Between Barack and a Hard Place: Ultimate US Elections 2012 Thread

**Paradox** · 05-31-2012, 09:50 PM

The openness kind of is. They usually attempt to disguise it (although, often very poorly).

**the4thpip** · 06-01-2012, 12:21 AM

Still like this one:

**the4thpip** · 06-01-2012, 02:27 AM

Voting rights groups are celebrating a significant victory against what they claim is the pernicious spread of anti-democratic legislation across America after a federal judge in Florida blocked key sections of a new state law that discourages voter registration drives.

Judge Robert Hinkle slapped down two of the most hotly contested elements of the new law, HB 1355, which he condemned in scathing terms (pdf). He said that a requirement to deliver voter registration applications to a state office within 48 hours was “harsh and impractical”.

Hinkle also heavily criticised Florida’s imposition of a new form that warns volunteers seeking to register new voters that they face five years in prison if they submit applications including any false information. The judge pointed out that the warning was legally incorrect and concluded that it could only be an attempt on the part of the state of Florida to “discourage voluntary participation in legitimate, indeed constitutionally protected, activities”.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/3...w-florida-law/

**worstblogever** · 06-02-2012, 02:49 AM

Romney has closed in national polls, but Obama still leads by an average of 2.5%.

On a state by state basis, when you look at the 2012 Electoral College Map, things look good for President Obama (favored to have 237 electoral votes so far), and not so good for Mitt Romney (only 170 electoral votes so far). Of the 11 remaining "swing states", Mitt would have to win virtually all of them, at this point, to win the presidency. "Swing states" are those within 4%, and I saw an updated one on the news yesterday that already had Wisconsin, Nevada, and New Hampshire now guaranteed as Obama's.

Of the list of them (on that link):

Arizona (11), Romney +4.0%
Colorado (9), Obama +1.7%
Florida (29), Romney +0.5%
Iowa (6), Obama +2.6%
Missouri (10), Romney +2.0%
Nevada (6), Obama +6.0%
New Hampshire (4), Obama +6.4%
North Carolina (15), Romney +2.5%
Ohio (18), Obama +3.8%
Virginia (13), Obama +2.5%
Wisconsin (10), Obama +4.7%

So barring any changes (like say, how close Florida is at the moment), it's still Obama 290 electoral votes to Romney's 234. Conventions, debates, and five months of economic updates and partisan bickering non-withstanding, of course.

**7thangel** · 06-04-2012, 01:44 PM

Boring Old Louisiana GOP Convention Livened By Rioting Paultards

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Extreme Delegate Apportionment brought to you by America’s disgruntled old Paultard contingent. These political bloodsport fanatics spent the weekend screaming and flinging themselves about at the Louisiana GOP’s state convention after party leaders sought to thwart the Paultards’ hostile convention takeover and RNC delegate pilfering scheme. (This is their thing now, at many state conventions.) There were arrests! And dislocated hips! Watch the chaos, after the jump.

Here is the short version of what happened: Ron Paul supporters showed up in force to try to claim most of the contestable delegates at the convention despite their candidate’s fourth place finish in the state’s primary, the Louisiana GOP chairman told them to grow up, and they responded by seceding from the convention, turning their chairs around and starting their own club. Then this ReLOVEutionary got his fingers broke, or something, as he was being arrested:

But wait, it’s still raining angry Paultards! Here is Round Two, starring some other guy screaming about his hip being dislocated as he too was arrested. This is his own personal Battle of Thermopylae:

[check link for 2nd vid]

And now we will take a moment to appreciate how Ron Paul, alleged human incarnation of the Constitution, has lately abandoned the tyranny of democracy in favor of sending marauding bands of feverish supporters to steal delegates rightfully earned by candidates who managed to win actual elections, just as the Founding Fathers intended, The End.

**the4thpip** · 06-05-2012, 05:08 AM

Appearing on MSNBC on Monday morning, Heritage Foundation senior fellow Brian Darling tried to advocate on behalf of Republicans’ efforts in several to purge allegedly fraudulent voters from the rolls ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

However, under questioning Darling was unable to cite a single verified instance of actual voter fraud, leading host Chuck Todd to declare that he was “actually proving” Democrats’ contention that the Republican Party’s actions are unnecessary.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/0...f-voter-fraud/

**worstblogever** · 06-05-2012, 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by the4thpip

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/0...f-voter-fraud/

Lenny Curry, the chairman of the Florida GOP was also on Hardball later in the day, and didn't fare that well in a debate against Judith Browne Dianis about the same subject moderated by Chris Matthews.

**worstblogever** · 06-05-2012, 01:23 PM

Foreign policy news continues to make any crazy attempts by the GOP to claim Obama is a "secret Muslim" or "terrorist" look stupider than they already are...

Another high-ranking deputy Al Qaeda leader bites the dust in an Obama-ordered drone strike.

**the4thpip** · 06-06-2012, 05:44 AM

Republican candidate’s machine gun video vows to ‘take Linda Sanchez out’

A Republican candidate and law enforcement officer in California is promising to “take Linda Sanchez out” in a campaign ad against the incumbent Democratic representative that features an animated machine gun.

In the 5-minute commercial posted to YouTube on Monday, a machine is seen blasting away at a wall to reveal the message, “Jorge Robles for Congress: Take Linda Sanchez Out of Office.”

The ad goes on to declare that Rep. Linda Sanchez is a “hot mess” because she has not paid off her student loans and “has problems budgeting her lifestyle.”

It concludes with the animation of a machine gun again firing at a wall with Sanchez’s name on it.

Robles campaign manager Robert Davis pointed to the candidate’s job as a state parole agent as an explanation for the violent imagery.

“Mr. Robles is in law enforcement, if you’re not aware of that, so I think it’s his way of just kind of sending our message,” Davis told Politicker. “We’re going after Linda Sanchez, not in the way that portrays it to be if you’re thinking like that.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/0...a-sanchez-out/

I love that boldened cluster of words.

**the4thpip** · 06-06-2012, 05:51 AM

Orly Taitz, the dentist/lawyer/birther queen had a fairly strong showing in California’s Senate primary last night, finishing in fifth place with over 113,000 votes.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmem..._ca_senate.php

**finfangfool** · 06-06-2012, 07:54 AM

Being within 3 points without having named a running mate is a pretty good position to be in, against a sitting President. Sadly I doubt that 6.4 percent advantage in my state (New Hampshire) will keep. Anecdotal, but seeing a lot of Romney signs and hearing a lot of pro-Romney talk (his moderate policies while in office as opposed to the hard-right stances he's taken while running for the Presidency have actually helped him here) and I'm in a fairly liberal part of the state (about halfway up on the Vermont border).