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[AniHawk]

Jesus fuck don't do this to me!

Pfft. Here's something from exactly 8 years ago:

Gore only had one day of a lead after this (until he won the popular vote).

Don't panic.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Relax guys. Look at the three-day avg tracking poll at the link, and you can see that this was an outlier. It's a random Gore bump that lasted only a few days.

You're no fun

 

[MightyHedgehog]

AniHawk for the save. *whew*

 

[adamsappel]

I wonder how the Republicans can reboot their party?

Or will a 3rd party come along and take their place?

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

 

[Father_Brain]

Relax guys. Look at the three-day avg tracking poll at the link, and you can see that this was an outlier. It's a random Gore bump that lasted only a few days.

All that needs to be said.

 

[AniHawk]

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

I wonder if someone will try to split off with the "Conservative Party" if the Republican brand name isn't completely in the shitter by then.

 

[Suikoguy]

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

But it appears the actual conservatives (IE, not social conservatives) are the ones getting pissed at the party.

 

[The Lamonster]

Pfft. Here's something from exactly 8 years ago:

Gore only had one day of a lead after this (until he won the popular vote).

Don't panic.

Big metaphorical sigh of relief.

Thanks

 

[greepoman]

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

Why would they have to leave the GOP? They already control it.

 

[Saint Gregory]

I believe he's ambidextrous, but his left is dominant. I've seen him shoot with either hand playing basketball.

I can see the new line of attack now -

Palin: How many American's really know Barak Obama? Why is he hiding his ambidextrous lifestyle from the American people???

Joe Sixpack: OMG! Obama's QUEER!!!

 

[CharlieDigital]

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

Hard to imagine under what scenario that will happen since they are basically one and the same now.

Intellectual conservatives are already the minority in their own party. Who is going to dump whom? And if the evangelicals leave, will there even be a GOP left?

 

[Tobor]

Pfft. Here's something from exactly 8 years ago:

Gore only had one day of a lead after this (until he won the popular vote).

Don't panic.

You know, Nader seems really at peace with himself these days considering he almost singlehandedly ran this country into the gutter.

 

[Shiggie]

Pfft. Here's something from exactly 8 years ago:

Gore only had one day of a lead after this (until he won the popular vote).

Don't panic.

 

[The Lamonster]

Is last night's Real Time w/Bill Maher online yet?



btw Religulous was great.

 

[saelz8]

You're no fun

Nice try though, you had me nervous. :lol

 

[Tobor]

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

There's not enough of them by themselves to do anything but guarantee Democratic victories.

 

[AniHawk]

You know, Nader seems really at peace with himself these days considering he almost singlehandedly ran this country into the gutter.

I really find it difficult to place blame on Nader's shoulders.

 

[The Lamonster]

I really find it difficult to place blame on Nader's shoulders.

I find it easy. Nader can go fuck himself. Seriously.


"ohhh but Bush took away many more of Gore's votes than I did! blah blah blah"

Fuck you, Nader. Crazy you're trying to do it again.

 

[Stridone]

So I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to write it, but I just put up a kos diary about rollercoster of horrors that was the Bush administration combined with the "Hope and Change" surrounding Obama. Best seen, I guess, as a companion piece with this rant I wrote last January here.

Anyways, it's kind of stupid and rambling, but figured you might enjoy, so I'll repost here. I'm too lazy to reformat, so you'll have to check the original if you want functioning links and stuff (lot of good ones, a number of which I am sure Politigaf originally introduced me to.)
==
Four years ago, I woke up early in the morning, and practically giddy, cast a vote for the first time ever. I still remember the how proud I felt. I remember the optimism. I remember how fondly I looked at my "I’m a voter" sticker. And I remember believing that there was no way this country could vote for a morally bankrupt, anti-intellectual used car salesman who was systematically dismantling everything good about this country.

Eight years ago, I did not vote. I didn’t like Lieberman running with Gore (even then!). I rationalized away how my one vote wouldn’t make a difference. I still cheered when Florida was "called" for Gore. I could have claimed residence in Florida. This is a weight of shame I’ve had to wear every day since. I didn’t get any sleep, not that night.

Today, I learn my mother is delaying her retirement. My grandparents grow concerned about their health care costs. Friends worry about their jobs, we all worry about Iraq and one in four land mammals face extinction as gas and food prices clobber everyone.

Four years, three months ago, I got my first taste of hopium. I remember reading about the keynote speaker of the Democratic Convention earlier. I remember him sounding like someone to watch. So I watched. And I was reminded of everything I loved about this party. Everything good that government should be as an institution. I loved it, I think, for the same reason I watched so much West Wing in that time frame. The vision of good government was too soothing an opiate to resist when we were forced to live with the visceral torture of a world that thought George W Bush should be president.

Nine months ago, on the eve of the Iowa caucus, I wrote a scathingly bitter piece about how painful the electoral process is in this country, and about the US’s seeming systemic resistance to good governance. That first dose of hopium, it seems, didn’t quite stick.

Four years ago, after I cast that first ballot, I watched. I watched as Florida rapidly moved out of reach. I watched as incapable senile man won election to the United States Senate in Kentucky. I saw Daschle fall, the republican house majority expand, and Ohio slowly slip away. And chills went down my spine as I heard W’s promise to spend his political capital. But more than anything, I saw vindication. George W Bush and Dick Cheny systematically dismantled this country, and they were rewarded. They crippled the country’s ability to respond to a true threat, they raped the constitution. They transformed our economy into a sad, empty shell. And their solution was to run a campaign of transparent misinformation and fear. And it worked. It fucking worked. Not only was there to be no retribution, they were rewarded.

A beating like 2004 changes a person. I saw that in a number of ways. Some resolved to fight back harder, smarter. Some simply despaired. And as New Orleans fell, ethnic cleansing took place in Iraq, and the emptiness of the ownership society was exposed, it’s like the world was raining salt into that wound. 8 years under the Bush administration? It’s tough to overcome the cynicism that will give you.

I’m really not sure where exactly Obama won me over. It might be after Super Tuesday when his speeches slowly transformed from hope and change to hope and change and nerdy policy stuff. Maybe it was when his supporters talked me into finally reading his book. Possibly when I saw his legislative record in the senate and was surprisingly pleased. I guess the exact time doesn’t matter. Eventually, I was his.

When I think about the problems this country face, the problems seem so overwhelming and severe that something I just want to scream, or rail hopelessly that we not only wasted eight years but spent them running backwards. Working people as a share of the population will shrink, and burdens will grow. Our infrastructure, from bridges to water pipes, crumbles. Oil and raw materials slowly price themselves out of reach, and the threat of environmental catastrophe continues to creep closer by the minute. Health care burdens keep growing, even as the system is so poorly structured that preventative care and the long term view aren’t even considered. Our country grows dumber as the world surrounding us grown less competitive. And the current financial shitstorm and size of our debt are so significant that we have more blanks than bullets in the chamber.

No matter how bad things were in 2004, I’m not going to forget that no matter how bad things got then, there remained that stood outone significant hope. And no matter how bad I might fear the problems down the road are, there is one hope that persists:

That if I could pick anyone to lead now, it would be someone who is already thinking about how to address the seriousness of these problems, and who does it with a respect for the intellectual weight they carry. I’d want him to be able to find common ground to yield practical results. I’d want him to demonstrate effective managerial skill. I’d want him to have an electoral landslide, a huge majority in the house, and a filibuster-proof senate, so that there’s a legitimate chance of actually being effective.

And now, with one crisis already here and so many others lurking in the shadows, is the time history will judge us. Now is the time we can salvage whatever we can from the situation or walk along the same path, and into ruin. George W Bush may escape any formal calls for justice, but I can think of no sweeter justice than teaching him and the lunatics who supported him exactly what the word "mandate" actually means – no greater pleasure than showing him a true liberal platform after his agenda failed so miserably.

(neutral) Gruco
Captain of Awesome

 

[Saint Gregory]

Pfft. Here's something from exactly 8 years ago:

Gore only had one day of a lead after this (until he won the popular vote).

Don't panic.

Wow, what was behind that drop from the week before? Was it that debate where he came accross all condescending and weird?

 

[CharlieDigital]

There's not enough of them by themselves to do anything but guarantee Democratic victories.

I think they only way they can survive is to align themselves with Democrats (assuming Obama wins and the Dems make big dents in the Senate seats) and try to temper the more liberal aspects, thus bringing the Dems closer to center.

 

[Tobor]

I really find it difficult to place blame on Nader's shoulders.

I'd have to look at the numbers again, it's been years, but I feel like Nader pulled almost completely from Gore voters.

There's tons of blame to go around for everyone, but I would be curious to know what he thinks now, in hindsight.

 

[agrajag]

If anything there will probably be more fiscal conservatives splintering off and joining the Libertarian party. As everyone else has said, the fundamentalists already control the GOP.

 

[Fragamemnon]

PPP, Colorado, 10/8-10/10 , 1,331 LV (nice sample pool!):

Obama - 52
McCain - 42

Only 6% voters were undecided and of voters with a preference, only 6% are "soft". McCain would have to sweep all the undecideds and persuade all of the persuadable Obama voters to win if the numbers are really like this. Do or die time has now passed, IMO.

 

[saelz8]

PPP, Colorado, 10/8-10/10 , 1,331 LV (nice sample pool!):

Obama - 52
McCain - 42

Only 6% voters were undecided and of voters with a preference, only 6% are "soft". McCain would have to sweep all the undecideds and persuade all of the persuadable Obama voters to win if the numbers are really like this. Do or die time has now passed, IMO.

Glorious!

 

[gkryhewy]

Credit due to reddit.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/05/tracking.poll/index.html

Yeah, that first debate was really bad for Gore. That poll was an outlier as well.

 

[Saint Gregory]

I'd have to look at the numbers again, it's been years, but I feel like Nader pulled almost completely from Gore voters.

There's tons of blame to go around for everyone, but I would be curious to know what he thinks now, in hindsight.

I'm pretty sure they did a study that said Gore would have won Florida by a mile if not for the Nader effect. Not hard to believe considering how close Florida was. I personally blame him even more than Bush. Bush is an idiot, Nader should have known better.

And he did say he'd drop out of the race if it was close between Bush and Gore which he reneged on... You know, I think I'll just stop now, this is bringing back bad memories

 

[greepoman]

I'd have to look at the numbers again, it's been years, but I feel like Nader pulled almost completely from Gore voters.

There's tons of blame to go around for everyone, but I would be curious to know what he thinks now, in hindsight.

Bush won because of Florida, and by about 500 votes. Nader got something like 97,000 votes in Florida. Gore would've only needed like 55% of Nader votes to win.

 

[AniHawk]

Wow, what was behind that drop from the week before? Was it that debate where he came accross all condescending and weird?

I think it was. Gore was ahead until October and then he fell behind and never recovered.

In 2004, Kerry was behind most of the time, by even 8-10 points until he barely closed the lead heading into election day.

This year, Obama's had a lead pretty much all throughout (I think McCain went +5 in the Gallup poll and that was it, vs. Obama's +11 a month later). With little over three weeks left, it's obviously not over, but his chances are far more optimistic than his predecessors.

 

[TheKingsCrown]

So is anyone on GAF considering ignoring the election results and waking up to find out who our next president will be the next morning like I am?

What will you guys DO on election night? *shudders*

 

[AniHawk]

I find it easy. Nader can go fuck himself. Seriously.


"ohhh but Bush took away many more of Gore's votes than I did! blah blah blah"

Fuck you, Nader. Crazy you're trying to do it again.

I'd rather go after those that practiced disenfranchisement than the guy who did nothing illegal.

So is anyone on GAF considering ignoring the election results and waking up to find out who our next president will be the next morning like I am?

What will you guys DO on election night? *shudders*

I'm heading home from school early. At about 3:00 here, Indiana will already have been called (supposedly the results come out at 6 EST?), and probably for McCain with a surprisingly slimmer margin than usual. I'll try to make it home by 7:00 PST if I can get out of class and worriedly or excitedly watch as the results pour in. I expect it to be very, very close, with some states going McCain despite the high polling numbers (obviously Ohio and probably Florida, but NC and MO too). I expect there to be one moment in the night where we know it's over before it's over, where Virginia or Colorado or Nevada is called for Obama (he only needs one), and for California to seal the deal at 11 EST.

 

[alr1ght]

If you haven't already, watch this:

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

It's a behind the scenes video of Obama/Biden at the DNC over 4 days.

Fucking awesome video.

love the ending bloopers. :lol

 

[Sanjay]

If you haven't already, watch this:

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

It's a behind the scenes video of Obama/Biden at the DNC over 4 days.

Fucking awesome video.

Hope resorted.

 

[Cloudy]

If you look at the polls for the remainder of that October, Bush took the lead...

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/poll/frameset.exclude.html

Oct 11 in 2000

Nov 5 in 2000 (day before the election)

 

[Gruco]

What will you guys DO on election night? *shudders*

Follow the House and Sen races like a zombie, of course.

Also, isn't the constitution party basically the fundie party already?

 

[Stoney Mason]

I believe that there will be a Fundamentalist Party born from evangelicals leaving the GOP before the next election. And it will be a strong third party.

I made a thread about this early in the primaries when Republicans were upset there was no strong fundie who was doing well. I still don't buy it. Nobody talks more shit than fundamentalists but when push comes to shove they always tow the line. It's hard for me to imagine they would have the backbone now to carve up their party in half.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8336741#post8336741

 

[captscience]

Wow, what was behind that drop from the week before? Was it that debate where he came accross all condescending and weird?

Exactly. That was also the terrible "lockbox" debate.

Bush not only had tremendously low expectations working for him, but Gore handed him the debate on top off that. That debate was the game changer in 2000.

 

[Stoney Mason]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9376419#post9376419


And here's another blast from the past to show the intellectual hypocrisy of Rush Limbaugh. Digging through old threads is fun.

 

[The Librarian]

So I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to write it, but I just put up a kos diary about rollercoster of horrors that was the Bush administration combined with the "Hope and Change" surrounding Obama. Best seen, I guess, as a companion piece with this rant I wrote last January here.

Anyways, it's kind of stupid and rambling, but figured you might enjoy, so I'll repost here. I'm too lazy to reformat, so you'll have to check the original if you want functioning links and stuff (lot of good ones, a number of which I am sure Politigaf originally introduced me to.)
==
Four years ago, I woke up early in the morning, and practically giddy, cast a vote for the first time ever. I still remember the how proud I felt. I remember the optimism. I remember how fondly I looked at my "I’m a voter" sticker. And I remember believing that there was no way this country could vote for a morally bankrupt, anti-intellectual used car salesman who was systematically dismantling everything good about this country.

Eight years ago, I did not vote. I didn’t like Lieberman running with Gore (even then!). I rationalized away how my one vote wouldn’t make a difference. I still cheered when Florida was "called" for Gore. I could have claimed residence in Florida. This is a weight of shame I’ve had to wear every day since. I didn’t get any sleep, not that night.

Today, I learn my mother is delaying her retirement. My grandparents grow concerned about their health care costs. Friends worry about their jobs, we all worry about Iraq and one in four land mammals face extinction as gas and food prices clobber everyone.

Four years, three months ago, I got my first taste of hopium. I remember reading about the keynote speaker of the Democratic Convention earlier. I remember him sounding like someone to watch. So I watched. And I was reminded of everything I loved about this party. Everything good that government should be as an institution. I loved it, I think, for the same reason I watched so much West Wing in that time frame. The vision of good government was too soothing an opiate to resist when we were forced to live with the visceral torture of a world that thought George W Bush should be president.

Nine months ago, on the eve of the Iowa caucus, I wrote a scathingly bitter piece about how painful the electoral process is in this country, and about the US’s seeming systemic resistance to good governance. That first dose of hopium, it seems, didn’t quite stick.

Four years ago, after I cast that first ballot, I watched. I watched as Florida rapidly moved out of reach. I watched as incapable senile man won election to the United States Senate in Kentucky. I saw Daschle fall, the republican house majority expand, and Ohio slowly slip away. And chills went down my spine as I heard W’s promise to spend his political capital. But more than anything, I saw vindication. George W Bush and Dick Cheny systematically dismantled this country, and they were rewarded. They crippled the country’s ability to respond to a true threat, they raped the constitution. They transformed our economy into a sad, empty shell. And their solution was to run a campaign of transparent misinformation and fear. And it worked. It fucking worked. Not only was there to be no retribution, they were rewarded.

A beating like 2004 changes a person. I saw that in a number of ways. Some resolved to fight back harder, smarter. Some simply despaired. And as New Orleans fell, ethnic cleansing took place in Iraq, and the emptiness of the ownership society was exposed, it’s like the world was raining salt into that wound. 8 years under the Bush administration? It’s tough to overcome the cynicism that will give you.

I’m really not sure where exactly Obama won me over. It might be after Super Tuesday when his speeches slowly transformed from hope and change to hope and change and nerdy policy stuff. Maybe it was when his supporters talked me into finally reading his book. Possibly when I saw his legislative record in the senate and was surprisingly pleased. I guess the exact time doesn’t matter. Eventually, I was his.

When I think about the problems this country face, the problems seem so overwhelming and severe that something I just want to scream, or rail hopelessly that we not only wasted eight years but spent them running backwards. Working people as a share of the population will shrink, and burdens will grow. Our infrastructure, from bridges to water pipes, crumbles. Oil and raw materials slowly price themselves out of reach, and the threat of environmental catastrophe continues to creep closer by the minute. Health care burdens keep growing, even as the system is so poorly structured that preventative care and the long term view aren’t even considered. Our country grows dumber as the world surrounding us grown less competitive. And the current financial shitstorm and size of our debt are so significant that we have more blanks than bullets in the chamber.

No matter how bad things were in 2004, I’m not going to forget that no matter how bad things got then, there remained that stood outone significant hope. And no matter how bad I might fear the problems down the road are, there is one hope that persists:

That if I could pick anyone to lead now, it would be someone who is already thinking about how to address the seriousness of these problems, and who does it with a respect for the intellectual weight they carry. I’d want him to be able to find common ground to yield practical results. I’d want him to demonstrate effective managerial skill. I’d want him to have an electoral landslide, a huge majority in the house, and a filibuster-proof senate, so that there’s a legitimate chance of actually being effective.

And now, with one crisis already here and so many others lurking in the shadows, is the time history will judge us. Now is the time we can salvage whatever we can from the situation or walk along the same path, and into ruin. George W Bush may escape any formal calls for justice, but I can think of no sweeter justice than teaching him and the lunatics who supported him exactly what the word "mandate" actually means – no greater pleasure than showing him a true liberal platform after his agenda failed so miserably.

(neutral) Gruco
Captain of Awesome
(Today, 09:09 PM)
Reply | Quote

 

[Soybean]

This Lewis guy is goddamn moron. I don't care if he's right or not, you just don't sabotage your boy's campaign by saying crap like that. God damn it.

 

[Trakdown]

I just caught the back end of the Minnesota Senate Debate on CSpan and heard a ton of Coleman chants. Anybody else catch this? I hope Franken didn't just kill his campaign with a bad performance.

 

[AniHawk]

EDIT: ACK! SORRY VENNT! IT WAS A SIMPSONS QUOTE!

 

[Trakdown]

I saw what happened.

(to paraphrase)

Franken: TAX CUTS FOR ALL!
*crowd boos*
Franken: TAX CUTS FOR NO ONE!
*crowd boos again*
Coleman: TAX CUTS FOR SOME, MINIATURE AMERICAN FLAGS FOR OTHERS!
*crowd cheers*

Fuck.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

This Lewis guy is goddamn moron. I don't care if he's right or not, you just don't sabotage your boy's campaign by saying crap like that. God damn it.

How is he sabotaging it?

 

[Tobor]

Bush won because of Florida, and by about 500 votes. Nader got something like 97,000 votes in Florida. Gore would've only needed like 55% of Nader votes to win.

Yeah, that's the way I remembered it. I don't hate Nader, but it makes me sad. He made his point, but my goodness, it was not worth it.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Yeah, that's the way I remembered it. I don't hate Nader, but it makes me sad. He made his point, but my goodness, it was not worth it.

Hopefully this will be his last run since he is 74.

 

[AniHawk]

How is he sabotaging it?

He's saying bad things that are true about McCain and Palin's campaign.

 

[Pakkidis]

If you haven't already, watch this:

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

It's a behind the scenes video of Obama/Biden at the DNC over 4 days.

Fucking awesome video.

LOVE IT. The whole Jonas Brother thing was hilarious.

Just show this video in the air time that you bought and you will be fine

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Interestingly enough, a few days ago on CNN, the governor of N.C. was on saying he saw a guy in his truck wearing his camo hat, shotgun behind him, and with two Obama stickers. It's good to see some rednecks with common sense.

 

[maximum360]

EDIT: ACK! SORRY VENNT! IT WAS A SIMPSONS QUOTE!

Wasn't it Toobin that said dems in congress are secrety hoping Franken loses so as not to encourage celebs to run for office and somehow taint the democratic party (as if they aren't doing a good job of it themselves). Thus, they'd rather have 58-59 senate seats than have Franken take them to 60 (I suppose for other reasons as well).