About Us
Mission Statement
Rules of Conduct
 
Name:
Pswd:
Remember Me
Register
 

Looking Back, Moving Forward
Author: BobR    Date: 11/23/2012 14:14:18

With the presidential election 17 days behind us, there is still a lot of analysis about "what happened" and why. Some moderate Republicans are beginning to understand that the crazies and extremists and idiots in their party that get all the media attention are hurting them. The prognosticators are also doing a bit of their own naval gazing. And now that much of America has heaved a huge sigh of relief, we all wonder: what now?

One of the most talked about areas of the race prior to the election was the polls. Some showed Obama up; some showed Romney up... who to trust? Were some biased?

As all of the exact vote totals get tallied and crunched and massaged in various number-crunching formulae, the simple bottom line is: they didn't get it right. It seems that most polls skewed in favor of Romney:
It’s fairly clear that no matter what method is utilized, the national polls were too favorable towards Romney. Only eight out of 113 polls (or 7.1%) during the final month had Obama’s lead at above 3pt. Three of the eight were from the Rand Corporation, two were from Google, and the rest were scattered between Democracy Corps, IBD/TIPP, and the United Technologies/National Journal survey.

During the final week, only three out of 30 polls (or 10%) conducted had Obama’s lead above 3pt. They belonged to Democracy Corps, Google, and Rand. If Obama’s lead climbs to 3.5pt, then, even with rounding, the vast majority of national polls were off in the final week. (Note: usually one would consider a poll giving Obama’s victory margin as 3pt to be right if the final result were between 2.50 and 3.49pt.)

Only two pollsters with at least two surveys post-first debate out of about 30 (less than 10%) had Obama’s average lead at 3.5pt or above. Again, it was Democracy Corps (Obama +3.5) and Rand (Obama +4.0).

It also seems apparent that God Himself lied to numerous people (we've already pointed out Bachmann, et al) about who He wanted to be president. It's rare that people get called on that, but Pat Robertson did:
Today, responding to a question from a viewer who wondered why her business is struggling since she thought God told her it would be successful, Robertson admitted that he sometimes misses God’s message. “So many of us miss God, I won’t get into great detail about elections but I sure did miss it, I thought I heard from God, I thought I had heard clearly from God, what happened?” Robertson replied, “You ask God, how did I miss it? Well, we all do and I have a lot of practice.”

To quote Rick Perry: "Oops."

So now that it seems God has decided President Obama needed to be reelected, what now? As Americans, it is our duty to pressure him to do the right thing, and thank (and support) him when he does. Film maker Michael Moore has a list of things he'd like to see done. While I agree with most of them (excepting the Bradley Manning pardon suggestion), a lot of the bigger items require "an act of Congress". That requires putting pressure on lawmakers as well.

Back in 2007-2008 when he was Senator Obama running for president the first time, my biggest concern with him was that he was a bit too moderate, and not strong on the environment. He has a mixed record on environmental issues, and talks a good game about getting off "old energy technologies" (i.e.: coal and petrol), but talking and doing are two different things. Michael Moore didn't include anything about the environment in his letter, but for me and many others, it is of vital importance. That's why I will be anxious to see what comes of an upcoming global summit. This is one where I plan on sending him an email asking him to do the right thing.

Despite what the polls said, or what God supposedly said, or what anyone's concerns were (including my own back in 2008), he is our president for the next 4 years and needs to hear from us. Democracy only works when people get involved, and that doesn't stop at the counting of the ballots.
 

27 comments (Latest Comment: 11/24/2012 03:12:37 by livingonli)
   Perma Link

Share This!

Furl it!
Spurl
NewsVine
Reddit
Technorati

Add a Comment

Please login to add a comment...


Comments:

Order comments Newest to Oldest  Refresh Comments

Comment by Raine on 11/23/2012 14:19:12
Good Morning!

I think everyone here (in light of the blog) will like the title of this piece from the National Memo:


Obama’s Second Term Could Mark the Return Of The Four Freedoms

Comment by TriSec on 11/23/2012 14:45:00
Morning, comrades!

This is the first Friday After Thanksgiving that I've had off with pay since I think 2002.

Everybody slept late today, and we're staying away from the malls...probably going here later today. (It's within walking distance!)



Comment by trojanrabbit on 11/23/2012 14:46:29


Only reason I went out this morning was to get litter and kibble for the cats.

My PC is offloading last nights splattering of the J-e-s-t-s Jests Jests Jests from my TiVo to keep for posterity.

Hopefully Dad will be released from the hospital today after doctors are sure the bleeding from his head injury he sustained in a fall yesterday has stopped. He looked good other than a nasty gash over his eye. This makes 2 Thanksgivings in a row he's spent in a hospital.

Comment by BobR on 11/23/2012 14:53:18
Quote by TriSec:
Morning, comrades!

This is the first Friday After Thanksgiving that I've had off with pay since I think 2002.

Everybody slept late today, and we're staying away from the malls...probably going here later today. (It's within walking distance!)

That looks very cool.

We're going into Rheinbeck today to meet our niece for lunch. There's no way I am going anywhere near a Big Box store.

Comment by Raine on 11/23/2012 14:53:22
Quote by trojanrabbit:


Only reason I went out this morning was to get litter and kibble for the cats.

My PC is offloading last nights splattering of the J-e-s-t-s Jests Jests Jests from my TiVo to keep for posterity.

Hopefully Dad will be released from the hospital today after doctors are sure the bleeding from his head injury he sustained in a fall yesterday has stopped. He looked good other than a nasty gash over his eye. This makes 2 Thanksgivings in a row he's spent in a hospital.

Oh no! I hope you dad is released today as well, Rabbit.

Comment by BobR on 11/23/2012 14:53:48
Quote by trojanrabbit:


Only reason I went out this morning was to get litter and kibble for the cats.

My PC is offloading last nights splattering of the J-e-s-t-s Jests Jests Jests from my TiVo to keep for posterity.

Hopefully Dad will be released from the hospital today after doctors are sure the bleeding from his head injury he sustained in a fall yesterday has stopped. He looked good other than a nasty gash over his eye. This makes 2 Thanksgivings in a row he's spent in a hospital.

Maybe he should lay off the egg nog next year...

kidding!

Comment by trojanrabbit on 11/23/2012 14:59:39
Quote by BobR:
Quote by trojanrabbit:


Only reason I went out this morning was to get litter and kibble for the cats.

My PC is offloading last nights splattering of the J-e-s-t-s Jests Jests Jests from my TiVo to keep for posterity.

Hopefully Dad will be released from the hospital today after doctors are sure the bleeding from his head injury he sustained in a fall yesterday has stopped. He looked good other than a nasty gash over his eye. This makes 2 Thanksgivings in a row he's spent in a hospital.

Maybe he should lay off the egg nog next year...

kidding!

He was just starting to feel comfortable after his knee surgery a couple of weeks ago. But he just loses his balance and even with the walker, he'll fall. This time he hit his head on something.

Comment by Raine on 11/23/2012 15:10:35
I wouldn't say he us the worst QB ever, but this was pretty funny:



Comment by wickedpam on 11/23/2012 15:13:30
Morning




Comment by Raine on 11/23/2012 15:18:02
Quote by wickedpam:
Morning


Morning! You working today?


Comment by trojanrabbit on 11/23/2012 15:44:21
Quote by Raine:
I wouldn't say he us the worst QB ever, but this was pretty funny:



Interesting audio feed there. Sans announcers.

Gives a whole new meaning to the term SANCHIZED.

Comment by TriSec on 11/23/2012 16:43:09
Quote by BobR:

That looks very cool.

We're going into Rheinbeck today to meet our niece for lunch. There's no way I am going anywhere near a Big Box store.


Rhienbeck? I have yet to make the
Aerodrome....but alas, they're closed for the season.


Comment by TriSec on 11/23/2012 16:44:37
Slight change in plans....We're headed here after lunch instead.

It's a beautiful fall day; we rarely visit this site (We always go to the Old North Bridge to snowshoe; and best of all, It's FREE!)



Comment by Will in Chicago on 11/23/2012 16:48:42
BobR, I think that the polls need to be reexamined. One concern that I have is that many voters now have cellphones and only use cell phones. So, that alone can skew the poll results.

Thanksgiving was good here, as my grand niece Emily enjoyed her first Thanksgiving at home. As for myself, I watched the New England Patriots trounce the New York Jets. As bad as I thought the Bears were last Sunday with a back up quarterback, this was worse as Sanchez is leading a team. Let's say I expect the New York sports writers are having a field day in criticizing Sanchez.

Related to Pat Robertson's comments, I found a piece on Daily Kos about a German reporter who went undercover at Patric Henry College.

German reporter goes underground at Patrick Henry College
by DowneastDem

Amrai Coen, a writer for the German weekly Die Zeit, wanted to visit Patrick Henry College, but the college administration refused her visit since the school had "bad experiences with foreign journalists." Undeterred, Amrai posed as a prospective student and showed up on campus on "Visitor's Day". Her piece on her experience that day provides a rare inside glimpse of life at America's Madrassa,

Nearly all of the students at Patrick Henry College have been home-schooled by ultra-conservative evangelical Christian parents. At Patrick Henry these young people can complete their christo-fascist indoctrination before joining right-wing think tanks and media groups in Washington. Students are taught to kneel before images of Jesus and Ronald Reagan; they attend lecturess on how America can waterboard its way to global dominance. Professors are dismissed if they actually teach science, since students are taught that the earth is only 6000 years old and baby Jesus frolicked with dinosaurs.

(Note: my translation from the Zeit piece)

The college has one mission: to save America from its downfall, from the abyss into which Barack Obama has steered the country in the past four years. Young conservative Christians are the soldiers in this war. At Patrick Henry College they will be trained to fight one day on the front - as politicians, filmmakers, or entrepreneurs they will win back American society. Some have rejected Harvard or Yale in order to study here.



I have to as how people who have nearly completely isolated themselves from mainstream society and its political discourse can expect to govern our country.

Comment by wickedpam on 11/23/2012 16:53:02
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Morning


Morning! You working today?



yes, and pretty much had a bunch of stuff dumped on me this morning to do along with my usual decorated of the office - fun

Comment by BobR on 11/23/2012 16:58:58
Quote by TriSec:
Quote by BobR:

That looks very cool.

We're going into Rheinbeck today to meet our niece for lunch. There's no way I am going anywhere near a Big Box store.

Rhienbeck? I have yet to make the
Aerodrome....but alas, they're closed for the season.

As many times as we've visited Raine's family up this way, we have yet to make it there as well. Maybe it's because we're usually here around the (winter) holidays.

Comment by Mondobubba on 11/23/2012 17:22:18
Quote by TriSec:
Morning, comrades!

This is the first Friday After Thanksgiving that I've had off with pay since I think 2002.

Everybody slept late today, and we're staying away from the malls...probably going here later today. (It's within walking distance!)



Hello all. Just watching movies today. Cool looking museum.

Comment by livingonli on 11/23/2012 18:12:58
Good day, folks. Slept late today, but planning on finishing emptying the Pod over the next two days so that it is ready to return.

Since I have FiOS now instead of Cablevision, I get Al-Jazeera English off an RNN subchannel. Right now, the main story is that the new Egyptian president has issued a decree which allows him to declare any law he wants and is assuming even more dictatorial powers than Mubarak which is meeting with both support and protest.

Comment by TriSec on 11/23/2012 18:14:56
Quote by BobR:

As many times as we've visited Raine's family up this way, we have yet to make it there as well. Maybe it's because we're usually here around the (winter) holidays.


That sounds like a meetup that needs to happen.


Comment by livingonli on 11/23/2012 21:40:13
Are we still looking to do a winter meet-up in Beantown this winter or is everyone going to the inauguration again?

Comment by TriSec on 11/23/2012 22:13:42
So, we were out on Lexington Green after all. Even signed up to take the tour of Buckman Tavern (where the Minutemen hung out while waiting for the Regulars.)

There's a bullet hole in the front door....I actually got down on my knees and stared at it for a good long while....I wonder who shot it? Captain Parker? An un-named Minuteman? An English Soldier? The mind boggles....

I also accidentally touched a vintage chair in the tavern that John or Sam may or may not have sat in.

Yes, so a liberal, wine-drinking, commie, pinko visits Lexington and Concord and gets all tingly.

There's no monopoly on Patriotism.



Comment by Raine on 11/24/2012 00:43:01
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/mitt-romney-ann-romney-Thanksgiving-FB.jpg


Comment by BobR on 11/24/2012 00:46:14
Quote by livingonli:
Are we still looking to do a winter meet-up in Beantown this winter or is everyone going to the inauguration again?

We will be in DC for the inauguration, and we already have the guest couch claimed.

Comment by wickedpam on 11/24/2012 01:32:33
Quote by BobR:
Quote by livingonli:
Are we still looking to do a winter meet-up in Beantown this winter or is everyone going to the inauguration again?

We will be in DC for the inauguration, and we already have the guest couch claimed.


I recommend going the VRE route instead of metro this time around.


Comment by Raine on 11/24/2012 03:01:37
Comment by Raine on 11/24/2012 03:05:12
Comment by livingonli on 11/24/2012 03:12:37
We used to run those spots on Fox Sports Ohio so I have seen them for a few years. At least it keeps them from going after the farm animals.