Category: Election 2012
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Is “I Told You So” Wrong?
I recall feeling this same way about leadership I’d supported all the way back in 1979 and 1980. Jimmy Carter’s presidency, so hopeful at the outset because we were communally digging out from the morass that was Nixon/Ford, had become a mess. Unable to move forward in any substantial fashion in key areas of the…
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Tea Party Be Gone!
So after the election and the resulting apparent near collapse and all of the soul-searching that has gone on within the Republican party, one can find it easy to have forgotten about Karl Rove, the wunderkind who engineered the Bush(2) victories. After all, he was among those identified with the future of the party, and certainly,…
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Well Here’s Your Problem…
One fascinating part of watching the election this past year was the absolute bewilderment shown by the Republicans in failing to win as much as they expected…Or failing to win at all. They were clearly flabbergasted by the results and didn’t know what went wrong. The confusion began with the confidence of Romney’s pollsters…
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Afterward
On the morning after, people wake up feeling either elated or depressed, or for some, even sick. It’s not a new phenomena after elections, especially big ones, to have some sort of visceral reaction to the results, but what’s surprising to me is that people don’t see the long-term big picture: there have been those…
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Running
Ah, election night. It’s always been a big deal, but back in my youth, it was a lot of fun and quite an experience. You see, ages ago, in 1976, actually, my mom, in her deep wisdom, signed me up to help her work at the election headquarters for Minneapolis. Back then, voters…
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Foot-In-Mouth
I figure you all could probably check out the pictures to the right if you’re looking for your cat fix. In the meantime, I’ll talk about the incredible ability of politicians to improperly speak their mind. The incredible knack that all politicians have these days of saying stupid things got me to wondering: is…
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Debating
So yeah, I watched the debate. Well, truth be told, I started watching, but 15 minutes in, I just turned on the radio and listened on NPR. And I think I ended up experiencing the same things talked about with the Nixon-Kennedy debate. For two men who initially looked pretty stiff and measured…
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Politics Are Stupid and Poopy – A Commentary
It’s primary night, and I’m not voting. This is for a whole variety of reasons, including there not being one meaningful race in my district where my vote will sway the outcome in any way. But one reason is as follows below: What follows here is a commentary on the whole of politics in…
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Amending
There’s a brouhaha going on over who has the right to name an amendment question on the election ballot in this state. The Secretary of State has named them, not surprisingly, in a different way than the legislative supporters of both measures wished. So as a result, they’re pissed, claiming that Mark Ritchie, the Secretary…
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Unsubstantiated
One unfortunate side effect of the internet–or for that matter, any form of human communication–is that people can make statements or claims about another person and it’s pretty likely that someone somewhere will believe it. And you don’t need any proof to do this. You just need to be convincing, or have people who…
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Wednesday Quick Hits
Sorry kids, but I’m going to force you to do some work today to see all of the short, quick-hit posts from today, so scroll down to see more. In this photo piece, we learn that Republicans are just as responsible as Democrats for contributing to the ultimate demise of the English language. …
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Another One Bites the Dust
The totally (un)surprising news came out today that Ron Paul, the libertarian voice of reason in the Republican Party, is “suspending his active campaigning” for president. This means that the whole field has rolled over for the presumptive milquetoast, Mitt Romney. I have just a few observations here, as you’d probably imagine: First off,…
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The Office or Person?
A few nights ago, the president appeared on a late-night talk show, gave a very entertaining performance and interview, and now is being criticized for it by some, and lauded by others. Those who found the appearance abhorrent said that it demeans the office of the presidency. Those who found the performance to be…
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A Political Cautionary Tale
Perhaps this should be titled “Be careful what you wish for” instead. The Republicans tied themselves to the Tea Party agenda three years ago, agreeing, at least in principal, with the ideals that those people supported: smaller government, especially smaller federal government, less intrusion in state and local affairs, and less intrusion in personal…
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Agape and Aghast
Is there anything more astounding in this election cycle than the spiraling, out-of-control Republican party? Remember that in 2010, they had a MANDATE. They were given direction by the American people, to lower taxes, shrink government and grow jobs. The Tea Partiers didn’t discuss moral issues, or government meddling in individual rights. No, they…