You Cali raisins elected JERRY BROWN - again!

Sorry, Goddess - I will have not a scrap of sympathy from here on for Californians as their state goes down the toilet.

I don't think repealing it is an option. It's extremely unlikely that you'll get sufficient votes to repeal it, much less to override a Presidential veto.

Momof4 had the right idea when she said that the best thing to do is defund it. Something much more plausible.

By failing to remove Sen. Reid and his Democratic majority in the Senate, the voters have ensured that Obamacare will proceed to detonation as scheduled. The House and the Senate will be unable to come to an agreement about reversing or defunding Obamacare, and even if they did, they don't have the votes necessary to override Obama's expected vetoes.

Tony: By failing to remove Sen. Reid and his Democratic majority in the Senate, the voters have ensured that Obamacare will proceed to detonation as scheduled.

It's a little unrealistic to have expected Republicans to take the Senate. 40 Democrat seats weren't even up for re-election, meaning they only needed 11 to retain the Senate. All things considered, the Republicans did very well. Democrats are only holding onto the Senate by the narrowest of margins.

Personally, the only aspects I enjoy about elections is seeing the candidates I despise the most go down in flames. Repackaged Republicans, aka Tea Partiers, lost big. Sharron Angle managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by losing to Harry Reid for the Nevada senate seat. Zoophile Carl Paladino suffered a crushing defeat to Andrew Cuomo in his bid to become governor of New York, so he can enjoy less scrutiny as he forwards his disgusting emails. Rich Iott was trounced by Marcy Kaptur in Ohio's District Nine. I wonder if he wore his Nazi outfit for Halloween this year. And my favorite Tea Party loss of this year? Witch O'Donnell lost to Christopher Coons in her bid to become Delaware's Senator. Isn't that great? Now she can dedicate her time to actually attending those schools she lied about for all those years!

Amy, I have to say, it's incredibly naive of both you and Dr. Eades to assume that the we know what's in bills before they're passed.

I have to ask, do you truly believe they do this with any bills? Any of them? You think they could tell you what's in the tax code? Is that about a foot thick by now? That wonderful tax code that Bush promised to simplify but made more complicated? What about the Patriot Act? Do you think they read that?

Michael Moore did a whole bit about them not reading the Patriot Act before they signed it into law. They don't read these things!

I mean, I appreciate and share the indignation about them not reading bills, but please, let's not make ourselves look like naive four-year-olds by acting like this is the first time this travesty ever occurred in the history of mankind.

"Gasp! They signed Obamacare into law without reading it!"

Yeah. They do that.

Tom Daschle, I remember that name. He used to be somebody important. Then he followed the advice he's giving us.

What could go wrong?

It's a little unrealistic to have expected Republicans to take the Senate

Had they nominated better candidates in Delaware, Nevada, California and Colorado, they would have won the Senate, too. All of these candidates were too conservative to win in their respective states, while more moderate Republicans would have been more likely to win against vulnerable Democrats.

Christopher: Had they nominated better candidates in Delaware, Nevada, California and Colorado, they would have won the Senate, too.

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? The only problem is that it comes too late.

I spent yesterday dealing with my health insurance company, Blue Cross. I recently went for my first ever physical, and being a 45 year old man they want me to get a colonoscopy. This is partially covered under my plan, and supposedly covered 100% under the Obamacare plan (like mammograms) in 2011. But Wait!

My Dad died of colon cancer 35 years ago, so suddenly my status chaged from routine preventative care to "diagnostic", meaning the insurance company pays zilch until I meet my $5,000 a year deductible. Apparantly if you had a health care policy before Obamacare passed, you are "grandfathered in", meaning you receive none of the benfits the new legislation is supposed to provide. Obama got his health care bill passed, and all I got was our annual double digit rate increase.

Sheesh. Where is everybody today? I'd think they'd be celebrating.

Well, Blumenthal won the Senate seat vacated by Dodd, which kept Linda "WWE" McMahon out of it, but I honestly can't tell whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'm leaning towards good, since she threw almost $50 million into her schmear campaign against him, so she wasted all that dough. There's something not right about her.

Eric, supposedly you're not supposed to get a colonoscopy until you're in your 50s. But I guess since your dad died of it, you have a risk factor going on. Dude, I'm sorry. It's weird, though. I told my dr I didn't want one, and she said I didn't have to have one until I'm 55. Two more years to go. Wonderful.

Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing? The only problem is that it comes too late.

Patrick,

There were quite a few of us that kept saying that those running weren't the right people. O'Donnell for one (how they didn't vet her and find all that kind of strangeness in her background is beyond me). It's like they tried to force in decent looking women, regardless of their backgrounds/viability. Sorry, but charisma/looks/gender should NOT be the only qualifiers. Of course, if that was the case, Obama never would have won the nomination for President. :)

I'm in Illinios, so I find it the height of hilarity, that Obama's former seat, in a HEAVILY democrat leaning state, was won by a republican.

Where is everybody today? I'd think they'd be celebrating.

Barney "what prostitution ring" Frank, one of the architects of the recent economic collapse, kept his seat.

Harry "but for me, we'd be in a worldwide depression" Reid retained his seat. This is the same idiot who compared opponents of Obamacare to defenders of slavery; who called Capitol tourists smelly; who called protestors at town hall meetings "evil-mongers"; who said it was "really good" that only 36,000 people lost their jobs that day; who said out of work men tend to become abusive; and who publicly described Barack Obama as "light skinned" and "with no negro dialect." Oh yeah...Angle was the candidate to worry about in that race.

Nancy "but we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it" Pelosi (who called the 2006 Republican budget "unpatriotic" because it increased the national debt) retained her seat.

Barbara "call me Senator" Boxer retained her seat. This is the liberal "intellectual" who once said, "Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, 'Thank God, I'm still alive.' But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again."

Christine O'Donnell was (and is) an idiot. But she was hardly the only or the biggest idiot running.

Prop 25 passing is probably going to be a lot worse for CA then Brown. Brown will do a lot of damage I'm sure, but 25 passing (simple majority vote for budget vs previous 2/3) will allow the dems that have been the majority for decades to push through all their crazy spending with ease now.. then later cry about how they have no choice but to raise taxes. That'll be the death knell for the state.

The one good thing was that 20 passed and 27 didn't so redistricting is out of the pols hands and it might mean we won't be stuck with the same dems forever... unfortunately I think the needed changes that can bring will come far too late.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the extra tax prop 21 and locally in San Diego, D go down. Also it was good to see 24 fail. Bummed that 23 failed.

And Gavin Newsom as the Lt. Gov? Wow. CA seemed to mostly take an ever further turn to the left yesterday, and I didn't think that was possible. I noted by returns that San Diego county was a lot more libertarian/conservative though.

Conan,

Not sure if the last was directed at me. If it was, I wasn't trying to imply that she was. Just that the conservative/republican's chose some people to run, in heavily dem districts, who really weren't even close to being good choices. Christopher was spot on. Sadly, I don't think this will really change anything. We'll see what the new batch does, but there isn't the ability to repeal the healthcare fiasco, with not enough votes to override a veto, which I think we can reasonably assume Obama will use. The best we can hope for is defunding.

Conan! Good to see you.

Yeah, when you put it that way, I guess it is depressing. Still, Republicans now control the House, Pelosi will no longer be Speaker, and Democrats, despite starting with a 40-point lead, retain the Senate only by the narrowest of margins. That's got to count for something.

Barney Frank was elected by the good people of Newton. And if Massachusetts has proven anything, they stand by their candidates...for God knows what reason. As I opined in another thread, perhaps it's something in the water. Ted Kennedy could have picked up a baby by one leg and hacked it to death with a machete, and Massachusetts still would have reelected the bastard.

But I don't have to tell you that. And I understand if that comes as nothing of a consolation.

Perhaps I'm more cynical than you. Loathsome as Barney Frank is, I'm not the least bit surprised. I mean the prostitution bust was many election cycles ago. If they haven't ousted him yet for that, what's a teensy-weensy economic collapse to the good people of MA?

But why stop there about lowlifes who retain their seats? Harlem has given us Charlie "Of The Many Ethics Violations" Rangel. And thanks to Watts, Maxine "Also Swamped With Ethics Violations" Waters will still be sitting pretty come January.

Personally, I think Nancy Pelosi's "500 million Americans will lose their jobs" was her most memorable gaffe. But the "passing the bill" is good, too.

Again, my greater cynicism asserts itself. As I pointed out to Amy, they don't read the bills they vote on. And if this is news to anyone, then they need to wake up.

No, Steve, not directed at anyone specifically.

ut why stop there about lowlifes who retain their seats? Harlem has given us Charlie "Of The Many Ethics Violations" Rangel. And thanks to Watts, Maxine "Also Swamped With Ethics Violations" Waters will still be sitting pretty come January.

Thanks. I forgot about those.

At least Pelosi's out of power (but not office) and heavily discredited. Unfortunately, she still knows where the bodies are buried.

And Miguelito is right. Prop 25 is going to be a disaster for California. Thank goodness taking redistricting out of the hands of the legislature held.

Gavin Newsome becoming Lt Gov means San Francisco is swinging even further to the left as the "progressive" Board of Supervisors gets to choose his successor.

I could be wrong, very wrong here AND paranoid but I live in the bay area and I can tell you there was not the usual excitement amongst the libs here for Brown or Boxer. Quite the opposite actually.

I saw more anti dem (Brown/Boxer) signs/stickers then I've ever seen in any election cycle since I've lived here (28 years). More people were expressing their support (albeit very surreptitiously) for Fiorina and Whitman.

How is it that California was an absolute blow-out in favor of the dems and dem policies this mid-term election considering the races in all other states?

Okay, so maybe California has gone completely to the left and voted in sizable margins with dems even in a year when voter dissatisfaction with them is at low...

But I smell a huge, stinky rat and I would not be surprised if voter fraud on a large scale were uncovered later on down the road. I mean, Fiorina and Whitman up until a few weeks prior to elections were within striking distance then all of a sudden they loose by nearly a 10 point margin? Doesn't make sense.

@Feebie,

I don't think there was much excitement for Boxer or Brown, but their opponents, especially Fiorina, were ill-suited for this part of the state. Fiorina opposes abortion, doesn't believe people cause global warming, and had a tumultuous stint as CEO of Hewlett-Packard in which she laid off large number of employees in this area. Whitman had the problems that many self-funded candidates have, in that they don't have to do the same work to build and motivate their base as candidates who have to fundraise; she also was competing against one of the most prominent California politicians over the last decades. I don't think the state is any farther left than it was when Arnold was re-elected; I just think the Republicans didn't choose well in their candidates.

Gavin Newsome becoming Lt Gov means San Francisco is swinging even further to the left as the "progressive" Board of Supervisors gets to choose his successor.

That is unfortunate. For all of his social liberalism (which I generally support), Newsome was not a tool of the anti-business left. Let's hope that it's not the Daly faction that wins out in selecting his replacement.

Christopher, I understand what you are saying - and I was not thrilled about either candidate for the pubbies...but with California at 22% unemployment (???) how on earth this was not a tighter race is beyond me.

What I personally heard over and over again from people speaking in code (pissed off dems or closet conservatives) was that there was little difference between the dems and republicans this year except for the fact that you have career politicians vs people who had actually created wealth and run a business.

I mean, the entire time I've lived here I have rarely had a conversation with anyone I wasn't very close to about politics that took on an adverse slant towards a conservative candidate. In two cases, I am the client in the relationship - which if I had been a die hard lib may have been a pretty poor choice on their part in broaching that topic. These are people who I never in my life would have guessed would have been remotely conservative leaning due to past conversations on policy issues that impacted my industry.

It's all anecdotal, of course. I just don't see that 10pt margin.

Regarding the accusations of dirty pool, don't rule out Sharron Angle, either. She's apparently having her own investigation and I can't say that I blame her. At first, she enjoyed a substantial lead, but managed to blow it, so I wrote her off. Then I checked Rasmussen a few days before the election, and thought she was ahead, albeit narrowly.

Then how did Harry Reid manage to win, especially by something slightly less than a squeaker?

Still, Reid is a pro. Say what you will about his immodesty and his gaffes. He's not to be easily beaten, although Angle did a good job regardless, especially for a newcomer.

@Feebie,

I think California employment is more like 12.5% - still horrible, but not 22%.

I suspect that if people gave a damn in the races race this year, they gave a damn in the direction of Republicans, which may be why that's what you heard. But Democrats have a huge party ID advantage in California, and it's an uphill battle for Republicans to win.

I'm a bit surprised by the margins, too. But I suspect some of that was the Democrats better GOTV organization, which they have lots of practice with. And Whitman sure shot herself in the foot with the Latino population late in the game.

Absent some evidence, I'm not inclined to think fraud. I would hope California Republicans follow more closely on Arnold's pro-business social-moderate approach in the future. Seems the right fit for our state.

@Feebie: You make a good point. While I doubt there was massive fraud in CA, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some that pushed out close margins. One thing I noticed here that was very odd was this: I was watching a lot of the stuff online and when the returns were around 12% through about 40% (which was about when I went to bed), Fiorina was within 1% of Boxer most of the time and actually up to 1% ahead. Then this morning I wake up and she's lost by just over 9%. That much of a swing just doesn't make that much sense to me.

The Republicans didn't choose O'Donnell, she chose to run of her own accord. Mike Castle was one of those "moderate" Republicans. But between the RNC and the Democrats beating the snot out of every little detail of O'Donnell's private life (like the one night stand that wasn't) there was no way she could win.

The mere fact that Barney Frank had to spend money campaigning to keep his seat (something he's never done before) is amazing.

And expecting the California that willingly voted for Moonbeam to get rid of Babs and Nan is naive at best. That Fiorina made it as close as it was is almost a miracle.

No, Connecticut and California both went full retard yesterday, and we citizens of both states are going to feel the wrath of a spurned Progressive Social Democrat party.

Joy.

Flynne - How long you recon before Malloy and Lyons have the income tax rate up to 7.5% and the sales tax back up to 8%? Oh, and here come the toll booths!

"I think California employment is more like 12.5% - still horrible, but not 22%."

I may have gotten that mixed up with NV, but I believe California numbers are higher than 12.5% since the Govt is notorious for manipulating numbers (to exclude people who are unemployed and NOT looking for work...I believe).

Check out www.shadowstats.com .

Uphill battle for Republicans in California, yes. A surprise double digit margin, no.

Also - I'll be honest, while Whitman could have done without the illegal immigrant scandal you'd notice that it went away fairly quickly. Quite frankly, as the facts started filtering in (and while Whitman didn't necessarily come out smelling like a rose) I believe it was an unwise move on Browns part if he was behind it. They used that woman as a pawn and if they kept it up any longer calls for deportation may have backfired on him. The majority of Americans do not look upon illegal immigrants favorably - especially when they falsify their documents and lie to their employers.

Besides, calling a woman candidate a "whore" and blaming it on your wife doesn't seem to be too becoming for a third term Governor. Blech. What a sleaze.

By the way, who saw Browns victory speech? I mean, WTF? “I still carry this missionary zeal to transform the world.”??? And what does him being married now have to do with better governing capabilities?

He sounded like crazy Uncle Billy from It's a Wonderful Life. Jeezus this is going to be a long four years.

I have saw those big swings. Here it is easily explained. The urban area is quite blue while the rural areas are more red. The city reports only once a day, while the county releases numbers in many waves. Hence you will see a whole bunch of updates that are only the county...then all of sudden the urban numbers hit and things change.

I also wonder how accurate polls are. I have seen quite a few that have been quite wrong.

The notion that moderate republicans would have won in say Delaware or Conn. were kind of blown away by the NV and CA wins for Dems. Not that O'Donnel was a good candidate (IMHO) and the moderate guy would've done better but I doubt he would have won. They still threw everything they could grab at her to besmirch her.

Another counter point to the moderate GOP would've been the better choice would be Rubio winning in Florida.

At this point I'd rather see Republicans at least standing up for their principles and losing. Breaks my heart and angers me greatly as thats what happened in my district here in Oregon. Repub lost by 5% to Dem incumbent who was pretty much straightline Pelosi Dem who voted for heathcare.

Alaska is going to be a hoot to watch. Its another Minnesota recount situation. Barney Frank's victory speech was a hoot too.

Also, regarding healthcare I now believe more than ever that the only way we'll get it "repealed" is via the courts finding it unconstitutional.

Sio: so judicial activism is okay when the judges agree with your views?

Also, this is pretty funny:
http://i.imgur.com/3A0Ax.png

Brian: The Republicans didn't choose O'Donnell, she chose to run of her own accord.

That being the case, Conan's point that she wasn't the biggest idiot running is debatable. She might be a good, sincere person -- I won't even debate whether or not she would have been good for the country -- but considering she knowingly maintained a lie about her educational credentials for years, I wonder if she might not have been the biggest fool running.

She has a grossly falsified educational background. Did this never occur to her that she would be found out once she ran for office?

You have to admit, it's hard to top that level of boneheadedness.

@franko - Since Marbury that's not judicial activism.

asshole.

@Patrick - well, she probably figured nobody ever asked for Obama's transcripts so she was fine.

Look, bitch crazy, a'ight? Doesn't mean that Castle was a worthwhile candidate.

No, there's some kind of deep-seated psychological problem in the voters in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. They keep putting tax-and-spenders in office and they just can't figure out why their taxes keep going up.

I believe I'm one of the handful of sane ones left in Connecticut.

I think Angle may come out of this okay. The reports of SEIU-serviced machines coming up preselected for Reid are too numerous to ignore. Take that, plus thinning the votes of illegals looking to punish their enemies out of the mix, and she may do it. There's hope, still. Never say die and all that.

Coons ran against O'Donnell, not Castle.

Easy, Brian, Malloy hasn't won yet! They're still not done counting the votes. And that wonderful cluster-f*ck in Bridgeport is probably going to be the deciding factor in this. If they can fake it that more people voted for Malloy than Foley in Bridgeport, he's in. According to the AP, Foley was ahead late last night by 8400 votes. Malloy's campaign office is "confident the AP is wrong", according to this morning's press release. I hope to gods the AP is NOT wrong.

You have to admit, it's hard to top that level of boneheadedness

You could make multiple claims to have served in Vietnam when you didn't.

Oh wait. That guy got elected.

"She might be a good, sincere person -- I won't even debate whether or not she would have been good for the country -- but considering she knowingly maintained a lie about her educational credentials for years, I wonder if she might not have been the biggest fool running."

I think the woman is a liar, and lacked integrity. She had bigger problems going on then sounding like an amateur. I'm not thinking she is as stupid as some people make her out to be. Still, running against a Marxist, I would have held my nose and voted her in. If there had been a slightly conservative (meaning non-Marxist) Dem - I would have chosen them over her.

O'Donnell made a big mistake early on, when she responded to the witchcraft thing; by doing so, she permitted her opponent to define the terms of the debate. She was behind the 8-ball for the rest of the campaign after that.

I think M4 is correct and that Reid's win will turn out to be fraudulent. Some of the reports I heard coming out of Nevada are astounding. However, Angle could have done a better job of tying Reid to Obama, who has had some very negative things to say about Nevada and Las Vegas in particular. She'll be a better candidate next time.

They need to be forced to make the bills shorter so that people have time to read them. And maybe make them readable for a change.

I agree with what you said