Midterm elections

[InquisitiveOne]

<p>

Dems kept the Senate! The House races were an absolute slaughter, though. Does anyone know what happened to North Dakota? It reversed from like, 68 percent Democrat to 76 percent Republican from 2004 to 2010. That’s a HUGE change. Did something dramatic happen there, or are there just a lot of independent voters?

</p>

<p>Nah, Dorgan was the incumbent in 2004, and he was a very popular two-term senator that cycle (probably facing a relative unknown). He just chose not to seek re-election this cycle (because he had to fight against a very popular governor this cycle)</p>

<h1>=====</h1>

<p>meh, <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/opinion/03bayh.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/opinion/03bayh.html&lt;/a&gt; sums up the situation quite well.</p>

[aspire2011]

<p>Pennsylvania is represented by all red now =(</p>

[CelaPlusAimaple]

<p>Oh noes, our new governor is a Republican :/</p>

[daretorun]

<p>Oh God, Pennsylvania.</p>

<p>Oh why, oh why. Dan Onorato was amazing, met budget six times in a row. Corbett’s just…</p>

[InquisitiveOne]

<p>

Oh noes, our new governor is a Republican :

</p>

<p>Are Maine republicans really that bad? meh, i sort of like snowe/collins. but probably not republicans outside of the NE.</p>

[CelaPlusAimaple]

<p>Most Republicans here are not like Snowe or Collins. Our senators are routinely elected despite being moderate because A) They have a great deal of liberal support and B) It’s better than having democratic senators. A lot of Republicans here have much in common with those in other rural states like Idaho and Montana - the election of LePage is an example of this, as is the repeal of the Gay Marriage Bill that occurred last year.</p>

<p>In general, the rural areas near where I live have a lot of extremely Conservative people, while those in more urban areas near Portland and L-A tend to be liberal.</p>

[InquisitiveOne]

<p>Oh interesting. Are they similar to New Hampshire republicans? Lots of them tend to be libertarian rather than socially conservative (but the NH senate election seems to say something different).</p>

[ilovefgump]

<p>No blacks in the Senate?</p>

<p>REALLY?</p>

[CelaPlusAimaple]

<p>^^ I’d say they are both libertarian and socially conservative. They tend to pretty much support views to the former on taxes and the 2nd Amendment, but tend toward the latter on morals and religious subjects.</p>

[InquisitiveOne]

<p>lol, pretty much every social conservative republican seems to have libertarian views on taxes and 2nd amendment</p>

[BigKev]

<p>It’s about time that the GOP retook it’s rightful spot at the top :)</p>

<p>I’m extremely proud of my state (Wisconsin) for electing red across the board.</p>

<p>See ya Obamacare, its about damn time.</p>

[InquisitiveOne]

<p>

I’m extremely proud of my state (Wisconsin) for electing red across the board.

</p>

<p>lol Wisconsin</p>

<p>[It’s</a> official, Russ Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act, just got beaten by a high school drop out who spent 8.2 million of his wife’s money to get elected. The idiocracy dawns. : politics](<a href=“http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/e0e7n/its_official_russ_feingold_the_only_senator_to/]It’s”>Reddit - Dive into anything)</p>

<p>[■■■■</a> YOU WISCONSIN! Progressive hero Russ Feingold loses Senate re-election bid to climate change-denying Tea Party millionaire : politics](<a href=“http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/e0eit/****_you_wisconsin_progressive_hero_russ_feingold/]■■■■”>Reddit - Dive into anything)</p>

<p>[Dearest</a> Americans: Are you ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■? : politics](<a href=“http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/e0djl/dearest_americans_are_you_****ing_■■■■■■■■/]Dearest”>Reddit - Dive into anything)</p>

[MosbyMarion]

<p>^ He was the only no vote on Patriot? Why didn’t he like it?</p>

<p>

See ya Obamacare, its about damn time.

</p>

<p>We aren’t that lucky, Obama still has the veto until 2012. Meanwhile get ready for some long, hard, nothing.</p>

<p>Personally I’ll be happy if they get the budget remotely within sustainable.</p>

[CelaPlusAimaple]

<p>

^ He was the only no vote on Patriot? Why didn’t he like it?

</p>

<p>Better question: Why did everyone else think it was a good idea?</p>

[MosbyMarion]

<p>^ Two of our most iconic buildings reduced to rubble? And a loss over the last century of American live-free-or-die spirit?</p>

[CelaPlusAimaple]

<p>You don’t take away people’s rights because of any catastrophe; that’s just using a bad thing as an excuse to take control, a la Depression -> Hitler.</p>

<p>Legalized as part of the PATRIOT Act:

@Wikipedia

A sneak and peek search warrant (also called a covert entry search warrant or a surreptitious entry search warrant) is a search warrant authorizing the law enforcement officers executing it to effect physical entry into private premises without the owner’s or the occupant’s permission or knowledge and to clandestinely search the premises; usually, such entry requires a stealthy breaking and entering.

</p>

<p>

A roving wiretap is a wiretap specific to the United States that follows the surveillance target… a roving wiretap can be done under a court order that does not name a specific telephone line or e-mail account but allows the government to tap any phone line, cell phone, or Internet account that a suspect uses. This is problematic because it conflicts with the particularity requirement of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Innocent civilians may also be inadvertent targets of surveillance

and

the ability of the FBI to gain access to documents that reveal the patterns of U.S. citizens.

</p>

<p>It permitted things like [this[/url</a>]
and
[url=<a href=“http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/03/nsa-eavesdropping-and-fourth-amendment.php]JURIST”>http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/03/nsa-eavesdropping-and-fourth-amendment.php]JURIST</a> - Forum: NSA Eavesdropping and the Fourth Amendment](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSA_warrantless_surveillance_controversy]this[/url”>NSA warrantless surveillance (2001–2007) - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>It may seem innocent enough - none of us are going to commit acts of terrorism in all probability - but years down the line, this could open the door for who knows what. The FBI and CIA are already basically independent of the president, and have been known to break all sorts of laws for various reasons. Years from now, expression of radical political thought could be grounds for arrest under this system.</p>

<p>oh, btw

^ Two of our most iconic buildings reduced to rubble?

[Reichstag</a> fire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_the_Reichstag]Reichstag”>Reichstag fire - Wikipedia)</p>

[MIThopeful16]

<p>Honestly… I haven’t heard a good argument against Obamacare yet. The conservatives and republicans at my school suck.</p>

[emorylegacy]

<p>Very few high schoolers are informed at all about the Healthcare reform. (Myself included…)</p>

<p>Curse thy wretched GOP <em>shakes fists</em></p>

[MIThopeful16]

<p>lol, I’ve been fed government and politics from childhood.</p>

<p>It’s in my blood.</p>

[ThisCouldBeHeavn]

<p>

Why did everyone else think it was a good idea?

</p>

<p>Because it had the word PATRIOT in it.</p>

<p>duh</p>