US Midterm Election 2014

They serve poutine at some of the ski resorts in upstate New York and Vermont that I've been to; close enough to the Canadian border that my cell phone has been hit by roaming charges.  My brother swears the stuff is good, but I haven't worked up the courage to try it myself.

The concept is usually better than the execution. I've had what was supposed to be an excellent version, and it didn't blow me away the way it should have. Fries, gravy, big cheese curds, random additions...how could it not send you into comfort food ecstasy?   

This guy is running for senate in Minnesota.

Doesn't hold a candle to Jesse Ventura. Minnesotans went way up in my scorebook when they cheekily put him in office. Made The Governator look like a cream puff.

New York was a fun place for a while with Anthony Wiener. I was sad to see him go.

What keeps the government going are the lower level bureaucrats and office workers toiling away without any thanks or glamour. Fortunately the people in the spotlights up top are usually retain just enough wisdom (or complacency) to leave the real government alone.

I still fin d it deeply puzzling and hard to undertstand what it is Americans dont like about the idea of free health care for all.
Really, its rather good.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:I still fin d it deeply puzzling and hard to undertstand what it is Americans dont like about the idea of free health care for all.
Really, its rather good.

Sure, it's good for you. But if the USA were to try it, the heath insurance industry would implode, starting a cascade that destroys the entire global economy in weeks {{{or so I was told by somebody in the insurance industry }}}.

Of course we'd never want to do that to you all, so we soldier on with our second class health care.

We've got the heavy burden of propping up the entire world's economy by the exercise of vigorous free enterprise. Not just anyone who can do it.

America! Land of Hope and Glory and the World Series of Baseball where no one from the World outside America is invited! God Bless America!

Well I suppose they did legitimise staring at high school girls in tiny skirts dancing with pom poms. Thats very American.

http://www.sctimes.com/story/political-quarry/2014/09/20/palin-emmer/15915303/

Congressional candidate Tom Emmer last week got the blessing of Alaska's most recognizable political export: former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

In a post on her Facebook page, Palin called Emmer a proven conservative who "won't be a 'duster' in Congress."

The post is peppered with hockey references to Emmer, who played college hockey at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

"Career politicians in D.C. better start investing in 'fight straps' before Tom Emmer gets there. This former hockey player, coach, and current hockey dad won't have any patience for their 'gross misconduct,'" Palin's Facebook page says.

"So, Minnesota, let's work together to send Tom Emmer to Washington and put the career politicians in the penalty box!"

Emmer is the Republican nominee in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. Sartell Mayor Joe Perske is the DFL candidate, and John Denney is the Independence Party contender. The district's current representative, Michele Bachmann, isn't seeking re-election.

This isn't the first time Palin has weighed in on Emmer's behalf.

She endorsed him just before the Minnesota GOP's 2010 state convention. Republican delegates that year went on to endorse Emmer as the party's candidate for governor.

The scary thing is that this is a glowing endorsement in the eyes of most of the people in the 6th congressional district.

You UShobbits voting today? Or have I got my times wrong?

Yeah, I plan to swing by on the late afternoon after work.

I sent in my ballot yesterday. Our state has been 100% vote-by-mail since the 2000 Bush vs. Gore hanging chad debacle in Florida.

I should probably swing by and wake up the poll workers, god bless'em. During mid term elections they sleep with ballot books over their faces, waking up for the after work rush of a half dozen folks or so.

chris63 wrote:

Didn't see this before. That's pretty damn good.

The best part of that picture is that the blonde woman is the Prime Minister of Denmark.

David H wrote:I sent in my ballot yesterday. Our state has been 100% vote-by-mail since the 2000 Bush vs. Gore hanging chad debacle in Florida.

Nice. Unfortunately Marland has been using shitty digital voting machines since (I think) 2004.

halfwise wrote:I should probably swing by and wake up the poll workers, god bless'em.  During mid term elections they sleep with ballot books over their faces, waking up for the after work rush of a half dozen folks or so.

I've tried to familiarize myself with the local candidates at least, but I moved since the primaries so it's been kinda weird.

During mid term elections they sleep with ballot books over their faces, waking up for the after work rush of a half dozen folks or so.- Halfy

Expecting that low a turn out?

I have to confess to not really understanding mid-terms- why do you have another election inbetween the proper ones? Whats it supposed to achieve, beyond apparent voter apathy?

The short answer to the midterm election is that it staggers the turn-over in public officials, give an opportunity for other local issues to be on the ballot without a special election, and allows the Big Party Campaign Machines to run continuously, year in and year out. Eldo or Halfy can probably explain better. I've still got a few acres to harvest.

It's strange to think that modern demcracy at its most basic level consist of putting a piece of paper in a box every two years.

Then cursing about the result until next time.

The House of Representatives has two year terms because they're supposed to be more immediately responsive to voter's demands. And while the Senate had six year terms, only a third of them are up for election at any given time, to ensure continuity in that chamber. Presidential elections of course are on a four year cycle, and because the presidency and Congress are two separate branches of government (unlike the UK, where the legislative and executive are more or less one and the same), they don't have to synch up exactly. In practice, though, most people don't give a shit who their congresspeople are and only pay attention to the president, so elections when the president is not standing attract comparatively little attention.

'In practice, though, most people don't give a shit who their congresspeople are'- Eldo

That seems to me a bit of a problem (one our system shares) as if I am understanding the current elections right it could change the balance and if so directly effect the chances of any effective government taking place for the next two years.
They seem quite important.

We have a similar system here in terms of a lot of votes leading to apathy.

There is the General Election, where we vote in MP's and the winning party becomes the government and their party leader PM. They are now fixed five year terms.

We have local council elections. I'm not quite sure what the US equivalent is. Local Councils run things like refuse collection, road maintenance, schools ect they are funded directly from Central Government. These votes can take place at any time really, but must happen at least once every four years.

Then we have elections for MP. These happen at every general election but quite often an MP retires, steps down for whatever reason, or dies mid-term, and then a by-election is held to elect a new MP. They can happen at anytime.

And then there are the MEP's that we vote to the European Parliament. They happen every five years.

And in the devolved regions there are elections to the devolved Parliaments. Those are every four years.

And in certain parts of England and possibly Wales there are Mayoral elections and Police Commission elections too.

In general only General Elections and election for the devolved Parliaments have a half decent turn out.
The rest, like in the US, most people don't bother about, couldn't tell you who their local councillors were or their European MEP.