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Open thread Nov. 11, 2022

Dan Crawford | November 11, 2022 6:25 am

“Open thread Nov. 8, 2022 Election Day,” Angry Bear, angry bear blog.

22 Comments

Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:

November 11, 2022 at 9:24 am

I hate to be optimistic because that always leads to utter disappointment, but I do hope that over the long historical arc of our American addiction to ignorance in politics that the recent turn to the Trump/MAGA moronic flights of fancy and the welcome turn away from that self-indulgent and self-destructive fantasy marks that hopeful rock bottom event in the course of terrible addiction which leads to the beginning of recovery.
- Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:
  
  November 11, 2022 at 9:34 am
  
  Been down so Long
  
  Doors cover from LA Woman
- coberly says:
  
  November 11, 2022 at 2:50 pm
  
  Ron
  
  I hope you are right. I’m afraid the “just barely” will turn back into “not enough” when the usual non-voters go back to sleep. Trump seems to be out of favor, but DeSantis is a much worse person than even Trump. and Texas is…well, still Texas.
  
  And there is still the Supreme Court.
  
  about which i need to say, i could understand overturning Wade (not agree, but understand), but Alito’s reasoning was so psychopathic that I can only expect the worst is yet to come.
  
  Richard Striner wrote an essay on originalism that is worth reading…not so much for his opinions, but for his facts.
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 11, 2022 at 11:04 am

Control of Congress Still in Play; Kelly Extends Narrow Lead in Arizona

NY Times – just in

More than two days after polls closed across the United States, control of both houses of Congress is still up for grabs, with many races not yet called.

The Senate picture is becoming clear. Republicans hold 49 seats and Democrats hold 48. The races in Arizona and Nevada have not been called, and Georgia is gearing up for a runoff.

In the House, Republicans are inching toward a narrow majority. But as of early Friday morning, there were still more than 10 undecided races in what the Cook Political Report designated as some of the most competitive districts. Many of the uncalled races were in western states, where Democrats are looking to flip Republican-held seats.

(It would seem that the 48 number for the Dems above does not include Bernie Sanders and Angus King, the independent Senators we know & love.)
- Fred C. Dobbs says:
  
  November 11, 2022 at 11:20 am
  
  Although maybe the NYT’s 48 does include Sanders & King.
  
  The Boston Globe has it as 46 Dems, 2 Ind, and 48 GOP. Go figure.
  
  In battle for the Senate, the focus is on three states
  
  Washington Post – just in
  
  Outstanding ballots in two states and a runoff election in a third have left control of the Senate up in the air, with Arizona and Nevada racing to count votes on Thursday and rival candidates in Georgia gearing up for another four weeks of campaigning.
  
  Democrats were cautiously optimistic that Sen. Mark Kelly’s lead would hold in Arizona, and in Nevada, where Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is trailing, they think that mail ballots from urban areas will help catch them up. Some Republicans privately agreed that their candidates could lose, and results Thursday night brought more unfavorable numbers for GOP Senate nominees Blake Masters in Arizona and Adam Laxalt in Nevada, even as their campaigns continued to project confidence. …
  - Fred C. Dobbs says:
    
    November 11, 2022 at 4:38 pm
    
    Arizona’s Top Races Near the Finish in a Tension-Filled Battleground
    
    NY Times – just in
    
    With Senate control in the balance and the clash for governor on a knife’s edge, Arizona’s major races crept toward a dramatic conclusion on Friday in a state that has established itself as one of the nation’s most fiercely contested battlegrounds.
    
    In the Senate race, Mark Kelly, the Democratic incumbent, is leading his Republican rival, Blake Masters, by more than five percentage points with 82 percent of the vote counted. Mr. Kelly’s advantage is expected to shrink, but he is seen as the clear favorite. If he prevails, Democrats would be one seat away from maintaining Senate control, with votes still being counted in Nevada and Georgia’s race heading to a runoff in December. …
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 11, 2022 at 2:58 pm

World could see catastrophic climate change in just nine years, study shows

Boston Glove – Nov 11

Global carbon pollution from fossil fuel usage will hit record levels this year, a major new study shows, climbing past pre-pandemic levels and setting the world on a path to pass a dangerous climate benchmark that scientists have been warily eyeing for years.

Continuing to emit at this rate will lead the world to warm by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, blowing past the more ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Accord to keep heating below that level. That level of increase, scientists warn, could kill off almost all coral reefs, leave swaths of the world underwater, and generally bring about climate catastrophe. The findings come from an annual report by the Global Carbon Project that assesses how much planet-heating carbon the world can spew out while staying within warming targets. …
- Fred C. Dobbs says:
  
  November 11, 2022 at 2:59 pm
  
  err, Boston Globe – Nov 11
- Fred C. Dobbs says:
  
  November 11, 2022 at 3:03 pm
  
  ‘a major new study shows”: Global Carbon Budget 2022
- coberly says:
  
  November 11, 2022 at 3:08 pm
  
  But, but, but….we won the midterms.
  
  or at least did not lose them as badly as predicted.
  
  that’s the same as winning, isn’t it?
  
  oh, forgot about Biden dancing with the oil producers..because we Need the oil, don’t we?
  - Fred C. Dobbs says:
    
    November 11, 2022 at 4:18 pm
    
    Yeah, right.
    
    (I think that’s the correct phraseology.)
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 12, 2022 at 8:44 am

Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face!
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 12, 2022 at 10:24 am

Cortez Masto is within striking distance of Laxalt in Nevada.

NY Times – just in

With control of Congress potentially hinging on Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s re-election bid in Nevada, the latest returns put the Democratic incumbent within striking distance of taking the lead from her Republican challenger, Adam Laxalt.

Ms. Cortez Masto has been winning mail ballots by a wide margin in Clark County, the state’s most populous and home to Las Vegas.

She has won 51 percent of all votes in Clark so far, with Mr. Laxalt at 46 percent, according to the latest results.

But Ms. Cortez Masto has won mail ballots by a much wider margin. The last reported batch of mail ballots in Clark County broke for Ms. Cortez Masto by 63 percent to 33 percent. It left her about 800 votes behind Mr. Laxalt.

The remaining ballots could swing the race in either direction. …
- Fred C. Dobbs says:
  
  November 12, 2022 at 10:36 am
  
  Mail ballots in the Las Vegas area are likely to put Democrats ahead.
  
  Democrats appeared on the cusp of securing control of the Senate over the weekend, as the counting of mail ballots in Nevada brought Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democratic incumbent, within 1,000 votes of overtaking her Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt, for the final seat the party needs to maintain its 50-50 Senate majority.
  
  All eyes will be on Clark County, home to Las Vegas, which is a Democratic stronghold. Ms. Cortez Masto has led mail ballots tabulated after Election Day there by nearly two to one, a margin that would be more than enough to overtake Mr. Laxalt if the trend continues among the approximately 25,000 mail ballots that remain to be counted.
  
  The bulk of the remaining mail ballots in Clark County are expected to be reported on Saturday (though the deadline to have all ballots counted is not until Tuesday). That could be enough to allow news organizations to project a winner, depending on the number of ballots counted and the size of Ms. Cortez Masto’s lead. …
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 12, 2022 at 11:22 pm

Democrats Keep Control of Senate With Victory in Nevada

NY Times – just in

Democrats Retain Control in the Senate

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto narrowly defeated her Republican challenger, Adam Laxalt, giving the Democrats 50 seats even before the Georgia runoff on Dec. 6.

Democrats sealed control of the Senate on Saturday as Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada narrowly defeated Adam Laxalt, a Republican former state attorney general, a decisive moment in an extraordinary midterm election in which Democrats defied historical patterns and predictions of major losses.

Control of the House has still not been decided, several days after an Election Day that fell short of predictions that Republicans would sweep to power in Washington in a repudiation of President Biden’s leadership. Though Republicans still have an edge in capturing the House, their majority would certainly be small.

But with Ms. Cortez Masto’s victory in Nevada, Democrats have nailed down the 50 seats they need to retain control of the upper chamber, a major feat considering that voters typically punish the president’s party during the midterms.

The Democratic victory will bolster Mr. Biden’s political capital as he moves toward a possible bid for a second term. Even if Republicans do take the House, he will be able to stock the judiciary with his nominees and will be insulated from politically freighted G.O.P. legislation. And Democrats will be free to mount their own investigations to counter the threatened onslaught from a Republican-controlled lower chamber.

“I feel good, and I’m looking forward to the next couple of years,” Mr. Biden told reporters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. …
- Fred C. Dobbs says:
  
  November 12, 2022 at 11:36 pm
  
  Democrats keep Senate control with Nevada win
  
  Victories by Catherine Cortez Masto, Mark Kelly secured the Senate for Democrats,
  
  (and let’s not forget John Fetterman in PA, who made it all possible)
  
  while counting continues in House races
  
  Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won election to a second term representing Nevada on Saturday, defeating Republican Adam Laxalt to clinch the party’s control of the chamber for the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency.
  
  With Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s victory in Arizona on Friday, Democrats now hold a 50-49 edge in the Senate. The party will retain control of the chamber, no matter how next month’s Georgia runoff plays out, by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote.
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 13, 2022 at 9:56 am

Voters Reject Election Deniers Running to Take Over Elections

NY Times – Nov 12

With Jim Marchant’s defeat by Cisco Aguilar in Nevada’s secretary of state race, all but one of the “America First” slate of candidates who espoused conspiracy theories about the 2020 election were defeated.

Every election denier who sought to become the top election official in a critical battleground state lost at the polls this year, as voters roundly rejected extreme partisans who promised to restrict voting and overhaul the electoral process.

The national repudiation of this coalition reached its apex on Saturday, when Cisco Aguilar, the Democratic candidate for secretary of state in Nevada, defeated Jim Marchant, according to The Associated Press. Mr. Marchant, the Republican nominee, had helped organize a national right-wing slate of candidates under the name “America First.”

With Mr. Marchant’s loss to Mr. Aguilar, all but one of those “America First” candidates were defeated. Only Diego Morales, a Republican in deep-red Indiana, was successful, while candidates in Michigan, Arizona and New Mexico were defeated.

Their losses halted a plan by some allies of former President Donald J. Trump and other influential donors to take over the election apparatus in critical states before the 2024 presidential election. The “America First” candidates, and their explicitly partisan statements, had alarmed Democrats, independent election experts and even some Republicans, who feared that if they gained office, they could threaten the integrity of future elections. …

(Totally not counting all & sundry GOP senators & representatives in Congress who were confirmed 2020 election deniers, but also a couple who were NOT & are no longer in Congress as of January 2023.)
- Fred C. Dobbs says:
  
  November 13, 2022 at 10:14 am
  
  By the way, Sarah Palin has not exactly lost her chance at a seat in Congress from Alaska, due to Ranked-Choice Voting up theah.
  
  Palin on track to lose but hints at election battles ahead
  
  Alaska Public Media – Nov 12
  
  Republican congressional candidates Sarah Palin and Kelly Tshibaka are likely to lose their races once the Division of Elections tabulates the ranked choices of Alaska voters, but both candidates are making vague accusations of malfeasance and speaking of unspecified election fights ahead.
  
  So far, Palin’s race appears to be a replay of the August special election, which Democrat Mary Peltola won. Only this time, Peltola’s initial lead is even greater. With just first-choice votes counted so far, Palin is 20 percentage points behind Peltola. Palin could still win if she got enough second-choice ballots, but it’s unlikely.
  
  In social media posts after the election, Palin cast blame on fellow Republicans for splitting the vote, and on Alaska’s ranked choice voting system, which she called “unAmerican.” (The Alaska Supreme Court deemed it legal.) …
  - Fred C. Dobbs says:
    
    November 13, 2022 at 10:33 am
    
    All candidates in the Alaska congressional races got less than 50% of the votes.
    
    Ranked-choice selection is in effect.
    
    Tshibaka got more votes than Murkowski for the Senate seat, so far.
    
    Peltola got 47.3% for the single House seat, GOP opponents Palin & Begrich got 26.6% and 24.2%. Ranked-choice rules could easily result in one of these the two ‘losers’ getting selected, and also Trump-supported Tshibaka.
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 13, 2022 at 10:03 am

Trump Angst Grips Republicans (Again)

NY Times – just in

While Republicans pick up the pieces from the midterm elections, former President Donald J. Trump is already forcing them to take sides in the next election.

Before the votes are even fully counted in the 2022 midterm election, Republicans are starting to face a decision: Do they stick with Donald J. Trump into 2024 or leave him behind?

For seven years, in office and out, before and after his supporters overran the Capitol, Mr. Trump has exerted a gravitational pull on the party’s base, and through it, the country’s politics, no matter how hard lawmakers, strategists, officials and even his own vice president tried to escape his orbit.

Now, after a string of midterm losses by candidates Mr. Trump supported, there are signs of another Republican effort to inch the party away from the former president ahead of his expected announcement on Tuesday of another run for the White House — even as his allies on Capitol Hill demand new acts of fealty to him.

It has not escaped Republicans that this week represented the third consecutive political cycle in which Democrats ran with considerable success against the polarizing former president. While they rarely spoke his name, Mr. Trump formed the background music to their attacks asserting that the Republican Party had grown too extreme. …

… Now, the party is reaping political consequences. Trump-backed candidates lost key Senate races in Pennsylvania and Arizona, as well as several House races from Alaska to North Carolina. On Saturday, Democrats clinched control of the Senate with a hard-fought re-election victory for Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada. In the House, despite predictions of a G.O.P. wave, neither party had secured a majority.

Since Tuesday’s election, The Wall Street Journal editorial page and The New York Post — owned by the conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch — have called for Mr. Trump to be tossed aside. Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears of Virginia and Robin Vos, the powerful Assembly speaker in Wisconsin — both major Trump allies during and after his presidency — said Mr. Trump shouldn’t be the party’s presidential nominee in 2024.

The National Review summed up the message of the midterms as, “Republicans: Trump is your problem. Wake up.”

Republican moderates used the moment to bemoan the party’s plunge into conspiracy theories and divisive issues that light up the right-wing media. Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, called for a return to classic fiscal conservatism. Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire said during a SiriusXM Radio interview Friday that Mr. Trump risked “mucking up” the party’s chances of winning in Georgia.

And Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who spoke at a Trump rally in Sioux City days before the election, said on Twitter that it was time to move on from Mr. Trump’s pet issue. “Quit talking abt 2020,” he wrote. …
Fred C. Dobbs says:

November 13, 2022 at 10:17 am

Trump Angst Grips Republicans (Again)

NY Times – just in

While Republicans pick up the pieces from the midterm elections, former President Donald J. Trump is already forcing them to take sides in the next election.

Before the votes are even fully counted in the 2022 midterm election, Republicans are starting to face a decision: Do they stick with Donald J. Trump into 2024 or leave him behind?

For seven years, in office and out, before and after his supporters overran the Capitol, Mr. Trump has exerted a gravitational pull on the party’s base, and through it, the country’s politics, no matter how hard lawmakers, strategists, officials and even his own vice president tried to escape his orbit.

Now, after a string of midterm losses by candidates Mr. Trump supported, there are signs of another Republican effort to inch the party away from the former president ahead of his expected announcement on Tuesday of another run for the White House — even as his allies on Capitol Hill demand new acts of fealty to him. …
Ron (RC) Weakley (A.K.A., Darryl For A While At EV) says:

November 13, 2022 at 12:08 pm

From 11/12/22 SNL – Chappelle is still pure genius – only better

Dave Chappelle Stand-Up Monologue – SNL

891K views 11 hours ago