And the right complained about "Bush derangement syndrome"

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Friday May 22, 2009 · 9:12 PM PDT

2009/05/22 · 21:12

If "Bush derangement syndrome" existed, it has nothing on "Obama derangement syndrome."

Here's a completely neutral and unbiased article from NBC Washington. It discusses how a bus of Kindergartners were going on a field trip to the White House. They arrived at least 10 minutes late, and the White House staff didn't let them in because he was scheduled to make care packages for soldiers with the Steelers.

Allegedly, some of the kids cried. Of note, however, is that nowhere in the article does it say that the kids were going to meet the President -- it looks like it was a pretty run-of-the-mill White House tour.

But what's really horrifying is some of the comments in the article...

elchip

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Friday April 03, 2009 · 10:51 AM PDT

2009/04/03 · 10:51

As you might expect, the Fox News story on Iowa's supreme court overturning the state's gay marriage ban drew a lot of responses from their fairness-and-balance-seeking audience.

For your enjoyment, befuddlement and horror, I thought I'd share some of the ... choicest comments from the ~~lunatic fringe~~ modern face of the Republican party.

elchip

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Tuesday March 17, 2009 · 7:19 AM PDT

2009/03/17 · 07:19

This article cites a plan by the Obama administration to force private insurers to pay for veterans' combat and service-related injuries.

So, as I understand it, if a veteran has private insurance, the VA won't pay for the treatment of their service-related injuries... their private insurers will.

Which, of course, will allow the insurers to jack up the premiums for these veterans, unless explicitly prevented by legislation -- in which case they'll probably jack up the premiums for everybody.

This is a real "What the hell?" moment for me. What possible good could this serve, politically and practically, besides saving the VA $540 million (chump change in terms of government spending).

This proposal is getting criticism from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, Democrats and Republicans. What kind of idea is this?

I really hope this doesn't get enacted, for the sake of our veterans' health care. And for that matter, President Obama's political capital to get good things done in Washington.

Riddle me this, Republicans.

elchip

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Friday March 06, 2009 · 9:39 AM PST

2009/03/06 · 09:39

You point to the falling DJIA and rising unemployment as signs that Obama's economic policies are failures that are causing today's problems.

Fine. I'll grant you that, so long as you answer me a question.

You'll notice that, much like the unemployment rate today, unemployment shot up at the beginning of the presidential terms of Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, and W.

That leads me to conclude that either:

Obama's economic policies suck, but so do the policies of every Republican President from Eisenhower onward.

The policies of Truman, LBJ, Clinton and Carter sucked; Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan and W were merely stuck with the messes created by their predecessors. However, this also implies that the economic policies of Nixon, Reagan and W sucked -- since the economy tanked following their terms.

Pick your poison, Republicans. Either Obama sucks, as do all Republican Presidents; or four of the previous Democratic Presidents suck -- as do Nixon, Reagan and W -- but Obama doesn't suck.

Applying these economic rules inconsistently doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT -- HE IS A FOREIGNER

elchip

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Monday February 09, 2009 · 3:10 PM PST

2009/02/09 · 15:10

I HAVE PROOF!

Obama hit his head today on Marine One.

You know who else hit their heads on overhead doors?

IMPERIAL STORMTROOPERS!

Imperial Stormtroopers are NOT born in the United States, or even planet Earth. In fact, they're not even born -- they're clones!

And who are they clones of?

Look familiar?

He was not born in the United States.
He was not born on Earth.
He was not even BORN.

He is therefore ineligible to be President.

Please, impeach him before it's too late!

How to get Lieberman out of the Senate (if he becomes a Republican)

elchip

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday November 08, 2008 · 7:00 PM PST

2008/11/08 · 19:00

Harry Reid was exceptionally generous, offering Lieberman chairmanship of the Veterans' Affairs Committee in exchange for stripping him of his Homeland Security seat. Lieberman said "no," because he helped write the legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security. He's continuing to flirt with the Republicans.

If he joins the Republicans, the best course of action would be to get his ass out of the Senate and replace him with a reliable Democrat's vote.

Poll

162 votes Show Results

I...

162 votes Vote Now!

I...

...am an idiot.

43 votes

...am insane.

23 votes

...should go kill myself.

8 votes

...might be onto something.

88 votes

FiveThirtyEight vs. Pollster vs RealClearPolitics

elchip

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Friday November 07, 2008 · 7:32 AM PST

2008/11/07 · 07:32

Many of us -- myself included -- have made a pretty big deal about fivethirtyeight.com, Nate Silver's election projection website.

But, as some people pointed out, he doesn't really have a record of projecting national elections... until now.

So, I've crunched some numbers and compared Nate's projections to the projections from RealClearPolitics.com and Pollster.com, two other notable election projection websites.

Note that I'm only comparing their calculated margins of victory, not their actual numbers; RCP and Pollster don't allocate undecideds, so it wouldn't be fair to compare them to a site that does.

The results might surprise you.

elchip

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday November 05, 2008 · 10:15 AM PST

2008/11/05 · 10:15

Most of us -- myself included -- have made a pretty big deal about fivethirtyeight.com, Nate Silver's election projection website.

But, as some people pointed out, he doesn't really have a record of projecting national elections... until now.

Overall, he did extremely well. There were a few exceptions, such as Alaska, Hawaii and DC; however, the first two have "home state" biases that perhaps came out stronger than expected, and DC didn't exactly get a whole lot of polling. A few deep red states were redder than projected, and a few deep blue states were bluer than projected.

Also noteworthy is that he called every state correctly, except Indiana -- which he said "leaned GOP" but came out by just a hair for Obama. His average share of the electoral vote for Obama was right on with the current amount of EVs Obama has now; but if Obama ends up winning NC (and he should), that'll give Obama 364 EVs, which was the number that came up 3rd most often in his simulations.

Go Nate! State-by-state results after the fold. I'll try to put Pollster or RCP's estimates in next, to see how they did.

elchip

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday November 04, 2008 · 9:48 AM PST

2008/11/04 · 09:48

I'm reposting this because of heightened interest in voting machines today, thanks to machines breaking down and acting funny. It's a comprehensive list of swing states and counties that use paperless voting machines. If things are looking fishy tonight, here's a handy guide.

elchip

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Monday November 03, 2008 · 11:31 AM PST

2008/11/03 · 11:31

Yes, I'm well aware that abortion is a dead horse that has been beaten to an unrecognizable pulp for over three decades.

And I'm aware that the day before the election, a Daily Kos diary by a person who often struggles to get a dozen comments or recommends isn't going to change much.

But hey, it's my diary, and I'll rant if I want to.

Poll

60 votes Show Results

Where do you stand?

60 votes Vote Now!

Where do you stand?

Abortion is murder. Treat women who have abortions as accessory to murder.

3 votes

Abortion is murder. But don't treat women who have abortions as accessory to murder. (Please explain in the comments!)

0 votes

Abortion is murder. Except in cases of rape/incest/life of the mother. But don't treat women who have abortions as accessory to murder. (Please explain in the comments!)

1 vote

I don't know whether abortion is "murder" per se, but I don't like it. However, I don't think we should be punishing people for having or giving abortions.

19 votes

Abortion is not murder, abortion is not inhumane, abortion is not something to regret.

29 votes

Abortion is freaking awesome.

8 votes

We're right on schedule for another FDR

elchip

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 30, 2008 · 12:20 PM PDT

2008/10/30 · 12:20

I'm well aware that past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results, but there is a noteworthy trend in American politics going back to 1860: The 36-year political cycle.

Like clockwork, every 36-year period from 1860 onward has contained the dominance of a particular ideology; 28 years of Presidential dominance by one political party; and 8 years under the control of a moderate President of the opposite party.

You may notice that we're 148 years removed from 1860, and 36 doesn't divide evenly into 148; you have 4 years left over. Those 4 years correspond to Jimmy Carter's term, which I believe was a fluke brought about by the unprecedented events of Watergate. (Despite Watergate, he still only managed to squeak out a victory over Gerald Ford, and he lost his re-election battle badly.)

Poll

50 votes Show Results

Thoughts?

50 votes Vote Now!

Thoughts?

You're spot-on. All hail Barack Delano Obama

21 votes

You might be onto something

21 votes

Eh... I don't think so

0 votes

I'd like some of what you're smoking

8 votes

John McCain, Democrat

elchip

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 29, 2008 · 7:23 AM PDT

2008/10/29 · 07:23

April 25, 2007 - Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Senator John McCain (D-Az) announced today that he was once again seeking the Democratic nomination for President. "I'm not running for President to be somebody, but to do something; to do the hard but necessary things not the easy and needless things," he said.

His position in the polls fluctuated throughout the year, but in the end, he emerged victorious as the nominee of the Democratic Party.

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And the right complained about "Bush derangement syndrome"

Friday Comedy: Fox News fans react to Iowa Supreme Court ruling

Force veterans to use private insurance to pay for treatment of service-related injuries? WTF?

Riddle me this, Republicans.

IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT -- HE IS A FOREIGNER

How to get Lieberman out of the Senate (if he becomes a Republican)

FiveThirtyEight vs. Pollster vs RealClearPolitics

So... how did Nate Silver do?

A guide: Where to look for voting machine shenanigans

Musings on a beaten, dead horse (abortion)

We're right on schedule for another FDR

John McCain, Democrat