Winters 0 Posted October 16, 2008 Mind if I talk about the debate last night? Who watched it? Who loved it? Did it change anyone's point of view? Do you know Joe the Plumber? Now, I loved this debate because 1). It actually is making me vote; 2). McCain starting really good then crashing; 3). Obama actually holding his ground when McCain was on the offensive. 4). McCain did really well compared to his last two debates. What does everyone else think? (I loved McCain's reactions throughtout the debate). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chickenman 9 Posted October 16, 2008 I've still got to watch it. Not that I was at all thinking about voting McCain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake 53 Posted October 16, 2008 (I loved McCain's reactions throughtout the debate). Like this one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mara 29 Posted October 16, 2008 Nope, I was working and missed the debate. Darn! :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chickenman 9 Posted October 17, 2008 Europe Mocks Palin the Irish Times warned, "just a heartbeat away from the biggest half-baked Alaskan nightmare." Britain's Financial Times said his selection of vice president raised serious questions about John McCain's judgment and added: "The Palin appointment is yet more proof of the way that abortion still dominates American politics." "Hello. Yes, I'd a like a pair of plane tickets to Europe. No, not round-trip. Thank you." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheUnknown 39 Posted October 17, 2008 http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/b...bctid1859660952 I am in love with the people that came up with that ad. Notice how it looks like McCain is reacting to the narrator. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheUnknown 39 Posted October 17, 2008 (edited) THE SENATE The Senate is the upper body of the U.S. legislature. It has the exclusive right to ratify treaties (sans trade agreements) and approve judges, ambassadors, and other political appointees. Senators serve six year terms that are staggered into three groups, so that only one third of the Senate is up for re-election every two years. Each state has two Senators who represent the whole state; states are not divided into districts for the Senate. There are 100 Senators. Fifty-one are needed for an outright majority, however, the Vice-President breaks tied votes in the Senate, so the party that controls the White House only needs 50 Senators to control the Senate. The Senate also allows fillibustering, unlimited debate used to kill or delay a bill in hopes of getting concessions. Sixty-one votes are needed to kill a fillibuster. Current Breakdown [ Party | Total Seats | Seats Up This Year] Democratic | 49 | 12 Republicans | 49 | 22 Independents* | 2 | 0 (*both independents sit with the Democrats, so it's effectively 51-49) Seats Vulnerable to Takeover (in order of likelihood, in my opinion): Virginia [open] New Mexico [open] New Hampshire Colorado [open] Alaska North Carolina Oregon Minnesota Georgia Mississippi-B* (*because of the resignation of Sen. Trent Lott, both Mississippi seats are up this year. This race is to fill the remainder of Lott's unexpired term.) Kentucky Louisiana THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House is the lower body of the legislature. Money bills (such as budgets) must originate in the House. The Speaker of the House is third in line to the Presidency, meaning that should both the President and Vice President became unable to fulfill their duties either permanently or temporarily around the same time (a new Vice President can be appointed), the Speaker becomes President. There are 435 members of the House. Seats are delegated to states according to population. States are then divided into districts of roughly equal population. However, each state must have at least one representative, so there are cases where not every representative as a roughly equal number of constituents. Districts are named with their state and a number; my district is the 11th district of Georgia (GA-11). Districts encompassing a whole state are called "at large" (ie. DE-AL). All seats are up for election this year. Two hundred eight are needed for control of the chamber. Current Breakdown [ Party | Total Seats] Democratic | 236 Republicans | 199 Seats Vulnerable to Takeover (by state and number): Alabama 2nd Alabama 5th Alaska At Large Arizona 1st Arizona 3rd Arizona 5th Arizona 8th California 4th California 11th Colorado 4th Connecticut 2nd Connecticut 4th Connecticut 5th Florida 8th Florida 13th Florida 15th Florida 16th Florida 21st Florida 23rd Florida 25th Georgia 8th Georgia 12th Idaho 1st Illinois 6th Illinois 8th Illinois 10th Illinois 11th Illinois 13th Illinois 14th Illinois 18th Indiana 3rd Indiana 9th Iowa 4th Kansas 2nd Kansas 3rd Kentucky 2nd Kentucky 3rd Louisiana 4th Louisiana 6th Louisiana 7th Maine 1st Maryland 1st Michigan 7th Michigan 9th Minnesota 1st Minnesota 2nd Minnesota 3rd Minnesota 6th Mississippi 1st Missouri 6th Missouri 9th Nebraska 2nd Nevada 2nd Nevada 3rd New Hampshire 1st New Hampshire 2nd New Jersey 3rd New Jersey 5th New Jersey 7th New Mexico 1st New Mexico 2nd New York 13th New York 19th New York 20th New York 24th New York 25th New York 26th New York 29th North Carolina 8th Ohio 1st Ohio 2nd Ohio 7th Ohio 14th Ohio 15th Ohio 16th Ohio 18th Oregon 5th Pennsylvania 3rd Pennsylvania 4th Pennsylvania 6th Pennsylvania 8th Pennsylvania 10th Pennsylvania 11th Pennsylvania 15th Pennsylvania 18th Texas 7th Texas 10th Texas 22nd Texas 23rd Virginia 2nd Virginia 5th Virginia 10th Virginia 11th Washington 8th West Virginia 2nd Wisconsin 8th Wyoming At Large Edited October 17, 2008 by TheUnknown Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy 60 Posted October 24, 2008 ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"> :lol: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ana 15 Posted October 25, 2008 Nice one. In other news, Republicans just KEEP pissing me off with their absolutely disgraceful behavior, both the ticket and the followers. just so we're clear... ter?ror?ism ?noun 1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes. Exhibit A Exhibit B Exhibit C Exhibit D Exhibit E Exhibit F Exhibit G Exhibit H The last one's especially nice. Lying to the cops to try and frame Democrats for domestic terrorism is, IMO, a form of terrorism. Learn some manners, GOP. For claiming to be the "moral right", your ethics stink. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chickenman 9 Posted October 25, 2008 For Exhibit H, the woman appears to have had a history of mental problems, so I'm not going to put any blame on the GOP for that. I'm very pissed off about some of the flame-fanning Palin's been doing at some rallies, but there are more important things that I'm going to worry about than a few bad apples acting on their own. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ana 15 Posted October 25, 2008 Ah, but The McCain camp totally ran with it without fact-checking. She may have started it on her own, but they were quite pleased to take it and spread it all over. Given their actions, it's hard to help but think that they were quite happy to have such a story. On a lighter note, Picture quiz: Fey or Palin? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chickenman 9 Posted October 25, 2008 8 out of 10. Being the SNL nut that I am, I really expected a perfect score. :( Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake 53 Posted October 25, 2008 Got all the pictures right. They're easy to tell apart, lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chickenman 9 Posted October 25, 2008 Tina Fey. Comedienne from Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. Been doing a magnificent Palin impression the past couple of weeks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy 60 Posted October 25, 2008 Oh, never heard of her. lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheUnknown 39 Posted October 25, 2008 (edited) Tina Fey as Sarah Palin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFL58Jduryg...feature=related Edited October 25, 2008 by TheUnknown Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Princess 35 Posted October 27, 2008 Obama assassination plot thwarted Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheUnknown 39 Posted October 29, 2008 Election Night Coverage Drinking Game (in the planning stages) I don't know the drink requirements, but here are some events: They encourage people to go vote. They show John King at the election map. They show a candidate's concession speech and someone in the crowd is wailing Someone behind the candidate is crying The candidate himself/herself is crying They show a candidate's victory speech and the crowd boos the other person when mentioned and the candidate tries to quiet them. The candidate DOESN'T try to quiet them (drink the awesomeness of said candidate for not bowing to fake congenieality.) They say the word "landslide" or "mandate" They talk about 60 Senate seats They say "[Candidate] is not doing as well as expected here." or "[Candidate] is doing better than expected." They say "This state hasn't gone Democratic since 1964." Or "Lyndon Johnson was the last Democrat to win this state." 1976. or Jimmy Carter 1992. or Bill Clinton 1996. or Bill Clinton 2000. or Al Gore Some Republican rants about the Democrats' monopoly on power. He/she says "Democrat Party" He/she says "Democratic Party" He/she says "Democratic Party" and looks like they made a mistake by calling it by its actual name. The reporters actually look sad or happy about the outcome They talk about how this could go into the night. They talk about an upset at any level. They talk about the gay marriage amendments. The polls are extended anywhere. Any suggestions? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radioactive Isotope 29 Posted October 30, 2008 i'm not watching any TV until the election's over, or i may stab the TV. *is sick of political ads* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bad furday 57 Posted October 30, 2008 (edited) Perhaps a touching sob story that has no impact whatsoever on the telecast, eh Unknown? ie: Wolf Blitzer/Anderson Cooper/dumbass: "...a story that will inspire you, full of American ingenuity....little Ms. Whatsername, who, after the batteries in her electric wheelchair gave out, used her hands and arms to drag herself to the polling station and vote!!!!!!!" Edited October 30, 2008 by Bad furday Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheUnknown 39 Posted November 2, 2008 Here's a nifty little program to track all the races in one place: http://scoreboard.dailykos.com/map/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chickenman 9 Posted November 2, 2008 We need to get rid of electronic voting machines. I'm working the polls on Tuesday, and thank goodness my state continues using good old pen and paper. How the hell has no one spoken up about a system of voting that leaves no paper trail? Are you serious? I just watched a video where a computer professor was able to hack a voting machine in six minutes and fifty one seconds. It's absolutely retarded that we're using a damned computer to run the cornerstone of our democracy. In fact, one could argue it's the only bastion of freedom we've got left in a government crawling with corruption, where the corporations own the politicians, and lawmakers can ignore the Constitution without fear of reprisal. Voting is one of the last weapons the people have against a government that is no longer by the people and certainly no longer for them. To corrupt our voting system is to destroy our society, and these voting machines offer up a very easy way to corrupt our democracy. This is why, despite the fact that Obama is predicted to win, I've got a strong feeling I'm going to cry Tuesday night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake 53 Posted November 2, 2008 What was that movie with Robin Williams in it where he was a political comedian and he ran for president as a joke and won because of a flaw in the electronic voting system? Anyway, it was pretty good. Shows the possibility of foul play in digital voting. In Canada, we still use pen and paper. Our only problem is that we get around 60% voter turnout. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
