US Politics: midterm elections are nigh: do you know where your voting rights are?

[DanteGabriel]

But I thought dems couldn't be sexist....

Literally no one has made that argument here.

[theprincethatwasntpromised]

Those jobs would create new consumers and tax payers, so really, the money would be coming back into the economy.

Yeah, the infinite number of stimulus bills were supposed to do that too. Throw more of other people's money at the problem and cross your fingers again.... Sound policy.

[Seli]

I've addressed his lame rebuttals enough already. Blaming Republicans for preventing jobs.... Lame. Also, typical liberal garbage. Republicans took congress in 2012. How long did democrats control both congress and the senate? How long has Obama been on office? Unemployment is on the democrats. You can't spin that, I'm sorry.

...

The democrats had a supermajority in the senate (necessary due to GOP obstruction) for something like two months.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

All these bills were to be paid by raising taxes, and your shocked the Republicans filibustered...... Know your politics! Republicans aren't going to support more tax payer spending and tax increases. Republicans offer their solutions......

http://www.rpc.senate.gov/policy-papers/waiting-for-senator-reid-bipartisan-jobs-bills

And Reid won't consider them. Unlike many of the leaders in your party, we believe businesses create jobs, not government.

pssst, we all saw you once again ignore possum's many factual rebuttals of your idiotic and racist posts.

[Balefont]

Yeah, the infinite number of stimulus bills were supposed to do that too. Throw more of other people's money at the problem and cross your fingers again.... Sound policy.

It's better than sitting back and watching "job creators" like Walmart and McDonald's force their employees to take advantage of (taxpayer funded) food stamps and health insurance and the while raking their profits into the hands of the wealthiest in the world.

[Fez]

The infuriating part is that even in Red States, if the the Medicaid were expanded and when people sign up for PPACA, like in Kentucky, health care situation improved and people's lives ARE measurably better for many. And the Democrats are not capitalizing on that.

If I assume that they have market tested their messages and decide that it is not a winning message for swing voters then I can only lament at why it is not a point in favor of the Democrats to have pushed hard for this new policy that benefits so many. In the end, we get the government we deserve, and all that.

Despite its incredible success, Obamacare is deeply unpopular in Kentucky, and people don't connect that the Kynect is Obamacare. This isn't helped by McConnell saying he'd keep Kynect while repealing the law, which isn't possible, but they were seen as separate things even before he was airing ads.

[awesome possum]

Republicans aren't going to support more tax payer spending and tax increases.

You're right. They're not going to support more tax increases, unless it's an effective tax increase on poor people that saves wealthier people a few dollars.

And you're also right. Republicans aren't going to support more taxpayer spending. Unless it's to sue Obama or defend DOMA in courts or hold 50+ votes trying to defund the ACA or 50+ hearings on BENGHAZI!!!!!! Other than spending taxpayer money on stuff like that, they surely never support it.

[TerraPrime]

Despite its incredible success, Obamacare is deeply unpopular in Kentucky, and people don't connect that the Kynect is Obamacare. This isn't helped by McConnell saying he'd keep Kynect while repealing the law, which isn't possible, but they were seen as separate things even before he was airing ads.

Then we deserve to lose in KY, and any other states where the simple facts cannot be marketed effectively. I refuse to believe that KY residents are stupid. I fault the messaging system from the Demcorats. How difficult is it to just run ads saying "Kynect is funded by PPACA. Mitch McConnel wants to end Obamacare. Mitch McConnell wants to take away the healthcare from 20K JY residents"?

Just imagine - if the GOP weren't such a group of sexist and racist shitheads they'd have 85% seats in both pars of the Congress and the POTUS to boot. Thank goodness for racism and sexism.

[DanteGabriel]

We Democrats do seem to have the ability to frighten themselves out of any position, don't we?

Honestly, I don't think there's much the Democrats can do to win this cycle; as with most elections, I think structural factors will trump all. So I'm trying not to get to wound up about the results. What I dread more than the results is the media hype of "oh, it's a sign that voters want [insert name of Republican policy proposal]." That's not going to be true, at all.

To make a Democrat politician change his or her mind about something, all you have to do is threaten to criticize them.

I am holding out hope for an unlikely stalemate in the Senate. I hate to see rewards for such a cynical party-wide abandonment of the duty to govern. I fully expect, if the Republicans retake the Senate, their counter-productive shenanigans will lead to a public approval rebound for Obama, as they tend to overplay or misplay their hand whenever they get the slightest jot of power.

[Fez]

Then we deserve to lose in KY, and any other states where the simple facts cannot be marketed effectively. I refuse to believe that KY residents are stupid. I fault the messaging system from the Demcorats. How difficult is it to just run ads saying "Kynect is funded by PPACA. Mitch McConnel wants to end Obamacare. Mitch McConnell wants to take away the healthcare from 20K JY residents"?

Just imagine - if the GOP weren't such a group of sexist and racist shitheads they'd have 85% seats in both pars of the Congress and the POTUS to boot. Thank goodness for racism and sexism.

That's easier said then done. Particularly when, even without the association with Obamacare, state residents only approve of Kynect by a 34-27 margin. Its hard to run on an accomplishment when that's all the support it gets under the best circumstances, and any attempt to connect it to your opponents attacks devolves into a he said-she said because the media refuses to actually perform acts of journalism.

[Inigima]

Pardon my gross oversimplification of the tax code here for a moment. If you cut taxes to from -- say -- 25% to 0%, leaving a tax base utterly incapable of fulfilling the obligations you've entered into (which you raised over those of your predecessor), and then I take office and set taxes back at 15% to keep the lights on, well... your subsequent criticism that I "raised taxes" rings just a mite disingenuous.

[TrackerNeil]

The infuriating part is that even in Red States, if the the Medicaid were expanded and when people sign up for PPACA, like in Kentucky, health care situation improved and people's lives ARE measurably better for many. And the Democrats are not capitalizing on that.

I don't think it's a matter of capitalizing on anything, really. Americans by and large don't follow policy, so I'll bet many of them don't even know that Kynect is "Obamacare." And if they did, would it change their opinion of the Democrats? Lots of Tea Partiers like Social Security and Medicare, which the GOP wants to cut, but that doesn't keep them from voting Republican.

I just don't think Americans vote based on a fact-based evaluation of policy, not most of the time. (Titanic issues, like the invasion of Iraq, are an exception.) I think they get a feeling about a candidate or a party, a feeling that may or may not have a connection to real-world events, and they vote accordingly. Since they're not voting based on the facts, you can't change their opinion with a recitation of the facts.

[awesome possum]

I fully expect, if the Republicans retake the Senate, their counter-productive shenanigans will lead to a public approval rebound for Obama, as they tend to overplay or misplay their hand whenever they get the slightest jot of power.

You don't think the first thing they'll do is pass the "Americans are the Greatest People in the World and America is the Greatest Country in the World Act" which cuts the tax rates for the top earners to 5%, abolishes corporate tax rates altogether while defunding the ACA and food stamps, just so they can run with the soundbyte, "Obama Vetoed the Americans are the Greatest People in the World and America is the Greatest Country in the World Act!!!!! Obummer hates MURICA!!!!!!!!!"

[TerraPrime]

Re: Tracker

Yes, but why is our messaging so bad in some of these red states? What are the reasons behind this? One can chalk it off as people in those states are just more stupid than average, but I don't think so. I think it's a combination of the Democrats not putting enough effort in it due to gerrymandering, lack of effective messaging when they do try to engage, and simple inertia.

[theprincethatwasntpromised]

You don't think the first thing they'll do is pass the "Americans are the Greatest People in the World and America is the Greatest Country in the World Act" which cuts the tax rates for the top earners to 5%, abolishes corporate tax rates altogether while defunding the ACA and food stamps, just so they can run with the soundbyte, "Obama Vetoed the Americans are the Greatest People in the World and America is the Greatest Country in the World Act!!!!! Obummer hates MURICA!!!!!!!!!"

5% that would create some jobs. But someone at the top might earn a few extra dollars so to hell with jobs...Why would we defund food stamps? We just don't want middle class families having to depend on them to survive. We'd rather see them working a good job 40 hours a week. Unlike the left.

[awesome possum]

5% that would create some jobs. But someone at the top might earn a few extra dollars so to hell with jobs...Why would we defund food stamps? We just don't want middle class families having to depend on them to survive. We'd rather see them working a good job 40 hours a week. Unlike the left.

Good post, Shill O'Reilly.

[Jaxom 1974]

5% that would create some jobs. But someone at the top might earn a few extra dollars so to hell with jobs...Why would we defund food stamps? We just don't want middle class families having to depend on them to survive. We'd rather see them working a good job 40 hours a week. Unlike the left.

I'm more convinced than ever you're a twelve year old sittingsomewhere in the Hamptons waiting to cash in on your trust fund...

[theprincethatwasntpromised]

Good post, Shill O'Reilly.

Thanks

[TrackerNeil]

Re: Tracker

Yes, but why is our messaging so bad in some of these red states? What are the reasons behind this? One can chalk it off as people in those states are just more stupid than average, but I don't think so. I think it's a combination of the Democrats not putting enough effort in it due to gerrymandering, lack of effective messaging when they do try to engage, and simple inertia.

I don't think red-staters are stupid (no more than anyone else), and I don't think it's about mere messaging. Let me think about it a bit and post later.

[SkynJay]

Yeah, the infinite number of stimulus bills were supposed to do that too. Throw more of other people's money at the problem and cross your fingers again.... Sound policy.

You do realize that the recession officially stopped when the stimulus went live and hasn't looked back, right? Literally the economy stopped shrinking and started growing again at that point?