COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Good Riddance Madame Speaker


  • The Obama putsch is over.
  • Nancy Pelosi is back in coach.
  • Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer are there to remind everyone why they can't trust the Democrats.
  • Rand Paul is there to antagonize Harry Reid.
  • Sarah Palin will not become the GOP candidate.
  • The GOP significantly increased its hold on future U.S. House and Senate candidates.
  • At least 16 state legislatures moved from Democratic to Republican control.
  • Ten plus Democratic governors have been replaced by Republicans.
Not bad, not bad at all.

169 comments:

  1. Sarah Palin will not become the GOP candidate.


    heh, you didn't have to throw that in there!


    And, you might be wrong!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Murray and Rossi are listed now as tied.

    Alaska is unclear. There are military ballots too, that ought to go to Miller by a big margin.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And!--in a thoughtful move---

    Oklahoma bans Sharia, Muslims plan lawsuit. Will Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani be available to testify? "Voters ban judges from using international law," from Associated Press, November 2: OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma voters have approved a measure that would forbid judges from considering international law or Islamic law

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ms Angle got stomped.
    Ms O Donnell got stomped.
    Mr Miller got stomped.

    Rand Paul did some stomping.

    The GOP, up 59 seats in the House. Lose in Alaska.
    The Dems, down 6 in the Senate, for sure.

    The truth of Mrs Palin's political power and future as a National candidate, exampled there, in her homes State of Alaska.

    ReplyDelete
  5. More Muslim on Muslim violence, in Iraq.

    Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The toll from a series of explosions across Baghdad climbed to at least 64 dead and 360 wounded Wednesday, Iraq's health minister Saleh Mahdi told state television al-Iraqiya.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bob, she is not electable.

    You don't put someone in to pitch game seven of the World Series because you like them. There are those in the bull pen and on the bench that can win. The gal can't.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Palin's do well, as entertainers.

    The Press Association -

    Rick Fox earned his highest Dancing With the Stars scores this week, but it was not enough to stop the basketball star being bounced from the ballroom.


    Dancing With the Stars, where pulp popularity is more important than performance

    This week, the 20-year-old DWTS contestant, Bristol Palin, performed the Viennese Walt (influenced by Kelly Osbourne’s performance in Season 9) and received the lowest judges’ score of them all with 33 points.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rand Paul won, a family tradition.

    He is now the voice and face of the Tea party, in the United States.

    Climb on board, or go back to bed.

    Mrs Palin is an entertainer, a face on TV. She has left politics, going back to her original career choice, as a talking head on television.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sarah Palin may be able to be a great president but 50% plus one person have to believe it.

    The Democrats are stuck with a loser. I do not want to help him go a second term. I want him to go. IMHO she cannot make the numbers and is a bad risk.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The Tea Partier that won the GOP primary for the House seat in New York, with Mrs Palin's support, how'd he do?

    I cannot recall his name.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mr Paladino got stomped, there in New York.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Democrats are stuck with Harry Reid. That is a gift.

    He will help take down another half dozen Democratic senators the next time around, if the Republicans are smarter.

    ReplyDelete
  13. If the Dems are smarter, they'll switch old Harry out, for some new blood.

    Start fresh with a "new" face.

    But then, again, the Democrats are not famous for their smarts.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That Nevada election was dirty. it smells and will be investigated by the Republicans.

    Reid owns that. Reid is the Democratic face and that is a good thing. He will be unable to corral and Blanche Lincoln all the remaining Democrats.

    That won't happen.

    ReplyDelete
  15. If he cannot corral the Democrats, they may not vote him back, as the "Leader".

    Then, again, what other Democrat Senator would want that job?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Rubio for Veep!
    Christie/Rubio?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nikki Haley is smarter than Palin, doesn't scream like Palin and Hillary on the stump, and has no kids acting out like trailer trash.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Obama is wounded. He has been exposed. He can't teleprompt himself into something he is not. No styrofoam Parthenon will help him.

    Obama blew his political wad in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio. He singed his coattails and is damaged goods.

    Those Democratic senators, up for reelection will be looking to extend their careers another six years. Short of a Barack on the road to Damascus moment, they will not be betting on Barack Hussein Obama.

    ReplyDelete
  19. ...and California marches on mellowed and unbowed.

    ReplyDelete
  20. That was said of both Ronald Wilson Reagan and William Jefferson Clinton, Deuce, after Party losses in their first mid-term elections.

    It did not come to pass.

    Perhaps Obama will be the exception, perhaps not. There is a lot of power in the Presidency.

    One of the few DC offices where the occupant can really shape events.

    ReplyDelete
  21. California will be a demonstration project on the results of government by the servants of public employee unions.

    Boxer vows to remain the purest enviro, which no doubt means to continue to bankrupt the farmers by govt imposed drought.

    Jerry Brown's dad Pat is spinning in his grave:

    They didn't build the California Water Project to act out an environmental morality play.

    ReplyDelete
  22. ...California's mellow does not even require legal recreational marijuana use.

    ReplyDelete
  23. That would be an interesting ticket, doug.

    One that would be on the short list of teams that could take down Obama/Clinton.

    Rubio did surprisingly well, there in Florida.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Angle, ODonnell, Fiorina, and Whitman are indicators that victory depends on good candidates.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What was wrong with the Bearded One in Alaska?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Crist got stomped. Pelosi out. Hillary is on the other side of the world. It will be a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Christ a victim of prejudice against yellow white men.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Your man Perry kicked ass, Gag:

    Probly has something to do with 50 percent of new jobs in the nation being created in Texas!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Rangers sunk by the Bush Hex.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Funny, CBS News claims Mrs Palin emerges with even more political clout, while Right Pundits tells us that:

    Tea Party Costs GOP Senate as Sarah Palin’s Endorsements Fail

    The push of Tea Party candidates who were not vetted and clearly not ready for prime time, largely thanks to critical endorsements by Sarah Palin, has cost GOP control of the Senate in 2010. Below is a scorecard race by race.



    That the Lamestream Media is touting Mrs Palin's continued influence, that's the telling tale.

    More from "Right Pundits"

    So in the final analysis, I cannot identify a single Senate race that the GOP won because of the Tea Party except PA depending on how you score it retrospectively, but we can identify some they clearly lost. No question Nevada would be in the GOP column as would Delaware. That is +2 Senate seats the GOP should have won.

    And if either Buck (Colorado) or Rossi (Washington State) lose their close contests, at least one of which is probable, those are the 3rd and possibly 4th Senate seat that the Tea Party cost the GOP. That is Senate control tinkled away, and a ton of money down the drain in the process. Meanwhile we have a net loss of “conservative points” from Tea Party machinations, meaning that the Senate in total will be less conservative because of Tea Party involvement (and Sarah Palin endorsements) than it would have been without.

    ReplyDelete
  31. "clearly not ready for prime time"

    Ain't that the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Palin Emerges with Even More Clout

    From the Lamestream Media at CBS News

    "My observation of Sarah Palin," says CBS News political analyst Nicolle Wallace, "is that she is one of the shrewdest political figures in our country at this moment. She's also one of the most electric." .

    ReplyDelete
  33. ...hopefully the Tea Party will hold the Pubs accountable, tho, to whatever extent possible.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Palin is the MSM's dream candidate.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Right Pundits or CBS News?

    Who has the "correct" perspective?

    Who do you believe sees it from the "Right" side of the political spectrum?

    What's up when the Lamestream touts Mrs Palin's ascendancy and the boys in pajamas don't.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Shrewd and Electric.
    That sounds like a weiner.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Somebody on the Bennett show said Pub gains inside state govts greater than at national level.

    ...aside from California, of course.

    CA will become a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Federal Govt.

    ReplyDelete
  38. This should be worthy of exposure to daylight

    WASHINGTON -- Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac on Wednesday posted a narrower loss of $4.1 billon in the July-September quarter.

    The government-controlled mortgage buyer also asked for an additional $100 million in federal aid, substantially less than the $1.8 billion it sought in the second quarter.

    Freddie Mac's third-quarter loss attributable to common stockholders works out to $1.25 a share. It takes into account $1.6 billion in dividend payments to the government. It compares with a loss of $6.7 billion, or $2.06 a share, in the third quarter of 2009.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Beck says Americans will not be able to afford food:

    Beck is who Rufus would be if Rufus were a Mormon instead of an alternative energy activist.

    Stock up those food cellars!!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. (CBS) Most of the candidates Sarah Palin endorsed chalked up victories Tuesday.

    And that scorecard leaves pundits wondering whether she'll now train her sights directly on the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

    As CBS News Correspondent Jeff Glor reports, .the former GOP vice presidential nominee backed 43 candidates for the House. Thirty of them won, with races involving nine others still undecided.

    CBSNews.com Special Report: Campaign 2010

    Her record in Senate races was closer: She endorsed 12 candidates. Seven won.

    Though it's been 15 months since Palin stepped down as Alaska governor, she was very much in this election, stumping for candidates across the country, skewering President Obama at every turn.

    "My observation of Sarah Palin," says CBS News political analyst Nicolle Wallace, "is that she is one of the shrewdest political figures in our country at this moment. She's also one of the most electric."

    Of all the races Palin got involved with, perhaps the most personal was in her home state of Alaska. Her backing of Tea Party favorite Joe Miller propelled him to the ballot in a primary for Senate and past incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski, whose father Palin beat to become governor.

    Murkowski ran as a write-in candidate. The outcome of that highly unusual race could take days to determine.

    "When the results come in," says Politico National Political Editor Charles Mahtesian, "I think people will look at that and see that as a reflection of her clout, because she played such an enormous role in defining the terms of that race."

    Among the winners Palin endorsed: Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina, Pat Toomey for Senate in Pennsylvania, and John Boozman for Senate, in Arkansas.

    All year, Palin and re-elected Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina were kingmakers in the Tea Party court, supporting winning candidates such as Rand Paul for Senate in Kentucky.

    There were some losses, too. In Delaware, Tea Partier Christine O'Donnell was forced to spend part of her campaign convincing voters she wasn't a witch.

    But overall, Glor observes, Palin seemed very pleased, punctuating a big night by tweeting, "As always, proud to be American! Thanks, Commonsense Constitutional Conservatives, u didn't sit down & shut up... u 'refudiated" extreme left." '

    Asked on "Entertainment Tonight" last week whether she'd run for president, Plain said she would, if there's nobody esle to do it.

    And on "The early Show" Wednesday, DeMint was asked if he could see a Palin-DeMint or DeMint-Palin ticket in 2012.

    "I agree with her," DeMint responded. "I would only consider if no one else was willing to do it at this point. Sarah Palin's done a lot of good for the country. She's gone out front and taken a lot of the slings and arrows from the critics. When women or minorities get involved in politics as conservatives, they take a lot of hits from the press. And she's done a lot of good for the Republican Party, and for our country."

    ReplyDelete
  41. One could argue that Rand Paul, Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina, and Pat Toomey for Senate in Pennsylvania, only won because of Sarah Palin.


    :):):):)

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  42. I got to get some sleep.

    What an exciting night.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Real Homes of Genius – 1 out of 21 distressed properties show up on the MLS for Pasadena. Examining four foreclosures in the Pasadena housing market.

    Southern California housing is entering a special kind of rehab and not the kind seen on HGTV. There is still this lingering nostalgia from many that I have spoken to that somehow we are only a few months away from entering another glorious housing bull (bubble) market.

    Some are pointing to the almighty Federal Reserve and their manufactured attempt at Quantitative Easing.

    People forget that the Fed has already embarked on this and look how well that Midas touch turned out.

    What many fail to understand is that without real income growth there is little point in juicing up the banking market yet again. All this will do is prolong the misery and put the U.S. dollar at risk for further weakness which long-term is probably more distressing. Yet everything is different in the sunshine state and math doesn’t apply in Hollywood right? Well let us look at a few examples in Pasadena and see what is going on in the trenches.


    Pasadena home #1



    550 E ASHTABULA ST Pasadena, CA 91104

    Beds: 2

    Baths: 1

    Square feet: 964

    According to the ad, this is a “corporate owned” foreclosure.
    This home sold for $400,000 back in 2006.
    The current list price is $275,000.

    What will this sale do to future comps? It will certainly push prices lower.

    $400,000 for a place with bars on the window and 964 square feet of space may be a bit high?

    I wouldn’t be so quick to think that $275,000 is some kind of bargain.

    ReplyDelete
  44. 1687 N GARFIELD AVE Pasadena, CA 91104

    Beds: 2

    Baths:1

    Square feet: 940

    Here is another tiny place.

    This ad tells us that this place is a “charming Spanish style” home but at 940 square feet there is only so much charm you can have.

    This home was listed on 10/08/2010 and the current list price is $314,900.

    The home sold for a whopping $535,000 back in May of 2007 and this is for a home with 940 square feet of space.

    Just because of the Pasadena label and the toxic mortgage market did this even happen.

    But here we are in November of 2010 and this home will sell for a major price cut and bring comps down in the area.

    ReplyDelete
  45. .
    Shrewd and Electric.

    The electric part could refer to here shrill voice and lack of elocution.

    "Shrewed" is MSM speak for the ability to throw out non-specific soundbites along with corny jokes without blushing.

    Heck, if I had a reality show lifestyle and family, lacked the ability to be embarrassed, and could throw out deep concepts like mom and apple pie while using phrases like 'real patriots' and 'back to the constitution' in a voice that sounds like a character off of SNL or an old radio broadcast from WWII, I could probably convince a large group of yahoos that are currently out of work and hurting that I actually knew what I was talking about.

    She is an opportunist. Nothing wrong with that. The fact that she seems to be coming to believe her own schtick based on the MSM commentary is troubling.

    The fact that some guy out in Idaho would buy into it, telling.

    To assume that she was a major factor (i.e. had more influence than a Rick Santelli or Dick Armey) in influencing which "Tea Party' candidates won can be a case of post hoc ergo propter hoc. After all, wasn't it an octopus that picked all the World Cup winners this year. And there was the dog that picked most of the NCAA tournament winners.

    .
    .

    ReplyDelete
  46. .
    One could argue that Rand Paul, Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina, and Pat Toomey for Senate in Pennsylvania, only won because of Sarah Palin...

    But only a nitwit would.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  47. Comment by socalappraiser:

    I used to love when the used house loan agent would send me a stip to “show photos of windows without bars”

    For my $150 fee I would drive back out to the property, take a photo fo the home showing no windows……and before I finished the rear photo they were putting them back on the front.

    Besides communicating that fact to the used house loan agent via email (with read receipt)

    I began to time and date the photos in the report.

    Scumbags 97% of them, appologies to the other 3% that did not bankrupt the system.

    ReplyDelete
  48. A bit harsh Quirk:

    Are you sure Bob has access to a freezing stream to cool his jets?

    ...er, balls.

    ReplyDelete
  49. "The fact that some guy out in Idaho would buy into it, telling."

    :-}

    ReplyDelete
  50. .
    Are you sure Bob has access to a freezing stream to cool his jets?

    Who said anything about Bob?


    :)


    .

    ReplyDelete
  51. Sorry,
    I meant some annonymous guy out in Idaho.

    ReplyDelete
  52. It was an exciting night for an annonymous guy in Idahoe.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Miracle baby falls from balcony and into doctor's arms

    An 18-month-old boy has survived after falling seven floors from a Paris apartment and bouncing off a cafe awning and into the arms of a passerby. "My son saw a little boy on a balcony. He had gone right outside the railing... I said to myself I mustn't miss him," local doctor Philippe Bensignor, told AFP.

    "I had time to move from side to side to get in the right position," the doctor said. "The little boy was fine. He cried a little bit but calmed down straight away."

    The incident took place at the intersection of Cours de Vincennes and Rue des Pyrenees, in Paris's 20th arrondissement, on Monday.

    It was a public holiday in France, and the awning ought to have been retracted.

    "We were closed but the mechanical device for closing the awning wasn't working," said a barman at the cafe. "It's a real miracle."

    An official investigating the incident said the boy and his three-year-old sister had been left alone in the apartment, in northern Paris, by their parents.

    The pair, who had reportedly gone for a walk, were taken into custody.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Miracle baby doomed by moron parents.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Beck has long ago succumbed to an occlusion of misfiring and backfiring synapse connections.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Tiger Hawk says:

    My own reaction is that this is a rebuke to the Democrats, not an affirmation of the Republicans. Beyond that, I am actually glad that the GOP did not secure notional control of the Senate, because it will make it that much more difficult for President Obama to blame the Republicans for the no doubt still sluggish economy in 2012. And, anyway, I am a fan of divided government. The lesson of my lifetime is that Washington gets exponentially more asinine if one party controls all three of the House, the Senate, and the White House.

    As a right-of-center blogger, I am also at least a little relieved that the Tea Party's goofier candidates -- Paladino in New York, McMahon in Connecticut, O'Donnell in Delaware, and Angle in Nevada -- all lost. I was not looking forward to spending the next two years explaining how their every gaffe was really literally true or not moronic in some technical sense. Like it or not, in today's world public leaders of any sort -- including high profile corporate executives, university presidents, the managers of NGOs, and of course candidates for office -- require a measure of professionalism. The right would do well to groom and nominate their candidates even at the cost of some authenticity.

    ReplyDelete
  57. I just noticed I am listed as a regular. Wow.....I hate being predictable.

    ReplyDelete
  58. putsch noun \ˈpu̇ch\

    Definition of PUTSCH

    : a secretly plotted and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government

    German origin (1920)

    ...Right...

    ReplyDelete
  59. I'm glad it's over. I'm "electioned" out.

    All I can say is, "Thanks for Playing."


    To the winners I might add, "Be careful what you pray for."

    ReplyDelete
  60. That and baseball. Now back to your regular programing.

    ReplyDelete
  61. They love the word "putsch" over at the Huffington Post. They were always talking about the George Bush Putsch, admittedly more poetic than the Obama Putsch. I guess I should start using emoticons.☺☺☺

    ReplyDelete
  62. As for Joe "Total Dik" Miller: He really was a horrible candidate.

    The fact is the asshole is just unlikeable. Then he got exposed as just another hypocrite for accepting, and trying to hide, the same subsidies that he railed against.

    He, Fiorino, Whitman, and Rossi denied Palin all the way after the Primaries. He finally came whimpering back with 3 days to go.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Speaking of whimpering, Obama all but did that in his "concession" speech today.

    ReplyDelete
  64. The guy that beat Feingold was inspired to run (first attempt at public office in his life) by the Tea Party.

    Rubio was "Made" by the Tea Party. He would have never won the nomination against Crist w/o Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party.

    They nominated some dingbats, quickly, and without vetting; but the fact is, none of this wave would have been possible w/o them.

    A huge story is how many State Legislatures the Pubs/TP's flipped.

    The Enormously-funded Dem Senators were able to "personalize" their races, but the more cash-strapped Dem "House" incumbents were "Dead to the Wave." An interesting election, overall.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Yeah, I'm ready for some Football for God's sake.

    ReplyDelete
  66. .
    Rubio was "Made" by the Tea Party. He would have never won the nomination against Crist w/o Sarah Palin, and the Tea Party...

    Tea Party maybe. Don't know.

    As I recall though, Palin came to the Rubio party late, only after he had already started his big push to the front.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  67. Rubio beat Crist because Crist lacks vertibrae. Have you heard him speak. Will not give a straight answer and will not voice an opinion on anything.

    The consumate political fence sitter.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Meanwhile, oil is flirting with $85.00/barrel, again. EIA reported a total draw (oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, propane, etc.) of 5 Million Barrels this week.

    Brings the drawdown, IIRC, for the last month to around 15 Million Barrels (remember, no floating storage for back-up, now.)

    I'm not saying it's "skyrocketing" from here, but we have probably entered a new trading range - $80.00 to $90.00/barrel.

    ReplyDelete
  69. There are going to be some flakey inventory numbers for the next month or so due to the Strikes at the Refineries, and Ports in France. Product, and oil being shipped back and forth to keep the citroens runnin.

    But, we will, almost definitely, end it with considerably less petroleum in stock than we had when it started.

    ReplyDelete
  70. I still think oil will be in the $95.00 to $100.00 range in the Spring, and that we will be looking at $3.25 gasoline by then.

    ReplyDelete
  71. .
    Rubio is also Cuban in a state where the Cubans have a lot of influence.

    Whit ought to be able to comment why Florida went for Rubio.

    Here in MI, Snyder a businessman and outsider won by a huge margin without any overt Tea Party help.

    The attached map shows how big the GOP victory was in MI. The last election, the state went big time for Obama and the Dems.

    GOP Win

    It was jobs and the economy.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  72. Less than truckload (my industry) Fuel Surcharges are now in the 21% range. That is, a 21% mark up over and above the price of moving a shipment from A to B. it is based on a sliding scale accepted by the industry. It is a line item accessorial on every freight bill. Everyone pays.

    ReplyDelete
  73. What happened with Keith Ellison in MINN. Does anyone know?

    ReplyDelete
  74. Keith Ellison, Barrack H's Poster Boy in 2112.

    ReplyDelete
  75. That baby doll looks "road ready," to me.

    ReplyDelete
  76. "They nominated some dingbats, quickly, and without vetting; but the fact is, none of this wave would have been possible w/o them. "

    Even Rufus is right from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  77. ...and she IS road ready.

    Ride On, Dreamers!

    ReplyDelete
  78. "Speaking of whimpering, Obama all but did that in his "concession" speech today."

    We should tell the young lad all will be forgiven if he fires Holder and prosecutes the New Black Panthers.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Fed Will Buy $600 Billion in Debt, Hoping to Spur Growth

    WASHINGTON — The Fed’s decision was an effort to spur economic growth by lowering long-term interest rates.
    Interactive Timeline: The Activist Fed
    Wall Street Closes Higher

    Japan Inc.
    Plus the addition of a shitload of red ink to Red China.

    ReplyDelete
  80. 19 State Legislatures went from Blue to Red.

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  81. Schumer pissed because Harry is still around and Chuckie cannot be leader.

    Harry our poster boy in 2012

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  82. Wonder how she would be able to speak if someone chopped off her right arm?

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  83. Rubio was going to win with or without Sara Palin.

    He already had statewide name recognition, is a phenomenal uplifting speaker along Reagan lines, and let's face it he ran against Charlie Crist.

    From his website:
    From 2000-2008, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives. During this period, he served as Majority Whip, Majority Leader and Speaker of the House, effectively promoting an agenda of lower taxes, better schools, a leaner and more efficient government and free market empowerment

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  84. I thought it was interesting that the networks called the race for Sestak last night.

    Also, they called for Murkowski. I don't believe that's a done deal.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Then again, she probably gives wicked hand jobs.

    ReplyDelete
  86. The Democrats lost the House seat in my district (a blue island in a sea of red) for the first time in my memory. My Congressman first said he wouldn't vote for Obamacare then reversed himself and did it. That cost him a seat which he has held since the mid '90's.

    Needless to say I am happy with the results but there's a lot of toil, sweat and tears ahead for the country.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Do turned out Congressmen qualify for unemployment compensation?

    ReplyDelete
  88. The old blue dog Democrat was defeated by first time politician. A funeral director.

    That's a Tea Party victory.

    ReplyDelete
  89. 'Beaten by a funeral director'

    That's some scary symbolism.

    ReplyDelete
  90. Damn, looks like Patti Murray is going to squeak through.

    Again.

    ReplyDelete
  91. They cheat in Washington.

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  92. Obama says that he is willing to compromise on economic measures.

    I guess so. Two years from now, it will be all about jobs, jobs, jobs.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Many Republicans campaigned by calling for repeal of the health care legislation Obama won from Congress, but the president said repeal was a nonstarter.

    ...

    "There are going to be some examples of where we can tweak and make progress," he said. "But I don't think if you ask the American people, `should we stop trying to close the doughnut hole that helps seniors get prescription drugs, should we go back to where people with pre-existing conditions can't get health insurance' …

    I don't think you'd have a strong vote from people saying, `Those are provisions I want to eliminate.' "


    Election 'Shellacking'

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  94. TRAIN delays can be frustrating, but nobody could have predicted a stowaway cat going Chuck Norris on the driver.

    ...

    "It's very unusual indeed, in fact when I spoke to the train manager after his hand had been bandaged up, he said he had been working in trains for four decades and it was first time he has been attacked by a cat," KiwiRail marketing and communications manager Nigel Parry said.


    Driver Attacked

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  95. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  96. Geeze Louise:

    Kamala D. Harris (Dem) San Fran is new AG in CA
    ...rejected by San Fran Police Dept.

    Against Steve Cooley, a very fine GOP candidate backed by virtually all police departments.

    Gavin Newsom Lt Governor !

    Examples of what negative coatails at the head of the ticket (Whitman - Fiorina)
    can wreak.

    ...like Pelosi, Obama, and Reid!

    ReplyDelete
  97. (not to imply that Whitman - Fiorina are in the same class in the basement broom closet!)

    ReplyDelete
  98. Moonbeam on Drugs or the Sauce for victory speech.
    …reminding us that he now sports a token wife.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Congratulations fellows.

    Yes, the cream rises to the top but so does the scum.

    Let's just hope we have it right this time. I'll believe it when I see it and not one minutes sooner.

    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  100. Movie review by bob----

    Spielberg/Eastwood produced and directed "Hereafter"

    Matt Damon and some fancy lady


    French men oozing sexuality for the ladies.

    Three main golden threads of destiny wending their way to a Happy Ending. (I like happy endings)

    Big tsuanmi.
    Our heroine barely lives after drowning. Has vision. NDE.

    Changes her outlook.


    Traffic accident. Our little hero loses his older twin.

    Man with psychic gift (curse) finally gets rid of curse via our heroine.

    She makes her breakthrough in understanding her experience up in the Alps (nearly as good as our Idaho mountains).

    Rapidly finds no one else much gives a shit.

    All true to life, and death, and love, and destiny.

    There you go, not a false moment in it. Excellently done.

    Get your asses off the bar stools and go she "Hereafter".

    Even your cleaning lady might like it.

    My wife nearly went boo-hoo boo-hoo, sniff sniff.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Go see that movie Melody, if I may make a recommendation.

    Casino time.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Even our little hero's drug addicted mother finally makes it in the end.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Hopeless.

    Simply Hopeless.

    So Grateful I didn't major in "English"

    What an outrage against the finest language yet!

    ReplyDelete
  104. I don't think I need to see it now, bob.

    ReplyDelete
  105. Non-manufacturing ISM, and Factory Orders up nicely, today. Car sales were good. We'll probably see a little improvement in the unemployment claims in the morning.

    The economy IS slowly coming back. A bit.

    Economic reports

    ReplyDelete
  106. Great link, rufus. Thanks. Lots of good info there. I bookmarked it.

    Crude stocks on the rise.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Hereafter got shitty reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. 49%

    ReplyDelete
  108. But, Very Large "Drawdowns" in Gasoline, Distillates (diesel fuel,) Jet Fuel, and Propane, Sam.

    In Total Petroleum, and Petroleum Products DOWN 5.5 Million Barrels

    ReplyDelete
  109. I think that, with the Refineries in France being shut down, we're accepting more "Crude" over here, but sending more of the "refined products" over there.

    ReplyDelete
  110. "The economy IS slowly coming back. A bit"


    Well, isn't that just kick-you-in-the-crotch, spit-on-your-neck fantastic.

    Efficiency that's what I'm talking about.

    ;)

    ReplyDelete
  111. Interestingly, when it was time to bring the remaining 60 or 70 Million Barrels of Crude "onshore" it all came to the U.S. None, or at least very little, went to Europe. Maybe they don't have the storage facilities; I don't know.

    Makes for "interesting" analysis.

    ReplyDelete
  112. Actually, it wasn't just crude. There was a lot of "clean" products (gasoline, diesel, etc.)

    ReplyDelete
  113. I found this interesting from your report, rufus:

    Over the last four weeks, motor gasoline demand has averaged 9.0 million barrels per day, unchanged from the same period last year.

    Are we seeing a plateau in consumer consumption?

    ReplyDelete
  114. Or, is it just the stagnant economy and when it starts rolling again that 'gasoline demand' will start ticking up again.

    I'd like to think consumers are changing their driving habits and buying more efficient vehicles.

    Hey, maybe it gels with your find of car sales up a bit? More fuel-efficient car sales?

    ReplyDelete
  115. Damn them, they took my Nordic Quest away. Without my Valkyrie ladies I'm not going back.

    Rotten Tomatoes probably written by a bunch of kids.

    Without a little shoot em up, probably thought it was boring.

    Kids today!

    Raised on video games.

    Was a good movie.

    ReplyDelete
  116. We're takin it for what it's worth, Bob.

    ReplyDelete
  117. Rufie the Rose Colored is Back!

    Bouyed by a Stock Market Built on the Same Foundation as the Real Estate Bubble:

    The US Government

    ReplyDelete
  118. Bookmark this page.
    Another monumental miscall by Rufie!

    ReplyDelete
  119. The pubs aren't going to get much done, not with dumbo sitting in the White House. They can get tough on spending, and defund the idiocy of Obamacare.

    They ought to send thoughtful bills over to the Senate, see what happens. If they get to dumbo let him veto them. Send them back again, etc make him look the arse he really is. Rinse and repeat.

    But just don't sit there waiting for the next election.

    ReplyDelete
  120. Watched 'Taxi to the Dark Side' last night. That was fairly depressing.

    ReplyDelete
  121. Sam, I think it's a little bit of "all of the above." Plus, we've brought quite a bit of ethanol online in the last year.

    IIRC, slightly more than fifty percent of miles are driven in cars six years old, and newer. So, a year of bringing more fuel efficient cars into the fleet does make a difference. Not a "huge" difference, but a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  122. I'm trying to cheer you up Doug. The effort is all for you.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Were you born "slow," Doug, or do you just work really hard at it?

    I'll stay with my prediction that we'll likely be back in recession by the fall of 2012, but that doesn't mean we can't be seeing an "uptick," now.

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  124. See there, Sam. You are what you watch. You're just watching the wrong stuff. My effort is all for you.

    Thing about this movie was, there was really nothing fantastic about it at all. Very congruent with all I know the subject. Except the psychic stuff, I pass on that. But that was interesting too.

    The three golden threads of destiny---life does work like that sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  125. I thought we were in a recession right now.

    The beggars are at Wal-Mart big time.

    It's sad.

    ReplyDelete
  126. And, yes, Dougie-poo, the Unemployment "Rate" will probably notch Up to 9.7%, or so, on Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  127. The three movie trailers we had to sit through first--one was about the Catholic church and exorcism, looked totally idiotic, another Harry Potter movie, idiotic, the third I can't recall, but same kind of special effects freak you out, scare you up stuff.

    This was quiet, believable, well acted, realistic, well done.

    That's my review.

    Go ten minutes late, you'll miss all the previews.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Bob, what an "economist" calls a "recession," and what you, and I call a recession are, pretty often, two different things.

    We call it a recession when the unemployment rate is 9.5, trying to get to 10.

    When the government borrows money from China, gives it to us in "extended" jobless claims, and we take that money and go buy something made by the machine that took our jobs, the "Economist" calls it "Recovery."

    We call it "misery."

    ReplyDelete
  129. My prediction was Hillary would jump ship when it started to sink. We'll see if I was right.

    The ship USS Obama is definitely sinking. And in only two years, too.

    It's a beauty to behold.

    ReplyDelete
  130. I see.

    I like our definition better.

    I can see that with my own two eyes.

    By the way, there was something interesting here the other day. A big trade delegation from--where, bob, where--France maybe, came to look over our jet boat products. We make some great jet boats here. I think they put in a big order too.

    Also Schweitzer Engineering Labs out of Pullman announced a hundred new jobs at their place here.

    And the universities are booming. That's why the main topic in our election wasn't the economy, but Obamacare.

    ReplyDelete
  131. "That's why the main topic in our election wasn't the economy, but Obamacare."

    ---

    Quirk's ill thought out put down of Doug notwithstanding:

    OBAMACARE WAS HUGE

    An intimate matter of life and death, shoved down our throats with malice aforethought.

    Guaranteed to bankrupt everything.

    Romneycare was 7 pages.

    Rufie/Obamacare THREE THOUSAND.

    ReplyDelete
  132. Romneycare also a classic experiment by a state in an excercise in Federalism teaching the rest of us why we don't want it.

    NOT FEDERALIZED SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!

    (you stupid fuck, Rufus!)

    ReplyDelete
  133. I'll stay with my prediction that we'll likely be back in recession by the fall of 2012, but that doesn't mean we can't be seeing an "uptick," now.

    ---
    OK,
    That's better:
    Can't be wrong all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I think Obamacare has features that are unconstitutional anyway. Whether the f-ing courts agree, or not.

    Yeah, it was HUGE.

    I'm going in for some major tests and stuff soon. I suppose under Obamacare I'd have to stand in line, after getting 'permission'.

    Should be the pubs first priority.

    ReplyDelete
  135. I'm reeling from some major medical news from my sister and my wife.

    Had I not had such amazing care under our present system, it would be that much more unpleasant to contemplate.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Rufie thinks when you let every illegal with 12 kids in for free to check on their colds, that won't diminish care for those that pay.

    Proving my contention that it is Rufie's "mind" that is diminished.

    ReplyDelete
  137. There's a video out there of one of Obama's guys explaining to a group of students, basically---"Yeah, it costs too much, we'll just let them die."

    Can't recall the guys name, but I've watched it, it's real.

    ReplyDelete
  138. The roots of eugenics run deep on the left.

    ReplyDelete
  139. ...as our socialized immigration and welfare systems practice negative eugenics, in fact.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Only the worst is good enough.
    Thank you, Teddy Kennedy.
    Forget about resting in peace, fucker!

    ReplyDelete
  141. Have you seen that video Doug? Does it ring a bell?

    I'd like to find it and post it, but don't know where to look.

    ReplyDelete
  142. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative John Boehner, expected to be named the next speaker of the House of Representatives, vowed on Wednesday to repeal health care reforms pushed into law by the Obama administration.

    "I believe that the healthcare bill that was enacted by the current Congress will kill jobs in America, ruin the best healthcare system in the world, and bankrupt our country," Boehner, an Ohio Republican, told a news conference. "That means we have to do everything we can to try to repeal this bill and replace it with common sense reforms to bring down the cost of health care.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Regulation ranked high among this year’s election issues, and new data on what it’s costing Americans certainly justify voters’ concern. In fiscal year 2010, the federal government adopted 43 major rules that will cost Americans a whopping $26.5 billion annually — the highest amount on record and more than the GDP of some 90 countries.

    ...

    The regulations unleashed during the past year affect every segment of American life. Fifteen involve financial regulation.

    ...

    Mandated quotas for renewable fuels, costing almost $8 billion a year for the next 15 years. By diverting crop production to fuels and away from food, EPA predicts the rule could increase food costs.


    Flood of Regulation

    ReplyDelete
  144. :):):)


    GOP likely to urge Obama officials not to shred documents

    By Jordy Yager and Bob Cusack - 11/03/10 10:32 AM ET

    Republicans are likely to urge the Obama administration not to shred documents as they transition to the House majority. 



    Before the election, GOP officials on Capitol Hill privately discussed the issue but refrained from publicly tackling it, not wanting to assume what would happen on Election Day.

 Now that Republicans will control the House, the shredding matter will move front and center. 



    No one is accusing the Obama administration of destroying documents, but Republicans are expected to try to ensure that all records — on a range of issues — are kept intact.



    Darrell West, a political scientist and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, said Republicans likely will formally ask the administration not to shred or delete any relevant documents that could be requested in a congressional probe.



    “That’ll happen right away, because they want to make sure that the documentary record is preserved so that they have something to investigate,” said West.



    Armed with the House majority, Republicans next year will enjoy subpoena power — something they have not had in four years.

    ReplyDelete
  145. .
    I think you are talking about Ezekial Emanual (aka Dr. Death)Bobbo.

    Who is on the Council? One of its most prominent members is none other than Dr. Death himself Ezekiel Emanuel. Dr. Emanuel's views on care of the elderly should frighten anyone who is or ever plans on being old. He explains the logic behind his discriminatory views on elderly care as follows:


    Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years.


    On average 25-year-olds require very few medical services. If they are to get the lion's share of the treatment, then those 65 and over can expect very little care. Dr. Emanuel's views on saving money on medical care are simple: don't provide any medical care. The loosely worded provisions in H.R 1 give him and his Council increasing power to push such recommendations.


    Similarly hazy language will no doubt be used in the health care bill. What may pass as a 1,000 page health care law will explode into perhaps many thousands of pages of regulatory codes. The deliberate vagueness will give regulators tremendous leverage to interpret its provisions. Thus Obama's Regulatory Czar Cass Sunstein will play a major role in defining the government's role in controlling medical care...


    Death Panels

    .

    ReplyDelete
  146. Doug, you don't have a clue.

    ReplyDelete
  147. This is not a blueprint for rational discussion. As we've seen over the course of the past few months in the debates over health care, rationality has left the building.

    ...

    Fox News has a right to be part of the national debate. It has the right to inject opinion into its news programs.

    But when your news channel actively promotes anti-American ideas and movements and gives a platform to people who think it's more important for Obama to fail than for America to succeed, you have forfeited the right to call your programming "fair and balanced."


    Fatheads Over Fact

    ReplyDelete
  148. That may be the guy alright. Video shows this man talking to a group of college students. I'll try to look around for it tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  149. heh, perfect description of the left there Sam

    I got to catch some winks.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Very rude of me to disappear like that, Bob.
    ...probly smelled Quirk coming or something.
    (seeing that take place is worse by far, believe you me.)

    ---

    "Have you seen that video Doug? Does it ring a bell?"

    Not that specific one, but sounds like crap that emanated from some of his despicable compadres.

    ReplyDelete
  151. I was thinking "Cass Sunstein" before reading that comment by you know who.

    ReplyDelete
  152. rufus said...

    "Doug, you don't have a clue."

    ---

    Man, that was a devasting critique/retort, wasn't it football fans?

    ReplyDelete
  153. Briming with substance, it was.

    ReplyDelete
  154. It was not Obamacare, the skunked the Democrats, any more than it was Medicare Drug Benefits that wiped out the GOP in 2008.

    It was not the deficit, either, or Reagan would never have been re-elected.

    It was, and will be, the state of the economy that drove the opposition of the incumbents to victory. Both in the Democrats landslide victory of 2008 and the return to Republican balance, in 2010.

    If Boehner and the GOP spend the next year attempting to repeal Obamacare, then they will come a crapper in 2012.

    It is going to be interesting to watch, we'll be back to normal, with the GOP holding one branch of the government.

    We'll all get to see what their funding priorities are, since spending legislation starts in the House. Watch the deals and trading, to get their particular priorities and earmarks through the system.

    Will Boehner and the GOP do a reprise Newt in '94, and shut down the Federal Government?

    That played out very well, for Mr Clinton.

    ReplyDelete
  155. 'Rat's got the MSM programing nailed down tite.

    ...just like he did when he said states like AZ, NM, and Colorado were turning permanently blue after the last election.

    We now know how long that lasted.

    ReplyDelete
  156. ...and all the rest of you fuckers did a few days ago when you said electing GOP/Teaparty candidates would make no difference.

    I'd rather go completely bust later, rather than sooner, thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  157. (even tho 'Rat knows he's on safe territory predicting the eventual demise of this once great nation)

    Here's another one:
    I predict the sun will burn out.

    ReplyDelete