National Congressional Races

[Conan71]

With all the focus being on a tight presidential race, I've heard scant details on how many seats are in play for the HOR or Senate this go 'round.  What's anyone else hearing?

[RecycleMichael]

http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2012/Senate/Maps/Oct23-s.html

In the Senate, democrats pick up two seats (Arizona and Massachusetts) and the republicans pick up two seats (Nebraska and North Dakota).

[Conan71]

http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2012/Senate/Maps/Oct23-s.html

In the Senate, democrats pick up two seats (Arizona and Massachusetts) and the republicans pick up two seats (Nebraska and North Dakota).

Sheesh, did you see some of the candidate portraits?  Where do they find these mutants?  Some interesting names: Connie McGillicutty, anyone?

I guess I'd long since forgotten John Kyl from Arizona was retiring.

[nathanm]

This is one of the things I've found more confounding. It seems likely based on the polling that at least three or four states are going to split the ticket and it could go a lot higher. There are six close races that are seriously underpolled. The Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Montana, Arizona, Connecticut, and Virginia Senate races are all tied. The part of my brain that likes wishful thinking sees Mass and Wisconsin leaning ever so slightly towards the Democrats, but there's not really any there there.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Iowa is gonna lose one....or the other.

Two districts now one.  Dem and Rep from the two old districts are now running for the one remaining.  Seems close.

[Townsend]

Indiana's Richard Mourdock might've just locked his opponent's chances in their debate.

[Hoss]

Indiana's Richard Mourdock might've just locked his opponent's chances in their debate.

He certainly had a "Todd Akin" moment

[RecycleMichael]

Isn't that amazing?

The Indiana republican candidate Richard Mourdock says pregnancy from rape is "something God intended."

[Teatownclown]

Isn't that amazing?

The Indiana republican candidate Richard Mourdock says pregnancy from rape is "something God intended."

I see what you did there...made fun of Conan's religion. I know how to read between the lines.

Looks like this schmoe is the only candidate Mitt's morons have gone to bat for:

the horror!

[erfalf]

Isn't that amazing?

The Indiana republican candidate Richard Mourdock says pregnancy from rape is "something God intended."

From a religious leader, this would be fine. But not from political figures.

The fact that these bird brains keep answering these loaded questions blows my mind. It's not like they can do anything about the legality of abortion in reality. Personal opinion and public policy can vary, and often do. They just need to say that the issue has been decided. The end.

[Townsend]

From a religious leader, this would be fine.

The Hell it would.

[heironymouspasparagus]

From a religious leader, this would be fine. But not from political figures.

Over and over and over again...


They keep answering "loaded" questions and you keep stepping in the middle of a big ole steamy pile of carp.  That statement appears to show your internal inclinations (appears....giving you the benefit of the doubt) as to the religious leader you would be inclined to follow.  Rev. Jeremiah Wright's got nothing on you if that's how you roll.

[Townsend]

God Distances Self From Christian Right



http://www.theonion.com/articles/god-distances-self-from-christian-right,30087/

THE HEAVENS—Responding to inflammatory remarks made by Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock during a Tuesday night debate, Our Lord God The Almighty Father today sought to distance Himself both from Mourdock and from the entire right-wing, fundamentalist Christian movement, sources confirmed.

"I want to make one thing absolutely clear: Mr. Mourdock's comments from last night in no way reflect my position on this or any other issue," said the Divine Creator, speaking at a press conference this afternoon in response to Mourdock's remarks that rape-induced pregnancies were God's intent. "And, furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to say definitively that I, God, do not officially sanction or condone the words or actions of anyone involved in the fanatical, conservative Christian faction that Mr. Mourdock represents."

"Many people hear my name in connection with the Christian Right and start to assume we are somehow aligned in some capacity, and I'm here to say, for the record, that we are not," God continued. "So let me just be clear: I don't want women to get raped; not ever. I don't think their resulting pregnancies are my divine will. And if a woman is raped, then she has the right to get an abortion, period. I do not agree with Mourdock. I do not agree with the Christian Right. End of story."

Calling Mourdock's comments "the last straw," the Lord Our Maker explained that while in the past there have been a few areas where He and the religious right have been in agreement, more often than not in recent years He and Christian conservatives have grown "actually quite far apart" on a wide range of issues.

God then went on to cite several incidents—ranging from the Westboro Baptist Church's "God Hates Fags" campaign, to Missouri Senator Todd Akin's remark this year that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant—as examples of what he described as "an unmistakable and disturbing trend toward intolerance that I do not support."

"What these people are saying betrays a worldview that is, frankly, completely different from my own, and it embarrases me to even hear my name mentioned alongside theirs," God told reporters, emphatically. "For example, I'm not into capital punishment at all, or really killing in general, so I'm not sure where that whole talking point came from. On the same token, I don't like guns very much, and I certainly wouldn't say that everyone has a right to own guns—that's absurd. Unlike Mr. Mourdock and many Christian Republicans, I agree with the overwhelming majority of climate scientists that global warming poses a major threat to the planet which must be addressed. I also believe stem cell research is very useful, and I think that if you're gay, that's fine by me."

"Even on some economic issues we don't quite see eye-to-eye," continued the Eternal One, a self-described Keynesian who said he has "serious doubts" about the merits of trickle-down economics. "And, you know, a lot of this stuff is in the Ten Commandments, too, so I'm already on record as being not in agreement with a good majority of the Christian Right's views. In fact, in the future, if people could just refrain from grouping us together in any way, I think that would be ideal."

"That includes the Christian Right themselves—if they could stop talking about me entirely, that would be preferred," God added. "In the end, probably best if we just completely went our separate ways here."

At press time, God's son, Jesus Christ, offered a countering view and confirmed he strongly believes pregnancies resulting from rape are, in fact, God's gift.

[Townsend]

Donnelly takes big lead over Mourdock

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/11/donnelly-takes-big-lead-over-mourdock-148090.html

Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly has jumped to a double-digit lead over Republican Richard Mourdock in the Indiana Senate race, a development that makes the GOP climb to the majority even steeper.

A new Indiana Battleground Poll, conducted for Howey Politics Indiana and DePauw University, found Donnelly up 47-36 percent, with Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning pulling 6 percent of the vote. Donnelly's 11-point lead is a huge increase from the 2-point advantage that the same poll showed him holding in September.

The results strongly suggest that Mourdock's support has eroded after his controversial remarks last week that God intended for pregnancies to occur after rape. The GOP has been spending big to save his candidacy, with outside groups pouring in about $4 million in just the last week alone.

The Mourdock campaign is downplaying the numbers and released an internal poll Friday morning showing the Republican up 2 points over Donnelly.

[Hoss]

Donnelly takes big lead over Mourdock

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/11/donnelly-takes-big-lead-over-mourdock-148090.html

Lot of these Republicans now are suffering from 'hoof-in-mouth disease'...