Category: Elections

African National Congress Party Appears to Be Fracturing

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The splinter group is is calling itself the South African Democratic Congress, and the ANC has sued, claiming that the name is too confusing.

The fracturing of the ANC may be a very good thing. Parties are always opaque to outsiders, and having a meaningful multiparty system tends to bring openness.

I still wonder how much of this is about Jacob Zuma, and how much is an issue of class distinctions between the Oxbridge educated people who have traditionally held leadership roles, and their less cosmopolitan associates.

Going to Sleep Now

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Some updates on races of interest:

Franken-Coleman: Too close to call, but the exit polls show a slight lead for Franken.

Bachmann-Tinklenberg: It looks like the evil crazy lady will win…Damn.

The hate ammendment in California (Proposition 8) Leading, with 54%, but it’s early and SF and Santa Cruz county have not yet come in….It will be a nail biter.

Darcey Burner-Dave Richert: Looks, OK, she has a double digit lead, but only about 11% votes have been counted, and I do not know the geographic breakdown.

Ok, So I’m In Line to Vote, and Blogging From My Phone

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Because Maryland does not have early voting.

I wasn’t there when polls opened, because it’s my mom’s Yarzheit,* so I was at Shul to say Kaddish.†

In all liklihood, mom would have appreciated the voting more than the Kaddish.

I will vote straight Democrat, not crooked Republican, and I will vot yes on Question 1, allowing for early voting,‡ but no on Question 2, slot parlors.

I don’t think that it will raise much money, and that it is a give away to the race tracks.

Additionally, I think that it is very bad policy to rely too heavily on “sin taxes” and related revenues for too much of the budget. It makes people think that taxes are punishment, when they are dues to live in our society.

The line is pretty long, and someone said that when the polls opened, the line snaked through the parking lot.

In any case, thank God that this election will be over in a few hours.

*Anniversary of her death in the Jewish Lunar Calendar.
†A prayer said by mourners and people observing Yarzheit. Interestingly enough, it’s in the now almost dead language of Aramaic, as opposed to most of the prayer book, which is in Hebrew. The languages are very similar though, with most of the differences being in the pronunciation of vowels. You need to have at least 10 people praying together to say
‡So I won’t have to go through this crap to vote again.

NRCC Cutting off Money to NY House Races

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Not enough money, so want to direct it toward races that they have a chance of winning:

The decision to abandon much of the state came after internal party polls showed Republican candidates in at least three once-promising races falling behind their Democratic opponents, a party official briefed on the internal deliberations said.

As a result, Republican leaders are diverting money to candidates in other races in which party officials believe they have a greater chance of success, the official said.

The decision by national Republicans to focus on a smaller group of races underscores the degree to which the party is on the defensive not only in New York but also in New Jersey, Connecticut and many other states. The national party is short on cash and is being forced into the difficult position of deciding where to continue to fight — and where to effectively surrender — as the election enters the final days of campaigning.

I’d say it was a realization that they were throwing good money after bad, but all Republican money is bad money.

Happy dance!

Shorter Ted Stevens: I’m Insane or a Liar

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In the Senate debates in Alaska, Ted “Hulk Smash” Stevens let this whopper fly:

“I’m not going to step down. I have not been convicted. I have a case pending against me, and probably the worse case of prosecutorial … misconduct by the prosecutors that is known,” Stevens said.

Yes, you have been convicted.

You may expect a reversal on appeal, but you were convicted.

C=MI*

*Conservatism = Mental Illness

Why David Frum is Crapping his Pants

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So, David Frum just wrote an article in the Washington Post throwing John McCain’s presidential bid overboard, suggesting that all Republican Party efforts should be directed towards the Congress, particularly the Senate, so as to prevent a filibuster proof majority.

He notes, correctly, that the RNC is the only place where the ‘Phants are raising good money, and that they are wasting it on his doomed campaign.

He’s concerned about how a “conservative free” management of the financial meltdown will be handled, and he wrings his hands over the, “fierce new anger among many liberal Democrats,” by which he means that their refrain is, “Thank you sir, can I have another.”

But then, he gets to the bit where he actually really gives a damn:

Unchecked, this angry new wing of the Democratic Party will seek to stifle opposition by changing the rules of the political game. Some will want to silence conservative talk radio by tightening regulation of the airwaves via the misleadingly named “fairness doctrine”; others may seek to police the activities of right-leaning think tanks by a stricter interpretation of what is tax-deductible and what is not.

(emphasis mine)

Between punditry on fox, and his think-tank gigs, he is afraid that he will actually have to work for a living.

I guess that trumps ideology for him.

I incorporated a 501(c)3 tax exempt org, it was, and is, a completely bogus registration, though it is technically legal and in accordance with all laws and regulations. (no names here, I don’t want do give them grief*) It puts on SF conventions, and running a SF convention should not get tax exempt status, with deductible contributions (In truth, it went 501(c)3 for the cheap mailing rates anyway).

Neither should the right wing pundit full employment welfare programs, like the AEI, where David Frum works. They are playthings of rich people who never had to work for their money, and want to manipulate public policy for their benefit.

They are not charities, they are lobbying organizations.

*And I don’t want to give them anything else. Any contact between me and this organization is very bad for me, which I suppose is more of a reflection on me than it is on them.