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Thread: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

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    Big War Bird's Avatar Vicarius Provinciae
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    Default US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    The US midterm elections are just around the corner, with republicans to vote on Tuesday, democrats on Wednesday

    Projections have Republicans expanding their majority in the Senate thanks to few republicans being up for reelection and a number of democrats defending seats held in states that the God Emperor carried in 2016 and remains popular.

    The House of Representatives, in which every seat is up for grabs democrats are expected to gain a narrow majority.

    For the past year Democrats have been touting a Blue Wave as a number of republican have chosen to not seek reelection, most prominently Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House and 2012 vice presidential candidate. However over the last month after the Democrats viciously slandered now Supreme Court Bret Kavanaugh, polls have tightened and Republicans look to be avoiding the kind of massive defeat that both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama suffered in their first terms and George W. Bush suffered in his second.

    Races I'm watching

    Indiana - Democrat Joe Donnelly is defending his seat against Mike Braun. If Donnelly loses he can blame his party's slander of Kavanaugh. Polls show a deadlock

    Texas - Zodiac Killer suspect Ted Cruz is fending off democrat Beto O'Rouke who has sucked up millions of democrat dollars and has been compared to JFK and Barack Obama for his youthful style. Gag me with a spoon.
    Last edited by Big War Bird; November 02, 2018 at 03:20 PM.
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    TheDarkKnight's Avatar Compliance will be rewarded
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    I don't think anyone expected the Senate to fall blue. Too few seats up in general.

    However I do hope that House rolls over to blue. I know the red politicians have been recently caught lying about their record (especially my congressman)...so hopefully voters are smart enough to realize they are being played.

    In any case, Trump needs at least one house to stand in his way since the Republican party has decided that checks and balances are just words. And a defeat could see Mueller finally be able to operate without all the . And it will be suitable considering the unprecedented level of obstruction leveled upon the Obama administration by congressional republicans.

    If i had to choose one senator to lose their seat? Cruz. Spineless hack happily takes an endorsement by the guy that insults his wife and accuses his father of being involved in the JFK assassination. What a moron.
    Last edited by TheDarkKnight; November 02, 2018 at 03:26 PM.
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    B. W.'s Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    The vote for everybody is on Tuesday. Wednesday is the day Demorats traditionally go out and find all the unaccounted for votes of dead people and add them to the vote.

    Win or lose Beto stands to come out of the election a very rich man. He has refused Democratic Party pleas to share his Gofundme money with other Democratic candidates.

    The Republicans who are retiring are mostly Rhinos who are hoping a democrat takes their seat.

    Republicans will win BIGGLY!

    Also the senate is the most important thing in this election. A solid Republican control will allow trump to appoint conservative judges without hindrance.
    Last edited by B. W.; November 02, 2018 at 03:31 PM.

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    Big War Bird's Avatar Vicarius Provinciae
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    It's ironic that Nancy Pelosi might end up being Trump's guardian. She's canny enough to tamp down impeachment talk before election, will she continue that way after she's Speaker again? She has to know that unless they have Trump dead to rights on something he has done as President, she can't proceed.
    As a teenager, I was taken to various houses and flats above takeaways in the north of England, to be beaten, tortured and raped over 100 times. I was called a “white slag” and “white ****” as they beat me.

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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Quote Originally Posted by Big War Bird View Post
    It's ironic that Nancy Pelosi might end up being Trump's guardian. She's canny enough to tamp down impeachment talk before election, will she continue that way after she's Speaker again? She has to know that unless they have Trump dead to rights on something he has done as President, she can't proceed.
    I can't imagine how triggering it would be to baby right wing people if they somehow got both Trump and Pence removed, leading to President Pelosi.

    Dont get me wrong...i hate Pelosi. But my god what a dream scenario.
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    Big War Bird's Avatar Vicarius Provinciae
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    A fantasy to be sure.
    As a teenager, I was taken to various houses and flats above takeaways in the north of England, to be beaten, tortured and raped over 100 times. I was called a “white slag” and “white ****” as they beat me.

    -Ella Hill

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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    I don't disagree.

    Again...I hate Pelosi for her views on many things. But i respect the reasons behind those views. She has principles...which is a lot more than I can see in many if her opponents.
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    I hope Republicans keep the Senate (for those juicy judicial appointments), but I don't really care who wins the House. House Republicans are weak, maybe Democrats will do a better job reining in Trump.

    Races to watch:

    Massachusetts Senate: really hoping the real Indian beats the fake Indian. Seems highly unlikely, though.



    Texas Senate: the Cruzade must go on.

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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Quote Originally Posted by TheDarkKnight View Post
    I don't disagree.

    Again...I hate Pelosi for her views on many things. But i respect the reasons behind those views. She has principles...which is a lot more than I can see in many if her opponents.
    Even if she is completely immoral it's fairly irrelevant. She has common sense. That alone makes her more qualified than Trump even if she is deficient in every way that matters otherwise. The Texas race is probably one of the most interesting ones, Cruz has a pretty massive advantage, but the fact that it's this close shows woeful incompetence on his part. In my home state, the closest and one of the key races to watch is the 8th District for the House. Rossi vs Schrier. I actually like Rossi, but unfortunately he's an R and I can't trust any R to be non-partisan. It's a close race. Rossi has veterancy and money, but Schrier has the fact that Washington State is very Blue in areas that matter. I'll be interested in seeing who wins.

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    Big War Bird's Avatar Vicarius Provinciae
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    The Texas race is probably one of the most interesting ones, Cruz has a pretty massive advantage, but the fact that it's this close shows woeful incompetence on his part.
    I can't agree with that analysis. Should Cruz win, as seems likely, democrats will have spent a small fortune that could have been better spent defending vulnerable candidates elsewhere. The facts are that Cruz has taken Democrats best shot when the election climate were all in their favor.
    As a teenager, I was taken to various houses and flats above takeaways in the north of England, to be beaten, tortured and raped over 100 times. I was called a “white slag” and “white ****” as they beat me.

    -Ella Hill

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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Quote Originally Posted by Big War Bird View Post
    I can't agree with that analysis. Should Cruz win, as seems likely, democrats will have spent a small fortune that could have been better spent defending vulnerable candidates elsewhere. The facts are that Cruz has taken Democrats best shot when the election climate were all in their favor.
    The problem is Cruz shouldn't have even a single October poll this close to the election within the margin of error. And he didn't. Until a week before the election. WTF? What did Cruz or O'Rourke do wrong or right?
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms





    Interesting.
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Going to submit my ballot today. Been doing research for the last few days yet I'm still not 100% on board with everything I voted.

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    conon394's Avatar hoi polloi
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    @Dr Legend second image.

    Taxes in SE Idaho. As in maybe if the knuckle dragging fools here voted for a school taxes their children would not be wholly uneducated and under serviced by any thing modern states do typically? They should just happy be Mississippi exits so they are the least educated people in America.

    -------


    In any case in SE Idaho my vote is beyond pointless. But for maybe the vote for the city public pool. Anyhow never missed a vote since I could vote... Just D - none of whom have a shot at winning no need to research.
    Last edited by conon394; November 05, 2018 at 09:53 PM.
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Anti Trump...In NORTHERN California?

    That place is practically ground zero of Trump cultism. (and yes, that descriptor is more than accurate)

    But actually the congressional race there seems to be relatively tight compared to recent years. LaMalfa is just a right-wing crony that enjoys the power. He beat out the dad of one of my friend's for the nomination the year Herger chose to retire. LaMalfa's campaign has been running a REALLY dirty (and totally baseless) campaign this year against the challenger.

    Hopefully my hometown is smart enough to realize this but...The collective intelligence of the area is...lacking.
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Quote Originally Posted by Sukiyama View Post
    Going to submit my ballot today. Been doing research for the last few days yet I'm still not 100% on board with everything I voted.
    We don't always have a great set of options even in fairly open systems (and at the end of the day the US system is more open than most). Probably a good sign that you aren't committed on purely ideological lines to one monolith or the other.

    Do you feel like you have a range of options? Or are you cherry picking small increments to make you decision?
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Alot of the judge picks are unopposed. The 8th district house race is something Im particulary conflicted on. Rossi is a veteran and fairly nice guy but hes a Republican and backwards on some issue like Womens rights. Schrier is a total newcomer and a typical woman. Which is to say she holds some typical eyeroll positions that women in Washington typically hold. So yeah its either an R or a Newbie with zero political experience. Not a great choice. State legislature was pretty straightforward. The initiatives were hard, voted yes on the Carbon tax, initiative 1631. Power is cheap here, but the carbon tax is probably going to raise some living costs. Gun control was a fairly fair initiative. No restriction on firearms but it proposes safety and storage requirements and training. So things I typically advocate. Police training was a Yes as well, but Im skeptical. I think the issue with police killing people is a lack of accountability and limited ways to prosecute cops, not a lack of training.

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    Derpy Hooves's Avatar Bombs for Muffins
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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Quote Originally Posted by conon394 View Post
    @Dr Legend second image.

    Taxes in SE Idaho. As in maybe if the knuckle dragging fools here voted for a school taxes their children would not be wholly uneducated and under serviced by any thing modern states do typically? They should just happy be Mississippi exits so they are the least educated people in America.

    -------


    In any case in SE Idaho my vote is beyond pointless. But for maybe the vote for the city public pool. Anyhow never missed a vote since I could vote... Just D - none of whom have a shot at winning no need to research.
    More money in education does not necessarily mean better education
    Quote Originally Posted by TheDarkKnight View Post
    Hopefully my hometown is smart enough to realize this but...The collective intelligence of the area is...lacking.
    "If they don't vote the way I want them to, they are stupid"



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    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    If the Republicans hold the Senate (and maybe even the House) it would seem to confirm their dominance of Congress in recent decades. They only lost Congress on the back of Bush crashing the country, and their comeback was very quick.

    I am not sure about the influence of Trump. He's not really a Republican, I think he took office by grabbing a small voter base and stinking the place up so most voters stayed home. I don't think that flies in this election, turnout seems to be enormous. If the Republicans win it will be because they out politicked the Democrats in multiple different local scenes. Do they have less money? I keep hearing about how much the Democrats are spending. They have less old media support, just Murdoch's half arsed propaganda channel. In recent years the democrats have seemed to use new media better too (although it backfired with Trump, thanks Vladimir). I have to say it makes Republican grass root performance look amazing.

    Its weird how often President have lost Congress so quickly: is it because effective leadership provokes a response? Or is it because presidential and Congressional politics follow different rhythms and cycles that don't cohere and have fallen "out of sync"? Trump should mobilise committed Democrats, pro and anti Hilary people, but this election is big and needs the swingers. Will many republicans defect? I don't see Trump as a Republican president, he ambushed both parties to win. However the Republicans took control of him, whereas the Democrats have been flailing for a response.

    Recent history suggest the democrats "should" take Congress and block Trump. It'd be hard for them to cooperate as the Republicans have for reasons of optics, although it wouldn't be hard for Trump, he's politically spineless. It looks as though the Republicans might actually hold on, maybe completely which would be a tremendous win for the party.

    Quote Originally Posted by Sukiyama View Post
    Alot of the judge picks are unopposed. The 8th district house race is something Im particulary conflicted on. Rossi is a veteran and fairly nice guy but hes a Republican and backwards on some issue like Womens rights. Schrier is a total newcomer and a typical woman. Which is to say she holds some typical eyeroll positions that women in Washington typically hold. So yeah its either an R or a Newbie with zero political experience. Not a great choice. State legislature was pretty straightforward. The initiatives were hard, voted yes on the Carbon tax, initiative 1631. Power is cheap here, but the carbon tax is probably going to raise some living costs. Gun control was a fairly fair initiative. No restriction on firearms but it proposes safety and storage requirements and training. So things I typically advocate. Police training was a Yes as well, but Im skeptical. I think the issue with police killing people is a lack of accountability and limited ways to prosecute cops, not a lack of training.
    Thanks for breaking it down like that, I had forgotten you vote on so many issues in a bundle in the US.

    Off Topic
    As an aside, on the police training issue typically in my country police end up dealing with the results of poor policy decisions elsewhere, and get to act as bouncers, social workers/counsellors, peacekeepers and agents of non government actors: if they are killing people it may be because they're being thrown at problems created upstream.
    Jatte lambastes Calico Rat

  20. #20

    Default Re: US 2018 Midterms Elections - Divided Government Looms

    Quote Originally Posted by Cyclops View Post
    If the Republicans hold the Senate (and maybe even the House) it would seem to confirm their dominance of Congress in recent decades. They only lost Congress on the back of Bush crashing the country, and their comeback was very quick.

    I am not sure about the influence of Trump. He's not really a Republican, I think he took office by grabbing a small voter base and stinking the place up so most voters stayed home. I don't think that flies in this election, turnout seems to be enormous. If the Republicans win it will be because they out politicked the Democrats in multiple different local scenes. Do they have less money? I keep hearing about how much the Democrats are spending. They have less old media support, just Murdoch's half arsed propaganda channel. In recent years the democrats have seemed to use new media better too (although it backfired with Trump, thanks Vladimir). I have to say it makes Republican grass root performance look amazing.

    Its weird how often President have lost Congress so quickly: is it because effective leadership provokes a response? Or is it because presidential and Congressional politics follow different rhythms and cycles that don't cohere and have fallen "out of sync"? Trump should mobilise committed Democrats, pro and anti Hilary people, but this election is big and needs the swingers. Will many republicans defect? I don't see Trump as a Republican president, he ambushed both parties to win. However the Republicans took control of him, whereas the Democrats have been flailing for a response.

    Recent history suggest the democrats "should" take Congress and block Trump. It'd be hard for them to cooperate as the Republicans have for reasons of optics, although it wouldn't be hard for Trump, he's politically spineless. It looks as though the Republicans might actually hold on, maybe completely which would be a tremendous win for the party.
    Senate races are heavily skewed towards the Republicans this election. Democrats are defending 24 seats, Republicans 9. Midterms in "general" favor the non-President's party.

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