Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:05 am**

El Guapo wrote:Rick Scott is planning to pack the Florida SCOTUS on his way out the door.

As a fun twist, it could easily lead to a constitutional crisis, with two people claiming to be governor (at least for half a day) and dueling Supreme Court appointments.

A couple of things that I don’t think that article mentioned. First, this plan was announced in 2016, when it seemed all but certain that Republican (and Scott crony) Adam Putnam would be the next governor. Second, Scott has said that they are willing to work with the incoming governor to reach an agreement on who to nominate. That’s actually been done in the past. Outgoing Democrat Lawton Chiles and incoming Republican Jeb (please clap) Bush back in 1998.

Edit: So putting pressure on Scott is important. It could force him to do the right thing here. And it could hurt him with independents and make Democrats more fired up to vote against him.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:29 am**

msteelers wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:05 am
El Guapo wrote:Rick Scott is planning to pack the Florida SCOTUS on his way out the door.

As a fun twist, it could easily lead to a constitutional crisis, with two people claiming to be governor (at least for half a day) and dueling Supreme Court appointments.
A couple of things that I don’t think that article mentioned. First, this plan was announced in 2016, when it seemed all but certain that Republican (and Scott crony) Adam Putnam would be the next governor. Second, Scott has said that they are willing to work with the incoming governor to reach an agreement on who to nominate. That’s actually been done in the past. Outgoing Democrat Lawton Chiles and incoming Republican Jeb (please clap) Bush back in 1998.

Edit: So putting pressure on Scott is important. It could force him to do the right thing here. And it could hurt him with independents and make Democrats more fired up to vote against him.

The article mentions that Scott's plan is a few years old. But the other issue is that the nominating committee is (as I understand it) dominated by Scott appointees, and Scott's a ruthless toolbag. So it seems reasonably likely that the nominating committee puts forth largely super conservative candidates, and/or that Scott basically draws a hardline on who he is willing to suggest in nomination. At the very least it seems super unlikely that Scott and McGillum would agree on nominees.

Of course the whole thing is ultimately moot if DeSantis wins the governor's race.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:59 am**

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:37 am
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:17 am
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:53 am Im voting and Im voting straight Democrat...no exceptions. The Dem could eat babies and have sex with a skull and Id vote for them.
That is a remarkably specific necrophilia fetish you've got there. Plus I think it really neglects the female Democrat demographic.
Could you recognize his freydom to vote the way he chooses?!

I was just ribbing him....

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:23 pm**

Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:59 am
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:37 am
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:17 am
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:53 am Im voting and Im voting straight Democrat...no exceptions. The Dem could eat babies and have sex with a skull and Id vote for them.
That is a remarkably specific necrophilia fetish you've got there. Plus I think it really neglects the female Democrat demographic.
Could you recognize his freydom to vote the way he chooses?!
I was just ribbing him....

Why slather my funny bones in BBQ sauce.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:37 pm**

Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:23 pm
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:59 am
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:37 am
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:17 am
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:53 am Im voting and Im voting straight Democrat...no exceptions. The Dem could eat babies and have sex with a skull and Id vote for them.
That is a remarkably specific necrophilia fetish you've got there. Plus I think it really neglects the female Democrat demographic.
Could you recognize his freydom to vote the way he chooses?!
I was just ribbing him....
Why slather my funny bones in BBQ sauce.

Because I thought it was humerus, of course.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 1:06 pm**

I just wanted to use "freydom" again.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:09 pm**

Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:37 pm
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:23 pm
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:59 am
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:37 am
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:17 am
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:53 am Im voting and Im voting straight Democrat...no exceptions. The Dem could eat babies and have sex with a skull and Id vote for them.
That is a remarkably specific necrophilia fetish you've got there. Plus I think it really neglects the female Democrat demographic.
Could you recognize his freydom to vote the way he chooses?!
I was just ribbing him....
Why slather my funny bones in BBQ sauce.
Because I thought it was humerus, of course.

Does there always have tibia a pun involved when we inevitably go down these rabbit holes?! Sheesh.

Posted: **Fri Sep 14, 2018 6:28 pm**

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 3:09 pm
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:37 pm
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:23 pm
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:59 am
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:37 am
Freyland wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:17 am
Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:53 am Im voting and Im voting straight Democrat...no exceptions. The Dem could eat babies and have sex with a skull and Id vote for them.
That is a remarkably specific necrophilia fetish you've got there. Plus I think it really neglects the female Democrat demographic.
Could you recognize his freydom to vote the way he chooses?!
I was just ribbing him....
Why slather my funny bones in BBQ sauce.
Because I thought it was humerus, of course.
Does there always have tibia a pun involved when we inevitably go down these rabbit holes?! Sheesh.

It's the hip thing to do.

(the tibia one was really good)

Posted: **Sun Sep 16, 2018 10:00 am**

Court Rejects Johnson-Blocking Straight-Ticket Ballot Change in New Mexico

In a 5-0 decision that removes a late-breaking obstacle from Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson's insurgent Senate bid, the New Mexico Supreme Court today struck down a unilateral move two weeks ago by Democratic Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver to reinstate the Land of Enchantment's "straight ticket" ballot option, whereby voters can select a political party's entire slate of candidates by filling out just one oval.

The New Mexico state legislature—with the signature of then-Gov. Gary Johnson—had in the process of changing voting mechanisms in 2001 repealed the part of the election code specifying that ballots had to "permit each voter…to vote a straight party ticket in one operation." It took the 2010 election of a Republican Secretary of State, Dianna Duran, to finally remove the one-punch option from the state's ballots, after which Democratic lawmakers have periodically tried and failed to legislate the option back.

Toulouse Oliver, who had been talking up the virtues of straight-ticket balloting on grounds of making voting easier months before Johnson suddenly entered what had previously been a sleepy Senate re-election coronation for incumbent Democrat Martin Heinrich, nevertheless provoked widespread claims of partisan skullduggery with her Aug. 29 decision, which came without so much as a single public hearing.

"Until the legislature makes a decision one way or the other, the Secretary of State cannot," Chief Justice Judith Nakamura said when handing down the decision. "This power is theirs alone, and the Legislature has indicated its intent to thoroughly regulate how ballots appear."

Posted: **Sun Sep 16, 2018 11:28 pm**

Ted Cruz Sending Donation Mail Disguised as Summonses

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:21 am**

Latest Rasmussen polls have Gillum leading DeSantis for Florida's governor race, 48-42 percent among likely voters. That's outside the polls margin of error. The same poll found the Senate race too close to call. Nelson leads Scott 45-44, but with a margin of error of 3.5%.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:26 pm**

Looks like Drumpf's big talk of a "red wave" isn't having the desired effect:
https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/ ... this-year/

An internal GOP poll shows that Republican voters are feeling pretty confident
A private survey conducted for the Republican National Committee and obtained by Bloomberg Businessweek contains alarming news for Republicans hoping to hold on to control of Congress in November: Most Trump supporters don’t believe there’s a threat that Democrats will win back the House. President Trump’s boasts that a “red wave” could increase Republican majorities appear to have lulled GOP voters into complacency, raising the question of whether they’ll turn up at the polls.
...
Long story short: Trump’s core constituency loves him, but can’t conceive that he could possibly lose. So why bother voting? Conversely, his more moderate supporters totally believe he could lose, but increasingly think that’s just fine. They like the Democratic platform better anyway.

The obvious downside to that is I'm not sure I like the idea of all the low information Drumpf supporters being primed to question the legitimacy of Democrats taking the House.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:47 pm**

msteelers wrote: ↑Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:21 am Latest Rasmussen polls have Gillum leading DeSantis for Florida's governor race, 48-42 percent among likely voters. That's outside the polls margin of error. The same poll found the Senate race too close to call. Nelson leads Scott 45-44, but with a margin of error of 3.5%.

It's worth noting that this is poll came from Rasmussen. The most blatantly pro-conservative polling group out there, by a wide margin.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:50 pm**

HRC needs to keep herself off the air and not in the news. I don't think she will do any blue wave any favor by coming out and doing interviews right now.

Posted: **Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:44 pm**

New Reuters-IPSOS poll for the big Florida races. Their likely voters poll is +6 for Gillum, 50-44 over DeSantis. The US Senate race is a statistical tie, with Rick Scott holding a super narrow 46-45 lead over Bill Nelson.

I have a feeling that a lot of the undecideds at this point will break towards DeSantis, so seeing Gillum at 50 percent is big. I do not understand what it is people see in Rick Scott. He looks like a slimy politician, and he made a fortune from ripping off the government through medicare. He's also been a complete disaster for the ecosystem here. And yet, he's super popular amongst conservatives and even some independents. Probably the only thing keeping him from crushing Nelson are all of the algae blooms across the state. You've got red tide killing thousands of marine life out in the Gulf, Lake Okeechobee covered in toxic blue-green algae, and that algae bloom has spread east and west through the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. It's bad enough that dogs around here are dying after coming into contact with the water. And there's been some findings that show that traces of the blue-green algae have been found in people's noses who live and work near the water, although that research hasn't been confirmed yet.

So he oversaw one of the biggest Medicare frauds in our nation's history, is deeply tied to an unpopular president, and his policies have led to people's dogs dying, and he's STILL FRICKIN TIED WITH BILL NELSON?

Posted: **Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:57 am**

msteelers wrote: ↑Wed Sep 19, 2018 10:44 pm New Reuters-IPSOS poll for the big Florida races. Their likely voters poll is +6 for Gillum, 50-44 over DeSantis. The US Senate race is a statistical tie, with Rick Scott holding a super narrow 46-45 lead over Bill Nelson.

I have a feeling that a lot of the undecideds at this point will break towards DeSantis, so seeing Gillum at 50 percent is big. I do not understand what it is people see in Rick Scott. He looks like a slimy politician, and he made a fortune from ripping off the government through medicare. He's also been a complete disaster for the ecosystem here. And yet, he's super popular amongst conservatives and even some independents. Probably the only thing keeping him from crushing Nelson are all of the algae blooms across the state. You've got red tide killing thousands of marine life out in the Gulf, Lake Okeechobee covered in toxic blue-green algae, and that algae bloom has spread east and west through the St Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. It's bad enough that dogs around here are dying after coming into contact with the water. And there's been some findings that show that traces of the blue-green algae have been found in people's noses who live and work near the water, although that research hasn't been confirmed yet.

So he oversaw one of the biggest Medicare frauds in our nation's history, is deeply tied to an unpopular president, and his policies have led to people's dogs dying, and he's STILL FRICKIN TIED WITH BILL NELSON?

Part of the broader question of what the hell is wrong with Florida.

That said, I think there's more reason to think that undecideds will break towards Nelson and Gillum, given the overall political environment (pro-democratic national mood + usual midterm effect in favor of the opposition party to the sitting president). But who knows with Florida's general insanity.

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:17 am**

How does Ted Cruz think this hurts O'Rourke and helps Ted Cruz??

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:19 am**

Even I didn't vote for Rick Scott.

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2018 10:27 am**

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:17 am

How does Ted Cruz think this hurts O'Rourke and helps Ted Cruz??

Black people like Cruz. That’s all he’s trying to highlight here. As Bannon has argued, any time race is made salient the GOP thinks it gives them the advantage. Maybe they’re right, but there’s no interpretation other than racism for why Cruz thinks this helps him.

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2018 10:32 am**

Meanwhile, after the debate Beto plays air drums to the Who while in the Whataburger drive-thru with his family.

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:02 pm**

I would love to see that guy unseat Cruz. Failing that, I hope he has a future elsewhere on the national stage. But especially the Cruz thing.

Posted: **Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:17 pm**

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:17 am

How does Ted Cruz think this hurts O'Rourke and helps Ted Cruz??

Seen elsewhere: "I look forward to Ted Cruz's next attack ad, which will feature his opponent holding a door open for person with a baby carriage, helping an elderly person cross the street, taking a picture for a family of tourists, and petting a golden retriever puppy."

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:44 pm**

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:07 pm**

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Sat Sep 22, 2018 3:17 pm Seen elsewhere: "I look forward to Ted Cruz's next attack ad, which will feature his opponent holding a door open for person with a baby carriage, helping an elderly person cross the street, taking a picture for a family of tourists, and petting a golden retriever puppy."

Elsewhere left out "...all of whom will be black."

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:39 pm**

I would kill to see Cruz crying on national tv after losing to Beto.

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:42 pm**

It's hard to believe that Cruz is still only at the end of his first term. Talk about outsized freshman ego.

Geez, and he's only 47. Why does he look so much like 65-with-hair-dye?

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:31 pm**

The dark side of the force will do that to you.

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:30 am**

A poll from the University of North Florida yesterday gave Gillum a 4 point lead over DeSantis. Bill Nelson and Rick Scott were tied at 45-percent, but Nelson and Gillum were both dominating the independents in the vote.

Which makes me wonder, how in the world can Nelson have a huge lead in the Independents but still be tied with Scott? Democrats outnumber Republicans in this state, so you would think with a motivated Democratic base plus Independents Nelson (and any Democrat) should win easily.

Is it a likely voter model that leans heavily Republican? Is Nelson just so unappealing that he can't get Democrats out to vote for him?

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:27 am**

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:42 pm It's hard to believe that Cruz is still only at the end of his first term. Talk about outsized freshman ego.

Geez, and he's only 47. Why does he look so much like 65-with-hair-dye?

Bret Stephens on why he hates Ted Cruz:

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:28 am**

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:52 pm**

msteelers wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:30 amWhich makes me wonder, how in the world can Nelson have a huge lead in the Independents but still be tied with Scott? Democrats outnumber Republicans in this state, so you would think with a motivated Democratic base plus Independents Nelson (and any Democrat) should win easily.

A new Quinnipiac poll makes a little bit more sense. They give Nelson a 7-point lead over Scott. Their last poll that came out a few weeks ago was tied.

I just don't see how Nelson could have a big advantage with independents and be tied or losing to Scott. I think that's all but impossible.

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:29 pm**

It's kind of amazing how no one likes Ted Cruz. I mean, almost literally no one - not even people who agree with his politics.

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:32 pm**

For someone that everyone hates, he sure does have a lot of supporters when it comes to Election Day. I can’t figure that part out.

Posted: **Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:08 pm**

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:32 pm For someone that everyone hates, he sure does have a lot of supporters when it comes to Election Day. I can’t figure that part out.

His supporters (the masses) don't interact with him personally, by and large. Politically he's not much more noxious than most Republicans. It's at a personal level that his obnoxiousness really shines.

Plus, you know, those damn libruls and such.

Posted: **Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:49 am**

In addition to DeSantis's racism, it looks like DeSantis runs a terrible campaign and is just phoning it in:

So it shouldn't be too big a surprise that Gillum has been leading in all every poll of the FL governor's race for the last couple of months.

Posted: **Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:54 am**

Defiant wrote: ↑Wed Sep 26, 2018 10:49 am So it shouldn't be too big a surprise that Gillum has been leading in all every poll of the NJ governor's race for the last couple of months.

Has he? Really?

Posted: **Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:00 am**

Whoops, corrected.

Posted: **Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:59 am**

Defiant wrote:In addition to DeSantis's racism, it looks like DeSantis runs a terrible campaign and is just phoning it in:

So it shouldn't be too big a surprise that Gillum has been leading in all every poll of the FL governor's race for the last couple of months.

Just heard DeSantis on a national radio spot. He spent the entire 10 minutes attacking Gillum. Nothing even all that specific. Just that Gillum’s plans will force a huge increase in taxes. Not once did I hear him say “this is my plan and this is what I believe is right for Florida”.

He also spoke a lot about the FBI investigation surrounding Gillum. Now, either a lot has changed surrounding that investigation in the past few weeks, or he was lying about it. I wish I could default to believing an elected official about something as serious as that, but it’s impossible to take these scum buckets at their word.

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:20 pm**

https://www.cardsagainsthumanityhackstheelection.com/

Posted: **Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:27 pm**

El Guapo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:08 pmHis supporters (the masses) don't interact with him personally, by and large.

"Cruz?" they mutter to themselves, "That's a kind of missile, ain't it? I like missiles." ... and so they vote for him.

Octopus Overlords

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