Penske's only ornery when he's really been hitting the jug wine.

This is the Democrat position on Free Trade:

"Brown criticized DeWine for his votes supporting CAFTA, and favoring NAFTA. Throughout his tenure in the House Brown has been steadfast in his opposition to free trade and free trade agreements.. He has made his opposition to free trade the centerpiece of his campain and now he is going to take this fight to the Senate."

This is not a good day for free trade.

Uh, Spanky, I think that you might be the only one -- including the President -- who is thinking right now about the impact on of the elections on free trade.

Woo hoo hoo!
 

Texas House
State Rep. Dist. 134 In: 42%
Martha Wong, R (I)
12,135 43.6%
Ellen Cohen, D
15,101 54.3%
Mhair S. Dekmezian, L
579 2.1%

cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA cha-cha-cha-cha-cha-CHA

Conga! Everyone!

Woo hoo hoo!
 

Heh, this cracks me up:

Woo hoo hoo!
 

Someone named "Sekula-Gibbs" running as a write-in has an uphill battle indeed.

A new day
 

2. I think. Either the republicans will "get it" and realize they need to support candidates like Lincoln Chafee and even less liberal, but not way right candidates (like Santorum). Or recognize that the party will be a persistent minority, absent periodic sex scandals by Democratic leaders.

A new day
 

Did Sebby mean "good thing" as in it will help Rs keep the white house in 08, or good thing as in gridlock is good?

Start Shorting Rea Estate
 

I am happy that the GOP lost the House. Less happy that it looks like they will lose the Senate too.

Also wondering what effect the sunset of the tax cuts, coupled with the ARMs that are coming up in the next few years (which, I understand, is a larger number than in the past few years) will have on the real estate market. Thoughts?

A new day
 

The irony is that many of the Republicans who lost were moderates in the Northeast and Midwest, finally dragged down by their association with the conservatives. The Republicans left in Congress will be even more conservative. Which is going to make it that much harder for them to elect the next generation of Lincoln Chafees and Nancy Johnsons.

For the first time in many decades, the party controlling the South will not control Congress.

Tell me, what do you think of Bush's passport restrictions going into effect on the Canadian border? Free trade issue?

The Canadians are up in arms over it, as it is expected to have a big impact on trading with (and traveling to) our biggest trading partner.

HANK WON, I WAS WRONG.
 

Hank my man,

I will hereby announce publicly that you won our bet for 1 month board support, so I'm contacting RT to get her a check. I'm a man who pays his debts.

If you recall, I predicted a Democratic House and a 2-3 seat net gain for the Democrats in the Senate.

The Democrats have picked up at least four seats in the Senate(not counting VA (yet), but counting Steele out in MD -- no way the absentee votes put him over). So, I was wrong. Mea Culpa. Chinaski 57,432 - Libs 12.

S_A_M

P.S. You said you wanted us to start fielding more attractive candidates . . .

P.P.S. This was almost the perfect anti-GOP storm, but still the Dem. Party has shown it can move to the center. Many of the new Dems elected are comparatively moderate (even a number of social conservatives). Us DLC types are taking the day off to raise a toast!

P.P.P.S. The fact that Michael Steele won 46% of the vote in MD in this election climate shows what a great candidate he is. Very charismatic. Seems like a nice, reasonable guy -- though too conservative for me on many issues. Hold onto this one.

Start Shorting Rea Estate
 

The sunsets are in 2010, right? That's a good ways off. Besides, even if Pelosi declared today that the sunsets will absolutely, positively happen, and not be extended into infinity, the markets know better, and that they have two more election cycles to work with before any sunset would occur.

They were also miffed that we put machine guns on Coast Guard boats on the Great Lakes.

Start Shorting Rea Estate
 

1. Tax cut sunsets will have a general effect on economy, not just on real estate. But I would guess it will be subdued. It will mean that some people will accelerate gains to pay at lower rates. And some people may accelerate death in 2010. If everyone's smart, they won't bother with any changes now, because Bush would veto anything repealing them before 2010, and obviously he can't get them extended now . . . So the action will be in 2009, and who knows how the elections will turn out then. I could see the Senate swinging back to R, and of course the presidency could become D, or HRC.

2. On ARMs and real estate. It's already a problem, but I doubt it will send the foreclosure rate up greatly. Anyone whose ARM is coming up soon probably already has plenty of appreciation. And for the rest, the mortgage cos. will likely refi anyway, albeit at a higher rate. The real consequence will be on consumer spending, because mortgages will start soaking up a lot of free cash.

A new day
 

Part of the reason those folks lost is because they weren't serving any function any more - the Rs gave them the cold shoulder on appropriations issues, because the Red States were unremittingly muscling into the trough and snorting down as much as they could, and in their home states it was hard to argue that people should keep them around so as to have a voice in the party that controlled Washington. This is particularly true of Rhode Island.

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Let 'em bitch. We kicked their asses in the War of 1812, and we can do it again if we need to.

Yes, but that is much less a trade issue than the passport one. For people near the border (read: almost all Canadians), this is one of the biggest issues around.

The cost of Molson will be affected.

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Um, no we didn't.

How do you define "trade"?

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Right. I'd like to see you say that to my face, tough guy.

eta: Um, didn't we sort of win the war of 1812? Burning down the White House and all that?

(I suspect Not Bob is making a funny with his post).

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Canada (well, the British occupying Canada, and increasingly populating it with Tory Americans and immigrants who didn't even speak the language) also showed the good sense not to demand the return of Detroit in the peace treaty.

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

All I know is that I don't have to take my hat off for the Queen.

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Why do you hate America, Ty? Try reading some Not America Hating Propoganda one of these days, and you'll rediscover that we won.

Let's look at the evidence:

We burned Toronto. They burned Detroit. Advantage us (sorry, Hank, but I think most of us agree that we got the better of that deal).

We had the undefeated USS Constitution. Any Canadian naval victories? No.

We had *pirates* on our side. They had some Indians on their side, who they now have to call "First Nations Peoples," or something like that. Clear victory for us, yet again.

Electioneering
 

For kicks, and because it really doesn't matter in DC, I went for electronic voting yesterday. Sweet. Now, if I'd never touched a computer in my life, I could see maybe how someone might be confused by the large ballot facsimile that appears on the screen. Indeed, an elderly person might be tempted to poke at the screen with a pencil. But for the internet generation it was as much fun as posting in an online-style forum.

Oh, and they really ought to implement in Outlook for "reply to all", at least for partners, the requirement that you confirm about 7 times before you cast your ballot.

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Which side had ninjas? I think that would decide it.

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Or stand during Handel's Messiah!!

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

Indeed. All you get is no obligation to stand during the 7th inning stretch.

CNN says Rumsfeld is stepping down.

You read it here first.

If we lived in Japan, the news would be "Rumsfeld commits hari kiri."

And Robert Gates in. Who's Robert Gates?

HANK WON, I WAS WRONG.
 

the bet was with you? I thought it was with SHP. do you guys worry that you blend together?

"We've already apologized for Celine Dion."
 

if they burned Detroit now, we'd be used to it- no biggie- but back then we hadn't seen it before.

If he does this on Monday, we win VA, MO and NJ.

Hamas - Truce Over
 

Any correlation to last night's victory?

• DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal said Wednesday that a truce with Israel is finished and his group's militants can resume fighting following an Israeli tank attack that killed 18 Palestinians.
  
  Militants will answer the deaths with "deeds, not words," Mashaal told a news conference in the Syrian capital.
  
  "The truce (with Israel) ended at the end of 2005," Mashaal said. "The armed struggle is free to resume, and the resistance is dictated by local circumstances."
  
  The truce formally ended last year but had remained in effect.
  
  Palestinian witnesses and officials said Israeli tank shells crashed into a residential neighborhood early Wednesday, killing at least 18 people, including 10 children, in their sleep.
  
  Security officials said that five tank shells landed in the area near the town of Beit Hanoun within 15 minutes. Most of the casualties were in a row of homes belonging to members of one extended family, officials said.
  
  

Rove is a Genius
 

That's my read, too. I'm not sure why he and Bush hung on.

In other news, here's George Allen the day after the election in Florida, "we'll need to move America forward as soon as those votes are cast."

I enjoy a recount as much as the next guy, but I think it will be amusing listening to the Rs justify turning Virginia into a legal free-for-all.

HANK WON, I WAS WRONG.
 

(a) Maybe you had two bets?

(b) I no longer worry about what goes on in your head.

S_A_M

The Democrat don't know the difference from a donkeys' rear end and a hole in the ground. The one thing they all know for sure is raise taxes, spend to much and molly coddle evry jerk water fanatic bunch in the world as if being diplomatic will change a terrorest into a saint!

hevan help us!

Maybe not NJ, but I wouldn't have been shocked. Probably would have saved a few House seats, too.

Rove is a Genius
 

Because that is who they are -- bitter enders. Don't do anything to admit a mistake until it has already cost you big. Loyalty and resolve are virtues to a point.

Heh. Hell, when you have a state-wide election as close as that, you have to expect a recount. Nothing wrong with it.

Bottom line though, is that the history of VA recounts (from what I hear) tend to show very little movement. That state runs a pretty tight ship.

S_A_M