They’ll be celebrating in Gaza tomorrow

[Tigermike 3,054]

CAIR's Candidate Wins in Minnesota

Minnesota sends first Muslim to Congress

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Voters elected a black Democrat as the first Muslim in Congress on Tuesday after a race in which he advocated quick U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and made little mention of his faith.

Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old lawyer and state representative, defeated two rivals, television networks said, to succeed retiring Democrat Martin Sabo in a seat that has been held by Democrats since 1963.

Ellison, who converted to Islam as a 19-year-old college student in his native Detroit, won with the help of Muslims among a coalition of liberal, anti-war voters.

He advocates an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq along with strongly liberal views. While Ellison did not often speak of his faith during the campaign, awareness of his candidacy drew interest from Muslims well beyond the district centered in Minneapolis.

A significant community of Somali immigrants in Minneapolis cast their first votes for him in the crowded September primary. Ellison also was the surprise choice of party regulars.

While Muslim-Americans make up less than 3 percent of the U.S. population and have largely been a non-factor in terms of political power, get-out-the-vote efforts in several Muslim communities could indicate they may become an emerging force.

Roughly 2 million Muslims are registered U.S. voters, and their ranks increased by tens of thousands in the weeks prior to Tuesday's mid-term elections, Muslim groups have said.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by Islamic militants, Muslim-Americans have become sensitized to what many feel is an erosion of their civil rights. U.S. foreign policy that targets Muslim countries also has generated a sense of urgency, experts said.

"(Americans) treat us differently after Sept. 11. My own father was attacked," said Ellison supporter Khadra Darsame, a 1995 immigrant from Somalia. "Ellison said everybody matters equally and he told us what he would do ... he will do the right thing."

Born into a Roman Catholic family in Detroit, Ellison said his values were shaped by both faiths, along with his grandfather's civil rights work in the Deep South.

Opponents focused on Ellison's sloppy handling of his taxes and a slew of unpaid parking tickets, along with his one-time affiliation with the Nation of Islam, whose leader, Louis Farrakhan, has been criticized for making anti-Semitic remarks. Ellison subsequently said he worked with the group largely to promote the 1995 Million Man March.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07465488.htm

CAIR: 'Moderate' friends of terror

http://www.danielpipes.org/article/394

[CCTAU 3,348]

I'm afraid this is exactly where the dims are taking us.

I can only blame the nutless republicans for not doing their job.

[AURaptor 1,126]

I'm afraid this is exactly where the dims are taking us.

I can only blame the nutless republicans for not doing their job.

They went to D.C., lost touch w/ the folks who sent them there and became the very people they were suppose to replace.

Un****ingbelievable.

[LegalEagle 22]

They went to D.C., lost touch w/ the folks who sent them there and became the very people they were suppose to replace.

Un****ingbelievable.

I disagree.

They conducted polls and found out who votes and what issues would cause them to vote Republican. The Republicans adopted those issues solely to gain power. It took 6 years for the blind to see. They have not changed at all. You've just now gotten a peek behind their masks.

[AUman43 5]

CCTAU, this is SPECIFICALLY where the repubs HAVE TAKEN US!!!!! Time for change!!

Skyrocketing health care costs

Mess in Iraq and alienation of entire muslim world

Refusal to fire Rumsfield and change direction of the war.

Lying to American people on WMD

Skyrocketing national debt

Unprecidented corruption and scandal

Skyrocketing gasoline prices

Skyrocketing trade deficits

Playing politics with illegal immigration

Attempts to privatize social security which would NOT be good for average worker who lacks knowledge of how to invest wisely.

Mismanagement of FEMA and disasters thorough appointing incompetent "friends" to lead agency.

Loss of 60% of manufacturing jobs during Bush's tenure.

Unprecidented outsourcing of American jobs.

Whether YOU like it or not, the MAJORITY of Americans do not agree with you!

[TexasTiger 13,028]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

[Tiger in Spain 0]

CCTAU, this is SPECIFICALLY where the repubs HAVE TAKEN US!!!!! Time for change!!

Skyrocketing health care costs Not the republicans fault. You just want socialized healthcare

Mess in Iraq and alienation of entire muslim world Muslims have hated us since before 1979

Refusal to fire Rumsfield and change direction of the war. Stupid

Lying to American people on WMD Stupid. Same intel as the rest of the world. Dems voted for war, too BTW

Skyrocketing national debt Fooey

Unprecidented corruption and scandal How clean were those Clinton years in your eyes?

Skyrocketing gasoline prices Not the republicans fault

Skyrocketing trade deficits Fooey

Playing politics with illegal immigration I agree with you on this one, but both sides failed

Attempts to privatize social security which would NOT be good for average worker who lacks knowledge of how to invest wisely. Horsesh*t. Again, you show your socialist leanings. Folks would make way more $$ if SS were privatized. Instead of eating ALPO on $200 a month government subsidence, you could at least eat bologna with triple the income

Mismanagement of FEMA and disasters thorough appointing incompetent "friends" to lead agency. Horsesh*t. FEMA was never intended to be a first responder. Democrats milked this myth for all it was worth

Loss of 60% of manufacturing jobs during Bush's tenure. Another figure pulled out of your a$$

Unprecidented outsourcing of American jobs. Blame for this falls squarely on the pro-democrat unions.

Whether YOU like it or not, the MAJORITY of Americans do not agree with you!

[rexbo 104]

CCTAU, this is SPECIFICALLY where the repubs HAVE TAKEN US!!!!! Time for change!!

Skyrocketing health care costs

Mess in Iraq and alienation of entire muslim world

Refusal to fire Rumsfield and change direction of the war.

Lying to American people on WMD

Skyrocketing national debt

Unprecidented corruption and scandal

Skyrocketing gasoline prices

Skyrocketing trade deficits

Playing politics with illegal immigration

Attempts to privatize social security which would NOT be good for average worker who lacks knowledge of how to invest wisely.

Mismanagement of FEMA and disasters thorough appointing incompetent "friends" to lead agency.

Loss of 60% of manufacturing jobs during Bush's tenure.

Unprecidented outsourcing of American jobs.

Whether YOU like it or not, the MAJORITY of Americans do not agree with you!

Specifically?

Skyrocketing health care costs (Due to Trail Lawyers, who overwhelmingly support Democrats)

Mess in Iraq and alienation of entire muslim world (Muslim World attacked us on 9/11 due to Clinton's policies)

Refusal to fire Rumsfield and change direction of the war. (A brand-new SECDEF would change the direction, don't think so.)

Lying to American people on WMD (Clinton lied to us that he was going after Osama and the terrorists, and you saw what happened in NYC; and you would risk that with someone trying like hell to build WMDs?)

Skyrocketing national debt (Democrats wouldn't support any spending cuts, this one is shared at least 50/50)

Unprecidented corruption and scandal (Compared to Clinton? His foray in the Oval Office did more damage to the country's moral values than anything that has come out of the current administration.)

Skyrocketing gasoline prices (Good, it gets the SUVs off the road, and encourages the automobile manufacturers to build new technology.)

Skyrocketing trade deficits (Good, let the Chinese do the tough, low-paying jobs. And a great deal for us, we send them little pieces of green paper, and they send us valuable goods.)

Playing politics with illegal immigration (No Democrats played any politics on this issue, right?)

Attempts to privatize social security which would NOT be good for average worker who lacks knowledge of how to invest wisely. (Typical Democratic snobbery, the poor working guy is just too stupid to take care of himself.)

Mismanagement of FEMA and disasters thorough appointing incompetent "friends" to lead agency. (Clinton never appointed any 'friends', did he? And I am sure Nagin's administration was loaded with competency.)

Loss of 60% of manufacturing jobs during Bush's tenure. (Good, let the Chinese do the tough, low-paying jobs.)

Unprecidented outsourcing of American jobs. (Good, let the Chinese do the tough, low-paying jobs. And I guess that's why the unemployment rate is so low?)

[CCTAU 3,348]

CCTAU, this is SPECIFICALLY where the repubs HAVE TAKEN US!!!!! Time for change!!

Skyrocketing health care costs Not the republicans fault. You just want socialized healthcare

Mess in Iraq and alienation of entire muslim world Muslims have hated us since before 1979

Refusal to fire Rumsfield and change direction of the war. Stupid

Lying to American people on WMD Stupid. Same intel as the rest of the world. Dems voted for war, too BTW

Skyrocketing national debt Fooey

Unprecidented corruption and scandal How clean were those Clinton years in your eyes?

Skyrocketing gasoline prices Not the republicans fault

Skyrocketing trade deficits Fooey

Playing politics with illegal immigration I agree with you on this one, but both sides failed

Attempts to privatize social security which would NOT be good for average worker who lacks knowledge of how to invest wisely. Horsesh*t. Again, you show your socialist leanings. Folks would make way more $$ if SS were privatized. Instead of eating ALPO on $200 a month government subsidence, you could at least eat bologna with triple the income

Mismanagement of FEMA and disasters thorough appointing incompetent "friends" to lead agency. Horsesh*t. FEMA was never intended to be a first responder. Democrats milked this myth for all it was worth

Loss of 60% of manufacturing jobs during Bush's tenure. Another figure pulled out of your a$$

Unprecidented outsourcing of American jobs. Blame for this falls squarely on the pro-democrat unions.

Whether YOU like it or not, the MAJORITY of Americans do not agree with you!

Good answers. And whether I like it or not, the majority of americans are mentally weak and would follow anyone the media endorses.

BTW. WMDs were found, just not enough to satisify the dims or the media. But I see neither wanting those old, degraded, harmless WMDs opened near their homes. How many folks does it have to have the potential to kill before it is labeled a WMD?

[otterinbham 0]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

Which gets back to a consistent theme of mine, and an ongoing criticism of Democrats: As incompetent and venal as the Republican Party is at this point, when will Democrats realize that their positions on a statist economy and their poisonous alliance with labor unions make them a highly unpalatable choice for most Americans? I can almost guarantee you that most of the independent voters who went into the booth yesterday held their collective noses when voting Democratic.

Further, I can guarantee you that the 2008 elections will see a reversal back to Republican control. That's because population growth has allowed the so-called Red States have continued to pick up a larger share of the Electoral College.

If Nancy Pelosi has a brain in her head she will abandon any thoughts of a radical overhaul in the scope of government and tax codes, and instead bend her efforts towards improving the efficiency of current programs instead. Because the Democrats did not gain power in the house due to the strength of their ideas, but rather due to the fact that the Republican Congress completely and utterly abandoned its ideology of minimized government, and instead courted a bunch of right-wing religious nutjobs to deliver their elections for them.

[CCTAU 3,348]

Otter,

Other than your ever present hate of anything religious, I agree with the assessment. I would love to see new ideas and creativity, but if it happens, it begs the question, why did dims wait till now? I just don't see dims coming up with anything except a two year impeachment attempt. Sad really. The republican party had good intentions but no true leaders. They let us down. We know that with the hostile media today, that as republicans we have to walk a little straighter.

Like I said earlier, now its their turn to show what they will offer. As soon as the public sees they are not gonna do anything, I think that those republicans who stayed home out of disgust will come back in droves. The old adage, "I know he stinks, but he's MY stinker," will come into play. We need new grass roots conservatives to step up and take control. My state senator will more than likely be one of those. His name is Chip Rodgers. He's the guy who authored GAs immigration law. He's one of the guys helping clean up GA laws. Straight shooter and fiscally conservative. This is the type the republican we thought we sent to DC. I don't think it will take long till americans are SICK of Pelosi's face. Cause you know the librul media will force feed us even more now.

[otterinbham 0]

Otter,

Other than your ever present hate of anything religious,

I don't hate religion. As a matter of fact, I've sat on the vestry board of my church, attend services twice weekly, work on outreach, and take two bible studies courses. However, I am deeply bothered by the ongoing marriage of fundamentalist faith and politics. Politics always corrupts. And I believe that the Christian faith is being corrupted by politics. Period. So don't accuse me of hating religion. It's just the fundamentalist brand of it that I have deep and profound issues with.

[AUman43 5]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

Which gets back to a consistent theme of mine, and an ongoing criticism of Democrats: As incompetent and venal as the Republican Party is at this point, when will Democrats realize that their positions on a statist economy and their poisonous alliance with labor unions make them a highly unpalatable choice for most Americans? I can almost guarantee you that most of the independent voters who went into the booth yesterday held their collective noses when voting Democratic.

Further, I can guarantee you that the 2008 elections will see a reversal back to Republican control. That's because population growth has allowed the so-called Red States have continued to pick up a larger share of the Electoral College.

If Nancy Pelosi has a brain in her head she will abandon any thoughts of a radical overhaul in the scope of government and tax codes, and instead bend her efforts towards improving the efficiency of current programs instead. Because the Democrats did not gain power in the house due to the strength of their ideas, but rather due to the fact that the Republican Congress completely and utterly abandoned its ideology of minimized government, and instead courted a bunch of right-wing religious nutjobs to deliver their elections for them.

[AUman43 5]

CCTAU, you are a perfect example of a modern, brainwashed repubic. If I had to bet,I would bet the farm that you have a college education paid for by your parents, live in a house exceeding $150.000 and have never done without much materially speaking. This is the kind of person the repubics love because they don't know shi_ about real life or the struggles in it because they are born with silverspoonsup their a$$e$. BTW I don't expect an honest admission of how accurate I was. You have done Karl Rove proud in the way you have twisted much of what I said......Bottom line is....I don't give a damn what you think because in spite of you and others like you, the American people have spoken and they clearly want new leadership and policies... Just wait until the next election if you really want to know what Americans think about your repubics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The same fantasy world you live in is the same one that cost the repubics the election so go for it!

[otterinbham 0]

CCTAU, you are a perfect example of a modern, brainwashed repubic. If I had to bet,I would bet the farm that you have a college education paid for by your parents, live in a house exceeding $150.000 and have never done without much materially speaking. This is the kind of person the repubics love because they don't know shi_ about real life or the struggles in it because they are born with silverspoonsup their a$$e$. BTW I don't expect an honest admission of how accurate I was.

Ummm...I don't see the point of getting personal here. I think you owe CC an apology. I agree with almost nothing the man says, but aside from calling him a bonehead occasionally in a playful way, I don't really make any assumptions about his life, his upbringing, or his frame of mind.

The truth of the matter is the Democratic economic philosophy of a statist economy leads to less job creation, a more sluggish economy and diminished capital investment. What's more I would bet that everybody on this board, myself included, has had to earn everything they've received in life.

[otterinbham 0]

CCTAU, you are a perfect example of a modern, brainwashed repubic. If I had to bet,I would bet the farm that you have a college education paid for by your parents, live in a house exceeding $150.000 and have never done without much materially speaking. This is the kind of person the repubics love because they don't know shi_ about real life or the struggles in it because they are born with silverspoonsup their a$$e$. BTW I don't expect an honest admission of how accurate I was. You have done Karl Rove proud in the way you have twisted much of what I said......Bottom line is....I don't give a damn what you think because in spite of you and others like you, the American people have spoken and they clearly want new leadership and policies... Just wait until the next election if you really want to know what Americans think about your repubics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The same fantasy world you live in is the same one that cost the repubics the election so go for it!

Oh, and another thing. Based on your posting, I'm fairly sure your interpersonal skills have something to do with why your life has been such a struggle.

[DKW 86 7,441]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

Which gets back to a consistent theme of mine, and an ongoing criticism of Democrats: As incompetent and venal as the Republican Party is at this point, when will Democrats realize that their positions on a statist economy and their poisonous alliance with labor unions make them a highly unpalatable choice for most Americans? I can almost guarantee you that most of the independent voters who went into the booth yesterday held their collective noses when voting Democratic.

Further, I can guarantee you that the 2008 elections will see a reversal back to Republican control. That's because population growth has allowed the so-called Red States have continued to pick up a larger share of the Electoral College.

If Nancy Pelosi has a brain in her head she will abandon any thoughts of a radical overhaul in the scope of government and tax codes, and instead bend her efforts towards improving the efficiency of current programs instead. Because the Democrats did not gain power in the house due to the strength of their ideas, but rather due to the fact that the Republican Congress completely and utterly abandoned its ideology of minimized government, and instead courted a bunch of right-wing religious nutjobs to deliver their elections for them.

On a historical off year election cycle, it is probably not even an average shift. A divided govt is a good thing. Learn to enjoy it. Now the Dems cant just criticize, they have to actually propose stuff and do things. This could be real fun real soon.

[Tiger Al 0]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

Which gets back to a consistent theme of mine, and an ongoing criticism of Democrats: As incompetent and venal as the Republican Party is at this point, when will Democrats realize that their positions on a statist economy and their poisonous alliance with labor unions make them a highly unpalatable choice for most Americans? I can almost guarantee you that most of the independent voters who went into the booth yesterday held their collective noses when voting Democratic.

Further, I can guarantee you that the 2008 elections will see a reversal back to Republican control. That's because population growth has allowed the so-called Red States have continued to pick up a larger share of the Electoral College.

If Nancy Pelosi has a brain in her head she will abandon any thoughts of a radical overhaul in the scope of government and tax codes, and instead bend her efforts towards improving the efficiency of current programs instead. Because the Democrats did not gain power in the house due to the strength of their ideas, but rather due to the fact that the Republican Congress completely and utterly abandoned its ideology of minimized government, and instead courted a bunch of right-wing religious nutjobs to deliver their elections for them.

On a historical off year election cycle, it is probably not even an average shift. A divided govt is a good thing. Learn to enjoy it. Now the Dems cant just criticize, they have to actually propose stuff and do things. This could be real fun real soon.

Those who pay attention know that they HAVE proposed stuff.

[CCTAU 3,348]

CCTAU, you are a perfect example of a modern, brainwashed repubic. If I had to bet,I would bet the farm that you have a college education paid for by your parents, live in a house exceeding $150.000 and have never done without much materially speaking. This is the kind of person the repubics love because they don't know shi_ about real life or the struggles in it because they are born with silverspoonsup their a$$e$. BTW I don't expect an honest admission of how accurate I was. You have done Karl Rove proud in the way you have twisted much of what I said......Bottom line is....I don't give a damn what you think because in spite of you and others like you, the American people have spoken and they clearly want new leadership and policies... Just wait until the next election if you really want to know what Americans think about your repubics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The same fantasy world you live in is the same one that cost the repubics the election so go for it!

Oh, and another thing. Based on your posting, I'm fairly sure your interpersonal skills have something to do with why your life has been such a struggle.

It's OK Otter, I bet I could still kick his a$$ even with the silver spoon hanging out of mine.

BTW augirl43, I am from Prattville. Not many silver spoons back then. Hard to get on paper mill salary. But when you work hard for what you got, you don't want some socailist prick taking it away to give to other socailist pricks. That's why I am usually anti-dim. I would also like to retire one day and have more to show for my investments that less than 1% return. Just because a person is not a librul, does not mean he is privileged. I know of many more dims that are much more privileged than I. According to your logic, AU IS a cow college and there is more money at uat. Been through AU lately. Lot of money there, not many cows..... So just because I like a strong, nongay, nonlibrul, anti-abortion country, does not mean I am privileged. Let the American people speak. They will see the err of their ways in the next 2 years. By then, maybe we will have stronger grass roots conservative republicans step in and clean up the mess. Goodness knows the republicans in their now have no strong leadership and no gumption to do it. But I'm sure the dims will save us all. After all, they have been intorducing wonderful hate Bush plans up till now. Why stop.?

[Fmnstr 0]

CCTAU, you are a perfect example of a modern, brainwashed repubic. If I had to bet,I would bet the farm that you have a college education paid for by your parents, live in a house exceeding $150.000 and have never done without much materially speaking. This is the kind of person the repubics love because they don't know shi_ about real life or the struggles in it because they are born with silverspoonsup their a$$e$. BTW I don't expect an honest admission of how accurate I was. You have done Karl Rove proud in the way you have twisted much of what I said......Bottom line is....I don't give a damn what you think because in spite of you and others like you, the American people have spoken and they clearly want new leadership and policies... Just wait until the next election if you really want to know what Americans think about your repubics!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The same fantasy world you live in is the same one that cost the repubics the election so go for it!

Oh, and another thing. Based on your posting, I'm fairly sure your interpersonal skills have something to do with why your life has been such a struggle.

It's OK Otter, I bet I could still kick his a$$ even with the silver spoon hanging out of mine.

BTW augirl43, I am from Prattville. Not many silver spoons back then. Hard to get on paper mill salary. But when you work hard for what you got, you don't want some socailist prick taking it away to give to other socailist pricks. That's why I am usually anti-dim. I would also like to retire one day and have more to show for my investments that less than 1% return. Just because a person is not a librul, does not mean he is privileged. I know of many more dims that are much more privileged than I. According to your logic, AU IS a cow college and there is more money at uat. Been through AU lately. Lot of money there, not many cows..... So just because I like a strong, nongay, nonlibrul, anti-abortion country, does not mean I am privileged. Let the American people speak. They will see the err of their ways in the next 2 years. By then, maybe we will have stronger grass roots conservative republicans step in and clean up the mess. Goodness knows the republicans in their now have no strong leadership and no gumption to do it. But I'm sure the dims will save us all. After all, they have been intorducing wonderful hate Bush plans up till now. Why stop.?

how is a "nongay, nonlibrul[sic], anti-abortion" country equivalent to american democracy?

[TexasTiger 13,028]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

I don't expect radical legislation, either. And note, I did NOT say that it was a stunning embrace of the Democratic agenda-- just as I believe the 1994 vote was more an angry rejection of the then status quo than an embrace of Republicans-- except in the South. But given the increase in gerrymandered districts since 1994 that were not considered to be competitive, many questioned whether as many seats as did could change hands. No sitting Dem lost a major race yesterday. If that is not b/c there was an embrace of Dems, then it is b/c there was a repudiation of the Republicans. And BTW, when I say "Republican Agenda" I don't mean the PR version, but rather what the actual agenda has been in recent years that simply isn't popular.

[otterinbham 0]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

I don't expect radical legislation, either. And note, I did NOT say that it was a stunning embrace of the Democratic agenda-- just as I believe the 1994 vote was more an angry rejection of the then status quo than an embrace of Republicans-- except in the South.

I would agree with that. Although gerrymandering is really an abuse of whatever party is in power. It's certainly not a GOP innovation.

[TexasTiger 13,028]

This vote is a stunning repuidation of the Republican agenda.

Actually, it's not. The swing, while it makes the Democrats the majority party, was by no means a house-cleaning (forgive the pun). Given some of the huge shifts in Congress over the past Century (1930, 1974, 1980, and 1994), this one is modest in nature. Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect any radical legislation to make it through Congress.

I don't expect radical legislation, either. And note, I did NOT say that it was a stunning embrace of the Democratic agenda-- just as I believe the 1994 vote was more an angry rejection of the then status quo than an embrace of Republicans-- except in the South.

I would agree with that. Although gerrymandering is really an abuse of whatever party is in power. It's certainly not a GOP innovation.

Gerrymander is derived from the district drawn for Elbridge Gerry a couple of centuries ago which was said to look like a salamander. It was roundly criticized at the time. Interestingly, his party was the Democratic-Republicans.

Especially after 1994, incumbents in both parties used their influence to establish safe districts for themselves at the expense of having more competitive districts. Many Dems were more concerned with self preservation even if it meant winning back the House would ultimately be more difficult. Even though polls showed that more of the public preferred a Dem congress than preferred a Republican congress in 1994, most "experts" believed the chance of a sweeping wave was far less due to the lack of competitive districts. It would be almost impossible for the overwhelming majority of districts to go to the other party at this point, and these extremely partisan districts have also led to the House having extremely partisan members of both parties because they have no need to appeal to moderate voters, as do most Senators since they must run statewide and, thus appeal to a broader spectrum.

All that said, even though the Repubs wons more seats in 1994, they were starting at a larger deficit and the Dem margin of control now is slightly higher than what the Repubs had then.

[Wishbone 0]

The people in MN should be sterilized. This is beyond bad. This guy took money from muslim groups that admire Osama Bin Laden. He is also cozy with nation of Islam and has participated in some anti-jew rants.

[otterinbham 0]

The people in MN should be sterilized. This is beyond bad. This guy took money from muslim groups that admire Osama Bin Laden. He is also cozy with nation of Islam and has participated in some anti-jew rants.

Oh, I wouldn't be so fast to pull the trigger on Minnesota. With the exceptioin of the election two days ago, MN has steadily moved from solid Democratic state to swing state. 2-3 more elections, and they'll be solidly in the Republiican camp..