Can the Democrats come back?

[funinspace]

Fortunately, she can fall back on what she is good at: giving $500,000 speeches to investment bankers.

I suspect that Clinton's new intrinsic value to WS will lower that price target quite a bit. She may have to live with $100,000 or such...

 

[Sarpedon]

We can whine about the electoral college until the sky falls. It isn't rigged against us. Yes, small states have a disproportionate number and the Republicans have more of them. (6 to 3) But just a few short days ago, we were talking about our Blue Wall and how we had so many electoral votes 'sewn up.' The rules were the same for everyone, and we just plain didn't do well enough. The system isn't designed to screw democrats. Its designed to favor candidates who can appeal to more people across state lines. One candidate could do that, the other didn't bother to try.

There are good reasons to have a system like that, and while I think it can be changed, I'm not going to say 'scrap the system' just because it happens to make us lose. Not appealing to a broad swath of Americans is a problem. Depending on heavy regional support is a problem. Trump expanded his winnings out of the traditional southern base. We should recognize this achievement and work to reverse it, rather than whining about the rules.

 

[Derec]

Oregon probably has as much of a chance as some hickdive place like Arkansas. She hasn't been there long enough for 2020 (though a world more experience than Palin), and she is too LGBT for the US.

Clinton was a Democrat from Arkansas. That would be the equivalent of a Republican from Oregon - going against the grain.
And I don't think her theoretical bisexuality would matter much by 2020.

 

[funinspace]

Oregon probably has as much of a chance as some hickdive place like Arkansas. She hasn't been there long enough for 2020 (though a world more experience than Palin), and she is too LGBT for the US.

Clinton was a Democrat from Arkansas. That would be the equivalent of a Republican from Oregon - going against the grain.
And I don't think her theoretical bisexuality would matter much by 2020.

Well, I find it rather shocking that you would support Kate Brown in 2020...but I agree she would be better than Trump.

 

[dismal]

A trained goat could have got more votes than Trump.

Fuck, your bar is set low.

Hope you are enjoying your she-got-more-votes-than-Trump election result.

Winning more votes is a low bar? I though that was how elections are won.

Don't tire your hands out with all that waving.

You must have missed some social studies classes. And yesterday's newspapers.

 

[Terrell]

What's wrong with Kate Brown Besides, governor back-grounded candidates win presidencies far more than congressional critters.

Oregon might be too granola to spawn national candidates. But I don't know much about her. How are her political positions?

Kate Brown got elected governor for the first time last Tuesday. She became governor due to the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber. Cylvia Hayes, the previous governor's fiancée, was suspected of using her relationship with the governor to help her consulting business. Some of her positions can be found here. She's the first openly bisexual governor of Oregon.

She is the one who signed the law that makes voter registration in Oregon, opt-out. She's pretty liberal, but I also could use to know more about her.

 

[Derec]

Clinton was a Democrat from Arkansas. That would be the equivalent of a Republican from Oregon - going against the grain.
And I don't think her theoretical bisexuality would matter much by 2020.

Well, I find it rather shocking that you would support Kate Brown in 2020...but I agree she would be better than Trump.

I did not say I supported her as I don't know much about her and her politics. And I even said that her being from Oregon might make her too granola for a nationwide office.
But her being bi doesn't matter to me and I do not think it would matter to America either.

 

[dismal]

Fortunately, she can fall back on what she is good at: giving $500,000 speeches to investment bankers.

I suspect that Clinton's new intrinsic value to WS will lower that price target quite a bit. She may have to live with $100,000 or such...

Why do you say that? I can't imagine her wonderful speeches have gotten worse.

 

[Sarpedon]

Ah yes, everything I've heard about her is good. Definitely a contender. My own Senator Klobuchar is probably also giving it some thought.

 

[LordKiran]

We can whine about the electoral college until the sky falls. It isn't rigged against us. Yes, small states have a disproportionate number and the Republicans have more of them. (6 to 3) But just a few short days ago, we were talking about our Blue Wall and how we had so many electoral votes 'sewn up.' The rules were the same for everyone, and we just plain didn't do well enough. The system isn't designed to screw democrats. Its designed to favor candidates who can appeal to more people across state lines. One candidate could do that, the other didn't bother to try.

There are good reasons to have a system like that, and while I think it can be changed, I'm not going to say 'scrap the system' just because it happens to make us lose. Not appealing to a broad swath of Americans is a problem. Depending on heavy regional support is a problem. Trump expanded his winnings out of the traditional southern base. We should recognize this achievement and work to reverse it, rather than whining about the rules.

How about a fusion system wherein electoral college is only considered if one candidate doesn't win the popular vote by like 5-10 points?

 

[funinspace]

Derec, I was poking at you...there is no way you would support Kate Brown.

I suspect that Clinton's new intrinsic value to WS will lower that price target quite a bit. She may have to live with $100,000 or such...

Why do you say that? I can't imagine her wonderful speeches have gotten worse.

Now, now....don't play coy...you know why.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

What's wrong with Kate Brown Besides, governor back-grounded candidates win presidencies far more than congressional critters.

I am not familiar with her, but if she is the Warren/Sanders type, then sure. Could use somebody younger than Warren with Warren's experience and message.

 

[Derec]

Ah yes, everything I've heard about her is good. Definitely a contender. My own Senator Klobuchar is probably also giving it some thought.

Senators ask Holder for more pornography prosecutions

"We write to urge the Department of Justice vigorously to enforce federal obscenity laws against major commercial distributors of hardcore adult pornography," the senators wrote. "We believe it is imperative that the Department, with cooperation by the FBI, investigate and prosecute all major producers and distributors of adult obscenity. We need your leadership."

The signatures on the letter from socially-conservative Republicans like Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Jim Demint of South Carolina are unsurprising. However, some fairly liberal Democrats also joined in: Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California, Tom Carper of Delaware and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Also on board from the Democratic side, though less surprisingly: Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

A big fat nope to the Mad Hatter from Minnesota ...

 

[coloradoatheist]

I think it's too early to make plans. I think the direction will depend on where Trump goes in his first three months. But the demise of the Republican party was also predicted but they had a strong showing in this election.

And on another point. I guess democracy is a good thing when the majority like what you do, but it's bad when you don't.

 

[Sarpedon]

How about a fusion system wherein electoral college is only considered if one candidate doesn't win the popular vote by like 5-10 points?

Something like that could work. I'd shy away from having too cute a system though. The way it is, the rules are clear and a dispute can be resolved with a single court case (Bush vs Gore) while the more complicated, the more potentially litigious.

I'd prefer second choice voting and instant runoff myself. Doing that with the existing electoral college system would probably produce a better system, and could be enacted state by state rather than requiring the constitution to be amended. Frankly, no one is going to be in a position to amend the constitution for any time soon. So we might as well table any considerations that would require an amendment.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

I think it's too early to make plans. I think the direction will depend on where Trump goes in his first three months. But the demise of the Republican party was also predicted but they had a strong showing in this election.

And on another point. I guess democracy is a good thing when the majority like what you do, but it's bad when you don't.

I have a faint hope that Trump was playing a role to win the election and that now he will transition into a very different style and actually do some good. But if he governs the same way he campaigned, I think the destruction of the Republican party is only delayed by 4 years. Maybe even a Hillary could beat them at that point.

 

[dismal]

Derec, I was poking at you...there is no way you would support Kate Brown.

Why do you say that? I can't imagine her wonderful speeches have gotten worse.

Now, now....don't play coy...you know why.

Well, I go with what I see here. So it can't be because her speeches aren't great enough to be worth $500k.

So, um, because Trump is a Fascist and Hitler and will send her to jail and cut off her Obamacare and her cough will get worse?

 

[coloradoatheist]

I think it's too early to make plans. I think the direction will depend on where Trump goes in his first three months. But the demise of the Republican party was also predicted but they had a strong showing in this election.

And on another point. I guess democracy is a good thing when the majority like what you do, but it's bad when you don't.

I have a faint hope that Trump was playing a role to win the election and that now he will transition into a very different style and actually do some good. But if he governs the same way he campaigned, I think the destruction of the Republican party is only delayed by 4 years. Maybe even a Hillary could beat them at that point.

We'll find out in the first few months and how the Republicans work with him.

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

Would be hillarious if he turned out to be a liberal in disguise all along, and butts heads with the Republicans for a full 4 years, and then runs as nominee for the Democrats for his re-election. In fact, I'm calling it now, so that years from now I can quote this post and say I told you so.

 

[TSwizzle]

She is the most perfectest candidate ever, in addition to being the most qualified candidate ever.

And the most transparent.