2018 - Elections and Trends

[Gil Bang 25978]

MIAMI — Text messages portraying the campaign of Florida’s Democratic candidate for governor as anti-Semitic buzzed into the cellphones of some Jewish voters on Thursday night, escalating political attacks in a closely watched race that has already been ugly.

“Newly unearthed comments made by Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum’s running mate raise serious concerns about Gillum’s ever-mounting ties to blatant anti-Semitism,” the text messages read.

The messages referred to comments made nearly two decades ago by Chris King, Mr. Gillum’s pick to be lieutenant governor, when Mr. King was in college.

Mr. Gillum’s campaign called the messages a sign of “abusive tactics” by his Republican opponent, former Representative Ron DeSantis.

 

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Mr. DeSantis “is running one of the most divisive and toxic campaigns in Florida history — and tonight that means extreme right-wing spam text messages,” Joanna Cervone, Mr. Gillum’s communications director, said in a statement.

 

 

The DeSantis campaign did not deny being behind the text messages, which appeared to target voters with Jewish last names.

“Chris King’s comments speak for themselves,” Stephen Lawson, Mr. DeSantis’s communications director, said in a statement. “The Gillum campaign should spend more time addressing why they said them and less time about how voters are finding out about them.”

Mr. King, 39, lost a 1998 race to become the student body president at Harvard.

“I was nailed to the cross,” Mr. King, an evangelical Christian, said in 1999, referring to how the college’s newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, had covered his campaign. “And most of the editorial staff that was so hard on me, the vast majority were Jewish.”

 

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The comments resurfaced during the primary for governor, in which Mr. King, an Orlando-area entrepreneur, and Mr. Gillum, the 39-year-old mayor of Tallahassee, competed with several other Democrats for the nomination. When Mr. Gillum triumphed, he selected Mr. King as his running mate.

Mr. King has apologized for the remarks.

“The comment that I made there I’ve said was wrong,” he said on a Miami podcast in July, during the primary race. “It hurt feelings. And I was sorry about making that comment 20 years ago. It was certainly not reflective then or now of my belief in diversity.”

Mr. DeSantis, 40, who has lagged behind Mr. Gillum in recent public polls, told reporters in Florida this week that they had focused too much on racial controversies surrounding his campaign and not enough on Mr. Gillum’s associations with the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Dream Defenders, a minority youth-activist group. Both have called for boycotts against Israel, a position Mr. Gillum says he rejects.

 

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis, left, during a rally in Miami.CreditScott McIntyre for The New York Times

“I can find anti-Semites around him,” Mr. DeSantis said on Monday, without referring to Mr. King’s past remarks. “But it’s almost like we don’t want to discuss that.”

A day earlier, members of the Proud Boys, a group of self-described “Western chauvinists,” had attended a rally for Mr. DeSantis in Sarasota. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers the Proud Boys a hate group; Mr. DeSantis has said he does not condone the Proud Boys or others who might show up at his events with beliefs he doesn’t share.

On Wednesday, Mr. DeSantis brought on Susie Wiles, who led President Trump’s successful Florida campaign in 2016, to chair his campaign for governor.

 

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The move for Mr. DeSantis, a fierce Trump supporter, was seen as an internal shake-up intended to steady his faltering campaign, which has appeared unsettled since the day after the Aug. 28 primary, when Mr. DeSantis said Mr. Gillum’s surprise Democratic victory could lead to a far-left agenda that would “monkey this up.”

Mr. Gillum, who is African-American, and others characterized the phrase as more than a racist dog-whistle — “bullhorns,” he said.

Mr. DeSantis later faced questions about speaking at conferencesorganized by right-wing provocateurs and not returning campaign donations from a supporter who called former President Barack Obama a racist slur on Twitter.

“I do think it is interesting that racists tend to align themselves with Mr. DeSantis,” Mr. Gillum told reporters in Miami last week. “And I think he’s got to deal with why it is that, repeatedly, over the course of his campaign trail, he’s having to explain that relationship and those friendships and the language that not only he himself has used but also the people that are around him.”

[Zonahorn 8079]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 4:06 PM, Ghost of LL said:

Gilliam is going to pull Nelson across the finish line.

All those pussies crowing about Gillum being too liberal and he's going to save Nelson's seat and net them the governorship. LOL

[bad_teammate 13218]

Some of our campaign office people here in Houston sent out a text calling Kavanaugh a "likely rapist" yesterday. Sent an apology text today. God damnit, Dems. God damnit!

[Brew 3049]

On 9/28/2018 at 6:14 PM, Pescado_Rojo said:

Not only did Scott never implement any of the water quality legislation that passed overwhelmingly in Fla. He actually gutted Fla’s version of the EPA. The massive algie blooms on both coasts south of Lake O have made him hugely unpopular in S Fla. He got booed off the stage at his own event in Naples a couple weeks ago, then had another event that had so many protestors outside, he couldn’t get into the building and left. 

The water issues should flip the whole state. They’ve voted in statewide elections for measures to improve the issue including tax measures and it is all just sitting and is worse now than before. I’ll be extremely interested in what happens along the Southwest coast. The mayors of several of the communities have come out swinging pretty hard and are making sure to keep the water issue front and center. I’ve been getting regular updates from the Mayor/Chamber where our house is on the issues they are battling with the state government and the decisions they are making.

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Also Florida 

 

[Ghost of LL 15539]

Some of our campaign office people here in Houston sent out a text calling Kavanaugh a "likely rapist" yesterday. Sent an apology text today. God damnit, Dems. God damnit!

That should apologize—that’s completely wrong. He’s not a likely rapist. He’s a definite attempted rapist, or, if you prefer, a rapist too incompetent to commit the rape because he couldn’t manage a one-piece swimsuit.


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[bad_teammate 13218]

1 minute ago, Ghost of LL said:

That should apologize—that’s completely wrong. He’s not a likely rapist. He’s a definite attempted rapist, or, if you prefer, a rapist too incompetent to commit the rape because he couldn’t manage a one-piece swimsuit.

Agreed. The truth about these fucking ghouls is bad enough, just stick to the truth.

[Gil Bang 25978]

 

[Aqua Buddha 14598]

1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

That should apologize—that’s completely wrong. He’s not a likely rapist. He’s a definite attempted rapist, or, if you prefer, a rapist too incompetent to commit the rape because he couldn’t manage a one-piece swimsuit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's about like how they (Democrats) refer to Trump as being "accused" of sexual assault.  No, he's admitted it.  "Accused Sexual Assaulter" should be "Admitted Sexual Assaulter."

[Js1 85437]

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

31 minutes ago, Js1 said:

 

That can’t be a fun phone call.

[Gil Bang 25978]

Duncan Hunter still a horrible, horrible person.  Still gonna get re-elected because GOP

 

https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-candidate-duncan-hunter-attack-ad-meltdown-1145078

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

Most of us are on both threads, but note the millions being spent on Cruz in Texas. Also, note the money being pulled from republicans elsewhere. Make the connection.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

2 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Duncan Hunter still a horrible, horrible person.  Still gonna get re-elected because GOP

 

https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-candidate-duncan-hunter-attack-ad-meltdown-1145078

Yet, they claim the moral high ground. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

1 minute ago, Larry T. Spider said:

Most of us are on both threads, but note the millions being spent on Cruz in Texas. Also, note the money being pulled from republicans elsewhere. Make the connection.

Following the money is how you can tell what the party and pacs are thinking.  It’s not impossible that the gop retains the house but it looks like the smart money sees that as chasing too much. 

[atomheartbevo 89735]

42 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Following the money is how you can tell what the party and pacs are thinking.  It’s not impossible that the gop retains the house but it looks like the smart money sees that as chasing too much. 

That and they are seeing bad poll numbers for Cruz. 

[atomheartbevo 89735]

3 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

 

For Nunes to spend that much campaign funding on something like that, he is scared as hell.  

Edited September 30, 2018 by atomheartbevo

[Skyline 325]

Not sure where to put this, but it's such a wild story. 

[Gil Bang 25978]

13 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

For Nunes to spend that much campaign funding on something like that, he is scared as hell.  

He is...he's scared of prison. 

It's the local media that investigated Duncan Hunter's bullshit, which led to his indictment.  Nunes is dirty, we all know that.  He thinks that he's a Trump starter kit.  Really he's trump's bitch boy.  Discrediting the media is right out of the trump playbook (which is written in crayon).

[Js1 85437]

 

[Js1 85437]

LMFAO

 

[Celery Man 20970]

 

[Gil Bang 25978]

 

[bolverk 29694]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

 

Holy shit! That is some righteous fire and brimstone coming straight from the pulpit. Now, THAT is how you talk to rural white evangelicals but, honestly, it gives me the Mack Brown feels - scares me to death.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

16 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Holy shit! That is some righteous fire and brimstone coming straight from the pulpit. Now, THAT is how you talk to rural white evangelicals but, honestly, it gives me the Mack Brown feels - scares me to death.

Ironically, Trump ran his presidential campaign on the same platform. 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Now imagine that speech with someone who has a little more Elvis in them.

The late great Molly Ivins saw Obama before she passed. That's where this idea comes from. You have got to have some Mojo Nixonesque Elvis in your soul if you are going to reach people. Portia has some, but it's going to take more to move the mountains. 

Beto has a lot of Elvis in him.

Ojeda has a lot and it appears Allred does too.

There's an untapped fountain of progressive Christian power waiting for the man or woman to come along  to tap the rock and make it flow. 

David Obey is necessary, so is dry toast. They are there to remind us all somehow or another there's logistics and bills to pay. But, nobody has ever been inspired by them. I don't want my accountant to be a cheerleader. I prefer them mostly humorless and bland. 

There's a growing recognition that progressive populism has a place. It ought to also be tempered with the hard realities of politics. 

I can spam the hell out of the thread with progressive preachers but that's probably better done elsewhere. 

She's a harbinger. Tell Johnny Sack to hide his cash because apparently he has never heard James 5 preached.

Edited October 1, 2018 by cactusflinthead

[Jack Burton 35]

Johnny Sack and his church have done more for black people than the Democratic party ever has. According to him

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Show me the books. Where it was spent and who got it. 

If you want to see a test of your faith go to a budget meeting at any Baptist church. 

7% of regular church attendees tithe. That ain't gonna feed the bulldog. If the church was doing its part then there would be no need for help from the government, but the SBC is far more concerned with controlling women, keeping the gays from getting married, and running off anyone that doesn't toe their line.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

Never hurts an argument to bring up mojo Nixon.  

[atomheartbevo 89735]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

 

Oh good, our Republican draft-dodging President calls an Army combat veteran crazy.  Of course, because it’s 2018. 

[Gil Bang 25978]

IDGAF is he's a combat veteran or not...Ojeda IS, in fact, at least a little bit crazy.  

Check that.  he's a goofy motherfucker.  He's at the Earnest T. Bass level of nut.

 

[cactusflinthead 27601]

Noted. He's a nut. He might be in the House next year. Whether or not he stays is another question. He might get there and flame out. He might be able to play the game in his own way. 

He's already been a while in the WV house and might well have been the catalyst for the teacher's strike. Like Beto he's beholden to no known PAC. He may well be what that district requires. 

Him or Eddie Bernice?

 

[Gil Bang 25978]

Him for sure.  But dude...

[rtchorn 15]

8 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Never hurts an argument to bring up mojo Nixon.  

Ted Cruz has no Elvis in him.

[Aqua Buddha 14598]

11 hours ago, Js1 said:

LMFAO

 

But they're perfectly fine with Koch money.

[Homercles 10206]

Ted Cruz has no Elvis in him.

He’s got the late-Elvis diet in him

[Pancho 44860]

 

[Patrick Bateman 3917]

Tight one in Jersey.....

 

[Js1 85437]

4 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Tight one in Jersey.....

 

Well I think this will ultimately end up like Mitch McConnell's race in 2014 (looked close, fundamentals of the state and wave ended up making it not close), it would be PEAK 2018 if Democrats win Arizona, Tennessee, Texas and lose New Jersey. Lmao.

And by looked close - polling at end of September/early October in that race was about 3-5 point GOP leads or even the occasional D lead, ended up Mitch winning by 16.

Edited October 1, 2018 by Js1

[Message Board User 12395]

3 hours ago, Pancho Negro said:

 

Gillum as governor would be absolutely huge for the Dems electorally in 2020.

[Longhorn_Fan68 33876]

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/vote-texas/texas-breaks-voter-registration-record-ahead-of-midterm-election/599584239

[atomheartbevo 89735]

39 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/politics/vote-texas/texas-breaks-voter-registration-record-ahead-of-midterm-election/599584239

I’m honestly surprised we are not seeing more attempts at voter suppression.  

[Longhorn_Fan68 33876]

1 minute ago, atomheartbevo said:

I’m honestly surprised we are not seeing more attempts at voter suppression.  

don't worry, that's happening behind the scenes

[Hugo Stiglitz 23367]

4 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

don't worry, that's happening behind the scenes

The information warfare and the bombardment of scandals/disinformation is it’s own form of voter suppression. 

It’s intended to create outrage exhaustion to the point people no longer want to pay attention or get engaged. 

[Hank Kingsley 20986]

 

[Js1 85437]

 

[Zonahorn 8079]

26 minutes ago, Js1 said:

 

Claire is gonna survive again. Lulz

[Ghost of LL 15539]

5 minutes ago, Calihorn said:

Claire is gonna survive again. Lulz

She's the political Houdini.  I have no idea how she does it year after year.

[Js1 85437]

27 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

She's the political Houdini.  I have no idea how she does it year after year.

Senate Witch. Top issue is healthcare. Hawley screwing himself with this ACA lawsuit. 

[lemonlime 5503]

4 hours ago, Js1 said:

Well I think this will ultimately end up like Mitch McConnell's race in 2014 (looked close, fundamentals of the state and wave ended up making it not close), it would be PEAK 2018 if Democrats win Arizona, Tennessee, Texas and lose New Jersey. Lmao.

And by looked close - polling at end of September/early October in that race was about 3-5 point GOP leads or even the occasional D lead, ended up Mitch winning by 16.

I'm not so sure.  Menendez is pretty reviled with the criminal trial.  In the dem primary, his opponent who didn't even really campaign and had close to zero name recognition got over 40% of the vote in what was clearly a protest vote against Menendez.  At best, the democratic base in NJ is apathetic about voting for him.  He may get pulled across the finish line because of people reviled by Trump and what the GOP Senate is doing now, and also by some competitive house raises for which there's enthusiasm.  But I think it will be close.