Nov.3rd

[dexfarkin]

Well, I was right about one thing. Who ever takes two out of the three swing states of Pennsylvannia, Ohio and Florida wins that election. None of the pinkish mid-west and west states broke to Kerry, but Wisconsin went back to blue, also unexpected. Ohio is still the big surprise for me. With a vastly organized get out the vote movement going on and a strongly engaged democrat engine, it still failed to turn in the required numbers.

According to reports, there's still anywhere from 175,000 to 250,000 provisional and absentee votes to be counted there, in highly Democrat areas. Theoretically, if 80% of those votes are Kerry votes, Ohio could still break blue, but that's about as likely as an honest Florida vote count.

The senate is where I'm amazed. Daschle is out, Castor, Knowles and Bowles have lost... the Republicans added about three seats to their majority in the senate, and up until last night, it still seemed the momentum was breaking Democrat. Either a last minute red groundswell or an unheard of 2:1 break in undecideds for the GOP.

Four Supreme Court members, a rubbersamp House, and likely Condi Rice as the new SecState. God help you America, because you've just slammed the doors on the rest of the world.

Edit: So, in 2008, do you see Clinton in the primaries or waiting until 2012? Clinton/Obama maybe? The Southern states are gone anyway, and it might play in middle America. Something to think on.

Comments

[moonandserpent.livejournal.com]

Even if a recout (or a provisional count or an absentee count) showed Kerry to be the winner, it no longer matters as he just dropped out.

[npkedit.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think running Clinton is just the sort of mistake the Democrats made with Kerry. The Republicans may have been able to get out their base electorate, but they also got people who might have voted for a more centrist Democrat (like yours truly).

If Kerry was a liberal, then Clinton is Jezebel incarnate to even the moderate Republican electorate (who, I think, got the short end of the stick with Bush's overwhelming popular vote because my party will probably move even more to the right). The fact that left-wing carpetbagger is even my senator still rankles.

[kkglinka.livejournal.com]

Well, it depends on which Clinton, really. If this "not a war, no honest, it's not" drags on, we might have a real shakeup in 2008, in which case a risky candidate would be just swell. If, on the other hand, the current admin quietly and systematically backs out of the middle east, then the republicans will maintain control.

What concerns me (more than pharamacies being allowed to spit on my prescriptions) is all the military newspapers I've delivered over the past year. Every one of them keeps saying, "We're not getting enough recruits, numbers are dropping." Mentally, I combine that with the local papers that have articles like, "Retired Army Reservist, Grandfather, sent to Iraq". There's already been a quiet (partial) lift on the ban against women in front line combat.

Something's gotta give and it won't be pretty.

I've understood for a while that the social security tax I'm paying today won't support me in the future. The medicaid tax I'm paying won't cover the medicines I'll need when I'm aged. I really don't mind paying taxes if I'm getting welfare in return, but it doesn't like I will, and sure as hell won't if I'm the wrong creed.

Even though, as an immigrant, I know that this country remains far more free and equal than most people here appreciate, it still makes me a bit leery.