Surely Landrieu can beat this crazy looking guy

[Laura PourMeADrink]

LANDRIEU IN ONE OF OUR TOSS UP RACES AGAINST REP BILL CASSIDY. UPDATE ON POLL
NEW ORLEANS --SNIP
A survey taken by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows Landrieu leading Cassidy by a 50 percent to 40 percent margin.
Two Republican surveys show a much closer race. The OnMessage, Inc. poll shows Landrieu leading Cassidy 45-41. The Harper Polling-Conservative Intel poll has Cassidy up 47-45.


http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/senate-control-in-2014-increasingly-looks-like-a-tossup/?_r=0

[kentuck]

1. She needs the liberals in the Party in order to win.

She cannot win with conservative votes alone. As usual, liberals are admonished to be sure to vote or else the Republican will win. Strange that if a liberal were running for the same office, no one would admonish the conservative Democrats to be sure to vote or else the Republican will win?? Wonder why the double standard?

[treestar]

2. Lets have a Republican Senate over that

That'll teach those centrists!

[kentuck]

3. I guess the majority prefers Republican policies over Democratic policies?

If we all have to support conservative policies in order to get a "D" in office?

But why shouldn't centrists be asked to vote for liberals the same way liberals are asked to vote for centrists?

[treestar]

4. centrists are more likely to win

and head off Republican victories.

[kentuck]

6. Why is that?

Because liberals will vote for centrists but centrists will not vote for liberals?

[dawg]

7. Boom!

That was a direct hit.

[treestar]

8. centrists would vote for liberals

and never threaten to stay home.

And they get that Republicans are in fact a lot more conservative.

Take abortion. On that one issue, explain who "there is no difference between Rs and Ds."

[kentuck]

9. If that were the case...

It would be better to run a liberal for the office Because if the centrists would vote for the liberals and the liberals would vote for the centrists, what would be the difference??

[treestar]

10. You're the one calling the likes of me centrist

real centrists might vote for Democrats you consider to be too far to the right, but at least not as far right as the Republicans are. And they do not threaten to stay home. I've never heard a "centrist" say they were going to stay home, withdraw support or go third party because the candidate was too liberal.

I've been battling this silly argument forever. Right wingers use it too, claiming McCain lost because he was not conservative enough, etc.. It seems the people on both extremes simply don't get that they are on the extreme ends and that most voters aren't where they are.

[kentuck]

11. It doesn't make sense...

For people to say that we cannot win the seat unless there is a centrist and, at the same time, say that centrists do not stay home and that they would vote for a liberal rather than a far-right winger? If that were the case, a liberal would get more votes than a centrist every time, if it is the liberals that stay home rather than vote for a centrist?

[treestar]

12. Centrists in your opinion

are people who would never stay home because the candidate is too liberal.

Centrists of my opinion are people who are really in the center and might vote Republican, being that near the center. The Republican could seem closer to them than the Democrat does on the issues.

The people who end up in office are going to be centrists, by definition. The ones large numbers of people will vote for. The Rs and Ds both want those votes, while those on the both extremes complain and would rather lose apparently.

[TheKentuckian]

14. No, they don't threaten to stay home they hit the polls and pull the lever for a Reagan or a Bush.

They come back only if they feel the TeaPubliKlan economics and imperialism will not be a too much risk of seeing any substantive tampering. They come boo hooing about choice being at risk after allowing wicked, greedy, controlling fucks to stack the courts because they substantially believe in Voodoo Economics and/or fretted some tall tales of welfare queens in Cadillacs or were quivering that some Communist or middle eastern boogieman that a Democrat might perhaps not deal with strongly or fuck it the TeaPubliKlans ran a guy that they might rather have a beer with (or flat felt a tingle in a crush of some sort).

What issue(s) are you forced to surrender and/or compromise to the left on? What are you giving on exactly by being in a coalition with liberals or even leftists that gets under the skin or cause pain?

I don't get the smarminess of the more conservative set when their end leaks voters by the millions that demand ball be played with them but attack like rabid dogs the left over a much smaller number less apt to walk out and who are absolutely never approaching a free reign in direction setting anyway.

The right like THE RIGHT demands full dictatorial command. No one cares about the hypocritical preaching from folks getting their way that run off in fucking droves at the first sign that they might have to give from their positions.

[n2doc]

5. Unfortunately the Party won't allow for a fair primary of her

So LA voters are stuck with republican Mary or super nut job as their choices.

And before anyone wants to yell at me for that comment, would a democrat introduce this?

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu Introduces the Freedom to Pray Act
By UCN on July 13, 2013 8:46 AM


U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu has introduced a bill to forbid the federal government from withholding money from programs whose participants engage in voluntary religious activity after a group that requires church attendance lost $30,000.
Landrieu introduced the Freedom to Pray act Thursday. The Louisiana Democrat has been working on it for a year since learning from a constituent that the Young Marines program in Bossier Parish might lose federal money because of what Landrieu described as voluntary prayer and "the mention of God in the program."

During that time, the U.S. Department of Justice withdrew a $30,000 grant.

The Young Marines of the Marine Corps League, a national group, describes itself as a youth education and service program for boys and girls from 8 years old through high school, focusing on character building, leadership, and a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, according to its national website. It's the focus of the U.S. Marine Corps' anti-drug program, it said.

The website states that each member must agree to "keep myself clean in mind by attending the church of my faith" and to pledge that "I shall never do anything that would bring disgrace or dishonor upon my God, my Country and its flag, my parents, myself or the Young Marines."

Under the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religion, those requirements put it over the line as far as receiving federal money, said Marjorie Esman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Louisiana office.

"I think that Landrieu's Freedom to Pray bill is unnecessary, in that voluntary prayer is always allowed," Esman said. "The problem with this Young Marine program is they are required to swear to God -- some god -- and to attend church -- some church -- which requires them to have one and have a faith. Which is where the problem lies, and Sen. Landrieu's bill will not solve this problem."



http://urbanchristiannews.com/ucn/2013/07/us-sen-mary-landrieu-introduces-the-freedom-to-pray-act.html

[bhikkhu]

15. It is all fairly ridiculous, but a senator represents his or her state after all

Republican states tend to have the worst education systems, and that feeds into their whole world view. Then there is some diffusion of that basic ignorance throughout the culture, and it should be no surprise to find a backward representative of a backward people, regardless of party.

[Hippo_Tron]

13. The presumption is that the conservative Democrats would prefer a Republican to a liberal Democrat

[bluestate10]

16. Regardless of who is running, I always vote for and support the democrat.

The alternative is unacceptable. In a primary, I vote for the person whose views most closely match my own. I live in a deep blue state, so US office holders in my state mirror my political views, or are so close that the difference isn't an issue for me. But, if I lived in a red state and only had a choice between a conservative Democrat and a republican, I would vote for the Democrat. If Landrieu ran against her brother in a Democratic primary, she will likely be defeated handily, her brother is closer to the Center if not slightly progressive. But given that Landrieu is running against a republican, not supporting her isn't wise.