liberal and won by 3 points - which seemed underwhelming at the time, but this was at least a bigger margin than Mark Warner's victory.

I think with a solid economy Hillary can be looking at a comfortable 5-6 point win. We just have to hope Congressional elections will mirror that result.

 

[ivysaur12]

Whew, dodged a bullet with Mark Penn's name on it.


Mook was campaign manager for Terry McAuliffe's campaign, in which he campaigned explicitly as a liberal and won by 3 points - which seemed underwhelming at the time, but this was at least a bigger margin than Mark Warner's victory.

I think with a solid economy Hillary can be looking at a comfortable 5-6 point win. We just have to hope Congressional elections will mirror that result.

Mook is fine. I'm okay with Mook.

 

[NeoXChaos]

Whew, dodged a bullet with Mark Penn's name on it.


Mook was campaign manager for Terry McAuliffe's campaign, in which he campaigned explicitly as a liberal and won by 3 points - which seemed underwhelming at the time, but this was at least a bigger margin than Mark Warner's victory.

I think with a solid economy Hillary can be looking at a comfortable 5-6 point win. We just have to hope Congressional elections will mirror that result.

Real honestly....Do you expect the democrats to win the house in 2016?
Do you hope the democrats win the house in 2016?
Realistically, when(Year) do you think the democrats will have a chance & be able to take back the house?

I cant see 5-6 points cutting it. The bar has been set soooooo high. Its tough being a Democrat right now (Congressionally speaking). x(
Even if they manage what you expect or hope, 2018 could shoot them right back down that hole.

Since you are very optimistic Aaron, I want to share in that optimism.

 

[ivysaur12]

I think it's possible for the Democrats to win the House after 2020. There will be some states that will have closer electoral maps than in 2010, key states like Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, and even some southern states where the Democrats could nab one of the branches (like the Texas Senate).

Even 5-10 more competitive seats will put more Democrats in play for the House. Those states alone *should* have a decent parity between Ds and Rs. Right now:

Ohio: 12 Republicans, 4 Democrats
Virginia: 8 Republicans, 3 Democrats
North Carolina: 10 Republicans, 3 Democrats
Pennsylvania: 13 Republicans, 5 Democrats
Florida: 17 Republicans, 10 Democrats

In Ohio, Democrats had the House from 2008-2010. Democrats had the Virginia Senate from 2008-2011. Democrats had the House and Senate in North Carolina up until 2010. Democrats had the Pennsylvania House from 2007-2010. Florida hasn't had a Democratic legislative body since 1996. But with the others, and increasingly with Florida, it's likely that they will nab at least one of the bodies in a presidential year with increased turnout, which will make all the difference when it comes to drawing congressional districts.

Even shifting a few states to more of a parity of seats will make a gigantic difference once the Republican shift from 2014 comes back down to earth.

 

[rocketknight]

Boehner is starting to retaliate against people who voted against him. This is pretty entertaining.

 

[Wilsongt]

Boehner is starting to retaliate against people who voted against him. This is pretty entertaining.

The Tanfather.

 

[ivysaur12]

Boehner:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDlBLvc3YE

 

[Mike M]

Boehner is starting to retaliate against people who voted against him. This is pretty entertaining.

How so?

 

[Aaron Strife]

Real honestly....Do you expect the democrats to win the house in 2016?
Do you hope the democrats win the house in 2016?
Realistically, when(Year) do you think the democrats will have a chance & be able to take back the house?

I cant see 5-6 points cutting it. The bar has been set soooooo high. Its tough being a Democrat right now (Congressionally speaking). x(
Even if they manage what you expect or hope, 2018 could shoot them right back down that hole.

Since you are very optimistic Aaron, I want to share in that optimism.

No. Barring some ridiculous Democratic wave the most I could see Democrats topping out at 210 or so. If every district became open suddenly then maybe, but there are too many Republicans who will hold down swing districts because they can sell themselves as "moderate". Take MN-2 and 3, both Republican districts that voted for Obama but regularly reelect their incumbents by wide margins even though policy wise they're as far right as Bachmann. The media is implicit in this, as are voters for being easily misled idiots and the national Democratic Party for giving up.

But it's not impossible. I know some people act like gerrymandering is a foolproof scheme but it there was a big enough wave (talking 06/08 levels) then Democrats would win the House. Just for right now I don't think 2016 will be the year. Most national party efforts, I imagine will go towards getting Hillary elected and picking up enough Senate seats to win the majority there.

 

[Poodlestrike]

ruh roh

Ben Carson’s History Book Plagiarizes SocialismSucks.Net And Many Other Sources

Really should have sprung for a better ghostwriter.

 

[benjipwns]

Follow-up from The Frederick News-Post: Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter, Kirby Delauter. Check the first letter of every paragraph.

tee hee

On the other end of journalism:

“Earlier coverage about the funeral of Mario Cuomo erroneously included one family member among the pallbearers. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was not one of them. The coverage also misidentified the youngest son of Mario Cuomo. He is Christopher, not Andrew. And it referred incorrectly to the attendance of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. at the services. Mr. Biden attended the wake on Monday, but not the funeral service on Tuesday. Mr. Holder did not attend the funeral. And the coverage described St. Ignatius Loyola incorrectly. It is a church, not a cathedral. . . . Because of an editing error, an earlier version of a picture caption with this article misidentified the son blowing a kiss to Mario Cuomo’s coffin. He is Christopher Cuomo, not Andrew.”—New York Times, Jan. 6 and 7

 

[Teggy]

How so?

Horseheads in beds.

Spoiler

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...epublicans-for-voting-against-him-for-speaker

 

[Diablos]

What a mix of botox and tanning spray

Oh for fuck's sake

 

[Poodlestrike]

Horseheads in beds.

Spoiler

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/a...epublicans-for-voting-against-him-for-speaker

"Rich Nugent" sounds like something you'd find in a candy bar.

 

[Jeels]

Of course it will.

The Republicans - all of them - campaign on "look how great slashing taxes is, look at Texas! Look at California going into bankruptcy due to all the liberals and their liberal things!"

Fast forward to summer 2015. Texas has to cut 3 billion from their budget because low oil prices and tax cuts destroyed their plans. Unemployment is up 2%. Meanwhile, California is shining its Jerry Brown rays of success onto the nation.

But that won't change anything, that's just politics. Blue states never bought into the Texas miracle and red states aren't going to think California is doing well because of progressive policies.

 

[PhoenixDark]

So in two days Mia Love has pissed off tea partiers by joining the Congressional Black Caucus and voting for Boehner. I don't think she realizes what type of people she's dealing with...but it'll probably become clear in two years during a primary.

 

[Diablos]

So in two days Mia Love has pissed off tea partiers by joining the Congressional Black Caucus and voting for Boehner. I don't think she realizes what type of people she's dealing with...but it'll probably become clear in two years during a primary.

She should consider going up against Mike Lee in the '16 primary.

 

[benjipwns]

Earlier it was noted that the Obama Approval in Rasmussen had gone positive again, now it's at +4. 51-47.

Meanwhile Reuters/Ispos releases one where he's down 16, 39-55. And Economist/YouGuv where he's down 10, 44-54. Last week they had him down 12 (41-53) and 8 (45-53) respectively.

We'll have to look at the upcoming Croatian Presidential Second-Round results on Sunday and then the Zambian election results on the 20th to fully gather the complete picture of the political winds. If Hakainde Hichilema pulls off the upset that could have huge ramifications on the Kentucky governors race in November and thus the 2016 Democratic Primaries.

 

[NeoXChaos]

Ron Johnson's seat is cursed. Every last person to hold that seat in the last 100 years has either lost reelection or lost renomination. The last guy to retire from that seat term ended in 1915.

 

[HylianTom]

Dax posted this on the twitter thingy..

http://blog.ctnews.com/politics/2015/01/07/jeb-bush-takes-swipe-at-hillary/

Jeb Bush takes swipe at Hillary Clinton

GREENWICH — A physically-fit and newly “unemployed” Jeb Bush took a veiled shot at Hillary Clinton Wednesday night when the former Florida GOP governor was asked to handicap the 2016 presidential field by a well-heeled network of contributors in his father’s hometown.

Bush, 61, did not mention Clinton by name but told supporters at a Greenwich fundraiser for his recently-launched leadership PAC that the former secretary of state would have a lot to answer for concerning the foreign policy miscues of the Obama administration, according to multiple people who heard Bush’s remarks.

Seriously exploring a bid for the White House, Bush poo-pooed the mystique of the Clintons during the kickoff reception for his Right to Rise political action committee.

“He said, ‘If someone wants to run a campaign about 90s nostalgia, it’s not going to be very successful,’” an insider told Hearst Connecticut Media.

The person asked not to be identified because the event, held at the $7.2 million Belle Haven estate of former Goldman Sachs investment banking boss Charles Davis, was closed to the media.

Bush spoke for about a half-hour to some 175 prospective supporters and took questions for another 30 minutes on a wide range of topics from his stance on immigration reform to so-called “Bush fatigue.”

Bush, who recently resigned from all corporate and nonprofit boards that he sat on, emphasized to the crowd that he is his own man.

“He said, ‘Do you have a father? Do you have a brother? Are you the same person?’” the insider said.

God, this is gonna be good!

If he gets the nom and tries that line, I hope she's ready with a response about him pushing the same idiotic policies as his brother..

 

[WayneMorse]

Barbara Boxer is retiring.

Only problem is that the Democratic field may be so crowded the jungle primary may just end having two Republican candidates go on to the general election.

 

[ivysaur12]

Barbara Boxer is retiring.

Only problem is that the Democratic field may be so crowded the jungle primary may just end having two Republican candidates go on to the general election.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-01-08/the-impossible-republican-dream-a-sneaky-california-senate-win

The only problem is that California is simply too friendly to Democrats to make it easy, and jumbled primaries in which no candidate breaks out are rarer than you'd think.

So: Elias and Kerpen both recall the 2012 election in California's 31st district, where Democrats had hoped to unseat Republican Representative Gary Miller. They stumbled when four credible Democrats ran, and the party's favorite, Pete Aguilar, won only 23 percent of the first round vote. That allowed a Republican, Bob Dutton, to sneak into the runoff. On Election Day, California's 31st district gave a 57-41 victory to the Obama-Biden ticket, while it re-elected Miller.

Why would that be hard to repeat statewide? One, because California's more Democratic than the 31st district. Statewide, in 2012, the Obama-Biden ticket won by a 60-37 margin. Two: the Republicans had an incumbent to run in the 31st. In the low-turnout first round, Miller and Dutton actually got 52 percent of the combined vote. In the brief two-round era, the California GOP's statewide candidates have never cracked 50 percent of the combined vote. Last year, the best they could manage was a combined 46 percent in the race for comptroller, a race their candidate went on to lose.

Could Republican turnout spike in 2014? Anything's possible, but after a brief 2008 experiment with an early presidential primary, California's moved back its contest to June. The Senate race is likely to be the major statewide contest of 2016. Within minutes of Boxer's decision, former RNC Chairman Michael Steele was already floating Carly Fiorina's name for a replacement, a move that would complicate a "just stay quiet and let the Democrats screw up" strategy. It's possible, sure, that Democrats could screw up California's Senate race. It would just require several million people to make self-defeating decisions all at once.

It's also likely Feinstein will retire in 2018, meaning there might be a deal between Newsom and Harris. Though, IT'D BE NICE IF WE HAD SOMEONE FROM SOCAL!

And this is a parody account but lol:

@ScottBrownCA
Just got back from the gym, shredded on my new guitar, now just reading about @SenatorBoxer's retirement. Interesting.