• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Republicans do not trust women.

Let there be snark.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

“But what about the lurkers?”

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Politics / All Else Being Equal, Blue Stays Blue

All Else Being Equal, Blue Stays Blue

by @heymistermix.com|  April 14, 20108:21 am| 59 Comments

This post is in: Politics

FacebookTweetEmail

Via the comments, some good news: Last night, a Democrat won big in the special election in Florida’s 19th district.

More good news: Yesterday, George Pataki became the latest in a long string of Republicans to duck a run against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, even though seemingly every challenger characterizes her as “weak, spineless and out of touch.” Pataki decided instead to confirm his true patriotism, not to mention his complete political irrelevance, by starting “Revere America”, an organization that will run a petition drive to ask for the repeal of healthcare reform.

65% of the voters in the Florida district, and 63% of New Yorkers, voted for Obama in 2008. There are just some places where all the teabaggery in the world won’t make a whit of difference, and it’s nice to see confirmation of that fact.

By the way, my take is that Gillibrand is consistently underrated. She’s smart, hard-working and a great fundraiser. She’ll be New York’s Senator as long as she wants to the job.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Cilantro Haters
Next Post: An Even Better Use Of Your Time »

Reader Interactions

59Comments

  1. 1.

    Paul W.

    April 14, 2010 at 8:32 am

    I was on for the first half of a big OFA-for-Gillibrand conference call yesterday, and I can see why the Republican opposition is withering like flies. I’m a relative newcomer to NYC (6+ years now), but have come to really like my adopted Senators. Gillibrand first started with a robust defense of the PPACA health care law and said that she wasn’t done yet, her second topic was an optimistic push for repeal of DADT. She even took a question on financial reform and said much that was right (although ducked on specifics), and took a stronger stance on the consumer protections portion than I would have expected from a NY Senator.

    All and all, she is articulate, passionate, and surprisingly progressive Senator (especially compared to some of the teeth gnashing I saw coming from the left before her appointment). She is organizing chops, a good war chest, and a lot to run on come November… I wouldn’t want to be a Republican opposing her either. I would end by noting that she is a relatively progressive candidate who is NOT facing a primary from the left at present, meaning much of this legislative momentum is of her own volition.

    I’m pretty damn impressed, and I plan to show it when the campaign season comes into full gear.

  2. 2.

    Brian J

    April 14, 2010 at 8:35 am

    I may be extrapolating too much here, because New York is certainly different than Ohio, Florida, or any other states where there may be a competitive Senate race this year, but I wonder if a lot of Republicans are passing on the race because they know that it’ll be a lot tighter than the polls now indicate it might be.

    Of course, the same could be true in states where there are vulnerable Republicans, who are facing the same sort of anti-incumbent atmosphere that many Democrats are up against.

  3. 3.

    Ash Can

    April 14, 2010 at 8:35 am

    Pataki decided instead to confirm his true patriotism, not to mention his complete political irrelevance, by starting “Revere America”, an organization that will run a petition drive to ask for the repeal of healthcare reform.

    It beats him getting drunk every night and hollering and whizzing in his neighbors’ alley and breaking their garage windows, I guess.

  4. 4.

    low-tech cyclist

    April 14, 2010 at 8:39 am

    The good news from FL-19 is that Deutch, the Democrat, won a D+15 seat by 26 points, running 11 points ahead of his district. Lynch, the Republican, tried to make the special election a referendum on Obama. Big fail.

  5. 5.

    geg6

    April 14, 2010 at 8:41 am

    As someone who was very concerned when Gillibrand was appointed simply based on being from NY-20, she has mightily impressed me. Who knew this strong, smart, progressive woman was there? Perhaps people in Saratoga or the Catskills knew this, but from where I sat here in W.PA, it has been a hugely pleasant surprise. And I find the complete cowardice on the part of every single prominent New York Republican when it comes to running against her hilarious. Especially because they go so far out of their way to say how weak and ineffectual she is. I mean, do they really think anyone is buying the line that she’s so weak that they won’t deign to run against her?

  6. 6.

    Violet

    April 14, 2010 at 8:46 am

    @geg6:

    And I find the complete cowardice on the part of every single prominent New York Republican when it comes to running against her hilarious. Especially because they go so far out of their way to say how weak and ineffectual she is. I mean, do they really think anyone is buying the line that she’s so weak that they won’t deign to run against her?

    Me too. It’s getting to the point where it’s almost a comedy routine. Look at the big, scary Republicans call the nice Democratic lady “weak” and “ineffectual.” Now look at them run away screaming when someone suggests they run against her. Hee. Where’s my popcorn? This show is good!

  7. 7.

    PTirebiter

    April 14, 2010 at 8:46 am

    Revere? I wonder how long and how much money it took to come up with that tri-cornered ass-hat gem.

  8. 8.

    Jeff

    April 14, 2010 at 8:51 am

    She always was underrated. She started out by beating an incumbent
    ‘Puke in a blood red district. (Of course it didn’t hurt that he is a drunk who beat his wife and had a propensity for showing up plastered at college frat parties.) But she won against a self-funding opponent handily,and has given good constituent service.

    David Paterson took a lot of shit for appointing her, particularly in his Hamlet-like process of vetting her, but the results speak for themselves.

  9. 9.

    MattF

    April 14, 2010 at 8:51 am

    Could it be that the right-wing noise machine motivates Democrats to get out and vote against Republicans? Well, whatever… but I’ll bet you won’t see anyone suggesting that on Meet The Press.

  10. 10.

    JGabriel

    April 14, 2010 at 8:52 am

    MisterMix @ Top:

    By the way, my take is that Gillibrand is consistently underrated. She’s smart, hard-working and a great fundraiser.

    I agree. Gillibrand’s numbers now might be suffering from the whole appointed-by-Paterson thing, but I liked the way she committed, when appointed, to representing the whole state, rather than only her district, and proceeded to do just that.

    She comes across as a smart pol who follows through.

    .

  11. 11.

    Thomas

    April 14, 2010 at 8:54 am

    Wait, shouldn’t this be tagged in good news for conservatives? Certainly the villagers will tell us so.

  12. 12.

    Norbrook

    April 14, 2010 at 8:54 am

    @Brian J: The reason they’re passing on it is that they know it wouldn’t be that close in the first place. Pataki only received the poll ratings he did because of name recognition, and Paterson has made him look like a good governor in comparison.

    Gillibrand has a hell of a war chest, and anyone who has watched her in the past knows that she’s quite capable of conducting a brass knuckle campaign when necessary. Given that the “top Republicans” – Giuliani and Pataki – still nuture hopes of running for President, they don’t want to get into a bloody fight for an office they really don’t want.

    Then when you factor in that she’s turned out to be a very good Senator for the state, it’s going to be even tougher to get people to want to remove her from office.

  13. 13.

    Brian J

    April 14, 2010 at 8:55 am

    @MattF:

    Maybe. Or maybe it’s because certain Democrats are leading father than holding back like scared kids. Case in point: Tom Periello. I don’t know if anyone has posted this before, but he’s raking in cash and traveling around his district touting the accomplishment of health care reform and explaining how it works. If only more Democrats acted like him.

  14. 14.

    Brian J

    April 14, 2010 at 8:57 am

    @Norbrook:

    That’s more or less what I am saying. Maybe this trend, where initial poll numbers show something positive for one reason or another, is confined more to New York than anywhere else, but maybe not. But if there was really a chance of them beating her, they’d be lining up for the chance.

  15. 15.

    JGabriel

    April 14, 2010 at 9:07 am

    OT, but this is kind of funny. K-Lo’s House of Crazy is upset (h/t Wonkette).

    It seems a local alt-weekly has a contest going for best protest signs on Palin’s visit to Boston. Yeah, I guess some of them are just as offensive as the teabagger banners, but The Corner decided to highlight one with a manipulated Sarah photo headlined:

    … and I usually dig crazy bitches

    I laughed, wondered if I was just as hypocritical as the baggers, but then decided that I’d probably also laugh if any baggers were witty enough to feature a banner as self-deprecating as ” … and I usually dig black cock”.

    I’m probably going to hell for that …

    .

  16. 16.

    kay

    April 14, 2010 at 9:07 am

    I find this very motivating.

    The “moderate” in Virginia strikes again:

    “In coming weeks, McDonnell will start requiring nonviolent offenders to write a letter to him explaining the circumstances of their arrest; their efforts to get a job, seek an education and participate in church and community activities; and why they believe their rights should be restored. Some applicants already have been notified that letters will be required. “

    This makes me sick to my stomach. McDonnell’s wingnut staffers are going to be reading these essays. It’s completely discretionary. The process used in the past was a one-page form with just the facts: conviction and sentence. Now we’re into whether you pass the lunatic religious voting rights test.

    The idea that non-violent felons who have served their sentences have to beg his dumb-ass staffers for the restoration of voting rights is just sickening.

    I hate these people.

    I think he should have to submit an essay on the causes of the Civil War.

  17. 17.

    WereBear

    April 14, 2010 at 9:08 am

    As a Gillibrand original constituent, I’m completely satisfied. I met her at a Meet the Candidates thing a few years ago, and was mightily impressed.

    And I will tease geg6 by reminding her that a lot of hippies live up here in the Adirondack Park, doing artisan crafts and baking with maple syrup. :)

  18. 18.

    BenA

    April 14, 2010 at 9:09 am

    @MattF:
    Good point. :-)

  19. 19.

    Norbrook

    April 14, 2010 at 9:13 am

    @Brian J: Initial polling only fools people who don’t live in the state, or who want to fool themselves. I live near the border of NY-20, so I saw what she did. 2006 was a very tough election, that saw her take on an established incumbent in an R+2 district – one that had been designed to be a “safe Republican” district. Now admittedly, she caught a break when it turned out that Sweeney couldn’t keep sober or stop smacking his wife, and that it was a “change year.” But she demonstrated that she could run a tough campaign against the odds.

    What the politicians in this state know, and what seems to get missed by everyone outside of the state – and the media – is what she did after that. She worked her butt off as a Representative. Then, when she ran for re-election against a very well-funded Republican opponent, she absolutely crushed him in the voting.

    That’s why no one really wanted to challenge her. She may have caught a break, but once she’s got it, she runs with it – and is damn near unbeatable.

  20. 20.

    Ash Can

    April 14, 2010 at 9:16 am

    @kay: Actually, this strikes me as not at all legally kosher, especially the church part. What are the chances he’ll be told to cease and desist? And who would be the one to tell him, since his AG is batshit insane?

  21. 21.

    ellaesther

    April 14, 2010 at 9:22 am

    Aside from anything else, Gillibrand very quickly came out and said stuff that Senators from NY don’t generally say about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict right after she was named: She told reporters that she wouldn’t necessarily support the policies of the Israeli government if she didn’t believe that they were pro-peace, and regarding the future of the region given the election of Netanyahu, she said, “I will certainly offer what I think is the best policy, regardless of what Netanyahu says is what he wants to do. I will always be an advocate for the solutions that I think will be most effective.” She continued: “I think the President will use all the means and all the tools in his toolbox to reach a solution for peace in the Middle East.”

    This made me happy and her recent confirmation of said attitudes made me happy again.

  22. 22.

    Paris

    April 14, 2010 at 9:24 am

    She’ll be New York’s Senator as long as she wants to the job.

    Yes. Also.

  23. 23.

    JMC in the ATL

    April 14, 2010 at 9:24 am

    @JGabriel: Well, they’re called Massholes for a reason.

  24. 24.

    JGabriel

    April 14, 2010 at 9:25 am

    MattF:

    … she won against a self-funding opponent handily,and has given good constituent service.

    It’s hard to overstate the importance of that. Gillibrand was replacing Clinton, who also had a good rep for constituent services. And Schumer’s rep in that area is not particularly good, so Gillibrand is filling an important role there.

    .

  25. 25.

    Zifnab

    April 14, 2010 at 9:33 am

    By the way, my take is that Gillibrand is consistently underrated. She’s smart, hard-working and a great fundraiser. She’ll be New York’s Senator as long as she wants to the job.

    She’s no Coakley, that appears certain. And we can all be grateful for it. That said, it’ll be fun watching the Republicans run on repealing health care reform.

    So, double win.

  26. 26.

    BC

    April 14, 2010 at 9:33 am

    Like Palin, Pataki and Giuliani don’t actually plan to do any work. Sure, they’ll have their names hanging there as potential candidates for high profile races. They’ll raise funds for their exploratory committees and may even actually enter a race (and raise funds). They’ll fail, but even failure has a silver lining – they get to keep all the funds they raised. They’re grifters, riding the rightwing welfare gravy train as far as they can.

  27. 27.

    Bulworth

    April 14, 2010 at 9:38 am

    Pataki decided instead to confirm his true patriotism, not to mention his complete political irrelevance, by starting “Revere America”, an organization that will run a petition drive to ask for the repeal of healthcare reform

    .

    I endorse this. I doubt Pataki knows what the HCR legislation does, he appears not to understand that federal policy is not subject to petition-driven voter referendums, and he won’t be occupying any public office. All in all, it sounds like a good use of teabagger time and dollars.

  28. 28.

    4tehlulz

    April 14, 2010 at 9:40 am

    @kay: Well, if you’re trying for a nice shiny federal lawsuit, this is the way to go.

    WHY IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DEFENDING VOTES FOR NEGROES CONVICTS? VOTE FOR BOB MCDONNELL FOR PRESIDENT OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA FUCK YEAH

  29. 29.

    burnspbesq

    April 14, 2010 at 9:41 am

    @Ash Can:

    What are the chances he’ll be told to cease and desist? And who would be the one to tell him, since his AG is batshit insane?

    Sounds like a job for the local chapter of the ACLU.

  30. 30.

    David in NY

    April 14, 2010 at 9:44 am

    @geg6:

    As someone who was very concerned when Gillibrand was appointed simply based on being from NY-20, she has mightily impressed me. Who knew this strong, smart, progressive woman was there?

    There is a danger in drawing conclusions from a distance. Even as a part-time resident of NY-20, just hearing her on the NPR interview shows made it clear that she was incredibly smart and closely attuned to her district. Though she was no farm girl, she was elected to represent a heavily agricultural district, she got on the Ag committee, and she really got to know those issues inside and out in a year when the five-year Ag bill was up. Also, although she took some conservative positions, when the chips were down and it counted, she came through with a liberal vote.

    @JGabriel:

    And I always thought that she was a lot like Hillary, or at least followed Hillary’s game plan. Do your homework, make it clear to the constituents that you’re listening to them and that you understand their concerns, and they’ll figure out that you’re the real deal.

  31. 31.

    burnspbesq

    April 14, 2010 at 9:47 am

    Interesting note re Schumer:

    There was an internal email at our firm yesterday, from the guy in our DC office whose job it is to monitor developments on the Hill as they relate to tax law issues, indicating that Schumer may be changing his mind on the treatment of “carried interest.” It would be a huge game-changer on this issue if a senior Senator who is often accused of being owned by the hedge-fund guys turns on them and says their management fees should be treated as ordinary income instead of capital gain.

    Worth watching.

  32. 32.

    Ron

    April 14, 2010 at 9:50 am

    I had a lot of doubts initially when I heard Gillibrand was who Paterson was appointing, but honestly those have not just been swept away, but I’ve become a huge fan of hers. I don’t know that it could have been predicted but she’s really become one of my favorite senators.

  33. 33.

    rootless-e

    April 14, 2010 at 9:51 am

    @burnspbesq: well the luntz strategy is to oppose the finance bill from the populist side on the assumption that Dems will not move that way – and I think that’s not a given in this climate.

    It would be hilarious if the Pukes caused strong regulation to pass in their attempt to stop any.

  34. 34.

    David in NY

    April 14, 2010 at 9:53 am

    @burnspbesq:

    There was an internal email at our firm yesterday, from the guy in our DC office whose job it is to monitor developments on the Hill as they relate to tax law issues, indicating that Schumer may be changing his mind on the treatment of “carried interest.”

    And about fucking time. The Times, by the way, in an unrelated editorial yesterday, fingered the “carried interest” scam as ripe for change. I vaguely understand Schumer’s original position — the hedge fund guys are a real source of funding for Democrats and Wall Street money has kept the economy here pumping along. But as far as I can tell, letting those guys treat as capital gains what by any stretch of the imagination is actually ordinary income is totally unjustifiable.

    EDIT: Oh cripes, you’re a tax lawyer? Now I’ll have to listen to the “explanation”?

  35. 35.

    akaoni

    April 14, 2010 at 9:57 am

    This post titled reminded me of the Pepe Deluxe song: Go For Blue. The Act Blue links also remind me of the song which is pure awesome!

  36. 36.

    burnspbesq

    April 14, 2010 at 10:03 am

    @David in NY:

    EDIT: Oh cripes, you’re a tax lawyer? Now I’ll have to listen to the “explanation”?

    You already know the explanation. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s compensation for services. And compensation for services is ordinary income.

    That wasn’t so bad, was it? This isn’t a technical issue, it’s a common sense and fairness issue.

    If I wanted to inflict pain, I would write about the foreign tax credit. ;-)

  37. 37.

    David in NY

    April 14, 2010 at 10:03 am

    As the Times put its position on “carried interest” (which I see as ordinary income taxed at capital gains rates):

    We have two good places to start [to raise money to support new programs]. Congress could raise $28 billion over the next decade just by closing the loophole that allows wealthy private equity and hedge fund managers to pay a lower rate of tax than most other Americans. It could be enacted immediately without harming the economic recovery. The people to whom it would apply would not be hard pressed even if their taxes rose.

    I think it will be hard for Schumer to keep opposing a change in this system.

  38. 38.

    PTirebiter

    April 14, 2010 at 10:05 am

    @kay: Yea, I saw that, it’s frighteningly cynical politics. It will undoubtedly be stayed by the first federal judge the ACLU finds to review it. I guess a poll tax is appropriate for confederate appreciation month. This guy is definitely bent.

  39. 39.

    SIA

    April 14, 2010 at 10:07 am

    @JGabriel: Love the sign. Thanks for making my day!

  40. 40.

    Joey Maloney

    April 14, 2010 at 10:08 am

    @BC: So it sounds like what you’re saying is, some Republican found a DVD of “The Producers” and thought it was an instructional manual? Kind of like the aliens of Galaxyquest and their “historical documents”?

  41. 41.

    David in NY

    April 14, 2010 at 10:10 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Sorry, I feared I might have to hear the alleged “rationale” for the current treatment of “carried interest” which, since I see it exactly the way you state, has always completely eluded me.

  42. 42.

    Ash Can

    April 14, 2010 at 10:19 am

    @JGabriel:

    K-Lo’s House of Crazy is upset

    K-Lo can come whining to me when those protest signs start featuring guns, gun sights, and other threats of violence along with their off-color insults.

  43. 43.

    PeakVT

    April 14, 2010 at 10:20 am

    I’m just glad Patterson appointed Gillibrand and not Caroline Kennedy.

  44. 44.

    rootless-e

    April 14, 2010 at 10:28 am

    Oddly enough Yves Smith has not responded to me on her site or on Huffpo about the big factual error I pointed out in her lame effort to manufacture a Rahm Emanuel scandal.

    Wonder why.

  45. 45.

    Steaming Pile

    April 14, 2010 at 10:41 am

    AND, she’s from Upstate, a Republican stronghold of sorts that is usually underrepresented in statewide offices. Who doesn’t like her? Bloomberg Democrats from downstate, that’s who. F*** them.

  46. 46.

    Steaming Pile

    April 14, 2010 at 10:46 am

    #10 – and being from Upstate, Sen. Gillibrand sees the necessity of representing the whole state a lot more clearly than most New York pols who hold statewide office. This, of course, has certain Bloomberg Dems upset, hence the recent failed effort to recruit Harold Ford to run against her.

  47. 47.

    Xenos

    April 14, 2010 at 10:55 am

    @burnspbesq: I am not surprised to hear about the carried interest change… and it is certainly interesting that this balloon is being floated as positions are being set for the big financial reforms. From what I have heard on the international taxation front is that the proposed reforms are not going to net nearly as much revenue as hoped. If true that may be related to such changes to the carried interest rule.

  48. 48.

    carlos the dwarf

    April 14, 2010 at 11:04 am

    Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gillibrand makes a credible run for president somewhere in the 2016-2024 time frame. She’s always impressed me.

  49. 49.

    gwangung

    April 14, 2010 at 11:21 am

    And I always thought that she was a lot like Hillary, or at least followed Hillary’s game plan. Do your homework, make it clear to the constituents that you’re listening to them and that you understand their concerns, and they’ll figure out that you’re the real deal.

    Gee, isn’t that what you want from your politicans anyway?

  50. 50.

    JGabriel

    April 14, 2010 at 11:22 am

    @PeakVT:

    I’m just glad Patterson appointed Gillibrand and not Caroline Kennedy.

    I am too. I like Kennedy and honestly think she would have been a reliable progressive vote, but Gillibrand will do the work to make sure that constituents will feel listened to and that she’s responding to their needs, rather than setting herself up to be portrayed as the “out of touch liberal” target that Kennedy seemed to be headed for.

    .

  51. 51.

    burnspbesq

    April 14, 2010 at 11:28 am

    @David in NY:

    The simple version of the technical argument for capital gain treatment runs like this:

    Hedge funds and private equity funds are set up as partnerships. Partnerships are pass-through entities; they don’t pay tax, but the partners are taxed on their shares of partnership income when the partnership earns it, regardless of whether any cash is actually distributed. The managers don’t pay themselves an explicit fee for management services; instead, they take an interest in the partnership. And when the partnership earns capital gains, their share of the capital gain retains that character when they report it on their returns. Presto! Tens of millions of dollars of compensation for services taxed at 15 percent!

    There’s no voodoo here. It’s a simple and straight-forward application of fundamental principles of partnership taxation. It’s technically correct. Every one of these guys has an opinion letter from a reputable law firm or a Big Four accounting firm saying that it is more likely than not that they will win if their claim of capital gain treatment is challenged by the IRS. And they will win.

    However, as you’ve noted, it’s outrageous, and anyone outside the hedge-fund and private-equity world that you explain it to gets pissed off about it. The party’s over. Changing this is scored to raise somewhere north of $30 billion over ten years, and now that we are back to having paygo budgeting, this is just too tempting a target for Congress to ignore.

    Schumer is just acting like he represents the entire state. There’s no way he wants to have to explain this in Glens Falls or Elmira or Jamestown.

  52. 52.

    burnspbesq

    April 14, 2010 at 11:30 am

    @Xenos:

    The big revenue-raiser in the 2009 Green Book international tax proposals was repeal of check-the-box. That’s been taken off the table, so there is a need for more offsets.

  53. 53.

    Alex S.

    April 14, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    I think that she will become the first female president.

  54. 54.

    daveinboca

    April 14, 2010 at 12:16 pm

    The FL 19th is a little replica of NYC & about 70% Jewish. They bus the Century Villagers over to the polls and vote solid-Jew, unmindful that Deutch has problems with Israel that they don’t share.

    His absentee predecessor Wexler got close to 70% last election.

  55. 55.

    David in NY

    April 14, 2010 at 12:24 pm

    @burnspbesq: @burnspbesq:

    Thanks for the actual “explanation.” It’s interesting to me because in my only actual fling in the stock market, I briefly had some guy trading for me (making about 33%), and I quit because our agreement structured the arrangement as a partnership (while he was clearly getting employee compensation from me), and I didn’t like the feel of it.

    But I’m just a criminal lawyer, so maybe I’m more sensitive to such problems than others — I’ve actually had clients convicted of fraud when their technically correct financial manipulations lacked “economic reality.”

  56. 56.

    mclaren

    April 14, 2010 at 12:30 pm

    Why do the Republican stop at “revere America”? Why not go all in?

    The Republicans need to have the courage of their convictions and start a drive to REPEAL AMERICA!

  57. 57.

    Will

    April 14, 2010 at 1:05 pm

    Pataki decided instead to confirm his true patriotism, not to mention his complete political irrelevance, by starting “Revere America”, an organization that will run a petition drive to ask for the repeal of healthcare reform.

    Right, because that’s so much more helpful to the cause of repealing health care than electing an extra GOP Senator.

  58. 58.

    William Q. Pilgrim

    April 14, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    @Ash Can:

    Pataki decided instead to confirm his true patriotism, not to mention his complete political irrelevance, by starting “Revere America”, an organization that will run a petition drive to ask for the repeal of healthcare reform.

    Must be a typo in that Pataki group name, because the letter “s” is missing from the word “reverse”.

  59. 59.

    rrlieberma

    April 14, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    Kirsten Gillibrand is indeed a worthy successor to Hillary Clinton.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - frosty - 2020 Coronavirus Road Trip – Part 8: Birds 4
Image by frosty (6/22/25)

Recent Comments

  • karen gail on So I Guess We’re At War With Iran, Now (Jun 22, 2025 @ 2:38pm)
  • trollhattan on So I Guess We’re At War With Iran, Now (Jun 22, 2025 @ 2:37pm)
  • AliceBlue on Open Thread: Musical Readership Capture (Jun 22, 2025 @ 2:36pm)
  • The Audacity of Krope on So I Guess We’re At War With Iran, Now (Jun 22, 2025 @ 2:36pm)
  • Ken B on So I Guess We’re At War With Iran, Now (Jun 22, 2025 @ 2:36pm)

Personality Crisis Podcast (Cole, DougJ, mistermix)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!