Recent Election Results

[mwruckman]

I agree minorities and the young sat this one out in New Jersey and Virginia and I feel it was the candidates Jon Corzine and Criegh Deeds. Deeds came across in his voice and manorisms as Blue Ridge boy otherwise known as a Cracker or Redneck. That fell flat in the African-American community and Northern Virginia. In Virginia in 2008 90% of black voters voted and nearly all for Obama in 2009 only 10% of the black vote showed up to cast a ballot that alone might have closed the gap for Deeds. He also failed to capture Fairfax county which a lot of Virginians feel is Yankee country since it is the bedroom for the people who run the Federal government and is more like New Jersey than the South. New Jersey tipped on economics, not jobs but property taxes which many states increasingly rely on to fund education and basic services like police. In a state were $300,000 houses are not uncommon and property taxes are between 5,000-10,000 per year do get your attention. Corzine had the choice of making genuine cuts in public education and police to hold or reduce property taxes. Corzine chose to raise taxes and keep the services fully funded. Corzine is a rich man and a former CEO of Goldman-Sachs so he has an image problem in a state filled with former Wall Street paper pushers who were laid off by Jon's sucessors at places like Goldman-Sachs.
Corzine wasn't the only rich guy in the New York area who had trouble tuesday night. Mike Bloomberg who spent 99 million dollars to be re-elected nearly got knocked off by a Democratic candidate who only had a million dollars to spend on his campaign. NYC has 4 million registered voters of whom only 20% showed up to vote and Bloomberg's margin of victory was 40,000. Bloomberg still has his day job as Chairman of his multibillion dollar company that bars his name.

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by padcrasher

If you are so concered about big corporate money influencing government please explain why the Insurance industry and drug companies are donating millions to the GOP and Conservative Blue Dog Dems to defeat health care?

The fact of the matter is that both parties are influenced by money, but the GOP much more so. They openly advocate for corporate policies that hurt middle class tax payers.

That may be true now, but before the 2008 elections, the bulk of their donations went to DEMOCRATIC candidates. There was an op/ed piece about it last year that I remember sharing to prove that the "more things CHANGE, the more they remain the same."
The insurance company's saw the writing on the wall and put their money where they could influence the outcome.
Looks like it is working for them. A bit.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by goldengrain

The recent election results reflect, in my opinion, the disappointment of the Obama base with his performance.

Three main issues that he campaigned on: economy/jobs, national health care, global warming.

He appointed the same people to fix the economy as who ruined it in the first place. He caved to the mega corporations. There is no new legislation similar to Glass-Steagal put in place to prevent further such disasters. There is no limitation put on industry when it becomes 'to big to fail'. People are still losing jobs and no new jobs have been created. People are still losing their homes.

He recognized, during campaigning, the runaway medical costs and the healthcare caused bankruptcies in the middle class of people who have both employment and insurance. He said the entire system needed to be overhauled to protect ALL citizens and to curb runaway costs. The plans now before Congress do neither and Obama sits on his duff and does nothing.

Can we expect any better in the way he tackles the environmental problems? I think not.

The people who worked so valiantly to get this clown into office are now seeing it it just business as usual with him. It's nice that America, in the light of our history, has elected a black President, but I thought the 'change we can believe in' went deeper than skin color. I thought the guy had ideas and conviction and would do the risky thing because he knew it was right.

He is compromising this country down the tubes.

I'm glad that the Democrats did poorly in the recent elections. Maybe someone over there in Washington will wake up, take the hint. I think he will be a one term President. I also think Hillary has more nerve than he and would have shown positive results by now.

I don't know about Hillary, but you could be right. It was pointed out, on McLaughlin, last night that many minorities only went to the polls in 2008 to vote for a black, same with many younger people. Even with Obama's endorsement blacks didn't care about these elections because a black wasn't running. God, I have to see things like this.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by CityPerson09

One of the things this cycle of elections shows is that the enthusiastic base which was active in 2008 is much harder to activate in off-year elections.

Not only off year, but the candidates made a difference. I think it shows who takes voting seriously and who will vote only if there is something to prove..

Nita

[goldengrain]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Not only off year, but the candidates made a difference. I think it shows who takes voting seriously and who will vote only if there is something to prove..

Nita

I think those who voted for Obama thought it was the start of a new era and were young and naive and really wanted change - instead they are finding it is politics as usual and to see Obama out there endorsing some old hacks does not do it for them.