Congressional Elections Of 2012

Republican Run State Governments, Their Social Agenda, And The Effect On 2012 Elections

Ronald Leave a comment

Many states witnessed Republican takeover or consolidation in the Midterm Elections of 2010, but now, 18 months later, the record of those states run by Republicans could come back to haunt them and lead to Democratic victories across America.

Of course, many states have Republican Governors whose voters have “buyers remorse” over, including Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who faces a recall vote on June 5. But also, there is a lot of discontent with other “Bully” Governors, including Rick Snyder of Michigan, John Kasich of Ohio, Rick Scott of Florida, Paul LePage of Maine, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, and in some polls, Chris Christie of New Jersey. Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo of New York, Martin O’Malley of Maryland, and Dannel Malloy of Connecticut are among the Democratic Governors looking great in the polls.

The Republican controlled state legislatures proceeded to pass laws on social issues, including gay rights, abortion, gun rights, laws against teaching of evolution, and laws allowing invasion of privacy of women’s bodies.

States including Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Maine have passed all kinds of laws that will cause a revulsion among Independents, women, Hispanics and Latinos, and young voters

Even the American Legislative Exchange Council, a business backed group which promotes conservative laws at the state level, has recognized how there could be a reaction against the right wing extremism in many states, and is now focusing on economic issues.

It will be interesting to see how this all works out in November, regarding state legislatures.

Mitt Romney And Tea Party Republicans In The House Of Representatives: A “Shotgun” Marriage?

Ronald Leave a comment

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the likely GOP Presidential nominee, is accustomed to doing things HIS way, both in the corporate world and in his one term in the Massachusetts Governorship, where he never really learned the names of legislators, or went out of his way to negotiate with those he needed to work with.

This is a man who likes CONTROL to the extreme, but already there are signs in the campaign that the Tea Party Republicans in the House of Representatives are not going to allow themselves to be dictated to, or told how to conduct their campaigns, and how they deal with issues about the budget, foreign policy, and social controversies.

No matter how much Mitt Romney has moved to the Right, it is believed that he is going to attempt a move back toward the center, his more natural location in his earlier career, but if he does that, he will find many House Republicans, and possibly even Senate Republicans, will not join him in such a swing, and will be likely to attack him if he does.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, as IF he is elected, with a GOP majority in one or both houses, the question will be whether he will allow his Presidency to be controlled by the Right Wing of the party.

The likelihood is that he will not agree to that, and that would mean bitter division within a party that even now is not thrilled at having Mitt Romney as their standard bearer.

Ironically, if Romney won, and had a Democratic Congress, while there would be natural rivalry and conflict, it is more likely that much more progress would be made toward dealing with economic and foreign policy issues, than under a Republican Party dominated by the Right WIng.

So anyone who thinks a Romney Presidency would be glorious, and united, and change the political atmosphere in the nation’s capital, needs to have a reality check!

Allen West Goes Rogue: Calls 80 Democratic House Members “Communists”! The Rise Of A Black Joseph McCarthy!

Ronald 3 Comments

Florida Congressman Allen West, who defeated Congressman Ron Klein in 2010, and went on a rampage against Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, head of the Democratic National Committee, insulting her in the most despicable terms, is running for a new term in a newly created Congressional district in Northern Palm Beach County, as well as Martin and St Lucie Counties further north.

Holding a town meeting, the former Army Lieutenant Colonel, forced out of the military for his inappropriate behavior against an Iraqi detainee in 2003, went off the deep end literally, accusing 80 members of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives of being “Communists”, bringing back the ugly reminder of Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy, who ran rampant from February 1950 to December 1954, accusing everyone under the sun of being a Communist or sympathetic toward Communism, promoting the Red Scare, and in so doing, undermining the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations for nearly five years, until he was finally censured for his misbehavior after nearly five years of demagoguery!

Allen West is a literal wingnut, a whacko, a mentally ill person who has had undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and is behaving in a dangerous, aggressive manner, which requires complete denunciation by the House leadership of Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, as well as GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney!

But will this happen? Of course NOT, and the conservative radio talk show hosts and Fox News Channel will take advantage of his irresponsibility to spread the conspiracy theory and try to connect it to Barack Obama as well!

The lunatic fringe of the party is backing Allen West as a possible Vice Presidential nominee, with Sarah Palin and Herman Cain endorsing West for VP. Is there a need to say anything after that statement, that these two leading examples of totally unqualified political leaders would endorse someone just as dangerous and reckless as they are?

Were Romney to pick West, which he will not do, then we would have to order men in white coats to take him forcibly to a mental hospital for observation and testing!

Romney is not that impractical and crazy, but a repudiation by Romney and a censure of West in the House of Representatives, and a chorus of criticism from party members in the US Senate should be seen as a question of character and legitimacy, if the Republican party is to retain ANY respect with the American people!

Allen West needs to be silenced by the voters of his new congressional district, who have the great alternative of Patrick Erin Murphy to represent them in the 113th Congress!

Everyone, no matter where one lives, needs to contribute to Murphy to save that district and the nation any more public attention paid to this lunatic, dangerous, unstable, reckless excuse for a Congressman! The defeat of Allen West needs to be on the front burner for the next seven months!

Florida In Play For Democrats In 2012: A Shock To Republicans!

Ronald 1 Comment

Florida has become in many ways the center of right wing conservatism, what with the election of Governor Rick Scott, Senator Marco Rubio, and Congressman Allen West in the midterm 2010 elections.

The state legislature is about three fourths Republican as well, and only six Democrats serve Florida in the House of Representatives.

No one is saying that the Democrats are about to take over state politics, as that will be a long haul, but public opinion polls show that Barack Obama leads both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in state polls about the Presidential election, and that Democratic Senator Bill Nelson has a big lead over Congressman Connie Mack IV, and that former appointed Senator George Lemieux is not even in the equation for the upcoming race.

The odds for Lois Frankel to overcome Adam Hasner for the Palm Beach County seat, that West held before he chose to move to a new congressional district in northern Palm Beach County and Martin and St. Lucie Counties, is seen as very good. And West is facing a major challenge in a young, charismatic CPA named Patrick Erin Murphy.

This is probably due to the improving economy, and the growing alienation nationwide of Independents, non Cuban Hispanics, and women to the GOP agenda.

Since Florida is the ultimate “swing state”, this might improve the possibility of Senator Rubio as the Vice Presidential running mate of Mitt Romney, even though Rubio keeps on saying that he has no interest, at age 41, rising to that level.

Florida will certainly be paid a lot of attention in this year’s political races!

2012 Could Become Another “Year Of The Woman” In Both Houses Of Congress

Ronald Leave a comment

2012 could well prove to be another “Year Of The Woman” in both houses of Congress, similar to 1992, when a dramatic increase in women in government occurred.

Presently, there are 76 women in the House of Representatives, 52 Democrats and 24 Republicans. The US Senate has 17 women as members, with 12 Democrats and 5 Republicans. So the Democrats have two thirds of all women in Congress, with 64 as compared to the Republicans with 29.

With the Republican attack on contraception, and the Rush Limbaugh fatal mistake to attack a woman personally for her testimony about contraception before a Congressional committee, and with no criticism by GOP Presidential candidates, and very little criticism by any Republicans in Congress, including the women members, it is certain that there will be many new, primarily Democratic, women elected in 2012 to both houses of Congress.

The Democrats have about 38 women running for House seats, while the GOP only have 7, while in the Senate, there are 6 women running as Democrats as compared to 4 for the Republicans. Many of those running for the Senate, particularly for the Democrats, come from states that have never had women elected to that distinguished body.

Notice that for women running for Congress, 44 are Democrats and only 11 are Republicans, 80 percent of the total, as compared to 71 percent for those presently in Congress.

More than ever, it seems highly likely that women will play a major role in the elections, and that will benefit the Democrats and Barack Obama.

And the odds of future women candidates for President from the Democratic Party grows dramatically, with the potential for more than 20 women Democrats in the US Senate in 2013!

“Joe The Plumber” Rears His Ugly Head Again! Candidate Against Marcy Kaptur In Ohio!

Ronald Leave a comment

“Joe The Plumber”, Samuel Wurzelbacher, who became infamous in 2008 when he confronted Presidential nominee Barack Obama on a campaign swing and challenged his views, and then showed up at campaign events of John McCain and Sarah Palin, has emerged from obscurity, and is now the Republican nominee in a congressional district covering parts of Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio.

He is running against long time Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who won another nomination by defeating fellow Democrat Dennis Kucinich, when redistricting forced them into the same Congressional district.

This will be one of the more exciting and captivating races, as Kaptur has been in Congress for nearly 30 years, and is highly regarded and believed to be very tough to beat. Just by defeating Kucinich in the primary marks her as a tough lady who will be difficult for Wurzelbacher, who demonstrated NO knowledge or understanding of public affairs in 2008, to overcome due to her intelligence and her seniority and her excellent Congressional performance.

She has served in Congress since 1983, and is the third longest serving woman in Congress, the second longest serving woman ever in the House of Representatives, the longest serving woman presently in the House, the senior member of Ohio’s Congressional delegation, and the senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Imagining a debate between them is a fascinating example of knowledge vs the Know Nothingism of Wurzelbacher!

Rush Limbaugh, The Republican Party, And Responsibility For Loss Of Presidential Election Of 2012!

Ronald Leave a comment

When all is said and done, the Republican Party will look back on the loss of the 2012 Presidential Election and blame Rush Limbaugh for the turning point when the election was lost.

But actually it will be their own fault, since they allowed themselves to be held hostage for the past ten years by this bully, this egotistical windbag, this despicable human being who has no limits to his desire to destroy all opposition to his sick, twisted views of the world! And their cowardice and fear of Limbaugh that has prevented them from denouncing him en masse will, ultimately, cost them dearly in November!

George Will and Erick Erickson have recently declared that the Presidential election is over, and that emphasis must be placed on holding on to the Republican House majority and to regain the US Senate.

That is a warning to all who want Barack Obama to have a successful second term to fight tooth and nail, through every means possible, to gain a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and retain the US Senate.

The Republican Party needs a total defeat, a humiliating loss, to bring them back to the moderate center, and away from the influence of social conservatives and extreme right wing talk show hosts on radio and Fox News Channel!

Retention Of Democratic Controlled Senate Likely, With News Of Bob Kerrey Running And Olympia Snowe NOT Running

Ronald 1 Comment

The news that former Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey has decided to run for Ben Nelson’s Senate seat in Nebraska, and that Olympia Snowe has decided to retire from her Maine Senate seat are two good omens for the Democrats keeping control of the US Senate.

Kerrey was the only Democrat who would have been able to retain the Senate seat given up by conservative Democrat Ben Nelson.

With Snowe, a moderate Republican, retiring due to the exasperation at the lack of compromise in the Senate, it is nearly impossible for any Republican to take the seat from her, as Maine is a clearly blue state which accepted two moderate Republican Senators (Snowe and Susan Collins), but will not accept a Tea Party type similar to Governor Paul LePage for the Senate seat, and there seem to be no other types except Tea Party available to run for the GOP in Maine.

So the odds of a Democratic Senate in 2013 have been much improved by these events!

The Leading US House Race For 2012: Allen West Vs. Patrick Murphy In Florida

Ronald Leave a comment

Probably the most controversial race in 2012 for the House Of Representatives is also the second highest in raising of funds–the race in the new 18th Congressional District in northern Palm Beach County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County between Congressman Allen West (R) and his challenger Patrick Murphy (D).

West, one of two African American Republicans in the House, was elected in what is now the 22nd Congressional District in Palm Beach and Broward Counties, but has decided to compete in a district likely to be more favorable to his right wing conservative and confrontational views. West NEVER is diplomatic, as shown when he condemned Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the head of the Democratic National Committee, as well as the House member from the 20th Congressional District in Broward County and Miami-Dade County, in the strongest possible and insulting terms, and refused to apologize for his rude language, particularly toward a woman!

West served in the Iraq War, but was forced out of the military over his rough treatment of a detainee, and now spews forth his right wing extremism, and has no problem raising money, having gained a total at this time of $5.8 million, more than any House member except Speaker of the House John Boehner. Imagine, he has raised more than House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp of Michigan, and Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the leading figures in the House leadership outside of Speaker Boehner.

This race represents a major challenge for Democrat Patrick Murphy, who operates a company that cleans up oil spills, and has raised $1.42 million so far.

The 28 year old Murphy could be, if elected, the youngest member of the House, unless Ilya Sherman in the 10th Congressional District in Illinois is elected, who is slightly younger than Murphy.

Anyone who wants to see West removed from the House of Representatives should contribute to the Murphy campaign, in what will become the most expensive House race in the entire nation.

Republicans Committing “Suicide” Among Many Voting Groups

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party, with its extreme right wing taking hold of the party, are only insuring their ultimate defeat in many Congressional races and in the race for the Presidency.

It can be assured that a vast majority of the following voting blocs will NOT vote Republican:

Women
African Americans
Hispanics and Latinos
Labor
Gays and Lesbians
Jews
White Collar College Educated Middle Class
Independents

Of course, SOME people in these different categories will vote Republican, but with a strong majority alienated by the extremism of the GOP, the Democrats will win the majority, often very strong majority, of these groups.

Barack Obama has not pleased everyone with all of his policies, but again, the election is a choice between alternatives, not perfection of anyone. There is no question that the Republican Party is committing political “suicide”, the only good thing about this for them being that it will force them to move back to the center of American politics in the future, or be repudiated and replaced by a new “centrist” party in the mainstream of America!