The Playing Field (Not a 62 District Project)

31 Comments
There are 41 State House Districts. 23 of them, or 56% of them, will be uncontested by a major party. Which means either the incumbent Representative currently holding the seat is running for reelection either completely unopposed, or opposed by minor third parties. Of those 23 Representatives, 17 are Democrats and 6 are Republicans. So already, the race for the House is pretty much over. Because to gain a majority, the state GOP would need to win 21 seats. They have 6 in the bank. So they need to pick up another 15. There are only 18 contested races. So to win the house, the GOP would have to basically run the table and win everything. Good luck. The Senate is another story....

The October 14, 2016 Thread

14 Comments
It was Obama day yesterday on the campaign trail. President Obama told Republicans they are responsible for allowing Donald Trump to become the Republican nominee by “feeding their base all kinds of crazy for years” at the annual Ohio Democrats’ dinner Thursday night, TPM reports. It was a no shit moment for all us liberals and Democrats. And it is long past time Democrats on the trail begin telling voters that all Republicans in office everywhere deserve to be punished for giving us Trump. Said Obama: “The problem is not that all Republicans think the way this guy does. The problem is that they’ve been riding this tiger for a long time. They’ve been feeding their base all kinds of crazy for years, primarily for political expedience. So if Trump was running around saying I wasn’t born here, they were okay with that as long as it helped them with votes. If some of these folks on talk radio talked about how I was the antichrist, that’s just politics.” He added: “They stood by while this happened. And Donald Trump–as he’s prone to do—he didn’t build the building himself, he just slapped his name on it and took credit for it. And that’s what happened in their party.” And then there was Michelle. If you have not watched her speech, you are required by law to stop what you are doing and watch it right now:

This is not a Change Election.

5 Comments
When the media and Republicans say that this election is a Change Election and that voters are angry, they point to this chart, which shows that an overwhelming majority think things in the country are on the wrong track. Ah, the ambiguous Right Track Wrong Track question. That question always implies that if we are on the wrong track, then that must mean the party in "power" is in trouble, and the party in power is always taken to mean the President's party. Well, I am a member of the President's party, and I think we are on the wrong track so long as we have a Republican Party in control of Congress and a majority of the State Houses, since they cannot possibly govern and they have proven that time and again. And many many Democrats feel the same way. And of course the Republicans will answer wrong track so long as a black man is in the White House. So it is a bullshit metric that we need to stop using. Especially when you consider that President Obama's approval rating is at 55% and climbing. So they approve of the job Obama is doing in putting us on the wrong track?
The October 13, 2016 Thread

The October 13, 2016 Thread

64 Comments
The New York Times tells the stories of two women:
In the days since Mr. Trump’s campaign was jolted by a 2005 recording that caught him bragging about pushing himself on women, he has insisted, as have his aides, that it was simply macho bluster. “It’s just words,” he has said repeatedly. And his hope for salvaging his candidacy rests heavily on whether voters believe that claim. They should not, say Ms. Leeds and Ms. Crooks, whose stories have never been made public before. And their accounts echo those of other women who have previously come forward, like Temple Taggart, a former Miss Utah, who said that Mr. Trump kissed her on the mouth more than once when she was a 21-year-old pageant contestant.
The Palm Beach Post has the account of a third woman:
“All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I think it’s Ken’s camera bag, that was my first instinct. I turn around and there’s Donald. He sort of looked away quickly. I quickly turned back, facing Ray Charles, and I’m stunned.’’
And there are more allegations from more women, and a very disturbing CBS video about a young 10 year old girl, below. Trump's response: More Bill Clinton, who is not running for President, and more threats of lawsuits.
Reminder! Voter Registration Deadline is this Saturday, October 15.

Reminder! Voter Registration Deadline is this Saturday, October 15.

I am sure everyone reading this is registered to vote, but if you are not, or if you have family members or friends who are not, make sure you remind them to register at once! It is so freaking easy to register:
You can register online at ivote.de.gov. You'll need a driver's license or other state ID to register. The site also allows users to change party affiliation, address or name, as well as find polling places and ballots. Registering in person is at Department of Elections offices: New Castle County: Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French St. in Wilmington Kent County: 100 Enterprise Place, Suite 5, in Dover Sussex County: 119 N. Race St. in Georgetown
The October 12, 2016 Thread

The October 12, 2016 Thread

22 Comments
The Wall Street Journal says Trump's new strategy is not to win over new voters to his campaign, but to suppress the Clinton vote: “Mr. Trump, in fact, is trying to use his break with many party leaders as a lever to ramp up support among his base, which includes many voters who feel equally estranged from the party establishment.” “The decision means that a campaign already marked by intensely personal attacks is primed to grow even uglier in the remaining four weeks. Mr. Trump plans to keep up a relentless assault on Mrs. Clinton, including her use of a private email server and allegations about her husband, former President Bill Clinton, with the intention of keeping some of her supporters home on Election Day, his advisers said.” “It remains questionable whether Mr. Trump’s strategy can turn around the electoral math.” I have bad news for Donald. There is not a thing you can say or do to dissuade Clinton's voters from voters from voting for her.