Left Wing Echo Chamber POLITICS THREAD ftw!

by **drsmooth** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 17:42:09

jerseyhoya wrote:And this face carving thing is going to be a big story I think.

big?

like jack-o-lantern big?

by **jerseyhoya** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 17:46:57

drsmooth wrote:
jerseyhoya wrote:And this face carving thing is going to be a big story I think.

big?

like jack-o-lantern big?

Well I thought when they said she was a volunteer she was going door to door for him or something. Getting mugged at an ATM is decidedly less juicy of a story. Still, scratching a B in her cheek is probably not a nice thing to do.

by **dajafi** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 18:03:29

Not sure if this is of interest to any of you non-Noo Yawkas, but Bloomberg won his term limits fight today: City Council narrowly voted to extend from two terms to three. This means that Bloomberg can run again in 2009... and, gosh golly, so can the 36 (of 51) City Councilmembers who otherwise would have been term-limited out of office. This came after Council voted down a proposed amendment that would have sent it back to the voters sometime next year; the roll call there was pretty much a perfect breakdown of "relatively thoughtful public servants" and "bought-and-paid-for careerist morons."

(This being NYC, partisan factors really don't apply--I think our Council is 48 D, 3 R.)

I'm not sure it won't be a Pyrrhic victory, though. There's a lot of outrage that a measure twice upheld by the voters in referenda was wiped out by a small majority (29 for, 22 against) of self-interested hacks. It's dubious that any of the current mayoral candidates can effectively harness that outrage, though Rep. Anthony Weiner will try. More likely IMO is that the worsening economy--Bloomberg's excuse for pushing to change term limits after he once described efforts to do so as "disgusting"--will erode everyone's popularity.

Personally I'm not sure what I even want to happen. I think the guy has done a tremendous job, on balance. But third terms very rarely go well--Koch's was a mess, and at the gubernatorial level Pataki and Cuomo both were ineffective in their third terms--and it's pretty clear that Bloomberg's characteristic arrogance has hardened into something like a dictatorial temperament. So the question is whether a twisted-by-power Bloomberg is or isn't preferable to a corrupted-just-because-our-local-party-is-like-that Democrat, or another, probably less smart and skilled, egomaniacal zillionaire Republican. As with the BSG election, right now I'm an undecided voter for the 2009 mayorals.

It does throw a huge wrench into a bunch of the projects I'm working on, though, which is kind of a pisser.

by **Philly the Kid** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 18:11:37

dajafi wrote:Not sure if this is of interest to any of you non-Noo Yawkas, but Bloomberg won his term limits fight today: City Council narrowly voted to extend from two terms to three. This means that Bloomberg can run again in 2009... and, gosh golly, so can the 36 (of 51) City Councilmembers who otherwise would have been term-limited out of office. This came after Council voted down a proposed amendment that would have sent it back to the voters sometime next year; the roll call there was pretty much a perfect breakdown of "relatively thoughtful public servants" and "bought-and-paid-for careerist morons."

(This being NYC, partisan factors really don't apply--I think our Council is 48 D, 3 R.)

I'm not sure it won't be a Pyrrhic victory, though. There's a lot of outrage that a measure twice upheld by the voters in referenda was wiped out by a small majority (29 for, 22 against) of self-interested hacks. It's dubious that any of the current mayoral candidates can effectively harness that outrage, though Rep. Anthony Weiner will try. More likely IMO is that the worsening economy--Bloomberg's excuse for pushing to change term limits after he once described efforts to do so as "disgusting"--will erode everyone's popularity.

Personally I'm not sure what I even want to happen. I think the guy has done a tremendous job, on balance. But third terms very rarely go well--Koch's was a mess, and at the gubernatorial level Pataki and Cuomo both were ineffective in their third terms--and it's pretty clear that Bloomberg's characteristic arrogance has hardened into something like a dictatorial temperament. So the question is whether a twisted-by-power Bloomberg is or isn't preferable to a corrupted-just-because-our-local-party-is-like-that Democrat, or another, probably less smart and skilled, egomaniacal zillionaire Republican. As with the BSG election, right now I'm an undecided voter for the 2009 mayorals.

It does throw a huge wrench into a bunch of the projects I'm working on, though, which is kind of a pisser.

What's the local media saying? What are the reactions of folks you know and in general? This sounds pretty self-serving and transparent as such. hard to believe they even tried it, given 2 referendums you reference... sounds pretty much like a monarchy not a democracy.

by **dajafi** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 18:16:10

"Elite" opinion--the business community and the newspapers--is so pro-Bloomberg that he probably could declare himself King For Life and they'd go along. Right now, anyway.

Among my friends and colleagues, mostly but not entirely moderate liberal goo-goo types like me, the reaction is, well, like mine: happy enough to see him on the ballot next year, disgusted that it was done in this slimy manner rather than by another referendum.

But this is a near-universal view in the city: the last polling I saw was 89 percent for letting the voters decide. Given that Bloomberg's approval is around 70 percent, I don't really get what they were worried about--they claim it was the cost ($15 million) and difficulty of scheduling the vote in time enough to get clarity on who can and can't run again depending on the outcome.

Our City Council notoriously sucks.

by **slamjim** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 19:07:56

The Dude wrote:Now they're saying it was "scratched" in and she refused medical attention.

First, that B is a scratch that will fade certainly not done with a knife. Something I could do to myself with a fingernail. Definately not "carved". No blood. The "black eye" has zero swelling. I mean ZERO. No blood shot eye. REFUSED to have a doctor look at it. No witness and just happened to be out of the sight of the ATM camera. Right now I'm calling BS on this until other proof comes in.

Also, if I'm McCain and Palin I'm not calling this girl until I first check out her background and wait until police check out other cameras that may have seen the "attack", she gets a legit medical check-up or real witnesses come forward (this was 9pm after all on a street). If this turns out to be phony they look like jackasses and the campaign is toast. Don't play to the girl until you definatively know its legit.

by **jerseyhoya** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 21:13:48

Rob Neyer has given money to Dennis Kucinich. How am I ever going to take what he says seriously again?

by **Monkeyboy** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 03:07:07

dajafi wrote:
Mountainphan wrote:
jerseyhoya wrote:Is Murtha in trouble?

If Murtha manages to lose because he's a freaking idiot that keeps calling the people in his district racist while the Dems are picking up 20+ seats nationally, that'd be a silver lining I can grab on to election night.

Can we all agree that Murtha is a big dope and deserves to be fired?

I'll cross the aisle and join you guys for that one. Murtha's basically a crook.

Count me in. The guy would fit right in with the DeLay crowd. I'm willing to sacrifice the seat to see him gone. He'll end up hurting the party at some point, so better to get rid of him now and try to head off the inevitable slide to corruption.

by **The Dude** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:56:25

From face-carving to scratch to polygraph:

John McCain supporter 'who had B scratched into her face' to undergo polygraph test

By Matthew Moore
Last Updated: 3:10PM BST 24 Oct 2008

A young woman who claimed that a mugger scratched a "B" into her face after seeing her John McCain bumper sticker is to undergo a lie detector test, according to local newspapers.

Ashley Todd, a female supporter of Republican presidential candidate John McCain who had the letter 'B' scratched into her face by an attacker, according to US police
Miss Todd said she was in Pittsburgh volunteering for the McCain-Palin campaign.

Police want 20-year-old Ashley Todd to be tested by a polygraph machine because her statements allegedly do not tally with records from the cashpoint where she says the attack took place, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

Miss Todd, a Republican activist, claims that her assailant stole $60 after putting a knife to her throat in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh.

He then backed off, but became angry after spotting a McCain campaign sticker on her car, according to her account. After throwing punches and kicks, giving her a black eye, he etched a backwards letter B onto her right cheek, she claims.

Miss Todd, who is believed to be a student at Texas A&M university, reported the alleged attack to police but declined medical treatment. In a photo taken after the alleged assault her left eye appears severely bruised. Apart from the reddish-pink letter B, the rest of her right cheek appears unscathed.

Earlier, a police spokesman said they were treating her claims as "credible" and looking for further evidence.

Her ordeal has attracted huge coverage in the United States, and both Mr McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin have spoken to her over the phone to offer their best wishes.

The Obama campaign also released a statement condemning on the attack.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman for her to make a speedy recovery, and we hope that the person who perpetrated this crime is swiftly apprehended and brought to justice," it said.

by **phdave** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:09:06

A backwards B?

by **Woody** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:18:48

phdave wrote:A backwards B?

What? That incident sounds entirely plausible

by **The Dude** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:24:56

morton downey jr

by **Woody** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:27:40

I know the feeling, Joe :lol:

(CNN) — John McCain's brother, Joe McCain, apparently had a heated call with a 911 operator over a traffic jam he was stuck in, CNN affiliate WJLA reports.

by **swishnicholson** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:48:45

phdave wrote:A backwards B?

I'm surprised no one's trying to explain this as a symptom of our failing public education system.

by **Mountainphan** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:03:30

The Dude wrote:morton downey jr

I was thinking the same thing.

by **TheDude24** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:46:39

Article on the Udall family of the west, which could have 3 of its members in the Senate next year. Cousins Mark and Tom are currently well ahead in the polls (CO and NM, respectively). Their second cousin Gordon Smith is a little behind in Oregon.

by **dajafi** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 13:45:46

That McCain campaign worker evidently confessed to making it up.

Also, she apparently has some history with(and fondness for) lying for attention and enjoyment.

I don't read Drudge, that hyena, but I'm guessing this one doesn't get the flashing siren.

by **drsmooth** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 14:09:38

dajafi wrote:That McCain campaign worker evidently confessed to making it up.

Also, she apparently has some history with(and fondness for) lying for attention and enjoyment.

I don't read Drudge, that hyena, but I'm guessing this one doesn't get the flashing siren.

when the ACORN thing has, on its face (pun fully intended), greater import, why idiocy like this gets attention mystifies this potential voter

by **dajafi** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 14:16:26

This statement, from the Fox News executive VP, baffles me:

"If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting."

I'm obviously not a McCain supporter. But why would the campaign suffer for the presumably uncoordinated lie of one probably unwell young woman? McCain didn't do anything amiss here. (Right?)

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 14:24:19

dajafi wrote:This statement, from the Fox News executive VP, baffles me:

"If the incident turns out to be a hoax, Senator McCain's quest for the presidency is over, forever linked to race-baiting."

I'm obviously not a McCain supporter. But why would the campaign suffer for the presumably uncoordinated lie of one probably unwell young woman? McCain didn't do anything amiss here. (Right?)

No idea.

And it does not have a siren on Drudge, but it's at the top of the page, and it has big red text.

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Left Wing Echo Chamber POLITICS THREAD ftw!