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Subscribe to RSSFor the bustling industry comprised of political pundits, pollsters, strategists and scribes, the weeks before Election Day are a flurry of predictions about who will win the nation’s most competitive races.
When there’s plentiful public polling and stable national trends to base their assumptions upon, their prognostications are usually more or less close to the mark. But politics is unpredictable, and pollsters use different methods to determine who’s up and who’s down. Every once in a while, they get it wrong.
The famous erroneous 1948 “Dewey defeats Truman” banner headline in the first edition of the Chicago Tribune was the result of polls and conventional wisdom that turned out to be dramatically off base. After Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s unanticipated loss in the 1982 California governors’ race, many blamed racial bias undetected in public opinion polls. After Barack Obama’s dramatic win in the Iowa caucuses in 2008, the media’s overwhelming assumption that he would continue his march to victory days later in New Hampshire was due to polling. Those assumptions were shattered when Hillary Clinton wound up winning -- prompting weeks of media navel-gazing and questions of "how did we get it so wrong?"
In this midterm cycle, new poll results have hit political reporters’ e-mail inboxes at a fast and furious pace. But a quick look at the wide disparities between different polls of the same races indicates that they can’t all be right. Four recent public polls in the tight Nevada Senate race show Senate Majority leader Harry Reid everywhere from down four points to up three. Much-discussed “tightening” in the Pennsylvania Senate race two weeks ago gave way to another wide lead for Republican Pat Toomey days later.
Part of the reason for the disparity between the results, says Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, is because every polling company has its own method to determine which voters are “likely” to turn out.
“Some of the measures that people use to determine whether someone’s a likely voter sometimes have no relationship whatsoever to whether people actually do turn out or not,” Mellman said.
His example: Some pollsters use voters’ self-reported “enthusiasm” as an indicator of which voters are most likely to make it to the polls. But even though it seems like fired-up voters should be the most reliable ones, there isn’t always an exact correlation. Voters who are lukewarm at best about their candidates may still feel an obligation to cast a ballot; passionate citizens who are contacted by pollsters in mid-October may ultimately procrastinate when Election Day comes.
Another reason for variation is that some polls, especially those that use automated recordings rather than live questioners, cannot legally contact cell phone users. That means that many pollsters are limited to contacting landline users, who are likely to be older and less transient.
(The NBC News political unit, like many other major news organizations, does not use automated interactive voice response (IVR) polls in determining its race ratings. There are a plethora of such surveys, in part because IVR polls can cost as little as 10 percent of the cost of a live-interview poll.)
Additionally, survey information that is collected in the course of a single night tends to be biased towards what Mellman calls “the easy-to-reach” – voters who are more likely to be home in the evenings to answer the phone. “People that are harder to reach are much more likely to vote for Democratic candidates,” Mellman argues. “If you just look at the people you get on the first dial, you have a sample that looks much more favorable towards Republican candidates.”
While there are many different public polls of statewide gubernatorial and Senate races, there are far fewer widely-released surveys of House contests. Campaigns conduct internal polls that often offer fairly accurate snapshots of races, but they generally only release them to the media if the numbers are good for their candidate.
“You’ve got a lot of House polls that are selectively cherry-picked for the press,” says David Wasserman, who tracks House races for the Cook Political Report. That makes the states of individual races much more difficult for voters to wrap their heads around, he said.
He added that midterm elections, because they don’t have the reliably high turnout of election years with a presidential race at the top of the ticket, can be more prone to surprises.
“Smaller electorates are more difficult to predict,” said Wasserman, whose latest rankings show a whopping 100 competitive House races, including 50 tossups.
Still, although individual races may be difficult to gauge, most pundits agree that Republicans are poised to take control of the House but that the 10 seats they would need to take the Senate are likely out of reach.
And there’s one thing that’s for sure.
“Democrats will have a tough night,” said NBC’s Chuck Todd. “It's how tough that is the unknown.”
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The Repug/tea baggers have really received the force of negative winds in the coming together of the tea party crackpots, the alleged conspiracy to dump Palin in her presidential bid, Rand Paul's foot stomp putdown, Sharon Angle's tight lipped responses, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce foreign money scandal, and on, and on, and on. The climate in the electorate has been affected by this last minute flurry of questionable activity and behavior which will also show up at the polls.
Jim Billy Bob...Running up debt for 2 wars and a tax credit that largely benefitted only the wealthiest 1% isn't free enterprise or capitalism. It's Biggie Piggies living large and dumping their debts on the rest of society. Not going to happen again. Enjoy the pig feasts while you can.
don and ewent:
The past two years (not Bush's fault, but at the hands of Obama and the super-majority democratic congress) there has been over $3 trillion of cost of the various legislations passed, ranging from Obamacare, Obamastimulus', ete., etc.
With about 330 million American citizens (excluding the 20 million or so of the population that are illegal aliens), the cost for each American citizen is about $9,000. That's $9,000 for every legal man, woman and child in the USA. That works out to about $20,000 for each tax-paying adult. So you get the idea? It costs all of us a huge amount of money. That includes you if you are a taxpayer.
So tell us, specifically what have you benefited from all of that spending?
does this mean that Christen Odonell could win?
Carrie Dann - you got it right! Thumbs up!
Goooooooo DEMS! :D
Sybrsean that's the best article I have read all day : ) Thank you!
Squidword
Please go back to school......Capital Gains tax is double taxation. The money intitially invested has already been taxed. I know it is hard to swallow, but the wealthy pay a significant majority of American taxes. Get a job...work hard....and you too can be in the higher tax bracket!!
Name ANY purchase that isn't "double taxation"....what a stupid argument. Capital gains are "passive" investments....they're money made without working. Why shouldn't they be taxed more? Only the wealthiest among us have capital gains....and those poor saps (all 2% of our population) already have 30% of the wealth! You think they need more?
An economy without a middle class is doomed. More and more middle class are being pushed downward while the ultra-wealthy find their fortunes growing right along with the portion of the nations wealth that they already have...IT'S NOT WORKING!
Why should Carly Fiorina...whose tenure at HP was marked by plumeting stock value and a ridiculus purchase of Compaq computers walk away with a billion dollars when she was finally fired? THAT is corporate greed run amuck...and it's what Republicans think we need more of. My god...they're running HER for the Senate? Why would a failure like Fiorina be on the Republican ticket? She's just what THEY are....a lazy ...lousy....rich...fatcat...who thinks that taxes should be paid by the middle and working-class stiffs...while they steal those taxes and mass outrageous fortunes for themselves.
steve...BS...When the rich take the jobs offshore? What? Work in Thailand? Mexico? You won't do it but you don't mind highassing that on someone else do you?
Salaries are not in the control of employees...duh...It's the Biggie Piggies who end up firing and laying off when their own bonuses and big salaries are in jeopardy of downward slides. There is NO CEO in this country worth a million a year. Can't live on what 3rd third CEOs earn but they expect to pay Americans live we are a 3rd world country. You people have no shame. The Greed is Good generation of overindulged excessed to the max Daycare Generation.
MSNBC is in the pocket for the democrats!
And Fox is in the pocket of the Republicans. What's your point?
VOTE REPUBLICAN...
...HAND OUTS TO THE WEALTHY.....
TAXCUTS FOR THE ULTRA-RICH
CORPORATE GREED....
It's really all we care about....the rest of you can have jesus and embryos....just let us give your taxes to the wealthy.....cause look at all the jobs THAT has created.
Education is key!! How can we support someone who the people of Alaska elected to be their governor and quits midway - would that person do the same if elected president and quit on us midway because the job is too hard;
How can we support a party with a record of outsourcing thousands of jobs in their 8 years and created 2 unnecessary wars that were not paid for. The bottom line is with the "Teaparty" they will not only be a carbon copy of the Rep and Dems - but worst - because of their extreme agenda.
I cannot believe that in the year 2010, in the USA - people are so misinformed and are celebrating going "backwards" in order to "reset" all of the great achievements made by this great country.
In future, I will be looking to see that the media pundits and all critics of the present administration -- "FACT CHECK" elected officials -- -- had we as a country kept as keen an eye on the prior administration 8 years ago, we would not be in the financial crisis that we are in today -- where were all the news pundits and Republicans in 2005-Dec. 2008 when the economy was going to hell -- and people like me were losing jobs; when Bear Stearns fell; then Lehman. You know, people get what they vote for -- only problem, the result of that is not isolated to the ones who put the wrong people in power -- it also affects people like me who are educated voters and who research who we are voting for.
I want the Repub to win the House; and let's see what "magic" they can perform as soon as elected; since they seem to have all of the answers to bring jobs back; cut taxes; solve the mortgage crisis - and not start shifting like John Bohner who is already saying these things won't happen overnight -- but under President Obama, these very people wanted for him in less than 2 years to have performed "magic" and solve all the ills of more than 2 decades which have finally collapsed on his watch.
We need to be better stewards as leaders and "practice what we preach" the children that we pretend to care about when it comes to the "deficit" - are watching and learning from the bad example displayed by the Republican party by the negative behavior of stomping on people we disagree with; loud yelling at town hall meetings; and all of the hate - we have one country and it belongs to all Americans -- "what or whom do you want to take the country from" .
I will say the 2000 election, was very questionable -- but the losing side behaved with dignity and resolve -- we did not carry hateful signs to Washington.
Oh, brother... Can you be anymore ignorant! If you increase taxes for the big companies where do you think they take the money from to pay for those takes? The CEO's pockets? The owners? The board of directors? Nope! They lower the quality and raise the prices of their products which means, in the end, the consumer, AKA you, is actually paying for the tax increase! And that's just one little example! OH, and yeah, thank you! We do have Jesus and the last time I looked murder was a crime in the USA, so we'll keep the embryos alive too, thank you!
;
This just in you have Jesus???
What are you holding him hostage???
I don't think JC would lower himself to politics, BUT I know he would not be a Republican. The GOP stands for everything he was against. The Romans were a day at the beach compared to stupid Republicans. Hell y'all would ship him to GITMO to be waterboarded as soon as you found out that he was here from the Middle East.
AND what about the embryos, FREEDOM of CHOICE is the Law of the Land here.
Freedomreigns...Oh come off it. This country didn't start out with big corporations. It was always small business that propped up bad economies the Biggie Piggies destroyed. If you are attempting to make the case that this country cannot survive without the Too Big To Fail Boys just watch us.
Small business is on the move and the Biggie Piggies will be running for the kaopectate.
As a consumer you do not have to buy their product.If they increase their prices buy from the opposition.We are not beholden to corporate greed!!!Lets stand up and fight
Dear kevin.....just because you do not like it does not make it not true. In fact, most countries have significantly lower capital gain tax than the US because they fully respect the dynamics of reinvested capital in new venturers and how that helps grow new businesses and the economy.
Taking your fustration out on the so-called wealthy, who by in-large have taken significant risk with their capital in order to make money. You like to focus on the few high profile CEO's but neglect the large majority of regular working stiff who started a business and made it successful.
Keep trying to take the money from the job creators, will in the long run only increase the income disparity in the US. You should focus on improving the skills of the unskilled worker. That is the only true way to improve their income potential. Wealth distribution, while attractive on its face, will in the long run result in less jobs and less potential for all!!!
The rich got a lot richer in the past 10 years and not a whole lot of jobs were created.
steve...You mean reinvest like Big Insurance does? Pay huge CEO salaries, cut jobs and then reinvest money people pay for their premiums in real estate? That what you had in mind? Or are you talking about the hundreds of trillions in derivatives earned by Goldman and their league of Biggie Piggies? Or maybe you mean using synthetic techniques and CDOs to bet against mortgages they already approved knowing all along they'd fail.
Explain please how these boys of the high risk investment arena are not penny ante gamblers at the Wall Street Casino. Too bad they don't risk "their" money...only ours.
EWENT...It is so easy to put the Wall Streeter's and Insurance Companies as your foils. You might be surprised that I have no problem with punushing those who have worked the system (it is unfortunate that your President did not do it when he had the chance...I would have invalidated all the Wall Street bonus contracts and let them chase the US Government rather than pay them out of TARP, but that is another story). I speaking about the small to medium size business owner who has worked hard for his/her money; has played by the rules; who has reinvested his profits (which btw are often taxed in a S Corp) and deserves the fruits of his/her labor. The fact that you want to hold up the few bad (and I mean few...when you look at it in proportion to the number of hardworking individuals making over $250k) to further your point of redistribution. Don't forget that those $250K wealthy small businesses do start most of the new jobs in this country.....but then again you probably don't care about the facts only the means to an end!!!
You are so naive!!! With all the tax loopholes,avoidance etc. the rate is closer to 10%.I say lower the rate to 25% but close the loopholes.
Have you ever wondered why we have tax attorneys?????
If we were all educated the rate of jobs leaving our shores would increase dramatically.The problem we have here is corporate america does not want to pay a reasonale living wage except to the big brothers club ie Republican funders at the top.We have Tea Party candidates who want to abolish minimum wage-that wouuld be a great idea-more poor for them to control.
When the disparity between rich and poor grows too large you will have a revolution(history will repeat itself) to get back equity.
Mark....I run a business with over 300 employees and I wish I paid 10%. It is obvious you have no clue.
Steve.....2% of Americans with 30% of the wealth....90% of Americans with 10% of the wealth....THAT is wrong! The wealthy have always done fine....even when they paid 90% income tax...the wealthy will ALWAYS do fine. It's the working/middle-classes who have seen their income stagnant or being pressured downward over the last 30 years...at the same time the richest in our country have seen their portion of the nations wealth skyrocket....where are the jobs that Republican politicians say come from tax cuts for the wealthy? What does this country gain from Meg Whitman making 120M per year? What jobs did her personal fortune create...oh yeah...she hired an illegal alien as a maid....and fired her NINE YEARS LATER...when she decided to attempt to buy her way into politics.....oh yeah...Republican philosophy at it's best. This is the type of politician Republicans tout constantly....the businessman/woman who became a corperate billionaire (on stock options mostly...not actual work) and now decides to buy a Senate seat so they can vote to cut the taxes on their passive investments....cause they "earned" them.
Kevin...you have to much hate in your heart.
Doesn't risk require that you lose money when you make bad decisions? Wall Street apparently assumed no risk.
and all the people who got "tricked" into buying a house no risk there either.When I was approved for my house they told me I could afford a house that was about $200,000 more than what actually bought. Somehow I knew I could not afford house that cost that much. I'm not very smart but I figured that out and nobody has to bail me out.
salsa...Would that it was only assuming risk...If the money they were risking was theirs, count on it there would have been no bailouts. This is how the filthy rich get that way. Use everyone else's money but there's to fund their high risk games. Everyone knows that Madoff got away with theft for 17 years because of his friends in high places like the SEC and global bankers. As for men like Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling of Enron, how do you get away with stealing 33,000 employees retirements if you don't assume the money they work for is still Enron's?
It's time to come down hard and heavy on the Biggie Piggies. If we keep bailing them out, they never learn not to risk our money. And, they'll have to use their own for these risky deals they make without our approval.
The people that bought more house than they can afford have or will lose those homes. The bankers that created those instruments are still pulling in big bonuses.
time4truth...I also tried to get a small loan but the sharks denied it because it was "too small". They tried desperately to get me to take out a loan 10 times more than I needed. I found another way around that one. They didn't get my business and I reported them to the Federal Trade Commission. I believe they are now in a class action lawsuit. See how easy it is for squeaky wheels to get oil? There are options. Most people are just not aware of them or the Biggie Piggies try to intimidate or dissuade you. Don't let them. Stand up for your rights.
Those bonuses were ok'd by a dem. congress which included one Sen. Obama. when they voted for tarp by over 80%. The AIG bonuses were in the TARP agreement which was created by congress then when Obama became Pres. he critisizes AIG for taking bonuses that he ok'd. I'm a Dem. and I can see this is status quo for mthis guy. I guess because I disagree I'm racist or as he says the enemy.(I'm an AMERICAN citizen). He calls us "ENEMIES" but he wont call Islamic Extremists terrrorists.
Tricked into buying a house...please....how about some personal responsibility...
That exactly what I mean
Tom Dewey lost the presidential elections of 1944 and 1948. The American Electorate did not consider him a worthy candidate. Historial reference to him are based on erroneous assumptions.
I voted nearly straight Republican. The lone Democrat was an outstanding non-partisan judge in domestic relations.
There was one mixed up Republican I nearly missed looking into because I didn't want a return of the Democrat. My wife flagged him to me (she is more conservative than me). She asked about the democrat. I told her knew that this guy supports the status quo and was term limited a few years ago and had his wife run and win the seat open so he could run for it this year. Term limits are supposed to insure new people - nice work around politicians - very creative - there is almost always some way around a rule you don't like.
So we looked at the Libertarian together. This guy says something about he doesn't answer to any authority. I said "And he is going to be responsive to his district with that comment?"
DB Akron...Boehner is your state senator. What's he done about the massive unemployment in your state? He knew about it when Bush was president. You vote him back in office after he's done nothing about jobs? Pretty nonsensical if you ask me. But, I suppose Boehner's negligence to his own state is the fault of Democrats right? By the way, your state is jobless but it's about to see an increase in the number of people without healthcare if Boehner gets his way. Hope you have lots and lots of money because already the HMOs are lusting over the huge increases they'll get from a Republican win.
Harry Reid has done worse for his state I bet you still want him
sl29
"the Dem's still have all the gangsters that cheat on elections.....its a national travesty that this goes on......I hope if the repub's get power and one of the things they address is this election stealing the low life liberals do!!!!!......this is a disgrace and goes against everything a free society represents.......shame on you low lifes.........hope most go to jail and get whats coming to them in the night."
I live in Kansas and for the last several elections there have been robo calls by the Republicans trying to suppress Democratic votes, as if it really matters since this is a heavily Republican state. It's happening again this election. Don't give me that talk about Democrats cheating in elections.
Well the Dems are in charge and more than 60% of our soldiers over seas aren't getting their ballots to vote. Funny it's a fact that the military votes Republican 2 out of every 3 just a coincidence I'm sure. We know ACORN has been caught cheating and lying to get people to vote Dem. C'mon I'm a Dem. let's be honest even I can see this.
If what you say is true, how do phone calls supress votes???
Voting twice or having dead people vote disenfranchises everyone rep or dem.
I wish people would contain themselves within the parameters of the article's subject rather than using it to vent either their political anger or their political hopes. Use another thread for that!
Polls are questionable, in particular when the representative sample is not even 1/5 of 1% of the universe. For example, the recent poll predicting certain results was based on 1000 "likely voters" out of a potential universe of 96 million voters!!! (Note: registered voters are over 120 million) How could the opinion of 1000 represent that of 86 million!!?
It's just an estimate you can't ask everyone ahead of time and the polls are usually right.
I pray that they are wrong on California prop 19. It is time to start the end of the WAR on drugs.
Question of the year: Why weren't "REPUBLICANS" concerned with the debt
their children and/or grandchildren would be burdened with when Bush was
running the nation into the sewer? Damn hypocrites!
Bush 2 trillion in last four years Obama did over 3 trillion in debt in just 2 YEARS. Let's guess!!! How about 4.8% unemployment in 2006 when the Dems took over. 10% unemployment Oct. 2010. Payback is a "BEHAR"
Bush and BHO have taken us down the same road. Bush was going 40 MPH, BHO is going 150 MPH. We've been going the same direction....jsut different speeds. I am HOPING this election will get us going down a different road to a different destination. Not sure that will happen.
I don't know who you people are. I swear I don't know how I've lived this long without seeing you guys out there. Where'd all you guys come from? Everyone is so mean and hateful. Everyone thinks they have the facts, when in reality, most folks just read stuff on the Internet and call it facts. Doesn't anyone ever go to the records department in their area and look stuff up for themselves? the records department in any given city shows how many small businesses have started and how many have failed, you can even find tax information regarding businesses. Anyone actually doing the "leg work?" Even my newspaper is faulty, crappy and mean-spirited. Where's the news anymore? I'm out of the discourse. No one wants a civil debate anymore, if they ever really did.
"YOU GUYS" MEAN AND HATEFUL- Accusing people of lying. That's not very nice Alma. If the facts don't fit your beliefs I guess the others aren't telling the truth.My facts could be wrong if they are I'm very sorry but I did check these facts but it does come from the internet. I guess I'm just tired of 4 years of blaming Bush for everything .I've been a Dem (still am ) but I'm certain Mr Obama and the current Dems are leading us in a very bad direction.
Republicans only spend (as in W) when they suffer the dillusion of having to make the Dems happy. It is obvious the Dems don't care to make anyone happy when they're in charge....hence this revolt.
The Reps should:
1. change Social Security, including reducing benefits
2. change medicaid
3. reduce defense spending 10%
4. create flat tax and abolish IRS
5. repeal Obamacare (or at least eviscerate it by defunding it)
6. get the feds out of the education business
7. not spend the remaing TARP or Stimulus funds
8. Get out of the mortgage/banking business and car business.
That's some of what needs to happen to get us out of the mess we're in. Doubt much of it will occur.
Just get that message out to the voters and you'll never win an election again. Better stick with "Gay peopele are coming!"
Uh.....When Dewey was running for President.....they were using an Abicus to count the votes and opinions and we didn't even have refrigerators yet.......things (like technology) have changed just a tad since then.................welcome to the new millenium and get ready for the the nano-second results of the "computers in everything" age!
Hey all, there’s breaking news on the Fox News website that Harry Reid had a baby with another man, see you all there!!
OK, now that all the teabaggers are gone we can get back to our secret socialist agenda. So far we’ve succeeded in splitting the Republican Party with the Tea Party. Boy, having these idiots in DC is gonna be a hoot! We’re right on track for our 2012 takeover and the formation of a socialist world government. Barry, you there? Great job on Jon’s show, that “but” was a shot heard around the world. Hey, who hired that O’Donnell girl? You coulda at least found someone that’s actually had a job; paper route, Avon or something. You’re Fired! Coburn, holding up that money to Haiti ‘till the inevitable epidemic was sheer brilliance. The lime and earthmovers are on station at Canaveral. Can you believe these maroons actually think there’s a party much less two? And this Tea Party thing, I gotta hand it to you Dick; you’re an Army of one! You just can’t make something like that up. So, today we’ve got 95% of the money and 75% of the real estate. You Know, I’m feeling pretty good right now. In fact, I’m kinda getting a chubby. Sharron, I’ll see you in a bit, honey, and bring that wrestling broad with you this time. She’s hot, and Fiorina is just too damn scary. OK, gotta go, the Koch brothers lost a bet on Alaska and have to shine my shoes. Oh–oh, the teahadis are comin’ back, quick, get back in character.
Oh, you teabaggers are so dumb. How dumb are you? You’re so dumb you think the chicken crossed the road to avoid taking socialist public transportation and to "git his @!$%#ry beck". LMAO
Insults, lies and innuendo....the liberal way to campaign.
Wow more mean stuff!!So clever calling people names while safe in your basement. So thought provoking you must be a genius. No but on Fox news in Phil. they are showing the Black Panthers in front of the polling places again the same Black Panthers they let go with no penalty 2 years ago even though they were threatening voters. That's illeagal in case you didn't know.
Hey Krotchless where did you go?
Timey (or tiny?),
Right here a-hole, yeah those 3 black panthers in a black neighborhood sure are scary, nothing like the hundreds of of republican men-in-black looking types with phony FBI-like earphones in minority voting areas around the south. Your spinelessness is only outdone by your total lack of ability to spell. Go back and finish third grade!!
You can't be civil, you never have any facts, you dont know you are addressing another dem. you make up things about the black panthers, Please come up with something intelligent I think it's in you but name calling is all you have. Thank the good Lord you are here to correct my spelling I'm very fortunate to be in your presence all holy one . WISH YOU WERE HERE TOUGH GUY!
Timey, and your point is?
Darren & FreedomReigns-- KUDOS for being brave enough to not be sucked into the negativity of the political nonsense being spouted and touted here. I haven't voted in over 15 years because I believe that having to choose between the lesser of two evils is NO choice, and I don't want one of them saying I voted for him/her, making him/her BETTER. I also want someone that will uphold the constitution and fight for America, our own citizens, and to uphold our rights. I'm disgusted by the current administration's lack of pride in America and their willingness to allow every other country to walk all over us. Sadly, there are no good choices. Everyone running IS a politician and IS in it for personal gain. I WANT to be part of the movement to Take Back America and to get ourselves back on track and improving... but with no one standing up with the cojones and spirit to lead us, I'm afraid we are faced with more years of the same old party lines.
I'm sorry, but not voting just means one thing - YOU DON'T COUNT, and you have no right to bitch!
The right to vote is also your right not to vote. I hope someone will get back to the constitution but most people don't even have a clue what the constitution says or what it means. Too many people think judges are here to interpret the constitution, change it,... clueless. I'm with you let's take back America I think there are some people running this time with that same belief.
Hey Timey, If you hade made 6th grade, you might have taken a civics class where you would have learned that it is your civic duty to vote. But, I doubt you got past the milk 'n' cookies of kindergarten.
I'm sorry-- I didn't think I was bitching, just agreeing with someone else that seemed to share a similar opinion. I neglected to mention that despite not feeling as though I have a GOOD choice to make this year, I did register and will be voting this evening. I have NEVER engaged in political discussions for the very reason that I felt that by not voting, I had nothing to add to a discussion. But that time is past and it is time for Americans to do what needs to be done. If that means voting for the lesser of two evils, one election at a time until someone GOOD finally runs, then so be it. I won't be basing my vote on who ran the most ads, who attacked the other more, or down party lines. I will be voting based on what they have claimed they will do, and have to pray they follow through on it.
And as far as the comment I Don't Count - that's just ridiculous. I pay my taxes, I work hard, and I try to raise my children to know the difference between right and wrong and to have a sense of pride in all they do. If that doesn't count for something, then there is more wrong in this world that I originally thought.
Fire -- it is NOT your Civic Duty... it is your RIGHT to vote -- or not to vote, as you choose.
I HOPE people aren't as dumb as the ones who get themselves on TV, and that they reject the just basic meanness that is behind the Tea Party; if they don't, then the old adage, "the people get the representation they deserve" will certainly become readily apparent quickly. I actually said that it might be good for the Democrats if Obama didn't win in 2008, because then the Republicans would have to inherit the results of their bad policies; I think the same now if somehow people are snookered by these even "wronger" Tea Party people.
You are welcome to your opinion ,and Bush spent like a dem. but Obama IS NOT HELPING AT ALL.he is worse and "wronger"than reps. or tea party. Dems in charge for 4 years and things have gone bad fast
Actually, things have been going bad for thirty years. No political party or movement is going to fix it. The good jobs are mostly gone, shipped overseas. We will need to get used to a lower standard living in the years ahead. The American dream for many is dying or already dead.
Timey, that would be "wrongerest"!!
FIRE K. Good one. See I knew you had some funny in you. It is not your duty to vote. It is your right, I truly believe you should but some don't .Iwas quoting Van Man with "wronger'
Ewent
He might not be running but he NEVER STOPS CAMPAIGNING I've never seen anything like it
Yeah, Bush was a stay-at-home kinda guy at the White House. That's why you see him out there supporting you teahadis every chance he gets lately.
Fire K I'm a dem I didn't vote for Bush but he wasn't as bad as people try to make him out to be. Nobody ever wants to be accountable ,so it's easy to blame Bush. I'm sure the coal miners being trapped in Chile was Bush's fault but I'm sure Obama was the reason they were saved, at least thats how Obama will tell it come 2012
I'm glad I voted last week. I was in and out in 15min,.just drove by the polling place and the parking lot was full. GET OUT AND VOTE.