The Watering Hole, Monday, August 20th, 2012: New York, The New Battleground State?

It’s always been pretty much a given that New York State’s electoral votes in a Presidential election go to the Democratic candidate. While most of the state is Republican-leaning, the heavily-populated centers of New York City and Albany tip the electoral scales in favor of Democrats. And despite the recent redistricting, which lost the state two of its electoral votes, its 29 votes should still be reliably blue. Okay, while not an actual guarantee, New York should still be able to be counted on for President Obama in the upcoming Presidential election. Regardless, I don’t expect to see either Presidential candidate, or their surrogates, doing any campaigning in New York.

On the other hand, some of the Congressional races within the state are now, frighteningly, likely to remain in the grasp of the Republicans. Our own district, now redistricted as The Fightin’ Eighteenth (as Stephen Colbert would say), went from Democrat John Hall to Tea Party Republican Nan Hayworth in the 2010 Tea Party tempest. According to Salon.com:

“In 2010, no state was stung by the Republican sweep of the House more than New York. Before the election, New York had three Republican representatives. After the dust settled, Republicans increased their numbers in the New York delegation nearly three-fold — eight of New York’s 29 seats were Republican.”

Those eight Congressional seats are now in play again, and, as Salon puts it:

“For Republicans, simply retaining the gains of two years ago would be a major win, both in the state and nationally. And they’re confident that they’ll even pick up new seats. “They’re more likely to pick up two than lose two at this time,” said New York Republican consultant Susan Del Percio.”

However, the website ballotpedia.org, paints an even more dire picture in New York. The site references the New York Times race ratings, which indicate that 10 New York congressional districts could go Republican: “the 1st, 11th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 27th districts.”

If Republicans retain their current eight Congressional seats, that would be bad enough news for us and for President Obama. If they gain any more seats on top of those eight, it bodes even worse for all of us. And if you combine such a scenario with the fact that so many Republican-governed states are doing their utmost to suppress Democratic votes, well…do I need to draw a map?

This is our daily open thread — got any good news?

The Watering Hole: January 28 – Sun Tzu and Jan Brewer

Sun Tzu is a Chinese strategist who wrote “The Art of War”. He lived from 544 to 496 BC.

Now what do Sun Tzu and Jan Brewer have in common? He is one of those credited for the proverb – “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Arabs also claim credit for the proverb, but trail Sun Tzu in time.

Here, Jan Brewer has shown herself to be the enemy of Barack Obama at the airport in Mesa, Arizona. In turn, Jan Brewer has also shown herself to be the enemy of Hispanic people and Jan Brewer has already established herself as a spokesperson for the Conservative movement.

Combining the logic, Hispanic people should consider Barack Obama as their friend and will logically find an enemy in the Conservative movement.

Since Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, Conservatives will have a tough row to hoe in current and future political campaigns.

This is our Open Thread. Should Democrats consider Jan as a supporter in the 2012 campaign? Your comments please.

The Watering Hole: Wednesday, November 10, 2010: Hump Day

Now that the election is over, Republicans are free to do what they do best: screw the people who put them into office. Already, Boehner said there’ll be no ban on earmarks. A moratorium, yes. One that will likely expire upon swearing in the new Republican majority in the House.

Next, we have two Republican governors-elect saying they’ll turn down federal money to build high-speed rail in their states. So much for them receiving hundreds of millions of dollars to help their state economies.

Republicans said they’ve learned the error of their ways and have changed. Enough people believed them to put them in charge of the Nation’s purse strings. Now, they’ll get what they’ve voted for.

This is our Open Thread. Please feel free to add your thoughts on this, or any other topic that comes to mind.

The Watering Hole: November 4 – King Tut

On 4 November 1922, Howard Carter’s water carrier came upon the steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamen (1341 BC – 1323 BC) an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty who ruled from c.1333 BC – 1323 BC during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. Tutankhamen who has been immortalized as ‘King Tut’ became pharaoh at the ripe old age of nine and died at 19 from what appears to have been from a leg injury(sepsis?) and malaria.

The burial mask of Tuthankamen

In subsequent years a curse associated with the find has became part of modern folklore. Carter died on 2 March 1939 at the age of 64 which would indicate that he, who had actually opened the tomb, was seemingly unaffected by the curse as based on actuarial tables of the 1930s.

This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments on this or any other topic.

The Watering Hole: Wednesday, November 3, 2010: There’s got to be a morning after…

Well, the election is over and most races have a declared winner and a concession from the loser(s). Slighty more than half the votes will be pleased. And those who sat this one out, well, they’ll just have to take whatever they get, or give up whatever will now be taken away.

This is our Open Thread. Please feel free to add your thoughts on this, or any other topic that comes to mind.

I Remember…

Unlike the Tea Party, I remember…

LET’S MAKE THIS AD VIRAL… Share at other blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc…  Voters need to be reminded.

The Watering Hole: October 22 – A Message for Conservatives, Don’t Vote!

Republicans (and Tea Baggers) –

Are you pissed at the way the current Congress has performed?

• Are you upset at the way your taxes have been reduced and government spending has gone down?
• Does affordable health insurance without the threat of previous conditions make your blood boil?
• Are you upset that your young children can have health insurance and that those between the ages of 21 and 26 receive health insurance under your plan as they begin their careers?
• Are you really upset that our veterins continue to receive government provided health care?
• Does the continued health of Social Security and Medicare really stick in your craw?
• Does ceasing the outsourcing of American jobs to foreign nationals make you seeth?
• And to top it all off are you disturbed that the rate of illegal immigration is at its lowest level in three years and that more illegal immigrants are being deported this year than at anytime since 1998?

Is that is what is disturbing you? Then you must make your voice unheard when election day comes on November 2nd! Show your true feelings by not voting at all! That will show the Republican and Tea Bagger partys that they must work harder than ever in order to address your concerns!

This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments on this or any other topic.

The Watering Hole: October 14 – Wouldn’t it be nice if…

See my first comment – you’ll get the drift.

This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments on this or any other topic.

Sunday Roast: Fetus trumps woman?

In 1973, abortion was made legal in this country, via the Roe v. Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court.  Reproductive rights were now the law of the land, and women could now legally use birth control and get a legal and safe abortion, if she decided it was necessary.  Surely equal rights for women — across the board — were just around the corner…

We’ve come a long way, baby, but not in the direction we’d hoped.  Abortion is still legal in the U.S., as well as birth control of many varieties, but being legal and having access are two very different things.  There’s a fairly new trend out there, called a “conscience clause,” and it’s being used by medical personnel and pharmacists to deny their services to women who want birth control and/or abortion services.  Why anyone would go into such fields if they won’t actually do their job for everyone is beyond me, but that’s a topic for another day.

There’s a place called Guanajuato, Mexico.  This place is the anti-choice crowd’s wet dream come true — and a living nightmare for the women who live there.  Cecile Richards has an article on Huffington Post about what’s going on in Mexico these days…

Consider the case of a bleeding young woman’s reception at the Guanajuato hospital:

Before doctors would care for her, the authorities were summoned to interrogate her about her sexual history. Immediately after surgery she was forced to make a statement, and she is still being investigated for possible criminal action.

Yes, this woman’s life was literally draining out of her, but never mind that, the authorities need to find out if she was having a ‘legitimate’ health problem.

Across Mexico, women are being investigated, accused and jailed, even for the suspicion of terminating a pregnancy. Moreover, pregnant women with bleeding or other symptoms are now terrified to go to hospitals, lest they be accused of attempted “murder.”

Indeed, Guanajuato is the ultimate Utopian paradise for 2010 mid-term election anti-choice candidates such as Sharron Angle, Ken Buck, Christine O’Donnell, Joe Miller, and Rand Paul.   These five Republican candidates for the United States Congress oppose abortion for any reason — even rape or incest.  That’s right folks, if Angle et al get their way, a victim of rape/incest who finds herself pregnant better just buck up and start making lemonade out of that truckload of lemons that were dumped on her, cuz God’s got a plan.

Maddow v. Robinson: Assisted suicide

Heh.

Poor old Art Robinson.  He was so worried Rachel would trip him up somehow, that he spent the entire interview on the defensive, and talked himself into an incoherent mass of goo.

Enjoy!

I’m Voting Republican

They forgot to mention that Seniors are ready to hand over their Social Security to Wall Street.

The Watering Hole: October 5 – Vote!

There are 4 weeks to go!

It is getting down to the wire. We worked hard in 2008, now it is time to carry the work forward in the current election cycle. While things did not always happen the way we wanted, it is not time to give up the struggle!

Without enthusiasm in the progressive base, this nation will lose everything gained since 2006.

Two years of retreat is the last thing that our people need. The Republican Pledge to America is empty on promise, but replete with hypocrisy.

This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments on this or any other topic.