The OFFICIAL United States Presidential Election Thread! IV

[rah]

Originally posted by Thucydides
How else can you explain how someone of such incompetence who has nothing positive to contribute to the US be re-elected?

It's easy. Because the competition was perceived as worse. What's so hard to understand about that?
It's the ultimate insult to Kerry.
Instead of making fun of REPUBS for being stupid, you should be making fun of Democrats that thought Kerry was presidential material and voted him to be their candidate.
I would have voted for the Democrat if it had been even a decent candidate. But Kerry, I wouldn't trust him to set policy for walking my dog. And that's why he lost. Too many repubs that didn't really want to vote for bush felt the same way. So the Democrats have to carry the burden also.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Kaak
why is it that they still haven't called iowa?!?!

Like my state matters at this point??

[Ben Kenobi]

Bush had worse platforms on all policy issues except the Conservative Christian ones.

That's an awfully large but.

Swings many voters his way.

[Jac de Molay]

Originally posted by Thucydides
Anyway, everything that Bush has owned has been run into the ground.

Quite right, and the small solace I have right now is that, unlike Arbusto/Harken/Texas/Etc. the buck really stops with him this time.

The country has survived worse, and it will be only a matter of time before the majority will wake up one day, and realize they voted for the most power-grubbing, secretive administration in the nation's history, who make the Nixon cabal look like choirboys.

When their sons are sent off to fight and die in another pointless war, and their civil liberties and constitutional rights are eroded into pulp, they'll snap back to reality and question if it was really about "values" after all.

[Ben Kenobi]

It seems that voter turnout in New York and California was depressed. According to some conservative talking head I heard on NPR this morning, had they voted normally, Kerry would have matched Bush's popular vote. Stupid EC.

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

Any evidence that the turnout in these areas was actually depressed, or maybe, Bush actually did better than you thought he did?

He did better in Cali and in New York than many people thought.

[Ben Kenobi]

Quite right

Eh, the Rangers haven't done too badly.

[Kaak]

well, the realclearpolitics site was right on the money (with the exception of wisconsin)

http://realclearpolitics.com/Presidential_04/RCP_Electoral_Count_Final.html

[Arrian]

Eh, the Rangers haven't done too badly.

They were bought by Tom Hicks (a gazillionare) who spend recklessly (A-Rod) and has only now figured out that was a mistake. He's hired a good GM (Hart, right?), Manager (Showalter) and pitching coach. That and I think they got a little lucky last year.

That being said, the Rangers haven't really done anything, despite spending quite a bit of money (up until this year, anyway).

When Bush owned them... I honestly don't recall, since I wasn't a baseball fan then. But AFAIK, they did diddly squat.

-Arrian

[MrFun]

I love BK's new avatar due to the bet arrangement.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Lefty Scaevola
Raising general taxes is not on the table for me, not do the enttitlments seem to be for the Goverment (I could hope, but not expect they could chop some) about all that could go is some of the expesive and ineffectuall homeland defense, and better prioritizing of the war on terror. That is why i said some increase in finacial displine. Most cutting of the defict under such cnostrainst will have to come from increase in the tax base by economic growth, and allowing some specific target tax cuts to expire as their stated ourpose becomes oviated.

Fair enough. There are a few things we can do to control spending growth in the mean time. In 1989 through about 1996 there was a bipartisan budget agreement which said any new spending would only be allowed when an equal amount had been cut from the budget. In other world other then the rate of inflation something had to be cut before anything new could be added. We need such an agreement again today.

I doubt Bush will do that though. He just finished a press confrence where he said "tax relief" and "social security reform" where the two big things he was going to push in the next term. If we pilling on still more tax cuts at a time when we have the largest deficit in history what do you think will happen to the deficit?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Eh, the Rangers haven't done too badly.

Your new avatar isn't doing to badly either. It seems to be popular.

[OzzyKP]

I say he keeps it.

[Ben Kenobi]

I love BK's new avatar due to the bet arrangement.

Did you see the first one?

[Stefu]

Heh, Democratic Underground really is bringing out it's best side:

Here

and in here.

[Ben Kenobi]

I say he keeps it.

Not with Denise's b-day coming up.

The 18th will be mine.