Now is the time, today is the day. We leave it all on the field of battle or we leave period... It does not get much worse. The attacks, the March Surprise, the vulgarity. We are in control of our future, go and vote.
There are actually haters out there who dont give Tony Pierce his props. The man is without a doubt, one of the most talented cats I know. I only wish I had met him in person before I bailed on Los Angeles.
Radical Islamists want to divide Americans in order to defeat us. They will play on our differences, stoking the fires of resentment and generating more hatred between us than we have against our enemies. AQ understands that the only way they can possibly beat the US is to get us to grind to a halt with partisan warfare at home, paralyzing our ability to fight them on the battlefield and sapping our will to put them out of business. This video is transparently calculated to give enough ammunition to both sides of the political divide to do that job. Besides, if we take Abu Hamza at his word about the Democrats, then we have to take him at his word about Bush as well, and about our troops.
The partisan sniping has ceased to be germane. We've already had the election, and the Democrats are in charge -- and they will be for two years no matter what. Obviously, we will watch closely to ensure that they do not surrender to terrorism, but I'm not going to take Abu Hamza's word that they will before their majority session even starts. They are Americans, and Americans put them in charge, and they have earned the right to show us how they will face the enemy now that they control the agenda. If they fail, I'll be the first to castigate them for losing ground to the terrorists. However, I'm going to base that on their actions, and not on the word of a murderous thug who couldn't care less whether their American victims are Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, or LaRouchists.
The reality is that we cannot win the war on terror without the Democrats after these midterm elections. Rather than continue with antagonizing rhetoric, we'd better find ways to engage them rationally in this effort if we want to survive. I'm hoping we can find common ground with them now that they have the responsibility to govern. If we can't, then let's criticize them for their actual failures, and not get so intent on grasping at any way to attack them that we start becoming repeater stations for the ravings of genocidal lunatics.
Now Marty, if you were wondering what I meant by Get Over it? I think Ed has "gotten over it!" And I have a lot of respect for his sentiments in that post. Maybe you will have a little more respect for the sentiment now that one of the Old Guard has said it.
In other news, some people STILL haven't gotten over it.
At the utter stupidity of some on the Right. Glenn exposes some of it in this piece on their fantasies about the pre-election polls:
Hugh Hewitt shows how Bush followers literally deny reality
(updated below)
In the three weeks prior to the election, Hugh Hewitt was repeatedly insisting that Republican candidates were tied or ahead even when the consensus of polls showed those candidates were actually behind, sometimes by substantial margins. He wasn't just predicting that the GOP candidate behind in the polls would win (there's nothing wrong with being hopeful). He was doing something completely different -- he was insisting that the GOP candidates who were behind in the polls were, in fact, ahead in the polls.
In response to e-mails he received, he condescendingly explained his "thinking" behind this outright distortion of reality:
I get a lot of e-mail asking me why I point to polls like the one favoring Steele when I discount some polls favoring some Democrats.
Because this question comes mostly from lefties, I will pause to explain in as uncomplicated a fashion as possible.
Polling methodology and models favors Democrats.
So polls that show Republicans tied or ahead I see as indicating a race in which the Republican is in the lead.
Polls that show a Republican within striking distance I see as a poll indicating a dead heat.
It shouldn't be that hard to grasp, even for a lefty.
So, like everything else in the world -- from war zone reports to intelligence assessments and everything in between -- polling data can be ignored and disregarded at will (when it's unpleasant) because it is oh-so-unfairly biased against the Republicans. Hewitt took the data that he didn't like, literally changed it in his own mind to make it more pleasant, and then embraced the fictitious data as his reality. And he expressly acknowledged doing so by insisting that data is biased.
Note the arrogance in response to Glenn's email.
And you wonder why I am having so much fun bitch slapping that stupid six year grin off their faces?
Read the whole thing, Glenn does a much better job of bitch slapping than I ever could. He pretty much lays open a massive cut and exposes some serious nerve tissue.. Me, I just call it as I see it. And write now, what I see are a bunch of people who have been hit over the head with the baseball bat of reality, and a lot of them are not taking it too well. You see I am a visceral guy. I state my opinion on this blog, and I don't have the time nor the inclination to "research," my opinion. Sometimes I end up being wrong, at others, it is hard to defend my arguments against Wingnuts who want to selectively "google me to death." But honestly, I don't really give a rats ass.
Quit lying to yourselves, your readers, and the country, and we might win more elections.
And that goes for you, too, Dean Barnett, who had the nerve to tell us AFTER the election that "In the closing weeks of the campaign season, I felt like I was a lawyer who had a bad client while writing this blog." I guess Dean was just following Hugh's lead, as Hugh stated that the electoral loss created "a wonderful day for new media, especially talk radio. For two years we have had to defend the Congressional gang that couldn't shoot straight."
Had you all spent the last four years admonishing the GOP when they deserved it, we wouldn't have Speaker Pelosi or Chairman Reid. If you hadn't spent the days after the Foley revelations wondering how the media and Democrats had wronged us, we might have won a seat or two. You acted like party hacks- you were party hacks- and now there isn't much left of the party. So much for the intellectual honesty of the blogosphere and the new media. It's Karl Rove with a keyboard.
In short, fat, drugged, and stupid is no way to go through life- ask Limbaugh, who also joined you in a few years of bullshit.
In other news, the GOP has finally decided to stand up to this administration because they are angry about the utter and complete betrayal of all the party's principles over the past 6 years the timing of the Rumsfeld dismissal:
While I don't get The Daily Show here in Costa Rica, I check it out on the web every day. And Stewart is awesome! Read Rusty's piece.
John Stewart is the Rush Limbaugh of 2006 and faux news the talk radio. Forget The Daily Kos, it was The Daily show that put Democrats over the top in key races. Just as the new phenomenon of nationally syndicated talk radio is what helped propel Republicans into the majority in 1994 it was faux news and the cult of Jon Stewart that led to this year's Democratic landslide.
Jon Stewart is an unlikely player in national politics. He's not a pundit, he's a comedian. As unlikely a candidate for Democratic kingmaker as he may be, he's a force to be reckoned with.
Ratings for The Daily Show's coverage of the '06 elections were second only to The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News. 2.0 million Americans tuned into Comedy Central on Tuesday to follow election results. That's right, more people were watching a comedian talk about the news than an anchor on CNN.
And just who is it that is tuning into The Daily Show? Young people. Lot's of them.
In fact, in the 2004 election nearly as many young people cited The Daily Show as a source of news as any other source. And Jon Stewart's Daily Show audience has only grown since then.
On the college campus where I teach, Jon Stewart's is the first and last word on all things political. His is the only name that all recognize. It's more than that: his views are the only views considered socially acceptable. When Jon Stewart believes something, students believe it. He who Jon Stewart hates, students hate.
Read the whole thing, or I'll take away your Swingline.
Jesus, get the hell over it! You LOST. Al Qaeda did not vote in the Election, the American people did, and they did so resoundingly. They kicked your sorry asses out. They did so for a variety of reasons, among them hypocrisy, perversion, more hypocrisy and corruption.
All this whining is getting real tiresome.
I hate to tell you this Kim, but we are not going to go back and re-run the election, and if we did you would likely lose again. So get over it For God's Sake! You are getting to be embarrassing.
Right now, the Dow is down by about 29 points, one day after the Democrats win back the House and probably the Senate.
Say it ain't so!!!!! Three hours after the Dow opened, it was down 29 points! Damn those Democrats - they have destroyed our economy!.
I noticed that post... I also noticed that there was no correction. But then did you expect one? Like I said, Wizbang has already predicted the end of Western Civilization as a result of the election results...
And what we thought was nearly impossible has happened. The Democrats are now in control of the Senate as well, or so it would appear.
Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans Wednesday with an upset victory in Virginia, giving the party complete domination of Capitol Hill for the first time since 1994.
Jim Webb's squeaker win over incumbent Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) gave Democrats their 51st seat in the Senate, an astonishing turnabout at the hands of voters unhappy with Republican scandal and unabated violence in Iraq. Allen was the sixth Republican incumbent senator defeated in Tuesday's elections.
The Senate had teetered at 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans for most of Wednesday, with Virginia hanging in the balance. Webb's victory ended Republican hopes of eking out a 50-50 split, with Vice President Dick Cheney wielding tie-breaking authority.
The Associated Press contacted election officials in all 134 localities where voting occurred, obtaining updated numbers Wednesday. About half the localities said they had completed their postelection canvassing and nearly all had counted outstanding absentees. Most were expected to be finished by Friday.
The new AP count showed Webb with 1,172,538 votes and Allen with 1,165,302, a difference of 7,236. Virginia has had two statewide vote recounts in modern history, but both resulted in vote changes of no more than a few hundred votes.
An adviser to Allen, speaking on condition of anonymity because his boss had not formally decided to end the campaign, said the senator wanted to wait until most of canvassing was completed before announcing his decision, possibly as early as Thursday evening.
The adviser said that Allen was disinclined to request a recount if the final vote spread was similar to that of election night.
It's been a LONG wait, and I make no apologies for being showing my disgust with the Republicans and their lapdogs in the last week. I have not blogged as much in the last six months or so. To be honest, I was burnt out. Tired of the constant hatred coming from the Right, and the smugness that went along with it. Today, I see the smugness gone, replaced by the sore loser, who is already predicting the end of American civilization under Democratic control.
Note to HARD CORE RIGHT.... The scare tactics did not work during the election, they wont work now... I know it has to be hard to have all of your self esteem tied up in the Republican Party. But let me point out something to you... If you are an American, then get behind the Congress, support them, pray for them and let them know your expectations. If you are a Republican, and that is how you define yourself, then give up the sham, stop acting like you care about America, and just admit Party, Dogma and Conservatism is what matters to you, not America. And... Get over it, it appears that your philosophy and your party were discredited last night, and no amount of talk about Democrats being "out of touch," is going to change that simple fact. You have been marginalized, for at least the next two years. Whether it is longer, is up to you...
My Buddy Marty, one of a dwindling number of Black Republicans, you know, the kind that can tolerate and even excuse Racist drivel like this, and the attack ad on Harold Ford, says the Conservative bloggers aint cryin'.
Wow- I haven't really written this much in quite a while. But one of my friends in the sphere who is joyous about the election seems to think that those of us who aren't are being crybabies.
Crybabies? Now I'm lauging at you, dude. You're not linking to "them" because "them" ain't cryin'. Dissappointed in a tough loss? Hell yeah. But cryin'? Hardly.
Let's see if history prevails and the new leadership proves my theory that they will far overplay their hand and get so bogged down in BS that the next Republican Presidential nominee cruises to a victory. (Even if the 'Rock Star' O runs.)
There ain't no way that the very liberal leadership is going to ride the centrist sounding horse that brought them. Thus taxes will rise (as they have promised). Spending will increase (just as they promised, although they call it investing now.) The economy will slow (unintended consequences of the prior two.) The jihadis will be emboldened by the appeasers who think pulling back and negotiating is the only strategy. In fact, Hamas just today has decided that American targets are probably a good idea. (h/t Jay at Wizbang) Would they think that if the Republicans won? (Maybe, but probably less likely so bold.)
You lost... Get over it! Like I said, I am most happy to see the smug look wiped off of some people's faces. Bush made a decent speech today, one that in many ways I respect, lets see if he honors it. He was caught in a lie right in the middle of it, but lets just see. As for my friend Marty, well lets just say, I love him as a brother, as I do many other so called Black Conservatives, but I dont even pretend to understand and respect how BLACK people can support a party that runs scare flyers with black (AN D YES IT IS A BLACK HAND), covering a white womans mouth, and not so subtle racist ads in Tennessee. Oh I am sure Marty will excuse both instances. He will claim that the Tenn ad was all about Ford's playboy lifestyle, and not about the white woman. He will pooh pooh the New York Ad. He will excuse the Robo Calls, he will claim the flyer passed out to benefit Steele in Maryland, the one that tried to make people think he was a Democrat, was just a "mistake." He will continue to delude himself into thinking that the hypocritical party (The one with tons of closeted gays, who make a sport out of persecuting gays. The one that says they want to broaden the tent, but who appeal to the lowest denominator -racism- in the South, to win elections) is not what it is, and thats okay....
The best among us will never respect your opinion Marty. The least among us will call you a sellout for having them. But the best among us will still call you Brother. History will be the judge, as will your own conscience, when it comes to things like the flyer and the Anti-Ford add.
As for the crybabies take on things.... Its out there, along with the excuses and the finger pointing. But like I said, you lost. Be magnanimous enough to stop the preemptive second guessing and wait to see what the Democrats do... Shall we?
"We took a whipping last night, and we understand that," DeLay told CNN's "American Morning." "The Democrats didn't win, the Republicans lost." Tom DeLay
Eh, no Tom, you got your ass whupped! Your corrupt party got a message last night. Best you guys listen to it. For me, the best part is seeing the smug look wiped off all your faces, and seeing Conservative bloggers eat some crow!
Waiting for the Election results!
There are already rampant stories of "irregularities," and the usual dirtbag Nazi tactics on the Right! God don't let them steal this one!
Continues to support these people... To my Sisters and Brothers in the Rightsphere, how can you sit still for this shit?
I want to call on every DECENT American to look at this... To understand the absolute scummyness of these people. Failing to do that, I ask... And you know who you are? HOW, Why... How can you look at yourself in the mirror and know, this is the party you support.
You have had six years to come up with one, and other than getting us into a war of attrition in Iraq, and giving fat contracts and tax cuts to your past and future patrons, I don't get it....
