1 They have the nerve to call Christine Od, Sarah Palin and other Tea Party people idiots, the world has gone mad!

2 You're just in the "Group that hates Groups" group, Ace. You all need to form a PAC.

3 Businesses welcome them

Yes!

Then, profit!

4 Last time I tried voting with my reproductive organ I spoiled the ballot, and had to get another....

5 (Um, another ballot, not another reproductive organ.)

6 You wouldn't believe how efficient I am at creating jobs. There's the crime scene techs, coroners, ambulance drivers, cops, magistrates, rope manufacturers, and on and on. You should thank me.

7 Believe it or not, law suits aren't hated here in the Northeast the way they are elsewhere.  So while this is a stupid thing for Blumenthal to say, an add using it would not quite be as effective as it would be elsewhere.

8 Lawyers don't make good executives either. We have JenJen Granholm here in Michigan. You would think that a trial lawyer would have learned to prepare/anticipate and to think on his feet.

9 from below- 4 of Connecticut's 5 house seats are now listed vulnerable on the RCP.com house chart. CT-1 and CT-2 added to Likely Dem (down from safe) CT-4 @ lean CT-5 @ tossup now. ...I think its odd that Linda is behind by 10 or 11 but Republicans are even in 2 seats and down a bit in 2 others- seats that are D+13 and D+6. Linda may be saving all of this for the end, who knows. Bigger news in addition to that NY-4 shock poll: PA-13 is on NO ONES radar in pennsylvania. It is about to be (and would make the NINETH vulnerable Dem seat): Huntingdon Valley, PA, October 7, 2010—In a poll conducted by Neil Newhouse, Public Opinion Strategies, it was revealed that the PA 13th Congressional Seat held by incumbent Democrat Rep. Allyson Schwartz is not “Safe” as many have predicted. In a summary memo, Neil Newhouse said, “Forget the Democrat registration edge here, voters in this district are leaning toward the GOP candidate in the November election by a 44%-42% margin, with even 27% of Democrats supporting a ‘checks-and-balances’ Republican. Voters here are clearly looking for a change.”

10

Posted by: CMU VET at October 08, 2010 11:25 PM (aWPiu)

Lawyers are, despite all the aura of SMART, kind of like "accountants who use words instead of numbers."

In any case, there are lawyers who are good, brilliant thinker, but it's not really necessary to succeed.

But stop insulting my profession!  I can do that myself!  ;-)

11 During the debate, Blumenthal listed by name several large CT employers and how he 'fought' to keep those jobs here.

Every one of those companies he listed has either already left CT, or is going to be leaving.  I'd like to see an ad with him going into this little list, and then after he mentions each company, the screen goes black with print that says, 'Pratt & Whitney leaving CT after being sued by AG Blumenthal, XXXX jobs lost,' etc.

12 btw caveat to the above....if PA-13 truly is this competitive...the state of Pennsylvania will have exactly 3 Democratic house districts- PA-1, PA-2, PA-14. The city of Pittsburgh and the city of Philadelphia- everything outside the city boundaries would be crimson red. You would actually need to zoom in on a map of PA to even see the blue dots.

13 Too bad I didn't think of that while, you know, I was actually standing beside her, right?

*smacks forehead*

14 Jack Skellington creates jobs, wingnutz!

15 . ...I think its odd that Linda is behind by 10 or 11 but Republicans are even in 2 seats and down a bit in 2 others- seats that are D+13 and D+6.

There was just posed on Hillbuzz an item about whether O'Donnell is really as far behind as the polls say she is.

Was the polling before the primary especially off?  Is it possible that WAVE elections are more difficult to poll?

16 http://tinyurl.com/2axzqwp


Whenever I see dick blumenthal, he reminds me of this guy...

(warning, you may need to take a shower after watching)

17 I'd like to see an ad with him going into this little list, and then after he mentions each company, the screen goes black with print that says, 'Pratt & Whitney leaving CT after being sued by AG Blumenthal, XXXX jobs lost,' etc. Posted by: lauraw at October 08, 2010 11:31 PM (DbybK) If you think Linda isn't spending her millions digging and editing and shooting these ads as we speak, you are sorely mistaken Laura. She is absolutely dead-serious about winning and is making Smegma look like a grinning idiot in the process.

18 CMU VET: "Lawyers don't make good executives either."

They do make nice, biodegradable boat anchors, though. So there's that.

19 I hope so, CAC.

20 Pratt and Whitney is leaving CT? Holy cow.

21 Oh, I don't remember the actual companies he mentioned right now eman. I'm tired.

22

Anyone else get that "picked on constantly as a kid" vibe from ol' Dick?

23

And that if she is lucky enough to win them, she pledges she will only serve two terms.

I consider this statement by any politician to be bullshit.  I don't mean to slam McMahon for it but its really just said as a way to deflect charges of running solely to gain power for yourself.  You're better off saying you will serve as long as the people of the state consider you to be doing the job they want you to do.  At least you'll never have to twist to explain that when you run for your 3rd term.  Didn't Lieberman also pledge to only serve 2 terms?

24 Actually this clip does show how stupid Blumenthal is but not for the reason given. there was a simple answer to the question, CT is 47th in population growth. You don't get more jobs with less people. The jobs have left and the people went with them. A better question is how did his lawsuits,and the laws he championed,  contribute to this?  Without CT being a tax haven for so many of the rich working in NY it would be little better off than Michigan if it were left up to people like Dick Blumenthal.

25

LauraW,

No salary or bennies?  I can believe it.  She and Vince have an insane amount of money because of the way WWE stock is structured and the amount of retained earnings the company has.  When they need money, they declare a small dividend which pays out pennies to the average stockholder and big bucks to them.  They don't spend a lot of their personal wealth because Vince is a workaholic and most of the things he spends money on are business-related, such as travel and accommodations.

Congresscritters being forced to live under the laws they pass?  She's straight-talking there, IMHO.  She'll push for it but the chances of it happening are slim and none and she knows it.  As I said, she doesn't need the benefits and won't hesitate to suggest cutting them to balance the budget.

Self-limiting to two terms?  Believable mainly because she's already a success outside of politics and, given that it's a family company and her husband's a notorious workaholic, she'll get pulled back into WWE at some point, possibly as a senior business adviser to her kids as they take over the company in full.  It's not like she's angling for a permanent position in the beltway like most politicians.

Refusing to go negative?  You hit one of the two main reasons for that, which is that she isn't particularly liked by people in the state and, if it comes down to a popularity contest, she probably comes out on the short end of it despite Blumenthal's past.  The other is that the US Chamber of Commerce seems to be going down that route with their big ad buy, which Linda can benefit from while not taking a direct role in the attacks.

I probably come off as a McMahon apologist, but I'm calling it like I see it based off the various things I've seen as both a fan and as an Internet writer / columnist on wrestling over the years.  She's hard-nosed and a tough negotiator, but was generally in the shadows as far as the public was concerned until the company went public circa 2000 and she became the business face of the company while Vince remained the face of the creative side.  Her reputation as a hardass negotiator during the company's worldwide expansion in the 80s is somewhat legendary amongst wrestlers.

She may be short on charisma, but all stories I've heard indicates she's got some solid brass balls of her own that could be of good use in the Senate.

26 . ...I think its odd that Linda is behind by 10 or 11 but Republicans are even in 2 seats and down a bit in 2 others- seats that are D+13 and D+6.

There was just posed on Hillbuzz an item about whether O'Donnell is really as far behind as the polls say she is.

Was the polling before the primary especially off?  Is it possible that WAVE elections are more difficult to poll?

Posted by: ParisParamus at October 08, 2010 11:33 PM (gMzAL)

Its possible in such a charged campaign that pollees are just lying to the pollers. I remember when Jimmy Carter went down to crown the Sandanistas in Nicaragua - they were polling about 2 for 1, but lost by about the same margin.

In 1980 nearly all polls had it pretty close instead of a historic wipeout. Its best to wait for the actual election and see what happens. The press will have their story straight by then, win or lose.

 

27 That's right, P&W tried to close down a couple of their shops and move 1000 jobs out of CT. They were barred from doing so by a judge when they were sued by the union.

http://bit.ly/bU8jeM

But they're still going to get their way. Just going to take them a little longer to get out.

28

Refusing to go negative?  You hit one of the two main reasons for that, which is that she isn't particularly liked by people in the state and, if it comes down to a popularity contest, she probably comes out on the short end of it despite Blumenthal's past.  The other is that the US Chamber of Commerce seems to be going down that route with their big ad buy, which Linda can benefit from while not taking a direct role in the attacks.

Posted by: Brandon In Baton Rouge at October 08, 2010 11:46 PM (b8JnP)

Yeah its pretty fashionable on the web to think that flaming trash ads are universal winners. You do need to make some points about making you a better bet than your opponent, but too much venom can backfire, too.

29 The press will have their story straight by then, win or lose.

It's probably up on JournoList2 already.

30

But they're still going to get their way. Just going to take them a little longer to get out.

Posted by: lauraw at October 08, 2010 11:46 PM (DbybK)

Cut the hours to 1 hour a week. Find that the rare spotted grouper fish lives in puddles in the parking lot.

31 It's probably up on JournoList2 already.

Posted by: HeatherRadish at October 08, 2010 11:52 PM (Vz9lf)

Well if its the "Racist white men throw a tantrum" they've had it ready for 20 years or so.

32 P&W only has to keep the plants open till the contract expires in December regardless of the lawsuit. It was silly of them to try to close the plants so close to the end of a contract as any union would be able to find a friendly judge to stretch it out that far.

33 7 Believe it or not, law suits aren't hated here in the Northeast the way they are elsewhere.  So while this is a stupid thing for Blumenthal to say, an add using it would not quite be as effective as it would be elsewhere.

Posted by: ParisParamus at October 08, 2010 11:24 PM (gMzAL)

 

Well please keep that bs mentality there!!

And lawsuits are just  a form of redistribution of wealth in most cases!

34 Lawsuits create jobs. So THAT'S why the federal government is suing Arizona. I thought it was just because the justice department is headed by a big Dick.

35 Uh, oh. Did I break a rule from the overnight thread? Something about insults, name-calling, silliness, blah, blah, blah.

36 23 buzzion She can always sign up with the Alliance for Bonded Term Limits. They're getting a number of Congressional candidates to put up bonds of $1 million each to assure that they keep their pledges not to run after a fixed number of terms. If the candidate gets elected and reneges on his pledge, the money goes to charity.

37 37 Uh, oh. Did I break a rule from the overnight thread? Something about insults, name-calling, silliness, blah, blah, blah.

Posted by: nerdygirl at October 09, 2010 12:05 AM (uG7PE)

 

No, I think this is just the anti-overnight thread. TeeHee,  not many takers!

38

I don't know about the rest of you, but I could really use some good ole lawyer hate from Amishdude right about now.

Oh, and McMahon wins in a nail biter. 

Creepy Fire Marshall Bill types don't win with so many flaws in a wave election, Connecticut or not.

And if I'm wrong, well who cares?  Dick Morris still has a job.

 

39 Is Dunkin Donuts leaving CT, too? (That'll get me banned, for sure.)

40

I think we have at least one more lurch forward across the board as the polls recalibrate their assumptions to match the reality so far. Races that seem close now won't be, and those that aren't now will.

And then the 'join the wave' crowd will pitch in like they did for Obama and push things even farther.

41 Sorry to any lawyers here but lawyers and accountants should never be put in charge of anything...ever,  They are just not capable of dealing with the real world, their entire training and reality is an abstraction.

42

eman at 20 - Pratt has been trying to move a repair shop out of the state for several years now. In the last contract with the union there was some boilerplate that the company would make "every reasonable effort" for the local workers welfare, blah blah. The union is contending that this is an iron clad gauruntee of continued employment at there current location.

Pratt contends thare is not enough work in the current location and that it makes economic sense to move.

43 Blumenthal did bring suit against Pratt in that case.

44 43 Sorry to any lawyers here but lawyers and accountants should never be put in charge of anything...ever,  They are just not capable of dealing with the real world, their entire training and reality is an abstraction.

Posted by: CanaDave at October 09, 2010 12:17 AM (pmAXX)

Harumph Hurumph!

45 46 43 Sorry to any lawyers here but lawyers and accountants should never be put in charge of anything...ever,  They are just not capable of dealing with the real world, their entire training and reality is an abstraction.

Posted by: CanaDave at October 09, 2010 12:17 AM (pmAXX)

Harumph Hurumph!

 

Sorry, lou

46

Posted by: Oldcat at October 08, 2010 11:46 PM (CN+Qv)

I'd just like to know if now (or in 1980), the polls were way off due to intentional mischief; like now, when polls with absurd samples (Dem, GOP, Independent) are used.  I mean, what is the point of releasing polls with crazy samples?  To demoralize certain people for a few seconds?  Do these pollsters have a political agenda to sway crown-voters?  WHAT?

47 The frozen "cover" of that video shows a guy who looks a little bit like VINCE McMahon!  ;-)

48

47 46 43 Sorry to any lawyers here but lawyers and accountants should never be put in charge of anything...ever,  They are just not capable of dealing with the real world, their entire training and reality is an abstraction.

Posted by: CanaDave at October 09, 2010 12:17 AM (pmAXX)

Harumph Hurumph!

 

Harumph Hurumph! I meant that as a agreement!!

49 50 47 46 43

I just hope you aren't serious.  Many lawyers are morons (not an AOSHQ moron), but one doesn't become a moron by going to law school:  EFFECT IS NOT CAUSE.

50

Am I the only one who thinks that Blumenthal looks and talks like a really creepy Crispin Glover character. You know, like Glover doing an impression of that ACORN guy, Scott Levenson.

51 52

Am I the only one who thinks that Blumenthal looks and talks like a really creepy Crispin Glover character. You know, like Glover doing an impression of that ACORN guy, Scott Levenson.

Posted by: Ronsonic at October 09, 2010 12:36 AM (VTm+A)

 

Yep "Rivers Edge"!

52

One of the other ladies at the meet handed out pink 'Women for Linda' pins to all usbroads.

I imagined you were a slatern, Ace, but I never though of you as a Broad.

So you really don't have any balls to dip in pudding then?

53 Creepy Fire Marshall Bill types...

That's who this fucker reminds me of!

54 I doubt the most recent CT polls are wrong.  CT is in 2 TV markets - Hartford/New Haven, which covers everything outside of Fairfield County in the NYC suburbs, and New York City, which covers Fairfield County.  Until very recently, only McMahon was on-air in NYC.  As a result, according to one of the recent polls, about 95% of CT likely voters had seen her ads, but only about 85% of CT likely voters had seen Blumenthal's.  McMahon also lead Blumenthal in that region (SW Connecticut), while trailing in most of the rest of the state. 

Blumenthal began advertising on the NYC TV stations a few weeks ago.  He's seemingly running the same anti-McMahon attack ad over and over again - which probably turned some voters who hadn't seen his ads against McMahon.  Thus, a Blumenthal bump was to be expected. 

Whether the bump will be sustainable is another matter.  His anti-McMahon attack ad is getting stale and refers to an ad McMahon is no longer running.  McMahon's ads have moved on to other themes (serving in Vietnam, not knowing how to create jobs, etc), which Blumenthal doesn't seem to be directly countering. 

I suspect the CT race will tighten up again before election day.  But I think McMahon needs another Blumenthal gaffe along the lines of his "I served in Vietnam" bravado in order to have any realistic chance of winning.  The odds aren't great, but I haven't written McMahon off as I would most candidates trailing by about 10 a month before election day.

55 But I think McMahon needs another Blumenthal gaffe along the lines of his "I served in Vietnam" bravado in order to have any realistic chance of winning.

She just got one the other day where he lied about the investigation of WWE, which he termed as a criminal probe as well as being under the Dept. of Labor rather than the AG's office.

It plays into her earlier ad about his Vietnam service which ended with "What else is he lying about?"  Any additional lies he makes that he gets caught on during this cycle become immediate fodder for follow-up ads.

56 What is it about this guy (and others like him) that makes me want to just start punching them? Punching them repeatedly...until they bleed...alot...

57 >>They're used to voting with their ethnicity and their reproductive organs.<<

I voted with my reproductive organ once.  The old ladies running the polling precinct were quite impressed by my dexterity. 

58 Braves win!!!!!!!!!! Braves win!!!!!!!!!! Braves win!!!!!!!!!! I miss Skip Carey. Bobby Cox is still having a magical season.

59 Brandon in Baton Rouge-

Linda McMahon's op research team has been top-notch.  Actually, her whole campaign has been, and she's been one of the most impressive Republican candidates this cycle, in my opinion.  The "what else is he lying about?" tagline may be forshadowing some "previously unknown" dirt the McMahon campaign has on Blumenthal.  We'll see.

60 Blumenthal's a fuckin' soldier!

61

Blumenthal looks like an anatomatically correct plastic wind up doll run by computers.  A question is asked...whrrr, whrrr..broad  confident smile...whrrr, whrrr...rears back head with smile intact...answers with convoluted double speak that only a computer can keep up with.  In other words, he ducks the question.

Say, is this Blumenthal related to Sid?  There is a certain resemblance..

 

62 I'm sure this will get lost in the blah blah blah, but I sent an email to "my" GOP primary winning Congressional "rep" candidate, Michael Yost. (Florida 3) I warned him if he didn't get some Tea Party support, his chances were nil. He responded that he didn't need even my vote, and he couldn't afford to pay the Tea Party to support him. Here's a reference to my opinion of my current "rep"... http://tinyurl.com/2u86awp There are advertisements all the time about how Grayson and Kosmos are shit, but nothing about Corine Brown, who is the worst of the worst in Florida.

63 Blumenthal is a nasty, evil man - but so is Chris Dodd, and they have kept him in office for decades up there. 

I can't fathom how any rational electorate could choose Blumenthal to represent them, but then, neither can I fathom how they could elect Dodd.

It seems nearly certain that, unless the GOP wave turns into a full-on tsunami, the best that can be said of McMahon's chances is that they are somewhat better than O'Donnell's.

64

Something about Blumenthal is really creepy.

65 By the way, this is how someone could turn Blumenthal's "my lawsuits created jobs" nonsense into a blistering personal attack.  What type of jobs?  Jobs for Blumenthal's cronies and assorted mass tort lawyers.

66

Off Topic, but sweet:

'Look, we know we screwed up when we were in the majority. We fell in love with power. We spent way too much money—especially on earmarks. There was too much corruption when we ran this place. We were guilty. And that's why we lost."

That's the confession of Eric Cantor, the 47-year old congressman from Richmond, Va.

- WSJ

67 I created lots of jobs in the Nam mowing down all those gooks with my M60. Somebody had to clean 'em up!

68

Blumenthal's nickname is "Dick."

They call him Dick "Dick" Blumenthal.

69 70

Off Topic, but sweet:

'Look, we know we screwed up when we were in the majority. We fell in love with power. We spent way too much money—especially on earmarks. There was too much corruption when we ran this place. We were guilty. And that's why we lost."

That's the confession of Eric Cantor, the 47-year old congressman from Richmond, Va.

- WSJ

Posted by: taba

That's nice. Did Cantor mention whether or not he gave back the money he took from GMPAC?

70 43 Sorry to any lawyers here but lawyers and accountants should never be put in charge of anything...ever,  They are just not capable of dealing with the real world, their entire training and reality is an abstraction.

Don't over-generalize. My wife is a prosecutor here in L.A. County, and she has to deal with the real world every day--often the seamiest aspects of it.

71 I wote my reprodutuve orguns!

72 73

Blumenthal's nickname is "Dick."

They call him Dick "Dick" Blumenthal.

Posted by: rdbrewer at October 09, 2010 03:55 AM (Chxbz)

Thwey do?! Oh my!

73 My take on the "created jobs" comment is a bit differenr.He made a funny,a funny only a stupid entitled arrogant lying/lawyer pos like Blumenthal would think is funny. Yuk yuk yuk ,hahaha,yeah I create plenty of jobs when I sue farmers using outside wood furnaces. I showed those hicks. Teeheeteehee.Dumb CT voters, I insult them and still lock up their vote for the next 25 years.

74 >>Thanks to Laura "Shanty Trollop" W.>>
Look, Ms. Laura said she was sorry about the "Drunken SeaHorse Blogging" episodes.....
*** Resumes Sharpening Claws ***

75 He talks like that?

He thinks he's black.
His real name is Roger Lowenthal.

76 United Technologies is one of the biggest employers in the state with some nice high paying jobs. I have friends and family working there and they are all doing pretty good. back in the ealry 70s it used to be an insanely awesome place to work at --- esp for a guy with no college. I had a few friends whose dads worked at UT and mom stayed at home, and their dad managed to provide handsomely. not the same thing anymore, but pretty decent. 

When any non-UT family hit a money crisis, they could go down to UT in the morning and be working third shift later that night, making huge money. My aunt did it all the time. And they wouldn't get all pissy if you quit becuase you no longer needed the money...they'd welcome you back any time.

UT includes Pratt, Otis Elevators, Sikorsky, and more. So what happened with Pratt was that they said they needed to close their Cheshire engine plant because labor was too high and move the jobs down south. So genius boy blumenthal of course sues them. Pratt figures it is better to settle. Basically the terms of the settlement at the Pratt will keep the Cheshire plant open a little bit longer.

And just like most economical illiterates, for Blumey, that's a win. But really, all it is is a postponement of the inevitable. those jobs are leaving the state at a great cost to Pratt.

Essentially he caused Pratt to lose money and be less competitive. And  how is this supposed to help all the other UT jobs grow or remain secure?  Blumenthal has been the biggest drain on our state's economy....He has been sending message after message that any business decision will be second guessed by a clueless agitator.

Connecticut used to be a center for high-tech manufacturing. this state added a lot of value to product a our workers were handsomely rewarded. Now, Blumey is hardly fully responsible for our state's decline.  But under his watch, a significant amount of high paying manufacturing jobs --- those awesome things of capitalism --- have fled the state.

After November 3rd, both he and Dodd will be out of Connecticut politics for ever. And this state can breathe a sign of relief.

77 One thing I don't like about her campaign is the 'groups' thing. There's a Latinos for Linda group. One of the other ladies at the meet handed out pink 'Women for Linda' pins to all us broads.

I'm not a fan of this technique either, but I think the "groups" think is sort of s.o.p. now.  I recall McCain-Palin had the same thing and of course Palin herself has the "mamma grizzlies" thing.  I recall Bush (W) had the bumper stickers in Spanish (Viva Bush! I think). 

I believe it's just a segmentation concept used in marketing that's been transferred over to campaigns. 

78 8 Lawyers don't make good executives either.

I think the jury is still out on that one. 

79

Buenas dias, idiotas...

The other day Ace hinted at a story that Breitbart, et al, were working on. As I was cruising throught the intertubes I stumbled onto what Ace most likely was referring to

I found it at Stacy McCain's via Dan Collins blog POWIP(which by the way is awesome and I highly recommend you check it out)

These fuckers are truly sick. Dem operatives, working with Dem congressional candidates have organized a campaign to smear the Tea Party by doing some really sick shit..

...check it out...and expect to be enraged by what they're doing to certain individuals

80 I'm seeing a function developing with the top of the ticket races, (Senate or Governor) not providing "coattails" for the down ticket races, but the House races providing the "push". CACs post above about the CT House races reinforces the idea. It almost like the electorate has suddenly wiser up that fiscal policy starts in the House or they just hate Pelosi.

81 Good Morning M&Ms

Another fine day here at the AOS world. A review of the night's activities finds another expose of the AGW scam that will never see the pages of the MFM. Every time the curtain is pulled back on one of those schemes we see what a crooked thing it is and yet the politicians continue to push it as hard as they can. Even the squishes who are against it right now do do under the rubric of "we can't afford it now" meaning that the science is good and we'll enact it at some later date.

But that fraud goes hand in hand with another older fraud pushed out there by the EPA decades ago that showed up in the Florence, SC paper regarding a small town nearby. It seems DEHEC is now visiting small towns pushing them to ban smoking in "public places" meaning bars and restaurants. Since in SC all bars that serve liquor MUST be part of a restaurant you can see what is happening. The liars referenced a paper by the Surgeon General hahahaha. That paper is based on the discredited "study" done by the EPA on second hand smoke that the courts threw out long ago. The fact is, you can't believe anything released by the EPA in the past several decades and very little before that.

But no, the papers don't mention that.  What is even more amazing are the comments from the locals. Remember I said when a town goes above 30K it becomes a libtard paradise. Obviously that is what is happening here. We are talking about small southern towns and cities not Southern CA yuppies, but most of these commentators are all on board with the local government telling businesses what they must do inside their places of business. Because of the hated cigarette people are more than willing to give up private property rights which have been at the heart of personal freedom since the Magna Carta. 

Sometimes I am amazed and saddened by this crap.

http://tinyurl.com/2flov7d

82

I would sooner refer to Blazing Saddles than the dictionary.  At least in this place.

83 One other thing that I have found consistent in ALL of the papers here and all over the country since late September is the relentless attacks on Republican candidates for the newspaper coverage area.

It seems since the middle of September the number and ferocity of the attacks has doubled. That tells you we are getting down to the wire. The MFM is doubling down.

84

Good news, everyone!  All is the same as it ever was.

NOW endorse Moonbeam one day after he calls Whitman a whore!

85

Good God and what the fuck!  LaHoode puts his boot on the fat man's neck;

Hudson River Tunnel may be back on

86 And Doctors love to be sued for malpractice also. Hey before your DR operates on you next time, reminded him if the results ain't perfect your gonna sue him of all hie is worth. See how well that works out?

87 Vegas bookies have all gone insane. They are favoring GA over Tennessee by 11.5 points. GA has a 1 and 4 record and the one win was the season opener against a nothing team. Maybe they have all their first string back from jail now.

88 91 Good God and what the fuck!  LaHoode puts his boot on the fat man's neck

Yeah, there was a near mental blow-out at Hot Air over this story yesterday.  A lot of "RINO hunters" jumping to conclusions and saying "I told you so." 

Put me firmly in the "way too soon to tell" camp.  Frankly, it's his duty as governor to do whatever he can to serve the people of his state.  Not to mention that it would be political suicide to refuse to meet with La Hood --- it would give the administration at chance to say he's being an obstructionist on getting this tunnel built. 

How many governors refuse to accept federal transportation funds? 

89 OK, I was channeling the governor.  Sock off.

90 A lot of "RINO hunters" jumping to conclusions and saying "I told you so."

Well, you have to admit that as more and more stuff comes out that is outside of the "bashing teacher's unions" he is not presenting a real 'conservative stance".

But given that, is is just another data point. I would not throw the RINO flag at him just yet, but overall it is not good.

91
So you're trapped deep underground in a gold mine?  Would you want the US Government under the Obama administration to sheppard the effort for rescue, or would you choose the Chilean Government, a small and ineffectually corrupt government according to the elitists liberals that know what's best for everyone?

92 @96

I think even if he cuts a deal with the administration that is favorable to New Jersey's budget and allows the tunnel to be built, I wouldn't slap the label on him.  It sounds as if there's no doubt the tunnel is a desirable project, unlike the "bridge to nowhere."  His job as governor is to do what's best for New Jerseyans. 

I read some people think that taking Fed money would show he's fiscally irresponsible because "Fed money" is after all taxpayer money.  But most people think he shouldn't run for POTUS in 2012, so I don't think it's fair to expect him to be doing anything other than focusing on the needs of his state.  Anything good he does that represents the Party well nationally is gravy at this point, imho. 

But I also freely confess I'm not a fan of the RINO label and feel it's misapplied or applied too widely.  To me the Maine twins are RINOs because they constantly vote contrary to what the Senate GOP leadership want, but I would not apply it to all "liberal" Republicans.  Christie may not be a pure red conservative, but until he starts speaking against the Party or its nominees on a loud and consistent basis, I don't think he's a RINO. 

I think some can't accept that the Republican party has shifted (for good or ill) left-ward.  I'm not saying it's a good thing, but it is a reality.  Hence, to call someone who is a moderate Republican "Republican in name only" doesn't make sense to me.  It's obedience to the party leadership and willingness to work for party candidates that determine if you're a "true Republican," imho. 

93 @98
And I should clarify that I really make a distinction between an ideology (conservatism) and a political party.  It's not that I think a political party should not adhere to ideological principles, I merely accept that a big part of what a party is is just a way to mobilize voters and pragmatically apply those principles.  So I am not saying it's a desirable thing the Republicans shift away from conservative principles, just that it is a reality. 

94 The term RINO is applied to politicians who do not vote IAW the priciples of the Party or who vote with the Democrats on key legislation against the desires of the Republicans.

Everyone has a method for calling RINOs but the key is something that Miller of AK fame said, the Party Platform. If a Republican Politician votes consistently against key provisions of the Platform how can he in truth call himself a Republican?  Currently the Republican Platform is a small government conservative platform with some things thrown in for the Social cons.

Opposition to one, or maybe even two of the key elements doesn't autmatically make them a RINO but consistently voting aganst the platform or voting the Democrat way on some of the major ground breaking commie things like heath scam, crap and tax, and gun control throws up huge red flags.

I use the ACU rating with modifiers for those key things. An ACU rating that is consistently at 80 or below in the past 6 years to me is auto RINO. Just above 80 with key aisle crossing votes is also RINO (Lindsay Graham). 

An ACU rating dipping below 50 is DIABLO.

95 Posted by: Vic at October 09, 2010 08:46 AM (/jbAw)

Don't hurt yourself as you jump to those conclusions. Try to stretch a bit, and maybe try less sweeping ones.

96 Did anybody ever figure out what Carl Paladino's "major announcement" was yesterday? That he's back on his meds?

97 On the tunnel thing don't forget that NJ has to supply a major part of the financing for that tunnel. He originally opposed it for two reasons (1) At the present time NJ can not afford it. They simply do not ave the money to pay for it and the entire State is in danger of going bankrupt and defaulting on its bonds. (2) The tunnel is not needed as there is ample capacity already in place for crossing into NYC.

The question is "what has changed since he gave those reasons?" Answer nothing, a visit from the Obama adm is the only thing that changed.

One mitigating factor here is that he only said they would "look at it again". That doesn't mean that is is a done deal.

98 Posted by: CoolCzech at October 09, 2010 09:14 AM (tJjm/)

Pay-per-view cage match with Cuomo.

99 Don't hurt yourself as you jump to those conclusions. Try to stretch a bit, and maybe try less sweeping ones.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo ( NJConservative) at October 09, 2010 09:14 AM (LH6ir)

What 'conclusions have I jumped to"?

100 @103: sounds like Obama sweetened the financing...

101 Posted by: Vic at October 09, 2010 09:17 AM (/jbAw)

Wow. Lock your doors; there are RINOs everywhere!

Christie said that he would listen and discuss. He would be a fool not to. Maybe the feds are going to pick up more of the cost overruns (for which the state is 100% responsible), which would make it a more manageable project. I doubt that there was any strong-arming; Christie has enough political clout to fend it off without too much trouble, and let's face it, the federal government hasn't impressed many people with its financial acumen.

102 @103: sounds like Obama sweetened the financing...

Posted by: CoolCzech at October 09, 2010 09:20 AM (tJjm/)

It would have to be one of those "under the table" things with a separate piece of pork in another area. Financing for highways and bridges etc is covered by statutory law that Obama has no control over.

103 Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo ( NJConservative) at October 09, 2010 09:22 AM (LH6ir)

I don't see what your beef is here. I said I would not throw the RINO label at him yet, I also said he only said they would look at it again.

My comment in that area was that more and more stuff continues to leak out here and there and that wasn't good.

104

8 Lawyers don't make good executives either. We have JenJen Granholm here in Michigan. You would think that a trial lawyer would have learned to prepare/anticipate and to think on his feet.

But good executives DON'T think on their feet.  They have to sit for hours and hours contemplating a complex problem.

This is why we don't want any lawyer anywhere near government.  There is too great a risk that they THINK like a lawyer: justice can be achieved by a judge's ruling, life is a zero-sum game, jobs can be forced into existence, etc.

When all you have is a gavel, every problem looks like a lawsuit.

No lawyer provides a good or a service people want.  The profession as a whole is an extortion scheme and protection racket.  They don't understand actually exchanging money for goods and services people voluntarily choose.

As far as uncovering nasty Blumenthal: That's why we have outside groups.

105 Posted by: Vic at October 09, 2010 09:18 AM (/jbAw)

What "stuff" has come out that casts Christie in a different light? He is building his reputation on solid conservative financial principles, and I have heard nothing to change that. Don't forget, his perspective is from a state house, not DC. So decisions on the state level are by necessity focused on the health of the state, not the country. If he runs for national office then I will criticize him for whatever stance he takes that doesn't promote the cause of freedom and limited government. But until then, he has my support for doing a great job in a difficult situation.

106 Jesus Christ, ace; your site is being used for ads for Twitch Strickland talking about how fucking great Ohio public schools are under him. Those schools are about as good as dogshit as far as educating kids; all they exist for is a jobs corp for dweeby cocksuckers.

107 What "stuff" has come out that casts Christie in a different light?

Several people have posted he has made comments supporting amnesty and gun control, including links to press coverage for said remarks. But he has made no actual efforts in those areas, so I say the verdict is still out.

No I do not call him a RINO, but I am not one of his many worshipers on here either because so far his only record is bashing teachers unions. I am all for that, but that is one small part of being governor.

Anyway, out for the morning walk, back later.

108 Posted by: Fish Viva Chile! I heard Steve Harrigan (?) on the radio this morning, announcing that the tunnel had made it through, etc. I couldn't help wondering how long he's literally been staring at a hole in the ground waiting for this story. Groundhog Day III: The Tunneling

109 Tammy Bruce is no supporter of Chris Christie because of his stance on gun controls. Although it somewhat smacks of single-issue voting (which I generally deplore), I think it more accurately reflects the mixed bag you get when you support a former federal attorney, ie Giuliani. And for the record, I think Christie is pretty fucking awesome.

110 I don't think Vic has jumped to conclusions on Christie re the tunnel project. 

And I think his basic interpretation of RINO is helpful, but the devil is in the details.  It really depends what is a "key principle" and what isn't.  We all have things that are deal breakers for us.  Principles the GOP espouses that attracts us to the party and principles the Dems keep that repel us. 

Now don't jump all over me, but growing up as I did in the Wash-Balto region with a dad who worked as a probation officer, I would not put "gun control" into the category of a principle that can never be violated.  I may be against gun bans, but I am not opposed to regulation.  I realize that puts me in the RINO camp in lots of peoples' eyes.  But it is a regional/cultural thing.  That's why a lot of Dems from rural states take a GOP/NRA approved position on guns.  So if Christie is for gun control (which I expect he probably is) I chalk that up to being a guy who represents an urban area and having had a background in law enforcement. 

Then there are things like being pro-life, that is something I take a hard line on, but is not in all honesty a thing that I think is necessary to be a Republican.  Here's why.  I think it is so patently obvious that abortion is taking a human life that it transcends party lines -- or should.  I think people can be educated to see that abortion is wrong, but that needs to happen with a mixture of education in biology and a reminder of the dignity of human life.  I'm glad the GOP is pro-life, but it's not a partisan issue for me.

Affirmative action?  That's a party issue for me.  Completely against it and disgusted by the practice. 

111 I'd vote with my reproductive organs; but after 4 kids have, they've changed their name and gone into hiding.

112 Dem operatives, working with Dem congressional candidates have organized a campaign to smear the Tea Party by doing some really sick shit..

...check it out...and expect to be enraged by what they're doing to certain individuals

Posted by: beedubya at October 09, 2010 07:40 AM (AnTyA)

I don't know if it will do any good, but i reported "methadonna" and "obamagician" to Twitter for spam. He "... get semi-erect when holding my baby son"?!?

113 I may be against gun bans, but I am not opposed to regulation.

Although personally I am against all forms of gun owner limitation, except in the case of convicted felons, I view gun control as more of an indicator of even bigger things.

It is not just about "regulating guns" it is about support for the Constitution as written. You either believe in incorporation, or you don't. You can have it both ways where some parts of the bill of rights are applied to all and some parts are not.

The second amendment says the right to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged period dot end of sentence. If you don't agree with that then you must seek ways to change it as the framers intended.

Allowing the federal or local governments to kill the second amendment means that you don't care that the Constitution is being trashed. If you allow one to be trashed you allow them all.

So yes, the issue of gun control is a big one for me. However, if a big city politician say like Christie came out and said "I am in favor of gun control for the cities and I do not believe in ANY incorporation of any of the BOR" I may cut him some slack. However, if he worked to get the incorporation of the second rescinded and not the rest that slack would cease.

114 It's a good thing Blummie married well, the is a fucking idiot.

This guy in the Senate?  What a fucking joke.

Pour on the gasoline and light this fucker up!

115 @125

That was kinda AWESOME!!!

Too bad you are down below the Ugg Boots spam...

That means I get to use it without attribution, right

116 And we haven't even counted all the jobs my lawsuits saved.

117 "4 Last time I tried voting with my reproductive organ I spoiled the ballot, and had to get another...." You got off easy, excuse the expression. They nearly threw me out of the polling place when I knocked over the voting booth. Lawsuits create jobs, huh? I just got a notice that I might be eligible for compensation under a class-action decision. The company is offer 2 mil to pay for its mistake and the plaintiff lawyers are demanding 13 mil in legal fees. How many jobs could you create with 13 million dollars?

118 steroids create jobs

119 Does Dickie remind anyone else of a girlie man version of Reinhard Heydrich on Botox?

120 I didn't realize women used "Broads" to describe themselves.

121 I'm lucky to found your blog today. It's been quite a while looking for unique post like yours. A very good read and great information to digest. It's my pleasure to say that this content has help me tremendously for my research team. Thanks a zillion for this. Keep up the good work. tava tea 

122 Jack Skellington creates jobs, wingnutz! well every one showing there blog why not I, lets see crsplace