President Obama, First Lady Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia appear on stage on election night November 6, 2012 in Chicago
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Today (all times Eastern):
2:0: President Obama departs the White House
3:15: VP Biden delivers remarks at the CSX Northwest Ohio in North Baltimore, Ohio
3:45: Michelle Obama attends DNC fundraising event in Pittsburgh
5:10: President Obama arrives in Dallas
5:40: Participates in an Affordable Care Act event, Linz Hall, Temple Emanu-El
6:15: VP Biden attends DSCC event in Cleveland
7:40: President Obama delivers remarks at a DSCC event (private residence)
8:40: President Obama delivers remarks at a DSCC event and answers questions (private residence)
9:45: Departs Dallas
12:30: Arrives the White House
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USA Today: Obama congratulates McAuliffe, de Blasio and Walsh
President Obama made congratulatory calls late Tuesday to three East Coast Democrats that emerged as Election Night winners.
According to the White House, Obama telephoned Virginia Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe, New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and Boston Mayor-elect Martin Walsh.
….. Obama “congratulated each of them on their election victories and vowed to work with them in the months ahead to expand economic opportunity for middle-class families in their communities,” the White House said in a statement.
More here
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Bill de Blasio’s 49% victory margin was largest in NYC Mayor’s race since Koch’s 68% in 1985. http://t.co/DsF7Kl6V7B pic.twitter.com/YdMOH9oe0o
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) November 6, 2013
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If you ever wondered why Republicans want to suppress black voters – here’s your answer pic.twitter.com/jNJsTHXQNf
— Smarty Pants (@Smartypants60) November 6, 2013
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Des Moines Register: Biden Phones Winner Of Memorable Coralville Election
In a contest that attracted the attention of Vice President Joe Biden and spending by the national conservative group Americans for Prosperity, Coralville’s three incumbent candidates are staying for another term. Unofficial results Tuesday showed John Lundell winning the mayoral contest and Tom Gill, Bill Hoeft and Laurie Goodrich winning seats on the council in an election with record-breaking turnout.
Shortly after Lundell’s victory became apparent, the City Council member said, he received a surprise phone call from Biden. “He indicated that he was very proud of our city, that we took on the Koch brothers and successfully beat them by such a huge margin,” Lundell said. “That was another aspect of this election that was unanticipated, that after the polls closed that I’d be speaking to the vice president of the United States.”
More here
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Congratulations to the Tea Party on the incredible messaging and scare-out-the-vote effort it took to elect Terry McAuliffe Governor.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) November 6, 2013
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Steve Benen: Far-right suffers another setback in Virginia
On paper, Republicans were poised to have a very good year in Virginia’s off-year elections. For over a generation, whichever party controls the White House invariably loses in the commonwealth, in Virginia this year, Democrats nominated a gubernatorial candidate who’d never held elected office, didn’t have deep political roots in the state, and wasn’t especially well liked by voters.
It looked like a recipe for GOP success. It wasn’t. As the dust settles on Election Day, Terry McAuliffe (D) has narrowly won Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Ralph Northam (D) was easily elected Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, and Mark Herring (D) very narrowly leads the still-uncalled race for state attorney general.
The Tea Party wing of Virginia’s Republican Party got the extremist candidates they wanted, and it looks like they lost in a clean sweep.
More here
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ThinkProgress: Why Terry McAuliffe Won In Virginia
Democrat Terry McAuliffe defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II on Tuesday to become the next governor of Virginia — in a race that Cuccinelli had termed a “referendum on Obamacare.” But an examination of the issues the made up the battleground of the race shows that the Affordable Care Act was just one of several progressive ideas that McAuliffe fully embraced and Cuccinelli fully opposed.
Virginia has historically been a conservative-leaning swing state. It backed every Republican presidential nominee from Richard Nixon through George W. Bush and elected a Republican governor by a 59 to 41 landslide in 2009. While the state has one of the highest percentages of federal employees, polls showed McAuliffe’s lead remained fairly steady before and after the shutdown and Cuccinelli himself dismissed it as largely forgotten factor before Election Day.
More here
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With @TerryMcAuliffe‘s win tonight there will be 4 Southern Dem Govs. AR (Bebee), KY (Beshear) & WV (Tomblin). Let’s add more in 2014!
— South Forward (@SouthForward) November 6, 2013
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ThinkProgress: The Biggest Winner From Last Night’s Election? Obamacare
Virginia’s Ken Cuccinelli — the loudest critic of health care reform — went down in defeat on Tuesday night, paving the the way for the “bellwether for national politics” to expand Obamacare to nearly 400,000 Virginians.
A 10-member panel is currently considering whether the state should accept federal dollars to provide insurance to individuals and families below 133 percent of the federal poverty line ($31,321 in income for a family of four) through its Medicaid program. The decision still has to be approved by a majority of delegates and senators on the panel, though McAuliffe could bypass the GOP-controlled group “by deciding whether to include the federal Medicaid money in the state budget.” On the campaign trail, he repeatedly promised to build bipartisan consensus over the measure, going so far as to say that “he would not sign a budget that did not include Medicaid expansion.”
More here
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Tonight’s lesson for Republicans: Hug Obama and expand Medicaid.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) November 6, 2013
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NPR: In Colorado, A Couple Finds Relief In Obamacare
There’s plenty of criticism of the Affordable Care Act and how it’s being implemented.
But let’s introduce you to someone who is quite pleased with her Obamacare experience: Lela Petersen of Flagler, Colo. She’s a small business owner with a very big health insurance bill.
But thanks to the health law, she expects that bill will be cut by more than half in January.
Petersen is 57, and her husband, Mike, is 60. They have some pre-existing conditions. He has diabetes. She has a back injury. The HMO policy they’ve carried since 1992 has risen over the years to $1,950 per month, just for the two of them.
…. At the beginning of October she checked out Colorado’s insurance exchange and found the exact same policy from the same insurer for only $832 a month. “It’s dropping us down about $1,100 a month. We can retire. We can go fishing. We can actually see a future,” says Petersen.
More here
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ThinkProgress: Senator Obliterates GOP Talking Point On Obamacare’s Maternity Coverage In 60 Seconds
During a hearing on Obamacare implementation Tuesday, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee chairman Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) offered a powerful rebuttal to those criticizing the Affordable Care Act’s inclusion of maternity care coverage as one of ten “essential health benefits” categories that insurance companies must offer consumers under the health law.
More here
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“Michelle and I are overjoyed for all the committed couples in Illinois whose love will now be as legal as ours.” —President Obama
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 6, 2013
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Statement by the President on Marriage Equality in Illinois
Tonight, I applaud the men and women of the Illinois General Assembly, a body in which I was proud to serve, for voting to legalize marriage equality in my home state.
As President, I have always believed that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally under the law. Over time, I also came to believe that same-sex couples should be able to get married like anyone else. So tonight, Michelle and I are overjoyed for all the committed couples in Illinois whose love will now be as legal as ours – and for their friends and family who have long wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and equally under the law.
I also commend the members of the General Assembly for approaching this issue in a fair and open way, and for recognizing the importance of our commitment to religious freedom by engaging the religious community in this conversation. Throughout this debate, they’ve made it clear that this is about civil marriages and civil laws, and made sure that churches and other institutions of faith are still free to make their own decisions that conform to their own teachings.
As I said in my Inaugural Address last January, our journey as a nation is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. And tonight, I’m so proud that the men and women elected to serve the people of the great state of Illinois have chosen to take us one step further on that journey to perfect our union.
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Three Years Ago Today:
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Steve Benen: Christie looking ahead
Gov. Chris Christie pushed for an overwhelming re-election victory and met his goal, winning a second term by a whopping 22-point margin, besting his Democratic rival, state Sen. Barbara Buono, in 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
The point, of course, was to position the governor for his national campaign – Christie very nearly launched a presidential campaign last night during his victory speech – which will be a major topic of conversation for the political world today and in the near future.
…. I’d recommend at least some caution …. hristie’s ability to crush Buono doesn’t tell us much about how he’d fare against, say, Hillary Clinton. Indeed, New Jersey voters were asked yesterday who’d they support in a hypothetical Christie-Clinton match-up. While the governor was winning his re-election bid by 22 points, the exact same New Jersey voters still preferred Clinton by six points.
…. Given all of this, I’d recommend keep the coronation plans on hold.
Full post here
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Christie: I want to thank the lunatics who make me look moderate. Sometimes I can’t even believe it myself. You know who you are.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) November 6, 2013
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Congratulations to TOD’s very own newly elected official:
ALYCEE!!!!!!
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You know your sh*t stinks if the Washington Times drops your azz! Washington Times drops Rand Paul: http://t.co/uqVtzejevG via @slate
— Alycee (@jazziz2) November 6, 2013
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A Year Ago Today
My Most Loved Election Photo Ever: Despite all the voter suppression efforts, the people spoke….
William Wright and India Johnson wait in line to vote at Larchmont Elementary School in Norfolk, Va., Nov 6, 2012. Wright and Johnson, both from Richmond, were casting their first votes in a Presidential election.
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President Obama is embraced by a volunteer as he visits a campaign office the morning of the 2012 election in Chicago, November 6, 2012
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President Obama talks on the phone with Mitt Romney in the Presidential Suite at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park in Chicago (Pete Souza)
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“Dad? Look behind you.”
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MoooOOOooorning!
The Obama Diary 
Good morning Chipsticks!
Mooooooooooorning Forus!!!!!
Whoa, Chiparooooooo, this is a brilliantly awesome Rise and Shine. The articles, pictures, videos. The tweets were the cherry on the sundae.
Have a perfect day Ber!!!!
Good Morning TOD.
Thank You Chips………I will now go forth and work because I owe I owe it’s off to work I go. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
😆 Have a great day Ber!!
Happy Birthday Ber.
Thank you Betsy.
Happy Birthday ber6964! Dance! Dance Dance!
Can’t top last years birthday present………President Obama’s second Win.
I’ll second that! Woooooot! 😀
Happy Birthday ber6964!!! And a boatload more!!!!
Chips, As far as you know will we be able to see the event in Dallas?
And to continue my thought from the previous thread—-Calm down excited Crispy supporters. How would your guy have done if Charismatic Cory was on the same ballot?
Think about that Chuck T.
Hi Vicki, yep, PBO’s speech will be shown live – but obviously not the fundraisers.
21% of AA voted for Christie, maybe Corey would have changed that.
I don’t see how. Booker has had many a photo op with Christie. From what I gather inside of New Jersey a lot of people regardless of color actually like the guy. Go figure.
And wasn’t there some agreement between the 2, that they would not speak ill of each other?
I’m not sure but the definitely acted like it.
It’s one thing to not speak ill of each other, and it’s quite another to speak the truth on behalf of the people you purport to serve. Booker can speak out against the damage Christie has done to the people, and the future of, New Jersey. If Christie’s done bad things, then speaking the truth about those things doesn’t mean the same thing about speaking ill of Christie. Pretending that Christie is an upstanding person, especially when he bullies everyone who challenges him, is cowardly.
That said, so many people mentioned yesterday about the corruption in New Jersey that extends well into the Dem party. Perhaps Cory Booker didn’t feel he could have a career in politics if he opposed Christie and the people Christie’s donors have bought.
I always remember President Obama’s words, paraphrased here: You don’t win elections to BE something; you win elections to DO something. I wonder if cow-towing to the corruption is worth it, if it allows bad people to inflict more harm to constituents who need their government to help them?
Since 2010 there’s been a preponderance of Republican governors. This win did not change the balance, but it put one more Democratic governor on the sheet…..every change helps. We know that Virginia will be governed much differently from the way it has been in the past four years.
Four years ago just before the last Virginia gubernatorial election, my husband and I took a wonderful trip to Virginia visiting historical sites. After that election, I vowed not to visit Virginia again as long as the Republicans “ruled” Virginia. Now…..we can visit again!
。☆。*。☆。
★。＼｜／。★
Happy B’day
BER
★。／｜＼。★
。☆。*。☆。
Have a great birthday, Jer and enjoy every one of the Obama cupcakes. Whatever crap we all hear from the media today about Chistie, Barack Obama is still our president and ObamaCare is the law of the land. I have to say that again and again because that is the overriding truth that all the media bias in the world cannot take away.
The hard working candidates in our little Republican slice of Pa had mixed results. They lost in the theoretically Dem majority little city, but made real headway in the Republican dominated county townships. One Dem candidate won a township supervisor seat in a 4.5 to 1 majority township–a tremendous feat. Another lost by only 6 votes!!! We also won a number of important minor posts and school board positions. It isn’t dramatic success, but it’s a step forward against really big odds. Today we have Democratic wins in VA and NYC and in lots of cities and that is a tangible and significant victory. Let the media have their Christie love fest–it will do him no good in the end since he is nothing but a large empty suit. Meantime, we keep building the electoral infrastructure that keeps quietly winning elections–one municipality at a time. When I look at our little county and see the growth in professionalism regarding elections in the last five years, I see real hope for the future. We have to keep building that expertise across the country and in every state until we are in inexorable force that all the Koch billions can’t defeat.
Great post Jackie. I agree, one precinct at a time.
Well put jackie. VA Gov and NYC Mayor are real change. NJ maintains status quo.
My friend is still waiting for the 15 absentee votes to be counted (!) and they have until Friday to do so. He knows three of those votes are his (he was down by five votes). Turnout was abysmal and as I said earlier, this is the tiniest little municipality.
His wife (my best friend) was in Austin, TX on business (I’m assuming one of the absentee votes is hers). But the saddest thing – he had to put their 14.5 year old dog down yesterday. She had been failing for months and there was no way to continue her suffering.
He was feeling very alone last night. They still have one dog but the house was very empty. A win would have helped, but we are still waiting.
Jackie, THANKS for all of the heavy lifting you do out in your part of our great Commonwealth. Now, we must gear up for make the phrase “One-Term Tom” a reality!!!!
Alycee, you are a hard worker AND a winner. We’ve got a lot to do to turn out Tom and I’m ready to go. First off, we cull the large Democratic primary field and get ourselves a winner. Then we work like hell.
Christie is a fraud.
This guy hangs with David Koch..and goes to the secret meetings.
And……on Koch’s Muckerty page Christie is listed as his only friend other than family members.
—
Why are people so naive about this man ?
Can I tell that I love, love, LOVE Bill Deblasio’s son’s afro. LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE IT!!! I grew in the ’70s when afros were the style.
Trust me when I tell you, that young man’s afro is RIGHTEOUS!!!
His fro is the business! 😎
It most certainly is RIGHTEOUS!!!! Reminds me of my “Angela Davis;” my ‘fro was so large that it used to arrive, on location, a full minute before the rest of my body!
Oh, Alycee, I would love to have seen that.
Braid it and pick it out with that afro pick that had African colors at the end of it after applying Afro-sheen to the scalp. I still use Afro-sheen on my short cut to this day.
I hadn’t notice the size of his fro. It’s really big. I’m so out of it. Are really big afros back in style with the kids?
Okay, I don’t really like to be a downer on a day when just about nationwide, the Dems beat the GOP. But a note of caution.
NJ did reelect Christie, which was expected. And by a large margin, also expected. But it was still too big a margin.
VA did elect McAuliffe and Northam and probably Herring. But the margin was ridiculous. Considering Cooch’s policies, even with McAuliffe being the not greatest candidate, the margin should have been better than 3%.
What this means to me is that we really need to work next year, hard. These were off year elections, which may be part of the reason, but so are next year’s.
That’s what voter suppression cost us. In the end, a win is a win.
Agree Japa, some of the margins – either way – were a bit on the shocking side, soooooo much work to be done ahead of next year, not least the mother of all get-out-the-vote campaigns.
Japa—Chrispy eliminated Cory Booker from his ballot.
VA purged 40,000 voters.
Election practices reform as well as GOTV is what is needed.
A win is a win, no doubt. But let’s remember that the NJ legislature is DEMOCRATIC. And this could have been a VERY different story if Christie hadn’t paid folks off to have the senate election NOT on yesterday. If Cory Booker was running on the same day, instead of a very odd special election, the story could have been very different.
I wonder about that isonprize…
The people who voted for Christie also voted to increase minimum wage. That makes me wonder if a vote for Booker would have been an automatic vote for Buono. It may have been closer, but….
Christie has definitely benefited politically from Hurricane Sandy. Even though he did nothing more than anyone that position probably would have done, he was the one who held that office at that point in time; just like Giuliani on 9/11. So Christie is basically being rewarded for doing his job. And the fact that people are still recovering from that devastation has kept it at the forefront in people’s minds; apparently relegated to a status that is more important than the the policies that have been detrimental to the well being of average NJ’s.
Virginia Gun Shop Handed Out Free AR-15 Magazines To Voters.
In an attempt to get out the vote on Election Day, Quantico Tactical in Woodbridge, VA handed out free 30-round AR-15 magazines to anyone who showed a Virginia voter ID or active duty military ID. A post on the gun shop’s Facebook page advertised, “No Strings Attached – No Purchase Necessary.”
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/11/06/2898201/high-capacity-magazines-giveaway-vote/
Sick.
Dems should have flooded the shop, picked up free mags, then had a melt-down rally on Dec 14th!
Isn’t that illegal, Linda. If you owned a doughnut shop and handed out a free box of doughnuts for every voter, I think you would be guilty of an inducement. I don’t remember VA’s election law, but I think some enterprising person could raise quite a legal stink about it–never mind the morality of handing out killing implements on an election day.
Good Morning Chips! Good Morning TOD! What a beeyoootiful Rise and Shine!
Well, I for one, am going to be very very happy about last night’s results.
We:
–gained or retained governors (VA in historic fashion),
–lt. governors,
–maybe an AG (fingers crossed here in VA)
–mayors (NYC in historic fashion),
–raised the minimum wage,
–gained marriage equality,
–beat back an attempted Koch Brothers coup in a small town (Iowa),
–retained a state legislature even in a state where the GOP governor romped (NJ),
–and other assorted goodies
If it was the other way around, the GOP would be pounding their chests and saying they had a countrywide mandate! 😆
Yes, would have been nice to have bigger margins and more victories, but there’s plenty to build on. Forward!
Hear! Hear! Political junkessa
😛
Do you think the Democratic wins from last evening will help to strengthen the spine our current Democratic members of Congress? I hope so!
Yep, PJ, Republicans always twist everything they do into a win. Democrats make every victory a quasi defeat.
Indeed Jackie, it’s like some kind of inferiority complex. 😆
Yes! To all this good news for democrats! Happy Birthday to Ber! What the heck is going on with New Jersey? And last, just gotta love that pic with PBO and the huge vase of Cheesy Puffs! Slugging it out over here, but may have some concrete news shortly, other than DAUGHTER IS HEADING HOME FROM AUSTRALIA to help her mama through!! God Bless us, everyone! Bye again, miss you guys! 😉
Alycee!! Checking out the fireworks for your best Happy Birthday ever!! {{{{alycee}}}}
MP, thanks for the CONGRATS; however, NOT my BD — I won reelection… 😉
Congratulations on your reelection, Alycee!!! You deserve it for all the work you do.
G’Morning TODers and Lurkers.
Thanks for all the R&S Info.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/06/us-usa-healthcare-uninsured-idUSBRE9A505W20131106?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
(Reuters) – Uninsured Americans are showing more interest in the coverage offered under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law despite technical problems that have hindered enrollment through a government website, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The glitches have crippled HealthCare.gov, the new online insurance marketplace meant to serve people in 36 states, frustrating millions of would-be applicants since it opened for enrollment on October 1.
The poll’s findings are good news for Obamacare supporters who worry the problems and bad press could dissuade people from signing up, particularly the young and healthy who are crucial to diversifying the pool of insured and keeping premiums down.
The uninsured view the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, more favorably since online marketplaces opened – 44 percent compared with 37 percent in September, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. It found that 56 percent oppose the program compared with 63 percent in September
I wonder how many of the opposed already have insurance.
You know I can’t get over the fact that the media is reporting this like there’s no such thing as a phone number that people can call and enroll.
https://twitter.com/el_jovie131/status/398111087536902144
LOL!! Old Max is running away as fast as possible. Trying to convince anybody who will listen that his fingerprints on ACA are not his fingerprints. Keep running Max.
He is a lot of the reason Obamacare isn’t even better than it is and why it took so long to get it to a vote. I am glad he is retiring. Good ridance!
Baucus is bought and paid for by the insurance industry. Just ignore him. His “idea” is going nowhere. The website has improved and will be much better this month and people will sign up.
He is retiring…..why can’t he just shut the hell up ?
Dems like him are the reason I refuse to give any money to the DNC, DSCC and DCCC. They have clay feet.
Linda, I feel the same way.
It is not much different than leading up to the 2010 elections (and even after) how Democrats were distancing themselves from anything Obama. They did not talk about his accomplishments. They did not help to promote the ACA. There were some who where as much obstructionists as the GOP. But it was okay to ride PBO’s coattail to win their elections/re-elections.
He really doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Just pandering to who knows what.
“F” Max Baucus
This the reason it took over 100 years to get health care reform passed, and cowards like Max Baucus is no help.
Good morning, all! Good morning, Chips! Just FYI: Martin Walsh, the mayor-elect of Boston, was running against another Democrat, John Connolly. So, a Dem was going to win, either way. 🙂
Ha, I know AJ, just wanted front pages featuring the three winners called by PBO!
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/democratic-wife-tops-republican-husband-in-maine-election
😆 🙄 😆 😎 😯
What about the Marriage….. 😉 ❓
By a margin of 127-76, Jennifer Johnson topped David Johnson in a race for one of the city’s warden positions. The Morning Sentinel noted that the two ran “to call attention to the importance of being involved and serving the community — and as a way of getting people out to vote.”
The couple has three children.
Hmm?
Going to be tense in that household for a few months.
😆 ❗
@maddow had a segment last week about how there’s a whole passel of relatives of the recently deceased Bill Young were contemplating a run for his congressional seat.
I think it was his wife, his son and a brother.
Talk about cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs. Let’s get a good Dem to occupy that seat, held by one (no doubt corrupt) Republican for 42 years.
Meant to say, talk about hubris and entitlement. These relatives of Bill Young believe the seat belongs the one of them. Isn’t 42 years of the same old same old enough?
igorvolsky @igorvolsky 1h
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GOP spin on Virginia: The loudest critic of Obamacare lost a campaign defined by Obamacare and that’s bad news for Obamacare.
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Well of course. Don’t you see. McAuLiffe won by and with POTUS’ supporters. DC/NY pundits wanted a CLINTON Narrative. They didn’t get what they wanted……so back to Oldie, but familiar bat poop…..It’s comforting……to them……Bashing pres Obama, no matter on what subject.
Here’s another great tweet. Oh, the irony. Could Medicaid expansion be available in Virginia in the not too distant future??
Alec MacGillis @AlecMacGillis 2h
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Please, more spin on how a result showed opposition to Obamacare, when said result will likely result in expansion of Obamacare.
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Good Wednesday Morning Chipsticks, TODers…Everyone!
Chipsticks, thanks for the memories from the 2012 election. It helped to validate the election in 2008…that it was not a fluke. It also helped to validate policies and laws put in place under this administration; that it WAS (and still IS) what the American people want and that the GOP/MSM does not dictate what we want.
The democratic wins on yesterday is helping to re-enforce that message and it is also reminding us of how important 2014 is. 2014 is a stepping stone to get to where we want and need to get to in 2016.
Hey, hey, hey hey…..Chris Christie’s FIRST casualty in NJ ? Yes. Eat that DC/NY Media 😆
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/report-runyan-won-t-seek-re-election-in-2014
Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ) will not seek re-election for a third term in 2014, according to the Burlington County Times.
The GOP congressman, a former a football player for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers, would like to spend more time with his family and see his son play football at University of Michigan, sources told the Burlington County Times.
Good morning, TOD!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BER!!!!!!
So where is our treat? Champagne all around?
Hope you’re feeling pretty proud on the “day after,” Alycee!
Happy Birthday, BER!
GM TOD….. Awesome trip down memory lane & action packed R&S, Chips! ………..off to campus now 😦
Does this mean VA will now have a Obamacare exchange and expansion of medicaid ?
The Pundits Are Wrong. The Virginia Election Was a Win for Obamacare.
By Alec MacGillis
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Last night, the prospects for Robin L. and the estimated 400,000 Virginians who would be eligible under a Medicaid expansion brightened considerably. The gubernatorial election was won by Terry McAuliffe, who made the Medicaid expansion such a central part of his campaign that for a time he was even threatening to shut down the state government unless legislators included it in their budget. The expansion, which is now being studied by an ad hoc state panel, still faces big hurdles – the General Assembly remains firmly in Republican control, and the Koch brothers are spending heavily to pressure those Republican state legislators who dare to support the expansion. Still, the odds of the expansion happening are infinitely greater with McAuliffe in the Governor’s Mansion than with the fiercely anti-Obamacare Ken Cuccinelli.
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I’m not sure when I last saw such a stark example of election spin and punditry floating away from the substantive reality of governing and its impact on actual people.
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http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115489/obamacare-won-virginia-because-mcauliffe-wants-expand-medicaid
Thanks lh. So the thugs could still block it? uugghh
It’s more possible today than it was 24 hours ago — one of the many reasons it was so important for Dems to win here!
Also, PJ, the Dems now control the VA Senate, so that’s an extra source of hope for VA.
Good morning all!
Japa, I’m in total agreement with the comment you made upthread. Democrats did good, but we have to keep pushing ahead.
My concern has been less about whether or not voters turn out as whether or not they’ll be able to vote when they do. I was happy to learn there are some organized efforts to help people acquire the necessary identification, but they can’t reach everyone.
I am asking each one of you to help just one person comply with the new laws so they’ll be able to vote. They are everywhere…your neighbors, co-workers, church members, friends and relatives.
To date, I’ve helped 77 people acquire identification. Sometimes all they need is encouragement or a ride to the DMV. Many just need to reregister so their identification and registration will match. Others may merely need the fee for an underlying document, while many just need help navigating the process.
If each person who can vote will help just one other person evade the onerous new barriers to the ballot box, it can make a huge difference.
I would like to know why Dems did not get behind Buono’s campaign. I know why the Whitehouse didn’t, but where were the rest of them? Any thoughts?
It’s a puzzle to me, Jackie. I never understood why fat ass was allowed to strut his stuff without so much as the simplest negative critique. With all the concerns about bullying, Dems should have been on him like white on rice every time he yelled at someone. They didn’t bother to expose the fact that Christie was once against banning assault weapons…nothing. I don’t get it. The Republicans have no problem labeling their traitorous members as RINOs. We seem to overlook the idea that in the Democratic Party, we have quite a few DINOs.
The dems in NJ made deals with Christie. On TV he touts it as bipartisanship, but in reality it’s what we give each other to stay in power. I am disgusted with many NJ dems in the power structure. Buono didn’t play the game and it hurt. That’s what brought Corzine down as well. There is a powerful dem boss in south Jersey who was promised to get Rutgers Camden for his healthcare empire in return for supporting Christie. This boss is best buddies with the senate leader. Christie did this with some north Jersey dems as well, especially the powerful Essex county executive. That is where Newark is which explains Booker cozying up to Christie as well. They are all in bed with each other and it is truly disgusting. I guess you could say Christie is a great politician for manipulating everyone to his will.
Sickening. And embarrassing.
Boy did I goof. Christie wanted to ban assault weapons.
He’s got issues.
Bloomberg shows just what a jerk he is.
He’s another media favorite; could never figure it out, especially after he imperiously sought a third term and complacent New Yorkers gave it to him.
But the fact that he has nothing but contempt for our President tells me all I need to know.
Don’t let the door hit ya on the backside, Bloomie.
Chips & TOD, thanks for the congrats upon my reelection! The Dem sweep victory in my Borough is bittersweet as our County and several “prime for the picking” municipalities remained solidly republican. Our council started the year with a 4-3 Dem minority; flipped to 4-3 Dem majority when one council person flipped from Repub to Dem; come Jan 6th, we’ll be a 6-1 DEM MAJORITY! Yeah, Morton!
The major disappointments:
1. Turnout county-wide (including my Borough, which had only 32.5%)
2. With, finally, a Dem majority registration, we FAILED to elect even one countywide Dem. This year the county Dems actually had a stellar slate of candidates for each office, yet, the county that elected PBO twice (w/larger margin in ’12 than ’08) failed to turnout and vote for their own locally. Even more disappointing, several unions supported the rethugs.
3. Aldan Borough. The Repub Tax Collector abruptly resigned last year after embezzling $1.3 million over several years; he was formally charged last month! Although the TC is and independent elected office, part of the blame lies with the Council for failing to conduct proper fiduciary oversight. Aldan Dems mounted an aggressive campaign with a diverse group of really viable candidates; yet Aldan voters rewarded the thieving, fiduciarily irresponsible Repubs with a clean sweep of all offices.
The STUPID burns!
—
Big pickup opportunity for D’s. Former Philidelphia Eagles OT, John Runyun, retiring.
With all precincts in AP has Herring, down 286 votes………. but
OK I’m late……..
If I clicked play on that, I would literally faint.
A lil mouse? /smh
The littler the more terrifying 😥
I’m with you on that, Chips.
Wow…..a King sitting in and on his Throne? Handsome Bo.
Bo has Got IT, Style. So distinguished. So polished.
Look at our Bo.
It sure is amazing to see my town of Coralville, IA in the headlines and getting attention from Joe Biden and the AFP group. That said, hubby and I are not happy with the election results. It’s the same old media spin – this time to make it look like it’s the Tea Party/Koch Bros. vs the Good Guys. Lots of us actually living here in the town don’t see it that way. In the past few years, the incumbents in our city of 19,000 have racked up $280 million in debt – they have built a town-owned hotel, retail store, brewery, etc. That’s $14,000 per person. Moody’s even downgraded our town’s bond-rating last year. We just wanted to vote out the good-old-boys network and vote in some fiscally responsible folks – both sides are all nice local people. I wish the Koch Brothers had not gotten involved – it has nothing to do with them. It’s disgusting to see this written up as it has been – because that’s not how it is here in Coralville. Back to lurking in Coralville and hoping things change with the new mayor. 😦
Thanks for the local perspective and insight, muscatinegal. I hope things get turned around in Coralville.
Jackie 4 Obama asked a good question, “ Why Dems did not get behind Buono’s campaign?” I think a golden opportunity was missed, Buono could have been the first female Democratic Governor of New Jersey. In everyone’s thirst and zeal to make sure that Hillary is the first female President, we should have had that same thirst and zeal to make Buono Governor. We can’t as a party pick and choose whom we support simply because that person isn’t high profile or sexy enough. By Dems sitting out the New Jersey Governor’s race we’ve in a way legitimized Christie as some sort of pragmatist that we can work with. Just ask minorities, teachers, the middle class and the poor how pragmatic Christie is.
I participated in a survey from OFA and I said pretty much what you said, “We can’t as a party pick and choose whom we support simply because that person isn’t high profile or sexy enough.”
Love how the pundit Alex Wagner is saying “forget pundits.” No problem, Alex.
Forget who Alex.
Why aren’t the media talking about all the people who will not be getting health insurance because of the Republican Governors? That is no big deal to them, they rather trash President Obama.
That looks like a man trying to talk to a pouting wife…and she’s saying…”I don’t want to hear it”. Poor Bloomberg!
Look at his body language; arms crossed, not looking at the mayor elect. What an awful piece of caca.
Sore LOSER……wow…..no wonder Bloomberg has been erratic for months now. NYC residents totally reject Bloomberg by picking a man 1001% the opposite of him. That gotta burn. By and in Height too.
A picture here is worth a Landslide Victory. Congrats de Blasio!
😆 😆 😆
I’m sure Bloomberg prefers they stay seated as deBlasio would practically dwarf him!
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/paul-blasts-msnbc-ap-if-i-were-their-journalism-teacher-in-college-i-would-fail-them
Poor misguided Rand Paul…..grasping at straws now 😉 ? Hmm?
“I’m being criticized for not having proper attribution, and yet they are able to write stuff that if I were their journalism teacher in college, I would fail them,” Paul said.
286 vote difference in VA AG race. Recount certain plus provisional votes. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2013/by_county/VA_Attorney_General_1105.html?SITE=PAEASELN&SECTION=POLITICS
http://news.yahoo.com/former-palestinian-leader-yasser-arafat-poisoned-death-radioactive-160806228.html
PARIS (Reuters) – Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was poisoned to death in 2004 with radioactive polonium, his widow Suha said on Wednesday after receiving the results of Swiss forensic tests on her husband’s corpse.
“We are revealing a real crime, a political assassination,” she told Reuters in Paris.
A team of experts, including from Lausanne University Hospital’s Institute of Radiation Physics, opened Arafat’s grave in the West Bank city of Ramallah last November, and took samples from his body to seek evidence of alleged poisoning.
“This has confirmed all our doubts,” said Suha Arafat, who met members of the Swiss forensic team in Geneva on Tuesday. “It is scientifically proved that he didn’t die a natural death and we have scientific proof that this man was killed.”
Snowdenwald’s and Assange’s BFF:
FLOTUS is simply the best.
Wow! This needs to go viral. Everybody please retweet.
That is good news. I believe things will continue to improve despite the sabotage from the media and Republicans.
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2013/11/06/chat-away-282/