I am really really afraid of election day.. not because I think we're gonna lose either house...

[Rosco T.]

.. but because when things don't go their way, the TeaBaggers and idiots are gonna get violent. They're gonna be violent at the polls trying to intimidate people, stop people from voting. They're gonna go so far in some cases to actually try to steal the ballots (physically) when they start getting the idea that things are not going to go their way. I fear voter riots. And when they lose, I fear outright "second amendment remedies" that local officials will either stand by and let happen... or participate in.

I fear for all those that will be hurt....

That's My Opinion. Deal With It.

[Vickers]

1. I think it's sweet how they think they're the only ones who are armed. n/t

[Lugnut]

26. I think it's amusing.

This liberal Democratic household has an arsenal in the gun cabinet. DH has a permit to carry a concealed weapon for personal protection. :)

[Nay]

28. I also think it's sweet that they think they are the only ones who

can punch and stomp. They have spent so many years circulating the meme that dems are cowards, wussy, French, etc. that they actually believe it.
Having said that, I add that I don't believe there will be any violence on election day.

[Winterblues]

37. Do you think that gal was all by herself when she was stomped on?

Who stood up for her? I wasn't there but if I had been I am pretty sure I would have ended up in the hospital as well along with a few of the Baggers...Most people especially Democrats are not violent people..I do not shy away from it as quickly as most though.

[leftstreet]

2. The Teabaggers will fade way after the election

Only to be brought back for the next one

[Bigmack]

5. I thought Palin would disappear after the election... nt

[spin]

11. She would have but the damn media, TV comedians and Democrats ...

just couldn't resist ridiculing her.

She would have had her 15 minutes of fame and ended up back in Alaska hunting moose had we not have given her attention.

She definitively wasn't prepared to run for VP with McCain but give any person with an average intelligence four years to study with good teachers and they can be well versed on a subject.

But just keep on making fun of poor Sarah and building her support with conservatives and she may have the last laugh one day.

Remember Ronald Regan and G.W. Bush? They never impressed anyone with their shear intelligence but they both won two presidential races.

Sometimes liberals and Democrats are too smart for their own good.

[RaleighNCDUer]

24. So the solution is to shut your eyes and hope it disappears, like the boogeyman?

Hate to break it to you, Palin is no boogeyman. She is real, and not going anywhere, and it had fuck all to do with anyone ridiculing her.

The same billionaires that are now backing the Tea Party picked her as their next talking dummy, and it is not HER that is getting her noticed, but their hundreds of millions of dollars.

You talk as if you think it really is HER, not the packaged image, that is the problem.

[spin]

38. It's my contention that Sarah Palin used the ridicule as fertilizer ...

to grow into the political force that she is today. Experts say ANY publicity is good. She got piles of bad publicity but it didn't destroy her. Midnight comedians loved to slap her around but she was the punching doll that pops right back up when you hit it and punches back. Most people in her situation would have just quietly left the political scene like a dog with its tail between its legs. Not Sarah. She has described herself as a pit bull with lipstick and that might be an accurate description. I am very familiar with Pit Bulls and they are tenacious.

But not everybody was laughing at all the bullying. Conservatives started to support her and looked at her as an underdog. The Tea Party proved to be her salvation.

The post I was replying to was I thought Palin would disappear after the election.I was explaining why she didn't disappear.

You correctly point out that she has the support of some powerful and wealthy people, and she got that support because she showed that she could draw conservatives despite (and in fact because of) ridicule. I suspect that they hope to use her as a puppet as you suggest, but she might go rogue on them.

Will she run for President? It's far too early to tell. Right now I suspect Donald Trump will run and she might get another shot a VP at the best.

[Missy Vixen]

40. Our attorney describes herself as a "pit bull in a dress"

I'd back her every day of the week over Palin.

Palin will crumble under the scrutiny of a second Presidential campaign. She couldn't even hack being the governor of a smallish state, and this time, the stakes are higher.

She's a sideshow. She's also one scandal away from being irrelevant, IMHO.

[spin]

42. The fact that she resigned from her job as Governor ...

will definitely hurt any chances that she has to win a Presidential election. She can discuss her reasons for doing so, but many Americans will refuse to vote for her despite any logic she can create.

I personally feel that Obama will be in a good position to win a second term in office. The economy is starting to show signs of improvement. The recession was extremely deep and the recovery has been slowed by Congress and their inability to address issues such as future taxes. Business is also concerned about hiring new employees as it's hard to predict the cost of healthcare at this point. Those issues will be in better focus as the Presidential election approaches.

If the the economy is well on the way to recovery and we have not had any other major disasters or major terrorist attacks, Obama should be able to win his second term just as Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton did.

But if the economy is still in the dumpster or we have suffered through another 9-11 style attack, Obama will face a tough road to reelection. In that case, I personally believe that Hillary Clinton will emerge to challenge Obama as the Democratic candidate. The division that such an action would cause to the party might weaken the final candidate and allow the possibility for a strong run by someone like Sarah Palin.

Donald Trump is also beginning to make noises about running for President on the Republican ticket. Trump might be Obama's worst nightmare, especially if the country is still negotiating troubled waters.

My main object in making posts like this is to warn fellow Democrats to never underestimate your opponents. It's fun to laugh at Sarah Palin but as Sun Tzu said in the "Art of War",

"He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them."

"There is no greater disaster than underestimating your enemy. Underestimating your enemy means loosing your greatest assets. When equal forces meet in battle, victory will go to the onethat enters with the greatest sorrow."

[2Design]

20. I had hope so too - then they put bristol on dancing with stars n/t

[defendandprotect]

3. Agree with you .... women's organizations have always said that ....

when the right is down, they're violent --

but nothing new ....

the only way the right wing can rise is thru violence -- look at all history!

Look at our 50+ years of out-in-the-open right wing political violence!

[blue sky at night]

4. you have a point...

but they win when we live in fear, the pukes win, the teabaggers, the douchebaggers, the terrorists, the wackos, the assholes all win when you live in fear.

fuck them, if they act up it will end it for them, they will be more than disgraced and discredited...they will be in jail or killed in self-defense.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. A prophet is never appreciated in his own country.

Next week we will test your accuracy.

[Rosco T.]

9. Believe me, I wish to be very, very, very wrong on violence....

.. but the signs of the times say otherwise.

[Ozymanithrax]

12. I do agree that the signs are there, and the results.

Republicans ahve run using the langauge of violence in order to lead the deranged tea party. After using the langague of violence, it will be dificult for them to turn it off, even if they are so obliged.

[DaveinJapan]

7. In your scenario, it's a definite possibility however

the overwhelming analysis seems to have them taking over the House.

If that's what happens, I'm pretty sure they'll claim it as a huge victory and then calm down for a bit (all the while downplaying the Senate as "unimportant").

If what you suggest happens, that the Democratic party retains control, then yeah I'm pretty fearful things could get ugly quick. The notion that they might lose isn't even on their radar right now, there will be some severely unhinged people out there if we win.

Even so, I believe it's essential that we win. The consequences otherwise will be far worse in the long run.

[aquart]

8. Oh, honey. Let them riot.

That's what all that pretty riot control equipment Homeland Security paid for is for.

[RaleighNCDUer]

25. They don't riot. They shoot from the dark, and they plant explosives,

and mail letter bombs. They attack gays and women and minorites, if the victims are alone and vulnerable. They run people off the road for having the wrong bumperstickers.

They don't riot.

[CommonSensePLZ]

10. So what?

We don't need to go there, they just need to let go of some of their selfishness and get better political ideas, but if they do choose to do that the 2nd amendment wasn't written just for their use. Just sayin'...

[Rosco T.]

13. Cause we're better than that.. don't go there n/m

[aikoaiko]

30. We're better than defending ourselves?

I'm there. And I support any Democrat who defends him or herself from rethugery.

[CommonSensePLZ]

31. Well, at least Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin have denounced violence

Even if they might've thrown some twigs and sprinkled some gasoline on the fire at some point or other; You gotta respect at least THAT much about them.

[Nye Bevan]

14. Don't be so terrified. I don't remember anything like that when Obama was elected.

And I'm pretty sure nothing much will happen this time around.

[krkaufman]

36. huh?!?

guy that shot police in PA?
recent highway shooter in CA?
church shooter in KY?
crazy dude shot by wife in ME?

And those are just off the top of my head. And all of them have been linked back to right wing extremism and/or hate radio/television.

[Nye Bevan]

39. Oh, a crazy dude was shot by his wife in Maine?

I take it back. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[krkaufman]

41. To be more specific, since you apparently prefer snide remarks ...

... to checking for yourself:

An application for membership in the National Socialist Movement filled out by (James) Cummings also was found in the residence, according to the report. ... Cummings was “very upset” when Barack Obama was elected president (link)

The question isn't one of probability of personal harm but one of likelihood of right wing violence as a result of falling short in the elections.

A slightly longer list

[Ikonoklast]

15. Well, they can try going the violence route.

And they can also get killed trying it.


Won't be so much fun when the police are shooting back...not near as much fun as beating up defenseless women.

[RainDog]

16. I would love to be able to smack the shit out of a teabagger

but I won't do that unless they attack first.

however, if they do, they'll pay for their action. I will hurt them.

[county worker]

17. Then get violent back! Jesus we are such wusses!

I wasn't afraid in Vietnam. I don't know why that was, I should have been. But you being afraid here at home really gets to me!

[struggle4progress]

18. don't borrow trouble. just gotv

[shanti]

19. violence

it's amazing that there hasn't been electoral violence in the u.s. yet. but third world countries go through this every election day. they take their politics seriously, check out jamaica. we're heading down that road.

[Bitwit1234]

21. And you all remember what they tried to do in Florida

Rove sent a bunch of bully's from DC and they recruited some thugs off the streets in Florida to help. They broke in to where they were counting the ballots and tried to break in the doors and destroy the integrity of the ballots. But remember they were kept at bay and couldn't make it in. There is a picture someone took and most up front had been identified as republican members of Roves committees. NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WAS DONE TO ANY OF THEM. This is the type of thing republicans do, because they know they can get by with it.

[glinda]

22. I am sick of election day falling on my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. I've seriously thought the same thing. After all, in the immortal words

of Sharon Angle, the 2nd Amendment solutions are not the 1st choice - the implication being that they are the remedy for the first choice failing.

[McCamy Taylor]

27. How I hope!

[AsahinaKimi]

29. Those who

live by the sword, die by the sword. Yeah, I know people don't use swords now. But, the words are still true. Let them start shit, it will end up with them deep in their own.

[Codeine]

32. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Freeptards said the same shit in 2008.

Black Panthers were gonna rampage at polling places and shit. Stupid from them, stupid from us.

Willing to put money on the probability of widespread violence?

[slackmaster]

33. It's inevitable that the losing side an any given race is going to accuse the winner of cheating

The tantrums are what makes this kind of election so entertaining.

[Brickbat]

34. Meh, I'm not afraid of bullies and rabid dogs.

[krkaufman]

35. *Should* Rethugs not win the House _or_ Senate ....

... it's difficult to imagine them accepting that the 'Murkin peeple rejected their extremism.