All right, stop it now. This is getting ridiculous. Tuesday, we watch the Republicans collapse in the elections. Wednesday, Rumsfeld folds up and goes home. Today, Allen concedes, giving Democrats the Senate. What next? Tomorrow, Bush and Cheney are abducted by aliens, who broadcast the anal probing to the whole planet’s television networks? The day after, it rains ponies?*
Am I missing a good bet by not buying any lottery tickets?
*OK, this one might be a little splatty and meaty and not so nice, unless they were magic flying ponies. I’m thinking it could happen right now.
As God is my witness, I thought ponys could fly!
Yeah, and how many of those new dem senators are conservative Christians? Me thinks that this “victory” is pyrric, if any victory at all. Remember how many states now have homophobia embedded in their constitutions.
Feh. With Speaker Pelosi, the bigot bills won’t even be introduced. So no harm done. And if they get too conservative or corrupt, we’ll break them in the primaries and put in fresh, liberal Dems.
Pseudo-Buddhaodiscordo-Pastafarian, there are admittedly some centrist Democrats, but there are plenty of liberal ones, too. Hell, Vermont sent a Socialist to the Senate! That’s a first in American history. We also have the first female Speaker, the first MA black governor (and only the second one nation-wide), and a PLAN for what they will do the minute they can. I don’t think it’s a hollow victory at all.
Pseudo-Buddhaodiscordo-Pastafarian, there are admittedly some centrist Democrats, but there are plenty of liberal ones, too. Hell, Vermont sent a Socialist to the Senate! That’s a first in American history. We also have the first female Speaker, the first MA black governor (and only the second one nation-wide), and a PLAN for what they will do the minute they can. I don’t think it’s a hollow victory at all.
It’s not a perfect victory (what is?) but it’ll do.
First things first. One thing at a time.
America has spoken, and the message is simple: The NeoConservatives had their shot, and they blew it. Next!
It would be wise for the Democrats currently in office to ready their fillibuster material for the odious bills we are likely to see during the lame duck session.
I would hate to see Bush & Cheney kidnapped by aliens too soon. If anything untoward were to occur to them before Pelosi takes over as Speaker of the House, Denny Hastert would become president for the remainder of Bush’s term.
Wouldn’t that be an inspiration?
I had a lottery ticket for Weds. night, and it didn’t do me any good. I guess since I’m Canadian, I just get to witness the good fortune of others.
A little sauce for the jubilee: Richard Pombo, the Congressional Resources Committee chairman who for years has blocked the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness in Washington’s North Cascades–despite its being worked up via compromise by stakesholders across the spectrum and its support by Washington legislators from both sides of the aisle–will not only lose his chairmanship as a result of the Democratic victory–
–but he LOST his Eastbay California district to a wind-power entrepreneur who beat the Dems’ party-preferred candidate in the primary.
Poor Pombo–couldn’t have happened to a better pongo (with apologies to pans and bonobos everywhere)!
What next? Tomorrow, Bush and Cheney are abducted by aliens, who broadcast the anal probing to the whole planet’s television networks? The day after, it rains ponies?
How about this. Bushie’s science advisor decides to do his friggin’ job and sits down with the President and top Republicans (whoever they are at this moment) for a little chat. “You know, Mr. President and gents, I think that now is the time for the whole party to drop the Intelligent Design crap. It’s embarrassing. I mean, you are grown men! The Democrats have siezed upon some very populist ideas such as minimum wage, withdrawal from Iraq, etc., and while creationism is popular in America it is going to be the bane of our legacy. Just drop it. Stop talking about it. The Dems have control of Congress now and there you are, before the world, clapping your hands for Tinkerbell!”
Another fine consequence of this weeks events; John Bolton will soon be booted. Although Lincoln Chafee lost his seat to a dem, he is not backing down on his opposition to Boloton’s nomination. He vows it will not come out of his committee for a vote. When the dems take over there is no way his mon will be approved. Good news all around, it seems.
It’s a good thing Bush is a uniter, not a divider…
How about Ken Mehlman leaving the RNC?
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/11/mehlman-to-leave-rnc.html
Something bitter: Michelle Bachmann is now serving MN06. She’s a creationist, anti-gay moonbat. Congressman Doolittle, who PRAISED THE IDEA OF IRAQ LEADING TO ARMAGEDDON is also heading back to Congress.
In both cases, the losses look self-inflicted by Democrats, crippling any chance for pickups in a unique time where seats in such conservative districts might really have been vulnerable. In the case of Doolittle’s opponent, Charlie Brown, it was from anti-war activists who attacked Brown for not endorsing the actions of a member of their crackpot group who hung a marine in effigy on his front lawn. Wetterling was too liberal for the district to begin with (as she herself declared) and wasn’t helped by having another anti-war indepedent candidate in the race with her.
So, both these nutcases are going to be part of the next Congress.
the first MA black governor (and only the second one nation-wide),
Here in MA we also elected our first woman Attorney General.
And just moments ago, our legislature voted to recess until January 2 without voting on an amendment to take away the right to marry.
Last night on Larry King Live, Bill Maher outed Ken Mehlman as gay. Bill M says he’ll out other prominent Republicans on his show this Friday night.
Well, I had a talk with the grays but they said they weren’t interested. :(
Honestly, though, it seems that the tide is turning again; the conservatives got one of their anti-gay marriage measures voted down by Arizona, they got slaughtered in the congressional and gubernatorial elections, and it seems the fundamentalists are losing interest in politics as it becomes increasingly obvious they have no chance of actually winning long-term. Most likely on the next cycle the Republicans will be slightly further to the left and not embrace the far right quite as much, because there’s some point at which it isn’t going to work, especially if democrats stop being quite so pro-gun control – the west could turn fairly blue were that to happen.
Hi MAJeff, I’m a MAgirl. I almost feel sorry for the local incumbent state reps who got swept away in the national wave of disgust with the current GOP.
Almost.
It’s 2006 and MA is only now electing “firsts” like Patrick and Coakley – but it’s all good.
Titanium Dragon: ‘Well, I had a talk with the grays but they said they weren’t interested. :(‘
More likely the grays wanted to do a little anal probing but got confused because Bush and Cheney are 100% asses.
Or is that not a bipartisan comment?
I think it’s really funny that a guy named Pombo is an anti-environmentalist. But that’s just me.
On another animal-related note, did anyone else think of the whale in Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy after reading about the “splatty and meaty” ponies?
Damn fine week to be a Democrat. Waiting for Pelosi’s 100 hours with bated breath here.
(Ouch! Was that a road apple falling on me from an imminent pony storm?)
Hey, half a Democrat is better than none. I’ll take whatever I can get at this point. The alternative would have been to let the Republicans remain in control.
The logical question is, What would we like to see next?
Since we’re on a roll and all.
Stem cell research? Major changes to the “War on Terror”?
If you could choose only one of these, which would you choose?
Yeah, baby, Pombo’s gone. I’m still sad that Doolittle won, though. I’m hoping those corruption allegations stick.
Kseniya, it was a pretty good election day here in the Bay State. And today, the leg recessed until Jan 2, the very last day of the session, without voting on the amendment to take away queers’ right to marry. Hopefully, Marie Parente (and Phil Travis and Emile Guegen) will keep her crazy ass at home in Milford that day…it’ll be nice to have that fool out of the House.
How about this. Bushie’s science advisor decides to do his friggin’ job and sits down with the President and top Republicans (whoever they are at this moment) for a little chat. “You know, Mr. President and gents, I think that now is the time for the whole party to drop the Intelligent Design crap. It’s embarrassing.
Oddly enough, the President’s official science advisor comes across as competent. From a Q&A:
I think you’re making a mistake in your assumption that top Republicans would actually listen to what a scientist had to say.
I believe the phrase is: “Ponies too cheap to meter!”
HAHA!
Like nuclear power … paid for in part by selling plutonium to taxpayers … for nuclear weapons.
[quote]The logical question is, What would we like to see next? [/quote]
are you kidding?
more money for basic research, of course!
back in 74, much of the reason I chose marine biology as a career was that there was sufficient money available to do research as a marine biologist and support yourself.
that all changed with the Reagan era, and it’s been slipping steadily away ever since.
you want more and better scientists? make it a plausible career. not even a lucrative one.
I can’t count the number of people who would have made great biologist who now sell medical equipment, work for business consulting companies, etc.
Arakasi, I enjoyed the Les Nessman paraphrase that began this thread. Thanks!
Or perhaps that was Arthur Carlson…I can’t remember.
It’s true that there were lots of conservative dems in the wave, but as I read on another blog (I forget which now): can you name a single House or Senate seat where an incumbent lost to someone more conservative? The fact is that there was a big move to the Left of the Congress as a whole. And all the important chairmanships will go to those with senority, i.e. the liberals.
[quote]The logical question is, What would we like to see next? [/quote]
Universal health care.
And in dreamland:
Non first-past-the-post voting.
Sortition legislatures.
Pseudo-Buddhaodiscordo-Pastafarian wrote:
> Remember how many states now have
> homophobia embedded in their constitutions.
Hey, at least we know how to “ban gay marriage” by amending the state constitution it in Texas:
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Article I, Texas Constitution, is amended by adding Section 32 to read as follows:
Sec. 32. (a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.
(b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.
If such a thing appeared in a work of fiction, nobody would believe it.
Oddly enough, the President’s official science advisor comes across as competent.
Oh, John Marburger is an extremely intelligent man, with great credentials, qualified to be any president’s science advisor. He has his head straight on evolution; what he doesn’t have a clue about is how he serves neither the president nor the country by mopping up after a dingwad like Bush. Bush made that gaffe about “I think both evolution and ID should be taught,” taking Marburger by surprise, forcing a red-faced Marburger to growl later in a statement to the press that “evolution is the cornerstone of biology.” Well, duhhh, what else is new. Does the President of the U.S. think that the sun goes to bed at night?
I think you’re making a mistake in your assumption that top Republicans would actually listen to what a scientist had to say.
Maybe. But what exactly is Marburger’s job, then? What is he doing there, at the White House? Why did he accept the position? Why does Bush have a science advisor (admittedly reduced by him from a cabinet-level position) at all?
Every silver lining has a cloud, I suppose. There may be more SCOTUS openings.
You could try going to your library and reading this interview from the june 2002 SciAm.
When I read it, I thought: ‘this guy talks like he’s a press secretary aimed at scientists’
I’ll grant I hadn’t previously known anything about him, except that he’d been in some kind of leadership role at Brookhaven.
Perhaps I’m being unfair, but his comments on global warming and ID strike me as ‘damage control’.
Another possible bit of good news from the Free State: flaming right-wing asshat Don Dwyer appears to have lost the election as well. (Votes are still being counted, but at least that’s the way it appears right now.)
Kristine:
Reminds me of a Soviet-era joke (yes, I’m old): a Czech delegation comes to Moscow to ask for money to build a modern navy. The Kremlin asks, “What navy? Czechoslovakia is landlocked!” The Czechs reply, “So? You have a ministry of culture, don’t you?”
Oh, great, yeah, one out of eight states votes it down. Thats what, 80% failure?
I spent how many days worrying over this offal resolution, trying to figure out ways to snap the sheep into reality. And none of it did squat! Not only did 1.2 million people pass discrimination into the state constitution, but a majority ALSO passed the freaking DEATH PENALTY!
Excuse me while I go find a corner and lament the death of intelligence and freedom in this country.
Concern Troll! Concern Troll! Everybody Out!
Thank you. Move about your business.
Pretty pleased about the results in PA, although Casey is very conservative, and Carney, who replaced ‘Sherwood the Strangler’ is also very conservative they are not half the wingnuts that Sanctorum and Sherwood were. are. whatever. And then there is Fast Eddie Rendell winning his second term as governor. The best Mayor Philly ever had, I’d love to see him in the Whitehouse. Ed Rendell kicks ass! Back when he was mayor, the Inquirer had a picture of him – fishbelly white in swim trunks – doing a cannonball into a public pool. One of many pools which had been closed for years due to the fecklessness of his predecessors, and which Ed opened because he has a habit of doing the right thing. He’s completely unelectable nationally because there’s too much shady stuff that many people would cringe over, but damn he’s a good man.
John Doolittle’s re-election in California was disappointing, but not surprising. He has one of the reddest districts in the country. Still, Doolittle was dragged down to less than 50% of the vote and Charlie Brown came within 7000 votes of taking him out. (The other votes went to a Libertarian candidate.) Brown may be well placed now to succeed Doolittle in the special election that will have to be called after Doolittle’s indictment on corruption charges and subsequent resignation. On the other hand, it’s a district tailor-made to elect Republicans. I don’t think the Democrats could have done much better than they did.
As much as I despise Doolittle (a perfectly named legislator), he was merely one more vote for bad things. Richard Pombo, on the other hand, was a font of bad ideas and anti-environmental policies. He and his district were ripe for a Democratic plucking and Pombo’s defeat is wonderful news for scientists and environmentalists everywhere.
I apologize if someone pointed this out and I missed it, but:
All the anti-gay ballot initiatives passed (mostly with wide margins) with the exception of Arizona. That is a resounding defeat for me and mine, and the continued downward spiral of GLBT equality across the nation.
Yeah, and how many of those new dem senators are conservative Christians? Me thinks that this “victory” is pyrric,
Methinks that, not only can’t you spell the term, but you haven’t the faintest idea what it means; this win did not come at a great cost.
I don’t think it’s a hollow victory at all.
A pyrrhic victory is not simply a hollow victory, it’s one that costs more in the getting than is gained. So this is certainly not a pyrrhic victory. And it’s not hollow either; one would have to be truly ignorant and intellectually inept to think so.
PZ, Don’t be silly. It will NOT rain ponies.
All the anti-gay ballot initiatives passed (mostly with wide margins) with the exception of Arizona. That is a resounding defeat for me and mine, and the continued downward spiral of GLBT equality across the nation.
Yes, this is a terrible thing. But it’s pretty much independent of the Dem sweep of congress, governorships, and state houses, contrary to the implication of Mr. Pseudo.
“Kill them all; for the Lord knoweth them that are His.”
(Arnaud-Amaury, Abbot of Citeaux, 1209, when asked by the Crusaders what to do with the citizens of Beziers who were a mixture of Catholics and Cathars) Wink …
Looking at the Bush presidency from abroad, one of the amazing things about it is how he managed to squander the enormous post-9/11 upwelling of international sympathy for America, antagonize potential allies in fighting terrorism and miss a tremendous opportunity to to really make the world, and his country, a safer place.
It will be interesting to see if the election results will lead to any change in tone in the dialogue with other countries. (If statements such as “You’re with the terrorists, or you’re with us” can actually be seen as anything close to “dialogue”…)
The rumors that Bolton will be replaced at the UN could be seen as a signal of that. Who could they put in instead? Would Colin Powell be possible, or do the Republicans see him as too soft and a “loser” in the internal fight with Cheney/Rumsfeld? He certainly earned respect in other countries in what seemed to be earnest attempts at keeping some level of sanity in the administration during the build-up to the Iraq mess…
Or will we instead see an increasingly isolationist, inward-looking US? Will we see new walls being erected, not just the physical one along the southern border, but also mental ones, where America doesn’t want to engage at all with others? Immigration clamp-down, protectionist trade policies?
That would indeed be a sad thing for both America and the world.
I think that the reason that what is, admittedly, an “80% failure rate” is being seen as a better, if not “good” thing, is that this was the first ballot initiative to fail anywhere, and the ones that passed did so by smaller margins than those in the past. Taking the long view, it could be said that the ballot initiatives are a tactic used to try to hold back a rising tide of support for GLBT equality (they weren’t proposed in the past, because no one seriously considered gay marriage a possibility) and, while mostly successful so far, narrowing margins are indicating that they may only be holding the line, not actually turning the tide, and, extrapolating this shift out, it may only be a matter of time before 80% of initiatives are failing, and 10% of counter-amendments are passing, and so forth.
I’m not saying this is true, or even that I understand the situation correctly, but this was the impression I’ve gotten from some casual reading.
“OK, this one might be a little splatty and meaty and not so nice, ”
Well, how about ponies falling on Shrub & Co? Heck, I’d be satisfied to have ponies pissing on them. :-)
All the anti-gay ballot initiatives passed (mostly with wide margins) with the exception of Arizona. That is a resounding defeat for me and mine, and the continued downward spiral of GLBT equality across the nation.
The thing about the Anti-Marriage initiatives (and the Death Penalty) is, this is where “little-r” republican structure (i.e., state’s rights) works to your advantage. A Texas ban means little to New Englanders, and can still be repealed later, by working within Texas. Federal actions would have taken the same national effort to repeal as to pass, so those would have represented a greater loss.
Or will we instead see an increasingly isolationist, inward-looking US?
Frankly, I suspect the rest of the world would be much happier to see us return to our isolationist roots! It would also force our efforts back toward conservation and alternative energy.
Actually blocking out the immigrants would also force us to clean our own house (so to speak ;-) ) on labor issues, and maybe on education. The current policies try to have it both ways: Let the cheap laborers “sneak” in, but deny them the protections of labor law and Constitutional rights. One good project for the Dems would be a general amnesty for illegal immigrants, coupled with a crackdown on their various abusive employers.
“Oh, John Marburger is … qualified to be any president’s science advisor…. what he doesn’t have a clue about is how he serves neither the president nor the country by mopping up after a dingwad like Bush.”
Well, Bush lost a lot of advisors and Cabinet members that way…. I guess this guy is just more persistent than most. Maybe the power shift will let Congress bully Bush into restoring the Office of Technology Assessment….
I’m not upset at all about the gay marriage fight. Come on Todd. Cheer up: look where we REALLY are.
-We now control the federal machinery to the point where a federal amendment or any other restriction is impossible. We may not have a pro-gay Congress, but we have a heck of a lot less anti-gay one
-New Jersey is getting civil unions or gay marriage pretty much no matter what
-Attempts to overturn gay marriage in Mass were beaten back yet again, and with a Dem governor and more Dems in the state house, it’s even less likely to ever go away
-Despite the support of John McCain, they couldn’t take Arizona, making it one of the first big amendment defeats.
-The amendments were a juggernaut of inevitability: most of the country just isn’t ready for gay marriage yet. However, so far, these amendments are do nothings: gay people already couldn’t marry. When the time comes, when New Jersey, Vermont, Mass, Cali, and CT all play out showing that gay marriage doesn’t destroy society, these amendments can be repealed in just the same way they were passed.
And heck, it looks like the amendments ended up backfiring in several states this time around. They got rid of GEORGE ALLEN for one thing. And crippled the Republicans in Wisconsin.
All those rethuglican staffers who are losing their jobs don’t have to become welfare queens. Here is an appropriate opening for them.
http://www.denverpost.com/watercooler/ci_4634741
“PATNA, India- One cash-strapped Indian city has launched a unique collection service to dislodge payment from tax deadbeats: Door-to-door eunuchs.
Eunuchs–a term used in India to describe transvestites, postoperative transsexuals and hermaphrodites–traditionally make a living on tips for dancing at weddings or for blessing newborns. They frequently refuse to leave until they are given money.
Patna, the capital of Bihar state in eastern India, hired scores of them Wednesday to compel shop owners to pay their back taxes.
“We are confident that their reputation and persuasive skills will come in handy for the municipal authorities to collect taxes from defaulters,” said Bharat Sharma, a revenue officer.”
Maybe even Ted Haggard can get a new job.
Good news from Germany. I’m so happy. Maybe I’ll get me a pygmy pony and raise me some dental floss.
Rumsfeld is going to be prosecuted by Germany.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1557842,00.html
Ooo! I wanna magic flying pony!
A MFP on top of Dems taking over and Rumsfeld stepping down and defeating both Pombo AND Santorum …
what’s the catch?
Oh, wait. The catch is that while the Democratic Party gained strength in numbers, much of the US is still largely anti-gay and pro-life. Hm. Well, any progress is better than none.
Ginger Yellow: Actually, I’ve been told by a friend of a friend interested in horses that the price of said creatures has fallen through the floor recently. Maybe PZ was right after all …