Election day is finally here. Thank goodness.

I'm no socialist but I suspect the House is going to move to the Democrats and maybe more importantly in the long run the hold the Republicans have had with the Governor Seats is going to be cut.

FWIW I don't look at this as anything unusual despite the media's attempt to call the situation that way.....happens more times than not during midterms.

I think this election is going to be about finding out, if the center, even exists anymore.

I agree with Warrenboy75 that the House will probably go to the Democrats, but that is pretty much status quo for mid-terms. I think the Senate will surprise some folks and the Republicans may end up getting a few more seats, but with the ULTRA-lefty Nancy Pelosi in the speaker seat, we will be looking at more government shutdowns and absolutely nothing passing for the next 2 years.

Hell with as much as Pelosi and Waters hate Trump, I bet they couldn't pass a bill stating the colors of the flag were red, white, and blue because they would argue over the shade of white on the flag.

At least if the Senate stays Republican, there is no way Trump will get impeached without a LOT of evidence of a felony because the Senate won't sit for the impeachment trial.

But I just can't wait to be able to watch the local news and not have 99% of the ads bitching about someone's opponent in the elections.

"I don't look at this as anything unusual despite the media's attempt to call the situation that way.....happens more times than not during midterms."


True, it's almost a 100% guarantee that the party in the Whitehouse takes a hit during midterms.

I'm so fed up with political commercials I'll just be glad when this day is over.

I've been in six different states over the past month and without a doubt the political commercials in Ohio are the worst.

Half the time I can't tell what anyone is even trying to say except that the other guy/gal is "not one of us" and is one step below a serial killer.

If you are tired of robocalls and mailers, next time send in an early ballot. Once received, the candidates take you off their call list.

Lol! Worst political ad of the season would have to be Trump's "caravan" ad:

https://youtu.be/fVxUCnHck6g

So blatantly idiotic and racist that Fox News pulled the ad. But it did air on national TV during the football game.

I picture @OSU mesmerized by the ad and nodding his head in agreement.

Election day can kiss my ass

I picture that multiple alias sugarplum fairy chasing dipshit realrumdummorondougster AKA josh43/sven crying to Founder that I'm picking on him if I respond with anything other than wishing him a man size rainbow up his size little girl ass.

Its a midterm election. The democrats will gain seats. They will crow about the end of the Republican party. They will be wrong. The regular taxpayer will get fucked. Nothing else will change, except America will fall faster.

Correction for the former realdougster/josh43/sven: little girl size ass.

@OSU- I'm just slightly left of center, but you don't understand that because you have the reading comprehension of an 8-yr-old. That Trump ad targets gullible people like yourself who are functionally illiterate and easily manipulated.

Sure you are dipshit. Your posting history contains the facts that dispute your fabrication above.

I missed the Trump ad but in all fairness RM about 95% of the ads I see target gullible people who want to believe what they want to believe and I don't see the media jumping in to remove some of them.

I can cite examples if you like.

While we're having this discussion Joshy, are you ever going to bring back your realdougster or sven accounts or are they permanently retired?

I have thrown away about 20 pounds of Rick Scott mailers over the past month.

"in all fairness RM about 95% of the ads I see target gullible people who want to believe what they want to believe"
__________________
Maybe you're right @Warrenboy, but you expect more from the presidents campain team.

Can you really find another ad that rises to the same level of pure racist propaganda?

Campaign*

RM--I didn't see it so I can't comment but what I have consistently seen is some very clever editing of speeches by Republicans that are being used against them and the same old tired accusations of taking away senior benefits, health care, and women's rights being used aka fear tactics-- that we must take back our country ( I never realized we had been invaded and lost it)

On the reverse side the Republican ads all point to tax increases and marauding hordes invading our nation not seen since the time of the fall of the Roman Empire ( although I have to admit I feel at times and have said so we are a lot like Rome 400 AD and we just don't realize it)

At this point sadly I don't expect much from anyone who is a politician except knowing that I will need to take a shower to get rid of the filth I feel after coming in contact with almost all of them.

What I do state repeatedly is that if you are going to judge then judge both parties equally and keep in mind exactly how and why we got Trump to begin with and who had a hand in it.

"What I do state repeatedly is that if you are going to judge then judge both parties equally and keep in mind exactly how and why we got Trump to begin with and who had a hand in it."
______________
Okay, fair enough.

However I *do* think millions of people will lose their health insurance if the GOP takes both houses. Some of the people on TUSCL will suffer if we go back to the days when insurance companies can deny for pre-existing conditions.


Yes, good morning @Dougster.

I didn't find the add racist. It basically said here is a guy that came into the country illegally, and shows him talking about how he wishes he killed more cops, then a picture of a several mile long convoy of people trying to come into this country (in my opinion) illegally. And it says something about how Democrats dont want to protect our borders.

Where is the racism? Oh because the people coming by the thousands are brown? Has nothing to do with how hey are coming. Assilum seekers need to come through a point of entry, which with so many people would be overwhelmed and probably backed up for months, though I suspect most would ILLEGIALLY cross the border rather than wait in line. And if they really are seeking assilum, why not ask for it in Mexico? If you're a "good person" and come into this country illegally, your a criminal piece of shit in my book and I have zero compassion for you, go thr fuck home, no matter what country you are from.

So that ad appeals to college educated middle class men like me that thinks people should come into my country thr proper way. Zero racism in my mind unless you are a retard.

^ I guess your definition of retard is different from mine

In consider you a retard and you dont consider yourself a retard, so yeah, clearly we have different definitions. You're just so retarded you dont realize you're a retard, it's a common mistake from retarded douchebags like yourself.

^Damn I feel the same way about you, but hey don’t let that stop you from demonstrating your stupidity. Knucklehead lol.

Voting in today's world is easy. I read the Boston Globe and vote against every one they endorse.

Everything is racist to randompolesmoker

I guess tonight we will discover if the electorate loves this country and all it stands for, or if they vote for the libtards instead.

They still run political ads?

Thanks to satellite radio and streaming shows on netflix, hulu and amazon I haven't seen or heard any this year. Other than the yard signs and the occasional banner ad on a few websites this election season has been campaign free for me. I have actually had to go out of my way to find the necessary info on the candidates and issues on my local ballot.

The stupidity of those who lean left: Random says that millions will lose their healthcare if the Republicans take the House and Senate. Gee whiz stupid they have had the Senate; the House and the Presidency for almost two years and nothing has changed. You stupid? A liar? Both?

Are you listening @SkiBirther? Because this is very simple.

Repeal of Obamacare failed due to one member: John McCain. He's dead. If the GOP takes both houses, they will go after Obamacare repeal, and they will probably succeed. Millions on Medicaide expansion and those that get subsidized insurance will be kicked off. Do you understand English?

BTW, Obamacare is actually RomneyCare which should know since you live in Mass. It's the conservative, market-based solution to covering everyone.

Sphincter

@skibum - the real question is will anything change regardless of who wins these elections? Washington is so F'ed up already and pretty much nothing gets accomplished right now, will changing who controls the House and Senate really matter. As my example, how many years has it been since we had a Federal budget? We made it thru the first 2 years of Trump, with an all Republican House and Senate without one. We made it thru four years of Obama, with a Republican House and Democratic Senate without one. The last time one was signed was 2012. Until the fucktards in Washington can move away from the far left and far right, they will never get anything accomplished.

This is 100% my opinion (hell all of this is) but I believe everyone in Washington should be term limited like the president, so we have a constant turn over of people and ideas. I think since the president can get 2 terms (8 years), then a Representative should get 4 terms (8 years) and a Senator should get 2 terms (12 years). That would mean probably a 25+% turnover every election and you wouldn't end up with the Robert Byrd (51 years) and John Dingell (59 years) sitting in their kingdoms (oh I mean offices) doing just about nothing for their constituents.

Well I will get off my soapbox now and get back to work. And before anyone wants to flame me for being a liberal, I am a moderate Republican who thinks Trump is a buffoon and a bully, but that some of his ideas have merit. He just REALLY sucks in getting his message across in an intelligent manner (please Secret Service take away his Twitter account). : )

Romneycare disappeared when Deval Patrick took over and Obamacare was never based on it in the first place. just a lie. By the way since we've had it many of the people meant to be insured simply dropped it because losing your tax refund means nothing to people who either don't work or make minimum wage. Protected classes were simply booted off for non-payment. So not everyone was covered and you're just spouting slogans, which is what progressives do. If obama had been a decent honest person his "plan" never would have passed and just because lefties kicked the cost can down the road doesn't mean it ever worked. just more taxpayer give aways to the leeches who vote democrat.

Iam - well said. At the end of the day watching America fail is just entertainment. If people with kids and grandkids don't care I sure as hell don't. Except for being older, happier and wealthier my life is pretty much the same as it was when I was 25. Once I am gone I will care even less lol.

Ohio here - the news broadcasts and wall to wall negative ads (for the gullible?). I don't watch many other TV programs but one odd thing this year is the Missus and I are seeing negative political ads on YouTube, of all places. That one is new for me.

I have an older, gullible neighbor across the street from me. he says, "[he doesn't know who to vote for this year because they've all been discredited." Where 'discredited' is his word. He means the negative ads, mainly.

I've also had my phone blowing up with texts with random campaign messages all week (trump rally, Ohio issue no. 1, etc)

I haven't had to listen to the TV commercials. I haven't had any TV service for the last 8 years or so.Just Netflix and Hulu. My landline is answered by my machine. So i have had no calls. My cell number is a secret.

So I have gotten all of my political views on the TUSCL discussion board. What else does a person need. :)

@SkiBirther-

Are you familiar with the Mark Twain quote: “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience?” That's how I feel about arguing with someone who insists that Obama was born in Kenya. Or someone who insists that climate change is Chinese hoax. Hard to decide whether you deserve scorn or pity. Maybe it's all those years listening to bickering couples, and all the weed smoking and alcohol, that sent you into cognitive decline.

We're not even arguing politics, just trying to get the facts straight. Obamacare and Romneycare are basically the same fucking bill:
(1) Both let the private insurance market compete for your business
(2) Both have a a mandate to participate and a penalty if you don't.
(3) Both have subsides for the poor
(4) Both don't allow insurance companies to deny for pre-existing conditions

You can't have (4) without (2) and (3). It's not mathematically possible.

It's the same fucking law that keeps the best features of capitalism. Do you understand? Romney himself admitted that Obamacare is based on RomneyCare. Jonathan Gruber (spelling?) was the architect of both.

Over 20M people have gained health insurance since Obamacare started. So millions stand to lose if it is repealed.

They had HEALTH CARE before and will have HEALTH CARE after obamacare is gone. You're talking about insurance not health care tahd.

I'm talking about insurance dipshit. what about the other 99% of the argument?

Barrack Obama the Kenyan says Obamacare wasn't a tax, even if the Supreme Court said it was, because if it was then I would be a muslim scumbag liar as well as incompetent.

Millions of people will lose their health insurance

Such a strawman argument

@founder seems you’ve got rats on this website dougster is leaving little pellets all over, you need to get an exterminator here

EXIT POLLS: Voters were highly concerned about health care, according to preliminary exit polls on Tuesday, with more citing it as their top concern than any other issue — the first time in at least a decade that has happened.

This is all from memory but the back and forth about Health Care started with Paul Ryan and the number was 23 million people.

The problem---and this is just one shining example of liberal media bias is I don't recall Ryan ever stating he wanted to dump the 23 million. What he wanted to do was segment them into a high risk pool and have each state decide how to provide health care......and ( and this is the big and) provide each of those states to the tune of 100 billion dollars.

From his perspective and economic models Obamacare is not sustainable. Right or wrong in his mind it's going to collapse eventually and the cost to keep running it as is will exceed his plan.

And just as a side note and something I had stated earlier in another conversation this is the first year I haven't been hit with a rate increase in a decade. Is that a plus for Trump or is just I'm lucky? ( I really do not know and others on here when I poised this question before stated they have seen increases this year)

But in this election what you hear is Republicans want to take away Health Care........and none of the details...........

Over? Ha ha. We're just getting started people. The 2020 election campaign starts tomorrow morning with a 3am tweet storm and maybe some obstructing of justice by firing AG Session and Rosenstein.

A couple of recounts in Florida?

Hang those chads flagooner.....

Have you heard of Sarah Kliff, @Warrenboy?

https://www.vox.com/authors/sarah-kliff

She specializes in healthcare policy, and she used to write for Washington Post. She's terrific.

As of now, looks like GOP has Senate wrapped up +2 and Dems have House +35

Did Juice win the Ashville congressional seat?

And recreational weed is now legalized in Michigan... what uppppppp

Congrats

Did Michigan allow sales of recreational weed? Without it the laws still require you to buy illegally like we do here in Massachusetts 4 years after weed was legalized.

^Question for you Skibum don’t you think legalizing marijuana is progressive?

Progressive, yes.

One of the big libertarian issues.

^So are libertarians progressive?

I had a laugh when I saw what was passed in Michigan. I guess they like their pot. The law allows for up to 2.5oz of pot or 140 joints (yes, you read that correct) or 15grams of concentrate.

Question to discuss among yourselves: how long would it take for you to smoke 140 joints?

@25
I'm no political expert as some of these guys claim to be so I shouldn't weigh in here.

But when has that stopped me.

I see libertarians as having traits that represent both conservative and liberal views, but mostly those that claim to be libertarian are dorks that try to relate to a hipster trend.

@flagooner
I take issue with those guys that say stupid things about being for progress, I don't really care about liberal and conservative, the big joke is those folks that say progressives are liberal, it simply is not true, legalizing marijuana is progress, allowing for advances in medicine is progress, being against racism, and promoting woman's rights, LBTQ rights is progress, liberals want free lunch for everybody, that's where I draw my line, I believe you should earn your lunch, I'll earn my own, there is such a thing as reasonable conservatism, and there is a place for differing opinions, making blanket statements never works out right.
BTW most Libertarians are nuts (blanket statement ;)

LOL. Yes, pure libertarians are delusional and total flakes.

I've always thought of "progressive" as what libs call themselves because being a "liberal" used to have a bit of a stigma attached to it They were basically rebranding that way.

^ you can call a cow a pig but it doesn’t make it so.

A dancer can call my penis big but it doesn't make it so.

^very true lol

Actually the Libertarian party is the least progressive party out there. Their tenants are strictly for the individual to be responsible for their own actions and for the government to stay the hell out of the way. They believe in smaller government, which is the tenant of the Republican party, but at the same time believe in things like abortion because that is a personal choice of a responsible individual, which is the tenant of the Democratic party. They are probably the most centrist party we have and like the Republican and Democratic parties, they have their fringe or extreme sectors that swing farther right or left, but the overall focus of the party is pretty much down the center on personal rights and leaning right on government control.

Those areas are what makes everyone think they are flakes. The Democrats hate them because Libertarians don't believe that the government's job is to coddle all Americans and make every decision for them and that bigger government doesn't know what is best for the average person. Republicans hate them because the far right whack jobs, oh I mean the religious right, despise the idea of abortion and LGTB lifestyles, but Libertarians have no issue with this because it ties back to personal choice by a responsible individual. The Republicans do tolerate the Libertarians some only because they agree on the smaller government ideas.

I am not a Libertarian, but I see their viewpoint and it really isn't too far off from my personal views and opinions.

^In many respects me too. I'm just saying that most of the people I have met that claim to be libertarians are annoying, egotistical dorks who are jumping on the fad of the moment.

^ I agree with you on the "new" Libertarians. True, long term supporters are much more centerists than the recent converts.

^ Yet did anyone hear what Gary Johnson was saying when he had the opportunity to make his case, he was dumber than a bag of rocks, yet the libertarians actually thought he’d make a good candidate, sorry my opinion is libertarians just want to have things both ways and that makes them nuts.

@Screw wrote: "The Democrats hate them because Libertarians don't believe that the government's job is to coddle all Americans"
_______________

No, that misses the point.

Single biggest financial crisis in decades happened in 2008 when the banking system collapsed and wiped out $16T out of the US economy and caused untold grief. What's incredibly annoying is Libertarians who just can't acknowledge that government regulation is sometimes necessary and that unfettered capitalism can, and does, fail in catastrophic ways. We didn't have enough government regulation to prevent a bogus, private, mortgage securitizaion chain from developing in the first place. When the party ended in 2008, we had to bail out Wall Street at taxpayer expense.

Instead of looking at the facts, hard-core Randoids *always* blame government lending programs and pretend that we should have let the banks fail. It's just annoying as fuck and doesn't hold up to the least bit of scrutiny.



Anyway, despite all the gerrymandering and despite a good economy, Dems took back the House. Senate would have been a route, too, if more GOP seats had been up for re-election. LOL! All the idiotic fear-mongering about a caravan of rapist and murderers didn't influence enough goofy voters.

Regarding week's legalization in MI, it probably won't be commercially sold until 2019 or 2020, with regulations and business licenses etc having to be dealt with. However, people are free to grow their own weed at home (up to 12 plants) for personal use.

Weed's*

@randommember

To me, the noteworthy part of the ad campaign this year was just how negative the ad campaigns were. I'd go out on a limb to say the ads were just about 100% negative, attack ads, or mug slinging. Just fear, fear, fear. Esp the healthcare ads RE: pre-existing conditions. I would rather have heard about their message of what they are doing to help (positive ads).

The thing I see when I read "pre-existing conditions" is "I need someone else to may for my medical care and prescriptions." Because that's what they mean. The gov't doesn't "take away" health insurance. The insurance companies "take away" my health insurance when "I stop paying the premiums".


" What's incredibly annoying is Libertarians who just can't acknowledge that government regulation is sometimes necessary and that unfettered capitalism can, and does, fail in catastrophic ways. We didn't have enough government regulation to prevent a bogus, private, mortgage securitizaion chain from developing in the first place. When the party ended in 2008, we had to bail out Wall Street at taxpayer expense. "

What if the really fucked up thing is that bailing out the banks with cash, would actually be cheaper in the long run that gov't doing it (executive branch & regulations)? As much as I despise bankers, finance types, etc. (=rent seeking assholes) sometimes I wonder. Or wonder what history will ultimately think?

Dominic in Ohio the ads were about as bad as I have ever seen. I've been coming there for work for close to six years now so I have seen a few election cycles in the state --couple of people all they ever do each campaign is throw mud but this year in Ohio every single ad I saw was the same.

As far as government intervention and regulation anything the government does takes twice as long and cost three times as much money.......and there are decades of examples to draw from.

@Dominic: "The thing I see when I read "pre-existing conditions" is "I need someone else to may for my medical care and prescriptions."
_________________
Can't follow the sentence or what you're trying to say. Let's suppose you're a cancer survivor and you get laid-off through no fault of your own. In the old days, before Obamacare, you would get 18-months of COBRA, and then you were out on your own. With a history of cancer, insurance companies could deny your coverage. People went bankrupt in that situation. The ads about losing protection against pre-existing conditions were *not* scare tactics. The GOP has done everything possible to sabotage Obamacare and there is no replacement.

I'm certain that bailing out the banks with taxpayer money was the cost effective thing to do. That's the point I was trying to make. Letting the banks fail would have been a catastrophe. Sometimes you just can't let the invisible hand of capitalism take it's course and government intervention is the only way out.


@WarrenBoy: "anything the government does takes twice as long and cost three times as much money"
____________
I've worked on both government and private contracts and basically agree. But that doesn't mean government regulation is never appropriate. The great recession is a spectacular example, and hard-core Libertarians will always fudge around and deny what actually happened.

@ Random good luck with COBRA it just allows you to keep paying for your own health insurance and you need to pay the employers portion also after loosing your job good luck with that.

^^ +1

COBRA must cost a fortune

COBRA does cost a fortune. ( for a short period of time been there done that)

What happened in 2008 would take longer than I have today to discuss and a board is no place for it.......but any discussion which does not include the complete hypocrisy and mismanagement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the subsequent cover up and attempted bluster and BS of Barney Frank, Pelosi, and a few other names I will leave out of the comment for now I submit is the real fudge....( I could take a swipe at Frank about fudge but I'll pass on that for now as well)

Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns and a few others got the headlines and in the end three of those companies paid a heavy price ( two of them are gone) but they were given all of the blame when in fact a good deal of it should have been kept right inside the beltway.

Randumb isn't satisfied with COBRA, he splurges for ANACONDA.

Markets went up 550 points today, Trump fired Sessions, Wall Street seems pleased with the results of this election.

Wall Street likes a split congress

^Yes they do it’s a check on the power of the president

It cuts down on unexpected change.

^Correct, also Trump is trying to spin this as a win, even you partisans have no choice but to admit, he has less power today, than he had yesterday, and in January 2019, his power will be significantly lesser, maybe some sanity will result, I hope so.

I don't see it as a win, but the GOP did beat expectations, and they performed very well where he took an active role in campaigning for specific candidates. Like here in FL for Scott and Desantis.

^That’s correct, if I were a Democratic operative, right now I’d steal a page from Trumps playbook, and start a rumor or even state with no proof that the resuywere fixed, I’ll not be surprised if that happens, they deserve a dose of their own medicine.

^ Results of the election/damn autocorrect

@Iam4u2screw wrote, "Actually the Libertarian party is the least progressive party out there."

Very very true!

SJG

It looks like I got one prediction right:

November 6, 2018
A couple of recounts in Florida?

For my next prediction...
Nina will boast about being top earner at her club.

^ Dayumn.

The progressive libtards in Broward and Palm Beach counties are some shady, sore losers.

^TeeHeeHee !
Fruitcup

Broward County + Al Gore = everyone knows their BS. ( although I get tired of saying this the media bias did a damn good job of hiding it from as many unsuspecting koolaid drinkers as possible)

Overall I prefer a split power structure. I hate to give too much power to one party ever. Trump never had the unlimited power Obama did when he first took office for a handful of reasons but I still prefer the split party situation we have now......it will be interesting if "Gollum" decides to retire and we have another SC Justice slot open up.