All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Tami]

Pray for NJ.

[Tendrin]

Nope. The infrastructure bill had the votes. It could've passed as a standalone bill.

Literally the only reason that is held up is because the agreement that got it passed in the first place required reconciliation and then Manchin and Sinema tried to welch on it.\

I doubt it would have made a material difference, however. The election in Virginia is just another suburban white guy driven whitelash over critical race theory boogeymans.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I doubt it would have made a material difference, however. The election in Virginia is just another suburban white guy driven whitelash over critical race theory boogeymans.

Having a big shiny thing to tout on the campaign trail would have put wind in people's sails. It would also have kept the election focused on the economy rather than this crackpot snake oil thing about education whipped up in the last few months that somehow became the main thing discussed.

In either case, a regional election with anti-incumbency (the Dems have been in State government for a while) isn't a reliable barometer, and to be fair that's true of all elections but that's not going to stop people from throwing their favored bad takes or make this the fault of someone or somebody.

For one thing turnout in this election is very high so it's not like voters were turned away by Congressional bickering either way.

[Tendrin]

Having a big shiny thing to tout on the campaign trail would have put wind in people's sails. It would also have kept the election focused on the economy rather than this crackpot snake oil thing about education whipped up in the last few months that somehow became the main thing discussed.

In either case, a regional election with anti-incumbency (the Dems have been in State government for a while) isn't a reliable barometer, and to be fair that's true of all elections but that's not going to stop people from throwing their favored bad takes or make this the fault of someone or somebody.

For one thing turnout in this election is very high so it's not like voters were turned away by Congressional bickering either way.

I don't think it would have made a difference, to be honest. As a wise person said: "People have benefitted from competent democratic governance in Virginia and now they are comfortable for a return to grievance."\

Didn't help that the media painted Youngkin as a cheeky suburban dad and affable nice guy. He's just an affable guy who wants to ban books, that's all. <3

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I don't think it would have made a difference, to be honest. As a wise person said: "People have benefitted from competent democratic governance in Virginia and now they are comfortable for a return to grievance."\

Didn't help that the media painted Youngkin as a cheeky suburban dad and affable nice guy. He's just an affable guy who wants to ban books, that's all. <3

McAuliffe wasn't a great candidate either to be honest. He got complacent and yielded momentum.

[Tendrin]

McAuliffe wasn't a great candidate either to be honest. He got complacent and yielded momentum.

Sure. 'Don't Texas My Virginia' was a god-awful slogan. Plenty can be placed on McAuliffe for not running a great campaign. He still lost to a guy who wants to ban books, abortion and transgender people and the media let him get away with

[Kid Devil]

I thought Terry Mcauliffe was doing well but the public school story got out about the transgender student who raped a girl in the bathroom and the school tried to silence the parents. Younken's team got to work making adds about it.
mcauliffe-ad_840x480-1.jpg

[Tami]

Pray for NJ.

It's less than a percentage point with 80% counted. There is still a chance that Murphy might pull ahead, but it will still be close.

it's not looking good, but it is still close. I can't believe that an idiot like Jack got more votes that Phil Murphy. To pull out a win, Murphy would have to get every last remaining vote.

That's long odds.

[Tendrin]

It's less than a percentage point with 80% counted. There is still a chance that Murphy might pull ahead, but it will still be close.

it's not looking good, but it is still close. I can't believe that an idiot like Jack got more votes that Phil Murphy. To pull out a win, Murphy would have to get every last remaining vote.

That's long odds.

It looks like murphy is gonna take it. Latest count with 87% in has Murphy and Ciattarelli seperated by less than 2k.

49.7%
1,167,867
Philip Murphy (Dem) ●
49.6%
1,166,170

I'd WAY rather be Murphy in this situation, but it's still possible for Ciattarelli to win.

[Tami]

It looks like murphy is gonna take it. Latest count with 87% in has Murphy and Ciattarelli seperated by less than 2k.



I'd WAY rather be Murphy in this situation, but it's still possible for Ciattarelli to win.

Yeah, is about 50-50 right now, but most of the outstanding votes are from traditionally Democratic counties.

Of course, even if Murphy wins (and I hope he does) Jack C might call for a recount or something worse.

If Murphy does win, I'm sending him a box of chocolates.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Yeah, is about 50-50 right now, but most of the outstanding votes are from traditionally Democratic counties.

Of course, even if Murphy wins (and I hope he does) Jack C might call for a recount or something worse.

If Murphy does win, I'm sending him a box of chocolates.

Haven't heard anything new, but yeah, I'm sending prayers your way, Tami. With Virginia having been lost to one Trumper, we don't need New Jersey to fall to another.

[Mister Mets]

I thought Terry Mcauliffe was doing well but the public school story got out about the transgender student who raped a girl in the bathroom and the school tried to silence the parents. Younken's team got to work making adds about it.
mcauliffe-ad_840x480-1.jpg

There are some caveats to that story.

The rapist wasn't in the bathroom because he identified as a girl (he worse a skirt, but does identify as male.) He was there because he had hooked up with the victim previously. (Note- the link is to a New York Times story.)

We do still have a story of a school district covering up a rape, and maligning the parents of the victim who were seen as example of the angry parents that required a new policy of intervention from the justice department.

https://loudounnow.com/2021/08/17/sm...board-scuffle/

Literally the only reason that is held up is because the agreement that got it passed in the first place required reconciliation and then Manchin and Sinema tried to welch on it.\

I doubt it would have made a material difference, however. The election in Virginia is just another suburban white guy driven whitelash over critical race theory boogeymans.

The infrastructure bill does not require reconciliation.

They don't want to use reconciliation for the passage because there are limits on how many bills can pass with reconciliation each year.

If it had passed, and Democrats were currently talking about how to pass another consequential bill, it would help the party's national reputation.

If McAuliffe won the message would be twisted as another cudgel on the progressives some other way i.e. voters don't care enough about infrastructure to punish elected officials so they can pass a small bill and not drag things on and so forth.

If McAuliffe and the other candidates for statewide office had won by two points, and Murphy had won reelection by three, it would still be bad for Democrats as an indication of a swing against the party that would be bad if replicated in the 2022 midterms to say nothing of the 2024 presidential election.

If New Jersey is a narrow tie, the rust belt is lost.

We would still have top-tier Republican candidates deciding that the 2022 midterms are a good opportunity to run.

[Tendrin]

There are some caveats to that story.

The rapist wasn't in the bathroom because he identified as a girl (he worse a skirt, but does identify as male.) He was there because he had hooked up with the victim previously.

We do still have a story of a school district covering up a rape, and maligning the parents of the victim who were seen as example of the terroristic threats against school board members that required a new policy of intervention from the justice department.

The infrastructure bill does not require reconciliation.

They don't want to use reconciliation for the passage because there are limits on how many bills can pass with reconciliation each year.

If it had passed, and Democrats were currently talking about how to pass another consequential bill, it would help the party's national reputation.

If McAuliffe and the other candidates for statewide office had won by two points, and Murphy had won reelection by three, it would still be bad for Democrats as an indication of a swing against the party that would be bad if replicated in the 2022 midterms to say nothing of the 2024 presidential election.

If New Jersey is a narrow tie, the rust belt is lost.

We would still have top-tier Republican candidates deciding that the 2022 midterms are a good opportunity to run.

Politely, Mets, the bill required reconciliation because that was the intra-democratic party agreement on the party's priorities. The only reason nothing has happened is because of Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema, both of whom have removed nearly every popular policy from the BBB reconciliation bill and continue to blast their own party on the regular and which the media continually reports on what's been 'cut' from the bill. The drip-drip-drip nature of the cuts and the death of popular policies have a lot to do what happened, and there are exactly two democrats to blame for that. Passing the infrastructure bill *might* have helped, but I don't think it would have been transformative on an election that was run on bias against transgender people, book bannings, and 'critical white people don't wanna learn their history' theory.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

So any bets on how long before Youngkin comically does what a lot of Republicans do as they proclaim themselves as saviors and commit some stupid fraud ? I mean anyone got an over/under bet how long ? lol

[Tendrin]

Anyway, non-college white women being scared by transes and the critical race theory garbage is what drove this election, alongside white men of course.