Election night 2023 showed which party is organized and has the message for success. The night demonstrated that the reality of it is there's a new landscape that's being shaped. Polls suggested Democrats were entering another Dark Night of the Soul, but once again - as in 2018, 2020 and 2022 - they over-performed when the actual votes were counted.
It's a good day in Pennsylvania. My township turned over a fully Republican panel of commissioners to a fully Democratic one. We gained that state Supreme Court seat, and I had tears in my eyes reading about the new mayor of Philadelphia. Onward to the 2024 election!!
but then I woke up to find that Jubal is having real trouble walking or maintaining his balance, and THAT, right now, is a lot more important than anything else.
everybody please ask whichever imaginary being you prefer to give him some more quality time. this boy is everything to me.
fingers crossed. If Jubal is a dachshund, get thee to the vet immediately. My prior one showed those symptoms, the vet sent him straight to surgery, and I was told it could have been total paralysis if I had waited even a few hours.
he has the absolutely classic symptoms of vestibular disease and sees the vet tomorrow. he's a 14-year-old English Shepherd who owns my heart completely. I cried all day until I finally got the wherewithal to google stuff and the information was heartening (his breeder gave me information about his late mom being sick the same way at the same age. she got medicated and had two more good years (and just to keep myself from sounding like some kind of rich slob, he was a rescue...long story. if all goes okay tomorrow, I can get back to what I do most these days, which is to hate the people we ALL hate.
again, fingers crossed. 14 is a good age for a big dog, and even better if longer. Glad there is a med, because surgery at that age is mostly a no-go. keep us posted. I'm sure TC will have a post that you can finagle into a comment :)
thank everybody who was concerned. it was, as I suspected, a vestibular syndrome. eminently treatable and would probably get better by itself but I got an antibiotic just in case it's an actual middle ear infection and anti-nausea stuff because the dizziness is making him puke a lot.
Thanks for brightening my day. The GOP has done themselves no favors by stoking culture wars that signal absolutism and single-issue elitism. The Tubervilles, Johnsons, Scotts, Ramasmarmy, et. al. are the high-profile pontificators and contaminants of their party, handmaidens of Trump's desire for a dictatorship, and this shows people have taken notice. As for Santorum (He's still around?) and Hannity, they should have spent more time looking for smart kids to sit next to in class instead of brown-nosing their teachers as the easy alternative.
Your report on Youngkin is especially delightful because it's been reported that he's Rupert Murdoch's GOP choice for POTUS.
Keep the hot sauce drizzled in your reports because those comments make all the difference and make them akin to jazz.
My friends, won - the mayor kept his seat and my good friend was elected to City Council despite being openly gay and married to his partner. It was a good night here.
In red Virginia, Dems lost locally, but we knew by having and amplifying Democrats on the ballot, we could expect that the suburban, urban urban, diverse, high density locales would come through. And they did.
Youngkin timed a rebate check (he and the GOP rejected funding public schools) to voters just a few days ago, with a bragging letter about HIM. Literally buying votes. But we didn't buy it. And that piece of mail may have motivated more than a few fence-sitters.
Thanks for the details of the smaller races. I voted yesterday in the Seattle/King County elections even though there wasn't much to choose from amongst the candidates--all of them basically acceptably blue-- and a whole LOT of spots were unopposed.
It took me longer to research the choices than to vote. As in, 5 minutes to fill out the ballot and 5 minutes to and from the drop box. In a prior age it would have taken me that long to PARK at the polling place. Why anyone opposes mail in voting is beyond me.
I vote in red Virginia and I'm ECSTATIC. Dems lost locally, but we knew by having Democrats running on the ballot no matter how far-fetched, and working hard to motivate our blue voters, we could expect that the suburban, urban urban, diverse, high density locales would come through. And they did.
Loser Red Vest rejected applying Virginia's massive budget surplus (thanks, Dems) to desperate public schools, timing a rebate check to voters just a few days ago. Added a bragging letter about HIM. He was literally buying votes. But we didn't buy it. In fact, I think the check and letter angered more than a few Democratic-leaning independents who then voted D.
My Delegate is the odious, woman hating, public schools hating, now-former Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert. He won our County at 80%. But not 100%, because a brave Democrat ran against him. Six years ago, Gilbert was second in line to the Speaker. Four years ago, Gilbert had a female Democrat (Eileen Filler-Corn) as his "boss." Two years ago, the House flipped red and Gilbert got his wish and power: Speaker. Now he'll have a Black Democrat (new Speaker Don Scott) as his boss.
THIS is glorious! Buh bye, Todd! Go sulk with your buddy Gov. SnitchLine!
Enjoy with euphoria, such a rare opportunity. May more be on the horizon. So hope repubs are taken down by the albatross they hung around their own necks. Dems, help them out…
Great analysis , Tom! Unfortunately, I ran several fund raisers for Dave Calone in Suffolk county , NY where I live. He was a great candidate but Romaine had better name recognition from his many years in politics...plus, this is Lee Zeldin & Peter King territory... but we haven’t given up !!!!
I love so much about this, but especially (of course) Issue 1 in Ohio - for which I mailed 100 handmade postcards to voters - but also Danica Roem in Virginia and the defeat of Moms for Liberty in Ohio and the library initiative... those are the wins that don't hit the MSM but are so important.
Speaking of which, is it just me, or is all of this getting very short shrift in the media today? I know, I know, "If it bleeds, it leads", and there's nothing apparently newsworthy about all this incredibly good news, or about how the media, once again, got it so very wrong. :-) <3
why is it that every time I see Nikki Haley, I want to hit her? on a more rational level, she's probably one of the least offensive of the putzes running. but it doesn't matter. I can't stand her. she makes me wanna puke.
Well, she's said things like "I believe climate change is real, but the things Democrats are proposing to deal with it will destroy the economy," so yeah, there's reason for the dream of "what they need's a damned good smacking" to show up now and then.
thanks for answering, Tom. I think my rage might be at the fact that all she ever does is the same old Reaganite horseshit about the need to lower taxes and stop overspending. after the money Bush and TFF spent like the proverbial drunken sailor and the shitty tax laws they passed (putting aside for a second the whole issue of those two wars that didn't work), they need to shut the fuck up and figure out a new go-to position. it'll be a lie, but at least it'll be a NEW lie.
I think Mace is probably more cynical. she's also MUCH stupider.
I mean, like, Nancy Mace is DEEPLY stupid. and a liar who is marginally better at lying than, say, Gym Jordan, but that's about the lowest bar imaginable. I like to replay his panicked non-response when asked if he spoke with TFF on 1/6..."I forget when I spoke to him" is NOT acceptable answer, given the circumstances.
Did anyone notice when Fweedumb Kawkuss "leader" General Scott Perry was being interviewed, that he has adopted the coatless "Jungle Gym" look? Even to the shirt and tie color.
Thank you for this summary of great news re both issues and candidates successes for Democrats. Helps to relieve that heavy feeling in the stomach as we approach each new election.
speaking of "fuckwitted fools," I obviously wasn't going to watch that debate because of the fuckwitted fools thing, but I was able to see a little bit of the excerpts. wow.
I've been trying to figure out all the strange cognitive detours Ramaswamy demonstrates and last night I realized what his deal is in three words: he ain't human.
I'm not saying "he doesn't act human," or "he has no empathy" or even "his connections don't connect." all of these are true enough, but not what I mean HE'S NOT HUMAN. it's soooo obvious.
Vivek Ramaswamy is, in fact, an android.
the trouble is, this "primary" period is a beta test and a very disappointing beta test...it's back to the all-nighters, writing enough good code to get the shit RIGHT. the new version needs to be programmed to display, say, sorrow. or compassion. or plausible speech patterns. the suits fit a little too well (humans can sometimes be sloppy). his grammar is too perfect, even if it's a bit too simplistic. he talks too fast and NEVER pauses (humans actually tend to have the occasional "umm" or "er"). worst of all, THEY FORGOT TO PROGRAM HIM TO BREATHE. the Nikki Haley daughter moment was ALMOST fun, but Nikki got her phrasing wrong ("get my daughter out of your voice"?? so suddenly she's Will Smith?).
and was I hearing right when I heard Chris Christy talk about a 54-year-old male drug addict needing to take responsibility for "the addiction he passes on to that child?" what is THAT supposed to mean? as far as I know, there's no "addiction gene" identified as of yet and males do not (as far as we now know...it COULD change) "pass" their addiction on to their offspring in their sperm. if he meant "pass it on" in more sociological terms, he should have said it.
and needless to say, they drilled down hard on their abortion thing (including the "right up to the time of birth insanity), about which Nikki (I can't stand her more every day) tried to be the conciliator, talking about how "we need to find consensus." what fucking consensus is possible?
Polls are just a sloppy substitute for real, investigative journalism. What does a political poll actually mean? It’s a snapshot of a supposed “representative” group of opinions, chosen during tumultuous, polarized time when propaganda and misinformation is unleashed on a regularly timed schedule. Opinions change -- these polls do NOT represent a consistent, retrospective pattern and they do NOT show reliable patterns of change. And where, exactly, are these pollsters pooling their respondents? From gerrymandered districts? Where is that cross section coming from? These so-called polls only serve mass media, an entity that is actively seeking headlines. Unfortunately, those same polls serve as misinformation verging on propaganda and fear mongering. . . No--I’ll restate that--they absolutely are intended to cause fear mongering in this traumatized, radicalized nation that is threatened by a Stocastic Terrorist, P1135809, who has laid out an agenda of fascist retribution.
It's a good day in Pennsylvania. My township turned over a fully Republican panel of commissioners to a fully Democratic one. We gained that state Supreme Court seat, and I had tears in my eyes reading about the new mayor of Philadelphia. Onward to the 2024 election!!
WONDERFUL!!!
Lowered blood pressure in many households.
sure did here.
but then I woke up to find that Jubal is having real trouble walking or maintaining his balance, and THAT, right now, is a lot more important than anything else.
everybody please ask whichever imaginary being you prefer to give him some more quality time. this boy is everything to me.
fingers crossed. If Jubal is a dachshund, get thee to the vet immediately. My prior one showed those symptoms, the vet sent him straight to surgery, and I was told it could have been total paralysis if I had waited even a few hours.
he has the absolutely classic symptoms of vestibular disease and sees the vet tomorrow. he's a 14-year-old English Shepherd who owns my heart completely. I cried all day until I finally got the wherewithal to google stuff and the information was heartening (his breeder gave me information about his late mom being sick the same way at the same age. she got medicated and had two more good years (and just to keep myself from sounding like some kind of rich slob, he was a rescue...long story. if all goes okay tomorrow, I can get back to what I do most these days, which is to hate the people we ALL hate.
again, fingers crossed. 14 is a good age for a big dog, and even better if longer. Glad there is a med, because surgery at that age is mostly a no-go. keep us posted. I'm sure TC will have a post that you can finagle into a comment :)
thank everybody who was concerned. it was, as I suspected, a vestibular syndrome. eminently treatable and would probably get better by itself but I got an antibiotic just in case it's an actual middle ear infection and anti-nausea stuff because the dizziness is making him puke a lot.
but it looks like he'll be fine.
WHEW.
I like that kind of good news!
So traumatic, so hope you can have more time with your heart pooch.
Ain’t that the truth. Gave me an unexpected burst of energy.
Thanks for brightening my day. The GOP has done themselves no favors by stoking culture wars that signal absolutism and single-issue elitism. The Tubervilles, Johnsons, Scotts, Ramasmarmy, et. al. are the high-profile pontificators and contaminants of their party, handmaidens of Trump's desire for a dictatorship, and this shows people have taken notice. As for Santorum (He's still around?) and Hannity, they should have spent more time looking for smart kids to sit next to in class instead of brown-nosing their teachers as the easy alternative.
Your report on Youngkin is especially delightful because it's been reported that he's Rupert Murdoch's GOP choice for POTUS.
Keep the hot sauce drizzled in your reports because those comments make all the difference and make them akin to jazz.
Ditto on all
My friends, won - the mayor kept his seat and my good friend was elected to City Council despite being openly gay and married to his partner. It was a good night here.
Celebration time.
A good day to pat ourselves on the back...and then get back to work.
We wrote 100 postcards for Roem - VA results were awesome and thanks for all these other details that I may never had heard about ❤️🥳🤗🎉
In red Virginia, Dems lost locally, but we knew by having and amplifying Democrats on the ballot, we could expect that the suburban, urban urban, diverse, high density locales would come through. And they did.
Youngkin timed a rebate check (he and the GOP rejected funding public schools) to voters just a few days ago, with a bragging letter about HIM. Literally buying votes. But we didn't buy it. And that piece of mail may have motivated more than a few fence-sitters.
whatta prick.
I hope he fails to wake up tomorrow.
I hope the whole fucking party doesn't wake up tomorrow.
Nov. 7 was a good day for Democracy and for Democrats. Let's keep it
rolling BLUE.
Thanks for the details of the smaller races. I voted yesterday in the Seattle/King County elections even though there wasn't much to choose from amongst the candidates--all of them basically acceptably blue-- and a whole LOT of spots were unopposed.
It took me longer to research the choices than to vote. As in, 5 minutes to fill out the ballot and 5 minutes to and from the drop box. In a prior age it would have taken me that long to PARK at the polling place. Why anyone opposes mail in voting is beyond me.
I vote in red Virginia and I'm ECSTATIC. Dems lost locally, but we knew by having Democrats running on the ballot no matter how far-fetched, and working hard to motivate our blue voters, we could expect that the suburban, urban urban, diverse, high density locales would come through. And they did.
Loser Red Vest rejected applying Virginia's massive budget surplus (thanks, Dems) to desperate public schools, timing a rebate check to voters just a few days ago. Added a bragging letter about HIM. He was literally buying votes. But we didn't buy it. In fact, I think the check and letter angered more than a few Democratic-leaning independents who then voted D.
My Delegate is the odious, woman hating, public schools hating, now-former Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert. He won our County at 80%. But not 100%, because a brave Democrat ran against him. Six years ago, Gilbert was second in line to the Speaker. Four years ago, Gilbert had a female Democrat (Eileen Filler-Corn) as his "boss." Two years ago, the House flipped red and Gilbert got his wish and power: Speaker. Now he'll have a Black Democrat (new Speaker Don Scott) as his boss.
THIS is glorious! Buh bye, Todd! Go sulk with your buddy Gov. SnitchLine!
Enjoy with euphoria, such a rare opportunity. May more be on the horizon. So hope repubs are taken down by the albatross they hung around their own necks. Dems, help them out…
Great analysis , Tom! Unfortunately, I ran several fund raisers for Dave Calone in Suffolk county , NY where I live. He was a great candidate but Romaine had better name recognition from his many years in politics...plus, this is Lee Zeldin & Peter King territory... but we haven’t given up !!!!
BTW who is Tom Bonier????
Keep trucking.
I love so much about this, but especially (of course) Issue 1 in Ohio - for which I mailed 100 handmade postcards to voters - but also Danica Roem in Virginia and the defeat of Moms for Liberty in Ohio and the library initiative... those are the wins that don't hit the MSM but are so important.
Speaking of which, is it just me, or is all of this getting very short shrift in the media today? I know, I know, "If it bleeds, it leads", and there's nothing apparently newsworthy about all this incredibly good news, or about how the media, once again, got it so very wrong. :-) <3
why is it that every time I see Nikki Haley, I want to hit her? on a more rational level, she's probably one of the least offensive of the putzes running. but it doesn't matter. I can't stand her. she makes me wanna puke.
is this me being crazy? or am I on to something?
this is a serious question.
Well, she's said things like "I believe climate change is real, but the things Democrats are proposing to deal with it will destroy the economy," so yeah, there's reason for the dream of "what they need's a damned good smacking" to show up now and then.
thanks for answering, Tom. I think my rage might be at the fact that all she ever does is the same old Reaganite horseshit about the need to lower taxes and stop overspending. after the money Bush and TFF spent like the proverbial drunken sailor and the shitty tax laws they passed (putting aside for a second the whole issue of those two wars that didn't work), they need to shut the fuck up and figure out a new go-to position. it'll be a lie, but at least it'll be a NEW lie.
But the old lies keep working. Indictment for our MSM.
I’m with you. Such a pretender. She’s got a bad case of “I’m the sane one.” Sort of like Nancy Mace. Both just Dem haters with better disguise.
I think Mace is probably more cynical. she's also MUCH stupider.
I mean, like, Nancy Mace is DEEPLY stupid. and a liar who is marginally better at lying than, say, Gym Jordan, but that's about the lowest bar imaginable. I like to replay his panicked non-response when asked if he spoke with TFF on 1/6..."I forget when I spoke to him" is NOT acceptable answer, given the circumstances.
Did anyone notice when Fweedumb Kawkuss "leader" General Scott Perry was being interviewed, that he has adopted the coatless "Jungle Gym" look? Even to the shirt and tie color.
But she is so impressed with herself... None seem to have appropriately low self-esteem
She has two achievements her fashion choices demonstrate she is truly in love with.
Thank you for this summary of great news re both issues and candidates successes for Democrats. Helps to relieve that heavy feeling in the stomach as we approach each new election.
speaking of "fuckwitted fools," I obviously wasn't going to watch that debate because of the fuckwitted fools thing, but I was able to see a little bit of the excerpts. wow.
I've been trying to figure out all the strange cognitive detours Ramaswamy demonstrates and last night I realized what his deal is in three words: he ain't human.
I'm not saying "he doesn't act human," or "he has no empathy" or even "his connections don't connect." all of these are true enough, but not what I mean HE'S NOT HUMAN. it's soooo obvious.
Vivek Ramaswamy is, in fact, an android.
the trouble is, this "primary" period is a beta test and a very disappointing beta test...it's back to the all-nighters, writing enough good code to get the shit RIGHT. the new version needs to be programmed to display, say, sorrow. or compassion. or plausible speech patterns. the suits fit a little too well (humans can sometimes be sloppy). his grammar is too perfect, even if it's a bit too simplistic. he talks too fast and NEVER pauses (humans actually tend to have the occasional "umm" or "er"). worst of all, THEY FORGOT TO PROGRAM HIM TO BREATHE. the Nikki Haley daughter moment was ALMOST fun, but Nikki got her phrasing wrong ("get my daughter out of your voice"?? so suddenly she's Will Smith?).
and was I hearing right when I heard Chris Christy talk about a 54-year-old male drug addict needing to take responsibility for "the addiction he passes on to that child?" what is THAT supposed to mean? as far as I know, there's no "addiction gene" identified as of yet and males do not (as far as we now know...it COULD change) "pass" their addiction on to their offspring in their sperm. if he meant "pass it on" in more sociological terms, he should have said it.
and needless to say, they drilled down hard on their abortion thing (including the "right up to the time of birth insanity), about which Nikki (I can't stand her more every day) tried to be the conciliator, talking about how "we need to find consensus." what fucking consensus is possible?
a bunch of god-damned fools.
Ramaqswamy could invoke an unquenchable desire to beat him to a pulp in the heart of a lifelong nonviolent pacifist.
should the occasion arise, put me down for the tag team.
Who said polls predict?
Polls are just a sloppy substitute for real, investigative journalism. What does a political poll actually mean? It’s a snapshot of a supposed “representative” group of opinions, chosen during tumultuous, polarized time when propaganda and misinformation is unleashed on a regularly timed schedule. Opinions change -- these polls do NOT represent a consistent, retrospective pattern and they do NOT show reliable patterns of change. And where, exactly, are these pollsters pooling their respondents? From gerrymandered districts? Where is that cross section coming from? These so-called polls only serve mass media, an entity that is actively seeking headlines. Unfortunately, those same polls serve as misinformation verging on propaganda and fear mongering. . . No--I’ll restate that--they absolutely are intended to cause fear mongering in this traumatized, radicalized nation that is threatened by a Stocastic Terrorist, P1135809, who has laid out an agenda of fascist retribution.