General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsReality check: The election isn't over!
See Dewey vs Truman and Bush vs Gore.
While Romney has been beyond inept, and his campaign is imploding, it's still a long, long way to Tipperary. The Irish know.
It is still an eternity until the election and eleventy billion things can happen both good and bad. The electorate has been whipped though a blender and is still beyond volatile. The mood can turn on a dime, and I wouldn't stop running full tilt until the oath.
If you are counting your chickens, you would do well to spend your time guarding your eggs instead. This is the time to push even harder and to try to reach those voters lost in the fog of their lives. They still matter a lot, and when they emerge they will count even more.
Let's be careful out there!
yankeepants
(1,979 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)We haven't begun to take back the House and keep the Senate yet.
More more more
sellitman
(11,605 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)I really doubt anyone is getting complacent. Not if they've been conscious for the last 12+ years. Not if they've had to deal with lost jobs, major illnesses, bankruptcies and foreclosures. Not if they've had to make their shrinking paychecks stretch farther. Not if they have gone to 2 wars of convenience for the 1%. Not if they belong to a union. Not if they're a woman and certainly not if they've lost their middle class standing.
No one is complacent, but lots of people are fucking pissed off.
And if they can steal it they will because they can't 'win' any other way, so what does complacency have to do with it?
lillypaddle
(9,580 posts)K&R
geckosfeet
(9,644 posts)No one thought it could ever happen. I mean, he is so patently stupid that no one could consciously vote for the moron.
Look what happened. The American people went the extra mile and demonstrated their cluelessness beyond all doubt. Do not become complacent. Stupidity knows no boundaries.
RC
(25,592 posts)It was wholesale Election Fraud both times.
geckosfeet
(9,644 posts)formercia
(18,479 posts)O'Connell may be dead in a plane crash, but his Technology lives on, somewhere. Rove did it in Ohio in 2004, but they may try multiple States this time to make sure they get the 'Win.' After all, they have almost unlimited funds at their disposal.
They know if they lose big this time, it's over for the crazy wing of the GOP.
Be Prepared, as one Pedophile Ring put it.
obxhead
(8,434 posts)A huge K&R for this thread.
There are local elections to fight for as well.
Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)We still have a long way to go. KKarl Rove/KKKoch Bros. PAC groups will put hordes of Teabaggers on the ground to try and stifle us. We have more boots on the ground and outnumber Romney campaign offices in VA; however, we all believe that this race is STILL too tight. And with voter intimidation and suppression, the Republicans are getting desperate.
We have to keep working as if we're 10 points behind even if we're 10 points ahead.
I don't give a damn what these polls say. I think we're being set up to get complacent. Meanwhile, the other side is working to get their boots on the ground.
We must keep working!! Keep donating!! Stay on the phones. And you can, do some door-to-door canvassing.
It ain't over by a long shot and anything can happen from now to Election Day!
Delphinus
(11,825 posts)Let's not get cocky (ala Hans Solo).
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Delphinus
(11,825 posts)Thanks!
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)MariaM83
(233 posts)INdemo
(6,994 posts)saying G.W.came from behind and all that BS..when AL Gore won Florida...It was called for Gore but then they forgot to consider the 400,000 or so votes that were stolen they opened it back up and stopped giving exit poll numbers..These same pundits are trying so hard to bury the 47% issue and make Rmoney's taxes a non issue..The 60 minutes interview with Rmoney reminded me how in 2000 they propped up Bush the same way with the scripted questions. (Its almost like Romney was rehearsing for a Broadway play,reminding the interviewer that he knew his lines.)
The way they are propping up Romney and the fact that there will be yet another 1/2 billion spent on Rmoneys behalf is enough to scare the hell out of me,fearing that we could be seeing 2000 all over again...
These poll numbers are certainly not discouraging Rmoney/Ryan from pounding these states with lies and power point presentations,as if they know the fix is in.
Repukes strategy could be to get the Democratic voters overconfident and just figure no need to vote because its over..Or know that the voter suppression will swing the election.....No this election is not over and until I hear Romney's concession speech will I believe its over..We have to get the voters registered, make sure their ID is in order and get them to the polls.
tavalon
(27,985 posts)I've been exhorting people to work on the down ticket races for quite a while and especially in the last two weeks.
Enjoying the implosion does not mean we are going to sit on our laurels. It's a false dichotomy.
Are_grits_groceries
(17,111 posts)It's a reminder to myself and everyone.
Whether they post or not, I'll bet some on DU are thinking it's over.
If you are insulted, that's on you.
Walk away
(9,494 posts)That opened my eyes about just how criminal the other side actually is.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Romney pretty much is the worst candidate ever to run for president.
And people like Karl Rove and the Koch brothers would love it if we still focused all our energy on Obama and forget about those silly little house & senate races.
I want it all and therefore the remain weeks will be to campaign to help get some house seats swapped up in Pennsylvania. I want the house back!
DaveJ
(5,023 posts)One thing Rethugs had was more interest in the election. According to their personalities, they are fueled by hate and desire for destruction, so they might be more likely to turnout and perhaps threaten progressives who want to turnout. If interest equates to turnout, it could negate Obama's lead.
hue
(4,949 posts)porphyrian
(18,530 posts)I don't know about you, but I can work and laugh at the same time.
DemocratSinceBirth
(99,708 posts)Gore v Bush was always nip and tuck.
All I know is Obama has a lead.
oldsarge54
(582 posts)Classic, the Republicans and the Press were so impressed that Truman couldn't win, they printed the newspapers already before it was over. Truman loved that newspaper headline, Dewey Wins!
spooky3
(34,407 posts)lapislzi
(5,762 posts)While Rmoney may be the gift that keeps on giving, we still have a completely dysfunctional legislature. There are Congressional races out there that could help change that. ANYTHING that can help to break the GOP obstructionist gridlock is to be embraced.
In tight races, get out there and get going for your candidate! He/she needs every warm body to work phones and walk. It is utterly crappy grunt work, but it must be done.
Do NOT let up. They wouldn't; why should we?
nolabear
(41,936 posts)We need every one.
Jim__
(14,063 posts)I don't recall seeing any Obama ads during the game. Unfortunately, TV ads have a tremendous effect on the public. So, I think you're right, it's not over yet. We all need to keep working.
athena
(4,187 posts)There is a lot of hatred out there.
I spent Saturday and Sunday afternoon going door to door in two different neighborhoods in PA: both white middle-class neighborhoods, one slightly higher-income than the other. The lower-income neighborhood wasn't so bad, but the higher-income one was hopelessly depressing. Here are some of the things I experienced:
1. The person on my list answers the door. I explain that I am a volunteer with the Obama campaign and ask her whom she is planning to support in the presidential election. She says "I'm not interested." At this point, I'm tempted to say, "Wow, if I were you, I'd be ashamed to admit that I'm not interested in the future of my country." Instead, I smile and say, "Have a nice day" and check the "Refused" box on my sheet.
2. Someone comes to the door. I ask for, say, Joan. The person who answered, who may be Joan's father, husband, or son, asks what this is about. I explain that I'm a volunteer with the Obama campaign and want to discuss the upcoming election with him. The answer I get is "That won't be necessary." If the person isn't rude, I get a "Have a nice day"; otherwise the door slams in my face. I'm not sure what to mark on my sheet, given that I never got to speak with Joan.
3. A dog comes barking to the door, followed by a woman. Before I have a chance to explain who I am and why I'm there, the woman says "The baby's asleep; I can't have the dog barking; good bye." This is said with such contempt that I am left speechless.
4. A man comes to the door. I ask for, say, Josh. The main asks what this is about. I explain that I'm a volunteer with the president's grassroots reelection campaign. The man says, "What president?" I answer, "President Obama". He says, "We are definitely not voting for that man" and walks back into his house.
I knocked on 38 doors yesterday afternoon, and found Obama supporters at only two of them. PA is a very important state; I don't think anyone thinks we can win this election without PA. I really wish more people would volunteer.
whathehell
(29,034 posts)What part of Pennsylvania were you in?...I'm from the Philadelphia area.
I'm hoping the mean folks you encountered were not from that area.
athena
(4,187 posts)The upper-middle-class neighborhood I was referring to was in Levittown.
In Bristol, we're currently targeting undecided voters. What that means is that if someone is a strong Obama supporter, they get taken off the list and added to a GOTV list, which will be used as we get closer to the election. If someone is a strong Romney supporter, they get taken off the list so that we don't waste any more volunteer time on them. As a result, we get more and more undecided voters on the list. This still doesn't explain the amount of strong anti-Obama sentiment, though.
Last night, I called people near Washington Crossing and again got several very rude people.
1. One person demanded to know how I got her number. (I found out later that we get the lists from the county registrar. If you register to vote, you get on this list. There is no way to get off this list, except if the campaigns decide that you're not worth targeting. Most republicans don't seem to realize that phone banking and canvassing are inherently different from telemarketing and sales.)
2. One man said he had already donated to Obama. I said, "This is not about a donation." He interrupted me and said that he was in Paris on a honeymoon with his wife and it was the middle of the night. I apologized and hung up. Nonetheless: 1. the connection was much too clear to be a cell phone connection to Paris -- it was obviously a landline-to-landline connection, and the area code was definitely in PA; 2. the man did not sound as though he had been awakened in the middle of the night; and 3. if he lied about being in Paris, he probably also lied about donating to Obama.
3. One person was a Romney supporter. When we encounter a Romney supporter, we're supposed to thank them for their time and hang up, since we're unlikely to convert them. This woman, however, demanded to know why I wasn't interested in her opinions. So I agreed to discuss the election with her. I tried to tell her that I'm supporting the President because I immigrated to this country and don't want the U.S. to become like my country of origin, where if you're born poor, you stay poor, and if you're born rich, you stay rich. Before I could finish, she interrupted me and told me that her parents immigrated to this country and worked hard and she was able to get an education. I tried to explain that I also got an education and was able to reach a level of success and comfort that would not have been possible in my country of origin given my family's social status, but she interrupted me immediately and yelled, "I PAID FOR YOUR EDUCATION!" ... repeatedly. She said she paid for her education all by herself, with no government help. I asked her if she didn't benefit from roads and bridges and police protection. She claimed she did not. I wish it had occurred to me to point out that I probably pay more taxes than she does. In any case, we're not supposed to argue. I let her rant for a few minutes and then wished her a pleasant evening.
4. One person was a Romney supporter pretending to be undecided. So we discussed the election. At one point, she asked me what I do for a living. I told her that I work in IT. (She probably thought I must be unemployed or on welfare if I support Obama.) She told me about how she's voting for Romney because she's concerned about the deficit and that the government is effectively refusing to pay its credit card bill. I tried to explain to her that according to economists the deficit is inherently different from a person's credit card debt, since the government can stimulate the economy by paying for large projects such as bridges and railroads, which then create opportunities for individuals to start businesses around those projects, such that more people earn money and pay taxes, thereby lowering the deficit. Before I could get a tenth of the way through this simple explanation, she cut me off and said she had to go. She clearly didn't want to hear something that would challenge her beliefs.
I have to say, making these calls is getting really depressing. The other volunteers at the phone bank were also struggling, and at least one of them said she wasn't sure she would come back. I will continue to volunteer because it takes my mind off my work and gives me a weird sense of satisfaction, but it's sad that there are such hateful and clueless people out there.
SaveAmerica
(5,342 posts)A crushing, no doubt about who is the winner, kind of win. I thought thought 2008 would be the last race where we didn't have to be concerned about a stolen election but, there you are.
Obama/Biden: above and beyond in 2012!
Jennicut
(25,415 posts)I was just reading about that yesterday. Crazy. No one but Truman himself thought he would win. Those were the days before campaigns used polling to decide how to run a race. Seems crazy now, doesn't it?
Bush vs Gore was also crazy. It really turned me off the political process for 4 years until Kerry ran.
I definitely won't say Obama has won until he has actually won. The MSM moves at lightening pace these days and social media moves even faster.
Kablooie
(18,612 posts)Or it might not.
But it ain't over until the flat lady springs.
jsmirman
(4,507 posts)I won't do this too often, but we really could use some more people turning intention into action -
We've got FIFTEEN DAYS left to register now -
If you want to help register voters in OHIO: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021386468
If you want to help register voters in FLORIDA: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021393854
wakemewhenitsover
(1,595 posts)Let's not forget, there's plenty of Republican election fraud yet to be done.
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)next 6 weeks after it runs by the finish line?