Category Archives: Elections and politics

Clinton could be a great President, but could she run a good campaign?

Alex Pareene suggests the one thing we most need to know about a potential Hilary Clinton candidacy: The question for someone considering whether or not to support Clinton in 2016 is, will a Clinton 2016 campaign pass the Mark Penn … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics | 13 Comments

Using Photoshop To Alter A Photo Isn’t Deceptive If There’s Full Disclosure. Also, “Reverse Sexism” Raises Its Annoying Ugly Head

So Nancy Pelosi, wanting to commemorate the record-breaking 61 female members of the Democratic House Caucus, had the above photos taken. But four women were not present for the photo, and so were Photoshopped into the back row (and rather … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics, Feminism, sexism, etc, In the news | 16 Comments

Up to 49,000 Florida Voters Kept From Voting By Long Lines

Note that the 49,000 number seems to be an upper bound. Like Jordan, as many as 49,000 people across Central Florida were discouraged from voting because of long lines on Election Day, according to a researcher at Ohio State University … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics | 26 Comments

Democracy in Akron

I was supposed to be doing this somewhere warmer, like Las Vegas. Every election cycle, there are organizations that send out lawyers to act as poll monitors in battleground states, observing the voting process and making sure there are no … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics | 16 Comments

Election Debriefing Thread: Seven random thoughts.

So the elections over (give or take). And it was unquestionably a good election for Democrats, and perhaps even for liberals. So what effects will it have? 1) So: Four more years. On the bright side, Obama starts his second … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics | 46 Comments

THE AGE OF MIRACLES: Marriage Equality Wins Popular Vote in Maine, Maryland and Minnesota; Washington win expected

As of 11:54pm Pacific Time, voters have come down in favor of marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, and Minnesota. It hasn’t yet been called in Washington State, but marriage equality is in the lead so far. It’s looking increasingly likely … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics, Same-Sex Marriage | 6 Comments

Half of us are about to collide rudely with reality. I hope it’s not my half.

All the Democrats and lefties I know are pretty confident that Obama will win the election on Tuesday, just from watching the polls. At the same time, many Republicans seem awfully confident that Romney will win. My friend Jack at … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics | 57 Comments

Pournelle’s Iron Law Of Bureaucracy, FEMA, and Republican Incompetence

In another thread, Ron – I suspect with tongue in cheek – quoted Jerry Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy: In any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people: First, there will be those who are devoted to the … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics, Environmental issues | 3 Comments

How I Voted This Year (Oregon election 2012), including in downballot races featuring candidates you’ve never heard of, and why

How I voted! NATIONAL President Because the Presidential vote in Oregon is entirely symbolic (Oregon is not a swing state), I was rather torn between giving my meaningless but fun vote to Jill Stein of the Green Party, whose policies … Continue reading

Posted in Elections and politics, Oregon blogs | 32 Comments

Mitt Romney Reveals His Contempt For Half Of America

Well, 47% of America, to be accurate. This is a video of Romney, at what he thought was a private, unrecorded fundraiser: There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, … Continue reading

Posted in Class, poverty, labor, & related issues, Economics and the like, Elections and politics, In the news | 67 Comments