Sum It Up
On Thursday we asked the Sum It Up question: Are you satisfied with the results of the 2012 elections?
The country is making some long-term decisions by the way we’re dealing with our politicians. We’ve changed a few of the players, but basically sent back the same crowd that has done nothing for the past four years.
Doris Kerns Goodwin said at a talk she gave at the Stevens Center several weeks back that the issue is none of these politicians live in Washington anymore. During the time of LBJ, a Democratic senator would live next door to a Republican senator. Their children grew up together, they really knew each other. With the jet age, all of them live in apartments, fly home on the weekends and never really get to know their counter-parts. They see this as a philosophical war and the general citizenry are the losers. They are all talking nice right now and saying the right things, but they continue to make the expedient decision at the expense of the future. I can only hope that in two years or four years, we can slowly make changes.
They need to remember some of the lines of Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
JIM MONROE
No, I'm appalled. President and commander in chief Barack Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on a trusting majority of American people in the history of the USA. It is mind-numbing that the majority still believe to this day, Nov. 8, 2012, thanks to a complicit Congress, state attorney generals, governors and the fawning media.
J.D. “JACK” BURRER
From a federal level yes, but I’m concerned about North Carolina with an all-Republican legislature.
DON WITTE
If you believe the people have spoken, and I do, you have to hope the people’s wisdom involves compromise, cooperation, understanding and purposeful action to meet national, state and community needs. If Washington and Raleigh don't get it, our future is, at best, uncertain. A GOP governor and legislature means improvement is possible. Washington, however, must act rather than politic. The people deserve and expect leadership sooner rather than later!
DAVE PLYLER
No. RIP liberty, democracy, freedom.
JEANNIE METCALF
Yes, I am relieved as this president has not had enough time to achieve everything he intended because of the incredible opposition in the House from republicans whose only goal was to make him a one-term president. Had Mitt Romney been elected, the extremely wealthy would even do better and not much would change for the hard-working middle class. I believe in a society where everybody can have a productive life and have access to affordable and preventive health care. This means less illness at the work place and fewer visits to the ER.
COBY BISHOP
Given a candidate who secretly says he isn't concerned about the 47 percent and suggest vouchers for those of us on Medicare; with a running mate who called us “makers and takers”; who says he will hold China accountable after previously moving jobs there; or threatens to go to war with Iran; compared to a president who has concern for all the people, not just the wealthy, and uses diplomacy instead of threats, how can I not be pleased? I think Mitt Romney has found the American people are not as stupid as he assumed.
NAOMI J. DAVIS
I am satisfied that we had an honest election, that the process once again has worked. I deplore the amount of money spent, the negative advertising and the fact that a few people with big bucks can have such a huge impact on our elections.
CARROLL LEGGETT
We can certainly be proud of North Carolina for supporting conservative candidates who will be fiscally responsible. However, the nation is in for a rude awakening as President Obama grows our government even larger.
He somehow convinced half the electorate that the only thing causing the rise in the deficit was that the wealthy did not pay their fair share. It has been reported that if he raises taxes on the wealthy to the level he suggests, we would only have enough money to run the government for eight days! If he taxed them at 100 percent, it would only raise enough money to run the government for 90 days! Does that sound like a solution?
He apparently skipped economics in college, as he has no concept of how to grow the economy, or else ruining our economy was his agenda from the beginning. America missed its chance to have a leader who knows how to create jobs and had the evidence to prove he could do it.
JOANN DUNN
For the most part I am satisfied with the election results for 2012, with the exceptions of the re-election of Rep. Virginia Foxx to the NC 5th Congressional District and the election of state Sen. Pete Brunstetter over Delmas Parker for the N.C. Senate District 31.
SUZANNE CARROLL
I am forced to be a Libertarian/Independent and Tuesday proved it. I want the government to fix its fiscal problems and stay out of my life.
Some people think my openness to immigration, choice and gay marriage is “liberal.” It is not. It is the true conservative approach of recognizing your rights end where mine begin and vice versa.
About 100 million people voted, another 90 or so million, according to USA Today, did not. The ones that voted probably know more about the Kardashians than they do about Dodd-Frank, the Simpson-Bowles Commission or the Electoral College.
The Republicans are better able to fix the fiscal, but while trying to reduce government, they extend control into other areas and refuse to see that America has changed demographically. They need to expand their base or they will join the Whigs and Bull Moose Party in the history books.
The Democrats have the innate ability to buy votes with other people’s money. When the money runs out, they have nothing left to offer except blame.
When the Roman Empire was collapsing, the emperors decided to keep the people in line with bread and circuses.
Well, I guess I will have Ringling Bros. on whole wheat toast, please.
KEN HOGLUND
I was disappointed that two highly-educated and strong women, Elisabeth Motsinger and Gail McNeill, were not elected to office. Motsinger would have made a great choice to replace the controversial and sometimes embarrassing incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx as our 5th District representative. McNeill's perseverance toward gun control would have encouraged intelligent decisions among our Forsyth County commissioners, ultimately leading to limits on gun possession in public places.
VIRGINIA UNDERHILL
It does not really matter whether one is satisfied or not, with the election, it is what it is. The real question should be, are we ready to work together to solve the nation’s problems?
FRANK SCISM
No. It was like a high-school class-president election where the cutest, coolest guy who makes the most shallow, self-serving promises wins. And nobody bothers to look at his discipline record before electing him.
CHRISTY NUNN
Remember how the liberal media worked overtime to keep the Benghazi Scandal underwraps before the election? Now, it seems it's going to blow up in their face.
ReplyDeleteThat's doesn't deter liberal CNN, they're already off and running blaming the Republicans.
It seems the link between the Benghazi cover-up and the White House has now taken on new meaning with the sudden departure of Gen. Petraeus, Head of the CIA. We're stuck asking the same old tired question of: What did the government know and when did they know it?
CNN, knowing full well that they were involved in keeping the scandal underwraps, is already accusing the House Majority leader of participation of the cover-up prior to the presidential election. It seems that he knew about the investigation into Petraeus and his mistress in October.
Of course, we all know that the CIA was intimately involved in the Benghazi Affair and, in fact, Petraeus was scheduled to testify before Congress on Thursday. Convienently, for the White House, he has left the CIA just before the hearings.
Most of the liberal media will be forced to finally cover the fiasco now, but I doubt the facts will force CNN to do so. It's just too far left-it'll find away to avoid the truth, just like Rush does on a daily basis.
Well, at least the GOPers are copping to the fact that a majority voted for the Prez and that he won the election fair & square. Before there would be accusations of fraud and of "illegals" voting. That's progress I guess...at least in terms of their own mental health.
ReplyDelete(BTW, free PR tip: when you start outreach to Hispanic voters, don't call undocumented workers "illegals" or "aliens". Folks get offended when you suggest their friends and family are less than human. I know, I know. How dare they have feelings.)
I am next to 'positive' some illegal immigrants voted in this past election. I've personally heard and witnessed illegal immigrants being registered to vote, and I reported it.
DeleteWhen you get a little more experience in life, you'll get up to speed with what is really going on in the real world.
Bull poop. No such reports have been received by any local or state agency.
DeletePost your specific information here...names, dates, times...and I will see to it that the information reaches the appropriate authorities.
Like I said, a bundle o' self-loathing.
DeleteRush, I don't stay in 'mole hole' all the time like you do. It was in another jurisdiction.
DeleteReally? How did I know that that would be the answer.
DeleteSo give us the info: names, date, time, place. We'll check it out.
Be serious Rush, I wouldn't provide you with a piece of toilet paper if you needed it.
DeleteThat's what I thought...just more of Buckboy's fantasy life. Never happened.
DeleteReminds me of someone from the bad old Journal days, I think maybe Stonewall or Hunter, who claimed to have seen and worked with Mexican laborers who had been paid under the table and claimed to have reported it except that of course none of it happened and he finally shut up.
Buckboy needs to come out of the closet and start living in the real world.
ironic that we have comments above back to back from a County Commissioner and a school board member.
ReplyDeleteDave Plyler's comment is honest and thoughtful, while Jeannie Metcalf's is the shrill screech of the obnoxious fundy bird.
Go to church and pray, Jeannie, not for me, not for the nation, but for your pitiful self.
I volunteered for Linda Garrou's re-election campaign when Mrs. Metcalf ran against her in '98. It was a labor of love.
DeleteIt might have been 2000.
DeleteThe latest in what will soon be an encyclopedia of excuses...the Democrats hacked ORCA.
ReplyDeleteHere's how well ORCA worked
DeleteObama Campaign's Approach
DeleteThanks Wordly...I had seen the ORCA piece, but not the one on the fascinating Harper Reed. I guess after what happened Tuesday, we'll have to agree with his self assessment..."pretty awesome".
DeleteI like the fact that even his mustache is, apparently, TOP SECRET.
The Mother Jones piece was great, Wordly. We're building something brand new, and the right's still fighting 1980. They'll catch up eventually, but for now...
DeleteAre you satisfied with the results of the 2012 elections? I am not satisfied with the results- I'm disgusted- but that's just me. Obama won by deploying a superior ground game that was almost scientific. To aid that, he went wall to wall negative while turning out his base in a year that saw millions fewer voters than in 2008. He pulled it off. Turns out, it ain't the economy stupid, it's race and income. Thus he does not have a mandate, just a stalemate. His campaign is reflective of him and instructive of we the people. At least our Founders gave us the gift of gridlock. That's not a flaw- it is a feature.
ReplyDeleteWomen killed us WW. Somehow they bought into the 'War Women' Democratic propaganda.
DeleteI wish the Republicans would just drop the whole abortion issue stuff.
But please do not be dismayed. I'm working on a new 'bumper' sticker though. It'll say, "Save a rear end, keep gay marriage illegal".
Bucky, I actually did get a live call from the Romney campaign? The young sounding male voice identified himself as being with the campaign and asked if he could count on my support. I replied, "I don't think so I still have functioning ovaries". He laughed and hung up.
DeleteWow! You get younger and younger everytime I read you :)
DeleteHa, ha. Simple answers for simple minds.
DeleteYes, women played a role. But besides their own stupidity, here is what killed the Republicans:
Blacks - 93%
Asian-American - 73%
LGBT - 73%
Latin - 71%
Unmarried people (the fastest growing group in the country) - 62%
18-29 year olds - 60%
The GOP is too old, too white, too male, too married and too bigoted...unless they can make rapid changes, they may be irrelevant by 2016.
Oops, I forgot the other fastest growing group in the country, non-Christians, which now makes up about 20% of all voters and which went 73% for Obama.
DeleteAs Bob Dylan warned, the times they are a -changin'.
Funny how the people that provided the leadership to make this country great, are now worthless.
DeleteWith attitudes like Rush's, no wonder our country is taking a dump.
Sounds like O'Reilly: "The white establishment is now the minority!" Same level of ignorance. Non-Hispanic whites still comprise about 63% of the US population and are by far the dominant culture.
DeleteThe problem for people like O'Reilly and Buckboy is that many of that 63% are far better educated than they are, so do not live in their negative, bigoted world.
That means that dependence on the "white man" vote is dead. Any party tthat cannot appeal to people from all walks of life is a dead party.
Of course, Buckboy, due to his problem with narcissism is actually thinking of himself, who has done nothing to make this country great.
What's fascinating is that people like him still are not clued in that the Limbaugh/Beck/FoxLies/O'Reilly/Rove gang of con artists have been playing him and all the other loony right for years now, making big bucks off their gullibility.
Rush, I don't lambast 'whites' and 'Christians' or other groups like you do. I'd be careful about calling other people bigots, because they might just call you one back. And sadly, it appears the term would be appropriately used if they did.
DeleteMost of the really smart people I used to work with never mentioned how smart they were, or that they went to Harvard or Stanford or other such prestigious schools. Most were simply 'doers'.
Face it Rush, you're just a mole, looking for another hole to crawl into so people don't notice how truly pathetic you really are.
The idea of Buckboy "working with smart people" boggles the mind.
DeleteOf course, cleaning their offices and emptying their wastebaskets was working near them, but not quite the same thing as working with them.
Good afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteSum it up: Satisified isn't the term I would use. I would have preferred the question be are you surprised by the results as opposed to "satisfied". There were no surprises. I expected Obama to win, the D's to retain the Senate and the R's to maintain the House. The re-gerrymandering (let's face it, redistricting these days is in fact just re-gerrymandering) of the state's districts made the R control of the state legislature inevitable, and McCrory was a stronger candidate than Dalton, so that was also a given.
As for the responses, there are the expected Chicken Little rants from the usual TB's such as Burrer, Metcalf, and Dunn. Nice thoughts from Mr. Monroe and Plyler. In agreement with Leggett on the absurd amount of money spent, but somewhat encouraged on the national scene that Rove's super-PAC spending resulted in a 1-10 record. Mr. Scism points out the need to work together, but the voters put the same people back in. I'm still not seeing anyone who can build a coalition from both parties to enact needed legislation.
While giving thanks for the defeat of backward thinking at the national level, we must keep in mind that a number of state legislatures are still in the grips of the backward thinkers and are thus dragging their local schools back toward the Middle Ages:
ReplyDeleteTexas: "Corporal punishment is effective". Even though it isn't. What would you expect from the state that leads the free world in executions?
Texas: "Higher order thinking", i.e. critical thinking, is bad because it might challenge "students' fixed beliefs" and undermine "parental authority". So, preparing our children for careers in the fast food industry.
Louisiana: Is preparing to hand out vouchers so that tax money can be spent to send children to schools like this: "Students will be expected to defend creationism through evidence presented by the Bible versus traditional scientific theory."
You know that the Chinese are loving that. It would be hard as hell to build an aircraft carrier following god's fuzzy directions for the ark.
Louisiana: "Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived side by side within the past few thousand years." — Life Science, 3rd ed., Bob Jones University Press, 2007
Louisiana: Gay people "have no more claims to special rights than child molesters or rapists." —Teacher's Resource Guide to Current Events for Christian Schools, 1998-1999, Bob Jones University Press, 1998
Utah: In March, the Utah state Senate passed a bill that would permit schools to eliminate sex education, prohibit instruction on how to use contraception and bar discussion of homosexuality in class. Many senators spoke out in support of the bill, claiming sex education is meant for the home, not school. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert eventually vetoed the controversial bill.
But there is plenty of the same sort of ignorant crap going on in other states. Now let's get to work overturning Roe v Wade, so when your 13 year old gets pregnant she'll have to carry to term and produce another burden for the taxpayers to bear.
Indiana: In July 2011, Indiana school officials announced that students would no longer be required to learn cursive writing, effective Fall 2011. That's a part of the Common Core Standards, now also in effect in Hawaii and North Carolina, which places the emphasis on keyboarding.
That may seem to make sense in the computer age. Hell, I don't even type any more. I just talk to my computer and it creates the text as I go.
But the creation of writing was one of the critical points in the evolution of man. To not know how to write would create a disconnect from our cultural history. Not to mention, how does one sign a document if one cannot write?
Oh, I know, you can just make an X like the illiterati.
All in all, a campaign to allow parents to keep their children as dumb as they are, so they can grow up to slave for the 1% and vote Republican.
For those guys opposing gay marriage, the website "College Humor" has made a very funny video which makes the best (albeit crazy) argument yet for gay marriage.
ReplyDelete"Let us get hitched or we'll bite the bullet and marry your girlfriends."
I should have my bumper stickers available by Christmas.
Delete