I have heard too many times that their is no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. What a joke.
Look a Madison Wisconsin where the Republicans finally are in control of the government. They are standing up to the unions. The Democrats wouldn’t do that.
It’s the same story in Ohio. The new Republican majority is also standing up to the unions.
Chris Christie in New Jersey has been at it with the teacher’s union for over a year.
No difference? It took tax and spend Democrats in those bankrupt states to wake the voters up. Now elected Republican leaders are willing to stand tall and Democrats are running away.
There is a huge difference between Republicans and Democrats.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Election on February 22nd, 2011
Voting is not like shopping – it is more like making use of a commons, because the costs of a “bad” vote are borne by the public at large, and the chance of an individual casting the deciding vote is tiny…by Nicole
I haven’t read the book, but that is an interesting theory.
The tragedy of the commons is a theory that was first described in 1832 by William Forster Lloyd who wondered why the cows that grazed in common areas were so “puny and stunted” and the meadows so barren (read more). The simple answer: Self-interest (a human condition). When an areas is unowned, individuals use up the resources and everyone is hurt.
Applied to voters…voters know that their contribution (their vote) is of little consequence to the outcome of the election. They don’t “own” the results so they vote for what makes them feel good (their self interest). There is little worry about what is good public policy. Little or no effort to make a could voting decision is made by a huge majority of the voters. They are unaware that there feel-good vote is like the cows that overgraze leaving all puny and stunted.
Sadly, “Get Out The Vote” efforts only amplify this problem.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Election on February 17th, 2011
After the 2000 election, a map became popular with conservatives. It was labeled “Bush Country” and it showed that most of the land area was filled with Bush voters. The Democrats live in the populated urban areas on the coast.
8 years later, the country voted for hope and change. Where are we now? The animated map below shows that we haven’t changed much since 2000.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Election on December 3rd, 2010
It has happened again. The Republicans have one another close one. This time the defeated Democrat is Bob Etheridge…The Carolina Strangler.
Nothing says you care about your constituents like physically abuse a young adult who has the temerity to ask a question. Do you think that cost him the election? I sure hope it did.
Community organizing group Neighbor to Neighbor was seen violating laws at numerous polling sites, with the apparent blessing of the poll-watchers…read more
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in corruption,Election on November 9th, 2010
Michael Barrone reviews last week’s election results and sums it up this way
In any case, the depth and the breadth of Republican victories in state legislative races, even more than their gain of 60-plus seats in the U.S. House and six seats in the Senate, shows that the tea party movement was a genuine popular upheaval of vast dimensions. Particularly in traditional blue-collar areas, voters rejected longtime Democrats or abandoned lifelong partisan allegiances and elected Republicans.
At one time, Democrats in Pennsylvania had the governor’s seat, both U.S. senators, the state house and about half of the Congressman. They now have one senator and only 7 out of 19 Congressional seats.
Have we moved from Blue to Red or were we never really Blue in the first place? Many of the seats that just changed hands were lost by Democrats who ran as moderates or even conservative. Democrats fooled the voters about their intentions. I contend that Pennsylvania voters (outside of Philly and Pittsburgh) were never Blue. They were fooled and a correction has been made.
That leaves the last Blue hold-out, Senator Bob Casey, hanging by a Florida Chad. He too fooled voters. He ran on the strength of his father’s name and his father’s pro-life record. Now he has a record of his own, and it is not good. The center of the state will overwhelmingly reject Senator Casey. His hanging chad…it will be a presidential election, so turnout in the cities will be high.
There will be a lot of candidates looking for the Republican nomination in 2012. The timing for a new Republican won’t be this good for another 8 years. It is now or maybe never for many Republicans with Senatorial ambitions. I expect the Republican candidate to be a strong opponent.
Do you think Bob Casey feels like the last survivor in a horror film, wondering of the axe (metaphorically speaking) is just around the next corner?
California voters told us they want more spending. Voters in the rest of the country said “No more spending”. When California finally goes belly up, I say we let them flounder. No Bailout!
Their best people are welcome in PA, just please leave dump your liberalism in the Pacific Ocean before you leave.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Election on November 3rd, 2010
At one time, Ted Kennedy was the perennial embarrassment of Massachusetts. Friends of mine who lived there were resigned to the fact that the fat, cheating drunk was going to be re-elected until he died. Now that Ted Kennedy has passed on, Massachusetts has a new perennial embarrassment…Barney Frank. It seems that Frank will be elected no matter how badly the ill tempered, incompetent boob screws up.
We don’t call ‘em Mass-holes for nothing.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Congress,Election on November 3rd, 2010
224 races for the Republicans (179 Safe or Likely)
168 races for the Democrats (145 Safe or Likely)
43 Toss ups
If you count the leaners, 2/3rds (290 seats) are in play for the Republicans. Even if the Democrats get every toss up, they will still lose control of the House.
That is an incredible turn around it two years. Gee…what happened two years ago. I know. The Democrats promised us the stars and delivered a flaming bag of dog crap to our front doors.
Good bye Nancy. Don’t let the Constitution hit you in the ass on your way out the door. Your next Barack.
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Election,polls on November 1st, 2010
Recent polling shows that the race has narrowed to a gap that is well within the range that cannot be measured accurately by polling. Moreover, the polls show that Bielat’s momentum has continued to build and that the momentum has occurred among crucial independents and in the usual Democratic strongholds in the southern part of the district…read more
Posted by: The Elephant Owner in Election,polls on October 28th, 2010
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A Republican has won a close election in Illinois.
There is email evidence that people in