Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

To the privileged, equality seems like oppression.

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

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

The willow is too close to the house.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

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

Petty moves from a petty man.

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Is trump is trying to break black America over his knee? signs point to ‘yes’.

You would normally have to try pretty hard to self-incriminate this badly.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

We will not go back.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2012 / Open Thread and Call to Stand

Open Thread and Call to Stand

by | 55 Comments

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I believe that Obama is going to win.  I believe we’re going to expand the caucus in the Senate and the House, and maybe even take back the House.

But I believe these things because I haven’t stopped working for them yet.  I see Obama stickers on cars more and more often these days and not a single Rmoney sticker anywhere.    I love to see that.  But I’m not kidding myself.  Of course, Oklahoma will go for Rmoney.  There’s so little doubt of that there there has been NO political advertising at all here that I have seen.  But I’m donating what I can afford to donate.  Other, smarter front pagers (which is to say, all of them) have the information on other ways to get involved.  Find a way, and do it.  Push all the way through to election night.  That vacation or the new car you’re saving for?  Put it off for a month.  It really is that important.  Let’s get up to $53K by midnight tomorrow night.

Let’s run up the score on the bastards.

Goal Thermometer

Reader Interactions

55Comments

  1. 1.

    Calouste

    Btw, tbogg:

    1000’s of seniors are on Facebook right now calling Paul Ryan a dick instead of posting pictures of their grandchildren.

    How often does tbogg has to win the internets before he permanently gets to keep them?

  3. 3.

    Dork

    D-bag down the street has “Romney/Ryan”, “Nobama”, and a “I DID build this” yard signs. Needless to say, we encourage the dog to shit there whenever possible.

  6. 6.

    Gin & Tonic

    @efgoldman: What channels are you seeing them on? All I see is the Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown ads, practically at every break. Sometimes they run back-to-back.

  7. 7.

    Anya

    Both my husband and I maxed out to Metrosexual Abe Lincoln, but I feel it’s important to keep giving — to ensure his election with the biggest margin possible, to keep the Senate blue and to retake the House. But I don’t want to give to actblue, DCCC, DNC, DSCC or whatever because I don’t want my money going to the assholes who voted with Issa to hold Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.

  8. 8.

    Steve T.

    Question: I live in Louisiana, which is not going to turn blue no matter what. I’ve also donated about as much as I can afford. What the hell do I do to help Obama? Serious question.

  14. 14.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Jewish Steel: Say what you will about spending in +11 Illinois, but the local dem party has a storefront on the town square. They didn’t have one 4 years ago, and it’s stuffed with O stuff, but also all the other candidates. Even seen people in there making calls later in the evening.

    And I’ve seen several of the Mitt bumper stickers – one next to a “Abortion stops a beating heart” sticker today.

  15. 15.

    Soonergrunt

    @nellcote: First I’ve heard of problems like that. I suppose that I shouldn’t be overly surprised. Getting things going from scratch on something like that is not something the Army is good at, frankly. It will take a while to make it work right.
    When I was in, voting was something that unit commanders really pushed at Battalion level and below. Usually, the Company XO was assigned as the Voting Assistance Officer. You’d go to him, and he’d have a standard military form letter absentee ballot request that you could send off, or the address of each state’s election commission in a book that the Army would issue for the purpose.
    There were always problems–absentee ballots arriving late, and so on, but I don’t personally recall problems on the Army side of it. It was always with the state of Colorado that I had my problems.
    One unit I was in, if a troop brought a sealed absentee ballot to the XO, he’d mail it for you, and you’d get a three-day pass into the deal. The company that had the highest election participation would get another company-wide 4-day pass.
    The success or failure of Voting Assistance (which was an additional duty for unit XOs) was something that would be noted on Officer Efficiency Reports.

  16. 16.

    MattR

    @amk: Wish I could remember where I read that there is something fishy about Purple Strategies and that they always seem to have outlier polls which often undercut a narrative about the momentum in the race.

  19. 19.

    Steeplejack

    @Calouste:

    He’s definitely in line for a lifetime achievement award.

    ETA: This was incredibly tedious to type with a cat lying with her chin draped over one of my hands. I spent 10 seconds trying to think of something I could type with just the “right-hand” letters, but I’m not that smart.

    On the other hand, Walter Abish once wrote a novel called Alphabetical Africa in which each word in the first chapter begins with a, each word in the second chapter begins with a or b, each word in the third chapter begins with a, b or c, etc., on up to Chapter 26 (a-z) and then back to Chapter 52 (a again). But I digress.

    The ’70s were trippy until disco killed everything.

    ETFA: The cat got up during the ETA, or else I would still be typing it until sometime tomorrow.

  21. 21.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Soonergrunt: I spent a year as a voting officer. One LT per battery had the job. We took it seriously. We let our men know that elections were coming up and did the paperwork to get absentee ballots for anyone who asked. Also too, no one that I know of exerted any influence as to how someone should vote.

    ETA: Yeah, I am a redleg and we use different terms. Deal.

  22. 22.

    Scamp Dog

    @Steve T.: I’d try to figure out what congressional races in your state are close enough for a D to win, then donate if they’re far away from you or volunteer if they’re close enough to you. Obama will be able to do more if he gets a cooperative House of Representatives.

    I’m doing my bit here in Denver by volunteering with OFA. We’ll
    make Colorado blue enough to get Obama reelected, and if you and your friends can get a few more Ds in the House, we can get this country moving in the right direction for a change.

  23. 23.

    MattR

    I got push polled yesterday by a Democratic firm for NJ’s 11th Congressional district. They made sure to point out that Republican encumbent Rodney Frelinghyusen voted twice for Ryan’s Medicare voucher plan and that Democratic challenger John Arvanites was endorsed by the National Organization of Women and that he balanced his town’s budget while mayor without raising property taxes or cutting education or other essential services. Frelinghyusen first won office in 1994 and is seen a Susan Collins type moderate but like Collins that moderation has disappeared when it comes time to casting votes. He has never gotten under 62% and out performed McCain by 8 points in 2008 (McCain beat Obama 54-45 in my CD) but this is the first election since NJ did redistricting and I think this district became a little more competitice (though I can’t imagine the Republicans on the committee would never let it get too close to a fair fight)

    (EDIT: Even if the district is not winnable, it is nice to see the Democrats out there trying to spread the word that Frelinghyusen is no longer the moderate that he used to be – and that they think he still is)

  26. 26.

    cthulhu

    @Steve T.: With technology being the way it is, you can help whatever race or races you wish by doing targeted calls and GOTV on whatever schedule works for you. I personally prefer doing face-to-face work so I’ll travel where needed but I’ve done the phone thing too and, once you get into the groove of it, it’s not bad. Certainly easier for GOTV when you are mostly calling supporters and not that extremely cranky libertarian on your list because he often splits his votes across parties…

  27. 27.

    AkaDad

    Oklahoma could easily be a blue state if you visited every house and persuaded them to vote for Obama, but with a name like Soonergrunt, I doubt that you’d be willing to put in that minimal effort.

  28. 28.

    Soonergrunt

    @Omnes Omnibus: I had one E-5 tell us that “If you love the country, you’ll vote Republican” and you’d have thought he was masturbating in formation. Our squad leader flipped right the fuck out, followed by the Platoon Sergeant. He got called to the PLT CP, the door slammed behind him, and the senior NCOs began their corrective training of the wayward buck sergeant in that special way that SNCOs do such things.
    He apologized to us at the next formation.

    I never once, not ever, had an active duty commissioned officer try to tell me or anyone that I knew about whom to vote for.
    Guard officers and NCOs, OTOH…

  29. 29.

    Soonergrunt

    @AkaDad: That would be the mythical Oklahoma that one gets to by flying for the second star to the right, and straight on till morning, right?
    Cause for sure as hell it ain’t the one I live in.

  30. 30.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Soonergrunt: I really love senior NCOs. I once had a problem during an exercise and my Platoon SGT felt as though the troops were not sufficiently enthused. He asked me id I would take a walk for a half hour or so, and, when I came back, everyone was fired up and ready to go. I always figured that my job was to find out what my sergeants needed and then try to get it for them. They then left me alone when I was hung over.

  32. 32.

    danah gaz

    So, my s/o just watched Mitt Romney’s appearance on Univision.

    Here’s her take:

    ZOMG. Train-wreck. ROFLMAO.

    Picture this: A man totally used to Press The Meet and softballs, appearing on a *real* news program (the kind where they ask tough questions and follow up questions)

    Now remember, he’s still on the arse-end of the 47% disaster.

    Deer in the head lights doesn’t do him justice.

    Drowning is closer to mark.

    He just had no idea how to respond to real questions.

    Epic.

  34. 34.

    Soonergrunt

    @AkaDad: Well, I’ll tell you what–in your zeal to visit every single house in the state, when you get to mine, I’ll give you a cookie.

    ETA: It suddenly occurs to me that you might be snarking. Hey, this IS Oklahoma. We have to import our sophisticated humor, you know.

  35. 35.

    dance around in your bones

    @Steeplejack:

    The ’70s were trippy until disco killed everything.

    So true. I was living in AFG when Saturday Night Fever came out – it was the beginning of the end.

    But boy howdy, we sure danced in a drunken fashion to it. Lotsa Johnny Walker Red.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    I believe the navy works a little different than the army or marines. Or maybe it was due to being in during Vietnam. All the SNCOs were lifers, and that’s not a positive statement. I can only think of a couple who hadn’t stayed in because it was a lot easier and they made more money than they could have earned outside, given their skills.

  39. 39.

    divF

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    My Dad (now deceased) was a Senior NCO (Army – Combat Engineer for most of his career). Joined in late 1946, retired as an E-8 in 1973. He prided himself as being able to get the job done, and reading through his personnel file, his CO’s pretty much thought the same thing. He also knew how to lead men in the draft era, when most of the enlisted men were not there of their own free will. He did not expect them to be gung-ho, but to behave as responsible adults. On the other hand, he did not have any patience with other NCOs *or* officers that did not comport themselves in a professional manner, which probably contributed to his not being put up for E-9 until he was already on his way out the door.

  40. 40.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @divF: E-8 is a major accomplishment. I view it this way – with officers, Colonel or 0-6 is doable by being good at your job. Brigadier General or 0-7 is political. The E-8/E-9 divide is similar.

  41. 41.

    divF

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Yep, that was pretty much Dad’s take on it – E-9 was political, pretty much from the time they introduced the two “supergrades” (E-8 and E-9)in the late 1950’s.

  42. 42.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @divF: I know people who finished their careers as O-6s and were proud of it because they never compromised. They knew their record could have gotten them a star but they weren’t willing to do what was necessary for it.

  43. 43.

    Yutsano

    @Omnes Omnibus: My dad retired from the Navy as an E-9 but he HATED the politics. They offered him Chief Petty Officer of the Navy but my mom said no way in fucking hell was she moving to DC. And yes those were her exact words.

  46. 46.

    Hob

    Speaking of veterans… I just had a somewhat depressing moment. I was thinking about looking for House candidates I could help, and suddenly realized I hadn’t paid any attention to my old district in Pennsylvania for many years; none of my family lives in PA any more, I have a few friends there still but I don’t follow the news. It’s always been heavily Republican, and last I knew they’d re-re-elected an unusually grotesque specimen of the party, a smarmy theoplutocrat called Joe Pitts. Well, now I kind of wish I hadn’t looked, because… (and I really must’ve tried hard to tune him out over the years, because this really was a shock to me) Pitts has now served SIX terms. His opponent, Aryanna Strader, is an Iraq vet running on a platform that’s mostly generic Dem stuff but with an emphasis on veteran’s issues and reproductive rights. Not a very energetic campaign as far as I can tell, but I’d certainly be happy to see her in Congress.

    Of course she doesn’t have a chance. Pitts is sitting on mountains of Chamber of Commerce gold, and Strader almost had to close her campaign recently due to lack of funds. I know it makes more sense for me to contribute in a place where something could realistically be done… but for sentimental reasons I was really hoping it could be in my home town. And Pitts is such a horrible fucker. Wah.

  48. 48.

    Yutsano

    @Omnes Omnibus: I never told you I grew up around them all my life? Jeez I have been less than forthcoming haven’t I? :)

    I told my brothers my father would disown me if I brought a jarhead home. They disagreed because of course Dad knows lots of Marines. I tried to explain the difference (never let them near your sister etc) but they just didn’t get it.

  49. 49.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yutsano: Dance of seven fucking veils, it’s been with you. It’s all good though. For what it is worth, the one jarhead I had any involvement with was a 2LT and was in my airborne class. She was quite attractive.

  50. 50.

    piratedan

    @Hob: I really don’t believe those campaigns are as much of a lost cause as you might think. A donation and a letter from someone like you gives folks heart to continue the good fight. In an election like this, taking down the big fish is a lot more likely in a wave election and a heinous bastard like Pitts (who is a Vag regulator in the extreme and a C Streeter to boot) is always a worthy target. Giving your candidate a chance is always a worthy notion and never a better opportunity when women’s issues are a primary focus and veterans rights gets more play than you might think if handled properly.

  52. 52.

    var

    Given the “Honey Pot” posts – shouldn’t Balloon Juice put up a DSCC or DCCC Act Blue page? Or a page of good Senate & House candidates? I would vote for Tammy Baldwin, Tammy Duckworth, the NH House candidates, etc.

  53. 53.

    Brian R.

    @Dork:

    D-bag down the street has “Romney/Ryan”, “Nobama”, and a “I DID build this” yard signs.

    You should add a “Yes, I DO have reading comprehension problems!” sign next to the last one.

  55. 55.

    Hob

    Also, I’m even more embarrassingly uninformed than I thought: I didn’t know PA-16 has been altered by redistricting, and picked up some more liberal areas (in a really outrageous bit of gerrymandering that was obviously meant to suck Dem votes out of other districts, but still makes this one slightly better). And it had been getting a little less red even before that– 50-49 for Obama in 2008, which just blows my mind. I grew up in Lancaster and I would’ve expected them to vote for an infinite number of people– Lyndon LaRouche, Fidel Castro, Droopy Dog, the Grateful Dead– before a black guy.

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