The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Call it as ya See it' Edition...
The 2010 Mid-term Elections. No media intro or links are needed, I'm thinkin'...
We all know what's at stake here... So, gaze into yer Crystal Ball, break out the Ouija board, shuffle the Tarot cards, read yer tea leaves or just take a wild-ass guess and make yer prediction on the outcome, if'n ya dare...
The Democrats will:
1.) Retain the majority in both the House and the Senate
2.) Lose the House, but retain the Senate
3.) Retain the House, but lose the Senate
4.) Worse case scenario... and you know what that is, dagnabbit!
The Democrats will:
1.) Retain the majority in both the House and the Senate
Joe shouts...
I'm going with ONE!!!!!!!!!!! were going to pull through this, I've already voted as some of my friends also
have done.Yeah Barack has irritated me but so has my brotherssisters etc. BUT I don't turn my back on them. I feel that the Democratic base will turn out and things will be okay.
Jerry S. wrote...
I usually watch Rachael Maddow and she has shown that the bases for the claims that the pundits erectiles of the lonesome media follow the party-line of the republican weekly weak minded- reason for the victory of that lusterless body are grossly scattered across the range from the absurd to the ridiculous. And it seems that now that the dems have taken steps to remove the dumb-dumb aspect of their campaigning program, the members of the voting public have begun to think that self-interest is an important and significant, indeed overwhelming, reason to vote for the democrats, it seems to me that there is a better than even
chance that the loyal Americans will come to their senses and vote for the DEMOCRATIC party.
John the Chief is optimistic...
I go with number one. "Retain the majority in both the House and the Senate." The Democrats will lose some and win some, at least that is my hope!
Joe S. (from Manistee-by-the-Lake) simply stated...
The Democrats will: 1.) Retain the majority in both the House and the Senate
mj keeps the faith with...
Tinged with a little hope. I think they might hold both, if only barely in the house. The one bright spot is that the power of Lieberman, Snowe, and Collins will be greatly diminished. Hell, no one ever doubted what their votes would be, but at least now there'll be no reason to waste time courting them.
Dan 'The Stan' D, in fine form, expounds...
Only recently, with America's SCOTUS-approved and MSM-sanctioned political paradigm of corporate person-hood that can now just casually be used to turn any low-rent candidate and invariable shill into an instant contribution millionaire, most all (corporately unfinanced) independent, third-party tickets just got the Islamic dog-meat treatment. The rise of America's tea-bagger class unrelentingly confirms this.
WHENEVER any local or national leadership choice is ONLY between some evil and a lesser evil, then NOBODY is ever given any opportunity whatsoever to even remotely choose what may serve the greater good. So, regardless of whether it's a lesser-evil Democrap replacing a greater/same evil Repug, that lesser-brand hellhound will still most-energetically strive to become the "newest," greater burden assaulting society.
As our newest POTUS particularly continues to so successfully out-Bush America's more un-chosen, last war-crimes pResident on the war-crimes front, Obama's term of global oppression is the most recent, perfect example of the above-identified malady. (I respectfully disagree with that assertion)
The greatest problem here is, indeed, still trying to define and quantify exactly what a "lesser" evil may be. This is because -- inevitably -- all lesser-evils are just greater-evils that are more successfully flying "under-the-radar." (OMG! Really? Who knew?)
SO, to answer your question (and I bet you thought I wasn't going to, huh Bob?) (Nah! I gots faith in ya, Dan... and patience, too. Lots an' lots of patience, haha) the Dems will retain both the House AND the Senate and continue to commit absolutely nothing truly progressive for the next two years. (Oh, I dunno 'bout that) THEN Hillary will functionally run unopposed, as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal will commit a retread of McCain's loss, after which -- at the inauguration and after the swearing in -- the Hill will grab her Warner-Brothers (TM) zipper at the back of her neck and pull it around, to reveal that she's only another Sarah Palin (Ack!) wearing a dress that was presumptuously stained by Bill Clinton. Bubba will then proclaim that he never had "sex" with that woman, and probably be right*. (I double-Big Dog-dare ya to find him and ask him!)
Then, the rest of the world finishes taking America to the cleaners.
(Yer scarin' me, Dude... Please stop! I gots a grand-daughter, ya know!)
2.) Lose the House, but retain the Senate
*Crickets*
3.) Retain the House, but lose the Senate
*Crickets*
4.) Worse case scenario... and you know what that is, dagnabbit!
BadtotheboneBob sez...
Yup... Ya see, as I always say, "Hope fer the Best... Expect the worst"... That way ya only gots one way to go... Up!... any victory is cause for celebration and in loss yer prepared mentally fer the 'Long Night'. Of course, I truly hope I'm wrong and the Dems pull it off, but as I also always say, "Ya never know!"
So, there it is... Semper Paratus...
5.) Other (Added ex post facto)
Adam in NoHo allows...
I don't know. This Horse race stuff is what gives politics & reporting a bad name, and rows of numbers just give me a headache. It doesn't matter who wins, Rahm Emmanuel's legacy of the Blue (Red) Dog Coalition ensures that close margins fall to the Republicans. And even with a wide Dem majority, Reps use procedure to shut down votes while Dems never use tactics like that for even the worst legislation. So long as Dems refuse to fight (or even list the facts), Reps will win in the long run.
(That's what Ol' Bart says... and I happen to agree with him... and you, too, fer that matter!)
The Vidiot wrote cynically...
I predict that the winners, whoever they may be, will more than adequately reflect the will... of the corporations. (Mebbee so... Mebbee so... But, some more'n others, I'm thinkin'.)
Hubert sent a poem (natch)...
Most likely eventual results? "Zhivago Effect and the New World Order" et al.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, then, Poll-fans... Today is the day... Let us hope (and pray, if'n that's yer thing) that it will not be known to future generations as Red Tuesday... Ya know what I mean? Thanks to all responders!
Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
~~~~~~~~~~~
New Question
The 'Conspiracy Theory... or Fact?' Edition...
"The Vietnam War was fought over a bet that Howard Hughes lost to Aristotle Onassis."
--Jerry Fletcher (Mel 'Sugar Tits' Gibson) - Conspiracy Theory
As you will see at the following website... Conspiracy Planet - The Alternative News & History Network
There's no end to the topics covered. Some are new, some not so much. Some are interesting. Some are outrageous. Some are frightening. Some are merely entertaining... but, make no mistake, each one is believed by someone, somewhere.
Do you have a favorite 'Conspiracy Theory' that you believe in, find hilarious or just would like to know more about?
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Mugged by the Debt Moralizers (nytimes.com)
More and more voters are convinced that what we need is not spending but more punishment. The irony is that they will end up punishing themselves.
Jim Hightower: A GREAT BIG TEXAS GOOBER
… Joe [Driver, a Republican state representative from the Dallas area], who regularly rails against big spending liberals and demands stringent cutbacks in our miserly state budget, has for years been routinely billing taxpayers for more than $100,000 in travel expenses that his political fund had already covered - including airline tickets, fancy meals, and luxury out-of-state hotels. He would pay for these costs with campaign funds, then submit the same expenses to the state, and merrily slip the taxpayer reimbursement into his own pocket.
VIRGINIA POSTREL: In Praise of Irrational Exuberance (bigquestionsonline.com)
Does a flourishing economy depend on delusion?
Lucy Mangan: Come on, let's riot (guardian.co.uk)
Anger is such an effort, and the British are not born to it.
JANE E. BRODY: What to Do Now to Feel Better at 100 (nytimes.com)
Many changes take place in physical abilities as we age. Try as I may, I simply can't swim as fast at 69 as I did at 39, 49 or even 59. Nor am I as steady on my feet. I can only assume my strength has waned as well - I'm finding bottles and jars harder to open and heavy packages harder to lift and carry.
20 Questions: Emma McLaughlin & Nikola Kraus
Joined at the hip: The Nanny Diaries authors Emma McLaughlin and Nikola Kraus have a friendship that is worthy of its own book, as evident in their replies to PopMatters 20 Questions.
"Dorothy Parker, The Art of Fiction No. 13": Interviewed by Marion Capron (Paris Review; from 1956)
"Gertrude Stein did us the most harm when she said, 'You're all a lost generation.' That got around to certain people and we all said, 'Whee! We're lost.' "
20 Questions: Oliver Sacks (popmatters.com)
Anyone who has read Oliver Sacks - his numerous books and/or his prolific output of engaging essays on neurology published in 'The New Yorker'-understands that he is a rare man of patience and grace. Sacks possesses a tireless intellect, a perpetual curiosity, and a compassionate understanding of humans. The very fundamentals of who we are as individuals and as a species are explored in his fascinating, tenderly rendered 'autopsies', if you will.
JC Brooks: 20 Questions (popmatters.com)
Whether he's covering Wilco's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" or moving a packed house of indie rockers to dance, JC Brooks brings soul and swagger to everything he touches.
What I see in the mirror: Meat Loaf (guardian.co.uk)
From my heaviest point, which was back in the early 1980s, I've lost 100lb. People ask, "Do you feel better?" And I say, "No, because I got older." I am 63. Just ask anybody who is getting old - everything starts hurting. For me, it's my shoulders, thumbs, knees and feet.
Calvin Wilson: Henry Threadgill makes name for himself among jazz's elite (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
One of the true visionaries of jazz, composer-saxophonist-flutist Henry Threadgill occupies a zone of his own. He's not exactly famous - if asked to name an important living jazz artist, most people would more likely cite Wynton Marsalis. Yet Threadgill isn't quite obscure, having recorded some of the most challengingly imaginative jazz albums of the last 40 years - some of it, improbably, for major labels.
Kira Cochrane: "Julianne Moore: 'I'm going to cry. Sorry'" (guardian.co.uk)
This rare Hollywood risk-taker is currently starring in 'The Kids Are All Right,' a comedy about lesbian parents. She talks here about feminism, family and how moving to Europe changed her life.
David Bruce has 39 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $39 you can buy 9,750 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
Hubert's Poetry Corner
"Texas Words And Nonsencial Groupings"
wrote:
said:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Some Guy Suggests
voter protection hotline
voter protection hotline (sponsored by democrats dccc)
800 311 8683 to counter the national know it all pundits
I am a PA resident
The history in pa (since 1943) is that the governorship changes party every two terms (8 years) by a majority of over 10%. Therefore a win by a republicant governor is inevitable, however any margin of less than 10% will show that the democratic base is out in high numbers. Which is good for the democrat Joe Sestak in the senate race.
Sestak beat out Arlen Specter (R-turncoat-D) in the primary. Specter somehow thought that changing to a D, as he was being run out of town by the republicants, would somehow erase the memory of all the votes he made against democratic ideals when he was an a$$ ki$$er for bu$h
Some Guy
Thanks, Guy!
Reader Request
Polling Place Locator
Hello BCE Fans,
I'm out here working 7 days a week running phone banks, precinct walks, media events, and everything else I can think of to elect the "good guys" next week. In California we are poised to actually make our state a better place to live-the main thing I am working on is Prop 25, the On Time Budget Act. It is polling between 15% and 30% ahead and it will mean our schools will have fewer layoffs and public employees will have paychecks instead of IOU's. The rest of the country looks to be a Big Bad Bowl of Stupid.
No rest for the weary. Keep doing everything you can to remind people to vote. We can win if we simply get our people to be responsible and vote. If you or anyone you know don't know where your polling place is,
use this link ( maps.google.com/maps/mpl?moduleurl=http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/mapplets/elections/voter-info/voter-info.xml ) and type in your address. It will even give you a map of how to get there.
Now go out there and VOTE!!!
Ed the Retired Teacher (who works 3 jobs)
Mission Viejo, CA
Thanks, Ed!
BadtotheboneBob
Soldier Funeral Protesters
Freedom of (Evil) Speech...
Soldier Funeral Protesters To Speak At CMU
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Members of the Westboro Baptist Church (R - Evil beyond measure) will be at Central Michigan University Monday to speak to several journalism classes. The courses are taught by Timothy Boudreau, associate professor of journalism. Boudreau said he asked the radical soldier funeral protesters to visit his classrooms to help students better understand the First Amendment's protection of free speech... Boudreau has said he personally doesn't agree with the group's stance, but said he thinks they are protected under First Amendment boundaries of absolute limits...
Soldier Funeral Protesters To Speak At CMU - News Story - WNEM Saginaw
I am extremely amazed that physical violence (which I do not advocate) has not been done by now to these evil Bastards...
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Hotter today than any day in August. Yikes.
Calls Out Liar
Morgan Freeman
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman on Monday disputed a Republican congressional candidate's claim that Freeman recorded a campaign ad on his behalf.
Tea party-backed hopeful B.J. Lawson and his campaign had said that Freeman narrated the candidate's latest commercial, which bashes Democratic Rep. David Price. Freeman said in a statement through his publicist that no one who represents him ever authorized the use of his name, voice or likeness in support of Lawson.
"These people are lying," Freeman said. "I have never recorded any campaign ads for B.J. Lawson, and I do not support his candidacy."
The advertisement posted online features a narrator with a voice that sounds like Freeman's. The narrator says at the conclusion of that ad, "It's time that you and I had a voice in Washington. Vote B.J. Lawson for Congress."
Lawson and campaign manager Martin Avila initially said Freeman cut the ad after a supporter brought the actor and the campaign together. Avila later backed off that claim, saying the campaign had a contract signed for a Freeman ad with Los Angeles-based agency M.E.I. Political. The agency did not return a call seeking comment.
Morgan Freeman
2 Million TV Viewers
'Sanity' Rally
Comedy Central says two million viewers watched its live coverage of Saturday's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.
The network says that audience was more than triple the number usually tuned to Comedy Central during that three-hour time slot.
Online live video streams of the rally totaled 570,000.
Originating from Washington's National Mall, the humor-and-music event was hosted by Comedy Central stars Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert . The show ran from noon to 3 p.m.
'Sanity' Rally
Past Complaints Silence Soundtracks
Political Ads
With candidates trading barbs in one of the most contentious midterm elections in recent history, one group that's remained out of the fray have been headlining musicians.
Musician versus politician has been a general feature of most election years. Bruce Springsteen famously complained about Ronald Reagan's use of "Born in the U.S.A." and artists such as John Mellencamp, Green Day and Jackson Browne have all waged public battles with campaigns using their work without authorization.
But despite record ad spending this time around, copyright attorneys who police use of their clients' work say after a busy primary season, 2010 general election campaigning was surprisingly devoid of problems. And they cite musicians' wins in previous high-profile dustups as the likely reason.
"Every time a politician gets slapped down on this, it's hugely embarrassing," said copyright attorney Howard King, whose firm has represented several artists in spats with politicians, including one in the primaries between musician Joe Walsh and an Illinois congressional candidate of the same name.
Political Ads
New Shows
Oprah TV
Country music stars Naomi and Wynonna Judd, and father-daughter actors Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, are both getting their own reality TV shows on the upcoming Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) cable channel next year.
OWN announced the two shows on Monday as the cable TV venture jointly owned by the TV talk show host readies for its January 1 launch with an array of original series, advice and lifestyle shows -- and lots more of Winfrey herself.
The launch weekend on Jan 1-2, will give viewers a sneak peek of the new network's range of programing, including a program that looks behind-the-scenes of Winfrey's 25th and final season of the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on ABC.
OWN viewers will also get a glimpse of a four-part special bringing together health, wealth and relationship experts Dr.Phil McGraw, Suze Orman and Dr.Mehmet Oz for "Ask Oprah's All-Stars" before a live studio audience.
Oprah TV
One Million Twitter Followers
Hugo Chavez
President Hugo Chavez, who has embraced new media in his quest to dominate Venezuela's airwaves, celebrated his millionth follower Monday on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The firebrand leader, known for his fiercely anti-US rhetoric, opened his account in April in response to the growing use of social networking sites by opposition parties that fear restrictions in the mainstream press.
"Hello beautiful world. I would like to thank all my followers. We have passed the million mark! Wow! We're going to keep on winning," Chavez declared in his celebratory @chavezcandanga tweet.
In just seven months, Chavez has become the most popular tweeter in Venezuela, amassing 1,002,300 followers and counting as of 1845 GMT Monday.
Hugo Chavez
Judge Declines Wrongful Death Suit
Michael Jackson
A wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's father will now be handled by a state court after a federal judge said Monday he didn't have authority to hear the case and that the singer's father would be unlikely to collect tens of millions of dollars in damages in his court.
Joe Jackson's attorney agreed to dismiss part of his case against the doctor charged in the pop superstar's death, which prompted the judge to rule that the remaining issues had to be heard in state court.
U.S. District Judge John F. Walter opened a hearing Monday by telling Joe Jackson's attorney that he didn't think Jackson's father could receive any money from one of the major causes of action, which alleged the singer's rights were violated under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"I am firmly convinced that you can't seek damages on this (disabilities act) cause of action," Walter said.
Michael Jackson
Actor Mistaken For Gunman
Philippines
A Philippine village watchman mistook an actor for a real masked gunman, jumped onto his moving motorcycle and fatally shot him in what witnesses thought was part of the filming, police and another actor said Monday.
As the director shouted 'Action!', actor Kirk Abella began to speed away on a motorcycle with a masked driver and the watchman feared he was going to escape, said community police chief Alexis Relado of central Cebu city's Parian district. So he grabbed him by the shirt and shot him, Relado said.
Many street killings in the Philippines, including those of political activists and journalists, have been perpetrated by motorcycle-riding gunmen.
Dozens of people were watching the filming of the British movie "Going Somewhere" late Saturday and they thought the shot they heard was part of the movie, Relado added.
Philippines
Cancels Lisbon Gig
Arcade Fire
Canadian rockers Arcade Fire have canceled their concert in Lisbon on November 18 due to what they called "security concerns" surrounding a NATO summit in the city on November 19-20.
The band's representatives said in a statement on Monday that Everything Is New, concert promoters for Arcade Fire, were informed over the weekend that the Atlantic Pavilion would no longer be available for the band's planned gig.
Arcade Fire offered to bring the show forward by a day, but summit organizers said it would not be feasible, the statement added.
"The band are disappointed to be forced into this situation but there's nothing more we can do," said the group's manager Scott Rodger.
Arcade Fire
Brucellosis Found On Bison Ranch
Ted Turner
State officials in Montana say the bacterial disease brucellosis has been found in a domestic bison herd on Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch near Bozeman.
The Montana Department of Livestock says the disease was found in a cow and is suspected in two other bison.
Agency spokesman Steve Merritt said Monday the cow has been killed and the other two have been quarantined pending test results.
Merritt says the herd is separate from 86 Yellowstone National Park bison Turner took in last year, and those bison are disease-free.
Ted Turner
TLC Renews
"Sister Wives"
HBO may be divorcing the polygamy soap "Big Love," but TLC's similarly themed reality series "Sister Wives" is engaged for a second season.
"Sister Wives" will return for 10 episodes next March, but fans won't have to wait that long to see more of the Brown family.
In addition to the "Sister Wives Special," where the clan opened up to NBC's Natalie Morales on Halloween night, TLC has scheduled the "Sister Wives Honeymoon Special" for November 28.
The Thanksgiving weekend episode is exactly what you're thinking (and hoping) it is: the newly hitched Kody and Robyn enjoying their first moments alone as husband and wife.
"Sister Wives"
In Memory
Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell, the announcer whose voice has opened "Wheel of Fortune" for decades, has died. He was 78.
Agent Fred Wostbrock said Monday that O'Donnell - the voice of the game show even before hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White appeared - died late Sunday at his Los Angeles home. The cause was unclear.
O'Donnell was a popular radio DJ in New York before starting his television career in Philadelphia with Dick Clark on "American Bandstand."
He also served as announcer for Oscar and Emmy telecasts and other game shows including "The Newlywed Game."
His signature phrase "Wheeeeeeel of Fortune," could be heard on the show from its beginning with host Chuck Woolery in 1975. He worked on the show until 1980, and again from 1988 until his death.
Charlie O'Donnell
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