The Democrats are officially the party of free stuff.

It's tough to compete with Santa Claus, especially when you can just keep printing money.

Let our grandchildren learn how to speak mandarin..i hope the Chinese will be sympathetic and generous to them.

I grew up in a Country that told me if I work really hard and focus, i would be rewarded and i could be anything I wanted. Now the Message is: whether you work hard or not, you will be taken care of.

While it does not seem like much, Leadership is what drives the American people, and this message goes a long way to change and coddle the nature of our culture.

THE Q---I'M A DEMOCRAT AND I AGREE WITH YOU.
ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU---ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY... JOHN KENNEDY WOULD BE A SHAME OF WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HAVE BECOME.

What is it with you Republicans and this myth that there are people out there who want to do nothing but sit at home and collect money from the government? Who are these people of whom you speak? Did you ever even stop to wonder?
Studies show that many people receiving government assistance are elderly. (The nerve of those 80-year old leeches—wanting to use all that Social Security money to pay their rent and grocery bills!) Some on assistance are our wounded vets… (Who needs them? Kick the whole lot out into the streets!) Some are disabled. (Out into the streets with them as well!)
Watch this youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUsBvkfQKUw&feature=related
Stay with it long enough to hear the guy say that he’s on Disability, that he receives Veterans’ Benefits, AND that he doesn't pay taxes. Pot calling the kettle black.
Oh! I get it! Your biggest concern: the color of the person’s skin who’s receiving the assistance.

there are 47+M on foods stamps.......that's 1/6 of America.

Well, no foreign contributions other than transfers from his offshore accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.

This story was distributed almost entirely by right-wing blogs. ABC News did a story on the accusation and no evidence this is happening could be found. They stated, "The president’s campaign also requires a copy of a valid passport from any apparently eligible contributor with a foreign mailing address or from a contributor making a gift from a foreign IP address, according to the post. “If they do not offer one in a timely manner, the donation is returned,” the campaign says." These are voluntary according to election law, and the Romney campaign was "vulnerable" in exactly the same way. You also have to consider why would Obama would potentially throw his election away for this? The whole accusation falls apart under any reasonable analysis.

Ah yes, teaching Mandarin in schools means Obama intends to sell out America. This is quite true and helps to explain why America is already being ruled by the Spaniards, French, Germans, Italians, Israelis, and Latins (I didn't even know they were still around), all of whom have had their languages taught for years.

Remember, the key to being a successful country internationally (whether economically or militarily) is not to be able to understand anyone else.

Ahhh, when in doubt, blame the media. Love that game plan.

We won;t mention the fact that the media never ask Romney how he expects states like Texas, Illinois and California to pay for his health plan.

And there's also no need to mention that he was NEVER asked specific steps he will have a better working relationship with Congress. He was just going to do it - POOF!!!

The media let down the electorate again. But you're blind if you think it was one-sided.

Bringin'Down Briarwood,

So, you expect the entire country to pay for health care for the states that bankrupted themselves? Ooops, that is what Obamacare does.

Romney's past history as governor of Mass showed he could work with both sides of congress even though Harry Reid said he would never work with Romney.

I think you are blind and very pro Obama to think the media was not one sided. The main stream media is very liberal and so are most of their hosts/commentators.

MIke, how did Romney's tenure show that? During his entire tenure, the MA legislature was run by veto-proof Democratic majorities. They, amongst other things, removed the governor's ability to appoint senators (this bit them after Ted Kennedy died), but Romney nevertheless issued 800 vetos.

How is issuing 800 vetos in a 4 year term working with the other side of the aisle? And of those 800 the overwhelming majority were overriden by the 85% Democratic legislature. So what exactly, Mike, did Romney's history show that was so bipartisan?

Mikein algonquin,

If Romney was such a fantastic governor, how come he couldn't carry his home state? Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that he was really a lousy governor, would it?

BG Lama

That's a certificate of live birth. His actual birth certificate was released I believe last spring. But, when you read his "birth certificate" there are many different flaws to it.

Joe Nelson - Your belief is part of the reason Republicans lost. As David Frum said last week, Republicans were lied to and "fleeced" by the right wing media business, who sold Republican leadership on false memes that were good for their viewership but bad political strategy (because they were false!).

Jose-

Your comments reflect someone who's simply stubborn, or has not yet grasped the economic/social consequences involved.

It is not in America's 'best interest' to deport young Hispanics who could otherwise become quite productive U.S. citizens if they were granted a way to succeed in life here through benefits of citizenship (jobs/scholarships/internships).

If you would like to have a civil discussion on this, I'm all ears on your perspective.

...and a donkey is also known as an ass. November 6, 2012 is just more proof of that.

Doreen, did you see that 75 Republican election officials were kicked out of polling places in Philadelphia early on election morning only to be reinstated by the courts before lunch? They had a legal right and obligation to be poll watchers, but the Democrats don't take chances in elections. They lie, cheat and steal to win.

Oh. and the voting results? Many of those precincts ended up having over 99% votes for Obama. yes, they were black precincts, but black unemployment has gone through the roof since 2008...one would think that some of these free thinking individuals would've voted for change. Maybe they did. We don't know for sure, but the worst tyrants in the world don't get 99% of the vote in a free election.

Angry? yes. Disgusted? absolutely. Obama did not win by mandate. He barely eclipsed 50% of the popular vote...not real convincing. If Obama does not compromise with the Republican House of Representatives, you will hear a lot of anger over the next 4 years.

I'M A DEMOCRAT, BUT I DO NOT SUPPORT DEMOCRATS ON AMNESTY--THE DREAM ACT.

Move us forward to what? We are facing a very real economic cliff. If Congress and this President do not come to an agreement regarding the existing tax cuts set to expire 1/1/2013 we won't be moving forward. You, me and every tax paying American will be hit with higher tax rates. Those in the 10% tax bracket will see an increase of 5%. If you earn $40,000 in income that's an additional $2000 in taxes annually. Those lower income families who rely on the child tax credits will lose big time. Those credits currently are at $1000 per child will be reduced to $500 plus the refundable portion of that will be reduced. Yes I am angry. I am angry that I work my tush off, pay my taxes, provide for my family and continue to spin my wheels trying to get ahead and all I get are more taxes on everything I earn. Oops I forgot to mention the Obamacare taxes and the global internet tax proposed by the UN which is gaining speed. You are right this is one Angry Elephant!

I take that back, I'm not an Angry Elephant, I'm just angry. I'm angry at both Democrats and Republicans. I have no representation.

Seen on a t-shirt:
Front - Democrats are sexy ...
Back - Whoever had a good piece of elephant?

Jose, what do the Democrats do or believe that you actually agree with? I could run around screaming that "I AM A LITTLE GREEN MAN FROM MARS," but simply shouting something in all caps does not make it true.

How many cases of voter fraud have their been in the USA? This is a non-issue. However, voter suppression is a major issue. Which of these have disenfranchised people who were eligible to vote, but were kicked off the roll or not had their vote counted? Let's deal with a real problem, not one that is a fiction.

Jose,
You are now free to leave the Democratic party!

59 PRECINTS PHILLY AND "0"....ZILCH NO.... NOT ONE SINGLE VOTE FOR ROMNEY????? CMON.... DO YOU SMELL A RAT? BE REAL. IF YA CAN'T BEAR EM.....CHEAT EM.

You recognize that the more you use the refrain "I'm a Democrat" the more it sounds like just that -- a refrain meant to misdirect -- right? I only bring this up because ideas are ideas, it doesn't matter what party you are a part of: if you have a good idea, if you have an idea at all, I'll talk with you. I don't care what party you identify with.

And just watch the wealth haters scream when that begins to happen. those who move won't announce that they are moving and by the time they are gone, the haters will wonder what happened but it will be too late

Almost as entertaining jibberish as Jon Stewart pointed out when he showed Faux News pundits squirming for answers as America chose moving forward instead of back to the 50's. You can catch it in on You Tube or Google it. Avalanche on BS Mountain (his moniker for Fox News). The Republican Party has about 6 years to sort out how they can have a platform that appeals to the average American. Sorry case for them when someone was asked how did the Republican Rape guy do? Which one? Yep, there were two Primary winners that had weird rape scenarios....and that doesn't even include Joe Walsh and Allen West, who both lost. Michelle Bachman barely held on. 3 States okay Gay Marriage by popular vote. The GOP looks like a bunch of old white Country Club guys and they aren't even playing 18, they stopped at the 9 turn and started drinking and smoking cigars trying to figure out what the heck just happened to their tinkle down economics, Gay hating, and gun toting view of the world. it vanished in a flash!

Wow, you need to settle down and climb back in from the ledge. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself -- read Steve Chapman's column from yesterday's Tribune ("Unhinged by Obama") also available at townhall.com for a calm, rational view of the election from a calm, rational conservative.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49726054/Obama_Wins_8_of_the_Nation_s_10_Wealthiest_Counties

Still drinking the koolaid, I see. Yes, you can fool some of the people all of the time.

You'd lose that bet. Because you are uninformed. But go ahead, keep making wild guesses. It's high-larious.

Yeah, I love that. Rush talks about Santa and O'Reilly talks about getting stuff and things....and that's all we hear on this board.

The funny part about this is that the generation that talks most about this absurd "what are we leaving to our children" are the people in their late 40s to mid 60s. And those are the people who have children aged 18-29. And who do those children vote for? Obama.

So I would suggest that rather than pretending to care about your children you do one of several things: A) Convince your children not to vote, since they end up voting against you (and, I suppose, their best interests), B) Prevent your children from voting since they have no idea what they're doing, or C) Accept the fact that your children don't believe and/or don't care one ounce about the crap you're saying about deficits.

Either way, trotting out the phrase "our children" is rather hilarious given the actuality of voting patterns.

To be more accurate, the partisan division tends more to 40% for Dems, 40% for Reps, and roughly 20% independent. And the strategy taken by Team Obama was not about just turning people out, though that definitely was important (it's hard to win if people never actually vote), but also a great deal of persuasion.

This. Thank you for the honesty Jim. If more republicans were like you, the party might not be look a shambles. How any woman voted for the likes of Romney or Akin etc. is beyond me. Intellectual honesty at its finest, folks.

The Republican party has been branded "extreme religious right", and that has ruined the party. Look back at the primaries, where the Republican party has backed the extremists and labeled the moderates as "too liberal"! Romney would have been fine, but he had to cowtow to the far right in order to get the party's nomination. If he had chosen Condolezza Rice for VP--she is pro choice and not as extreme as Ryan--it might have been different. But let me ask this, "Where were those extremists when the votes came in? " They didn't come through for the party, and the party should never let them take over again!

Do you people really believe this stuff? Are you going to be blaming the same people when the economy is still in ruins 4 years from now?

Of course you will.

Forest, even if Republicans moderate their "rhetoric", who would believe them, are they just spouting out words? I certainly would not believe anything the Republicans say. Look at their history: Bush started two wars without raising taxes to pay for them, he did the same with the Prescription plan. AND to make matters worse, Bush lowered taxes, creating huge amounts of debt that we are all stuck with.

They call it "main-stream" because it actually represents a generally objective (to the general population) view , not pandering to either of the extreme political nutz that frequent chats like this

I'm not in charge. I have no power. The economy is a disaster and it isn't going to get better any time soon. You are blaming the wrong people for this mess... and it will cost you.

Yup, that's where the real money goes. Recall, that gramma paid into ss and medicare. These industries just coddle their pol friends and reap immense benefits year after year after year......

Chapman's column is also available at townhall.com

HAAAHHH....you are TOO funny! You were being sarcastic-right?

Winnetka's whining is brought to you by the letter shut the hell up because I'm tired of you hateful racist jerks and your incessant crying and the number 4.

a.) Where did all this alleged voter fraud take place? Name your sources.
b.) Your constitution is my constitution too.
c.) I love America as much as the next person, but “our once noble country” produced 200+ years of slavery, the Trail of Tears, jim crow, poll taxes, Joe McCarthy, Watergate (to name but a few)…
d.) I know quite a few selfish and/or lazy people and a number of them are Republicans. So I’m not sure what your point is…

Flower, let's also keep in mind what Ratso is suggesting about his own competence. He is saying a minority of Americans, all of whom are lazy people, managed to steal this country from true, God-fearing, Americans like him.

If that's really what happened (it isn't), how stupid would someone like Ratso have to be to not notice some lazy people stealing election after election?

"Trying to win elections and independents by telling everyone they are dumb isn't a way to win fans and work together. "

Really? Then why do the Democrats vilify any person who says we need some fiscal constraint? They called us uneducated, ignorant, racists. Why are the Democrats cheering the demise of old white people? They hate our guts, they are cheering for our extinction and they are proudly announcing it to the world right now. Want some links?

Hey Brian, Obama got elected based on the ruthless demonization of large groups of the American public, and he won an awful lot of fans doing it. Don't lecture me about civility.

One more thing. Everyone keeps saying we have to compromise. That's the right way to negotiate. As long as everyone is willing to compromise we will have a civil society and it will be a win-win for everyone. Well, not everyone.

When we compromise on raising the debt ceiling, and allow government to spend insane amounts of money... who is making the compromise? ... who is on the hook for the bill? The next generation will have to pay the bill, that's who.

Our children, who are not present at the negotiating table, will be enslaved by our desire to live luxurious retirements free from worry. We all agree to make defenseless people pay our bills and we call it "compromise" and "compassion".

Negotiating with property that isn't yours is not "compromise", it's fraud.

So you cited some negative "compromises." There are other ways as well. And you are making it sound like I want Repubs to bend to Obama's will. I didn't say that either. We need to scale things back a bit on a governmental side, but we need to find common ground on what to cut. When one side wants to fix things with taxing the wealthy more, and the other wants to privatize a lot of gov't roles, those are things we need to look at together and find middle ground for each.

I also never said the left was guilt free in name calling. That's a big part of what politics has become. But whining about losing because you all feel the deck was stacked isn't going to help you win the next time around. There is a reason over 62 million people voted for Obama and as much as you want people to believe it is only false votes and uniformed voters that just isn't true.

I was merely pointing out the hypocrisy in your advice to Republicans to stop demonizing segments of the population when that was the primary method of campaigning for the Democrats.

We are living in a world now where the Republicans/conservatives/Tea Party/white men have been so demonized that everyone feels free to say the most horrible things about them, all the way up to cheering their extermination, while at the same time advising them to stop saying horrible things about other groups... or else no one will like them.

It's ridiculous. I can only ask you to stop believing the "big lie".

You don't know me or how I feel about republicans ranters or democrat ravers. You're right, the political landscape (especially every four years) is nothing but lies, half truths, and how good you are at slandering your opposition. My point here is that after a loss (and I know the left did it twice with Bush as well) it does no good to on about how everyone is screwed because of the "rigged" election.

One side won...they may not be who you agree with, but the way this country works, if you want to stay here for four years, is that you do your best to live with the guy and speak your mind with coherent ideas...the electorate and the politicians. We can't have everyone throwing up roadblocks, be it strong arming things through in Wisconsin and legislators leaving the state rather than talk, or telling the media that your only goal is to make the president a one term wonder. All the other rhetoric just makes things worse.

Yes, my original point was only aimed at Republicans because that's who you hear loudly after the election, but you are right...everyone needs to realize that we all still share this heavily divided country...whether your guy is at the top or not.

Do the Democrats think they have to share this country with Republicans? I don't see any of that. None at all. Do you?

No, which is why I cited the Wisconsin example as well. The fact that the dems left was atrocious in my eyes. And I do hope that Obama listens to some ideas from the right as well. Unfortunately for you (and roughly half the nation,) the next four years has a democrat in the White House. While I do feel he should make concessions as well, he is the President so most things will still have a left feel. That's how things generally go. The nation is basically a see-saw that tips one way or the other for four to eight years at which time those in the middle vote the other way to tilt it again.

We can call it a truce for now, but the idea that the country goes back and forth across the center every 8 years or so is only partially correct. Every cycle we go farther and farther to the left, but that's an issue for another debate.

It’s evil in America to be successful and have wealth?
No one is calling anyone evil.
We just want a more fair and equitable tax code. Not one that’s skewed in favor of the uber-rich. That’s all.
Where do you get your information? Try listening to NPR instead of Talk Radio and Fox News.

I actually disagree with flower child here to a degree. I see it this way: we all benefit from improvements to our infrastructure, education system, and innovation. And I want to see these things get even better. So I am going to pay my taxes at the level that I can afford to give my kids better opportunities than the ones that I have had. And I expect my fellow Americans to do that: pay what they can afford. Not what is fair, what they - can - afford.

You think no social engineering is going on now?
People making more $ should pay a higher %. Currently it is actually the inverse. On the books, the tax “rates” look like they favor the poor, but in practice the opposite is true.
A flat tax (like what we have in IL, by the way) unduly burdens lower earners.
A progressive tax is actually a win-win, when those with less get to keep more, those with the goods to sell (presumably the people at the high end of earnings tables) sell more.
Some facts for you:
FACT #1: Long-Term Capital Gains
Those in the top sliver of our society make their livings not with salaries, but with capital gains. The tax rate for Long-Term gains is 15%. Period. No matter which tax “bracket” you’re in. No matter how much in LT capital gains you report in a given year. The Fortune 500’s salaries might be taxed at the rate of 35%, but when you average out all their income (salary + LT capital gains), they pay on average at the rate of 17-20% (but only on the assets NOT stocked away in tax shelters, if you take that income into account, they pay far, far less, %-wise).
FACT #2: the F.I.C.A. salary cap
The payroll tax--a.k.a. F.I.C.A.--what pays for Soc Sec’y and Medicare--skims 7.65% from the paycheck of every worker, from minimum-wage on up, with no deductions, no exemptions--EXCEPT that everything above $106,800/year is untouched, which means that anyone earning 68 million a year pays the same F.I.C.A. as anyone earning $106,801.

Cite your sources

Then please explain how the Republicans held the House and Governors seats.

As noted above, the house GOP majority is in for the long haul b/c gerrymandered districts won't turn over easily, even if more people vote D than R across the whole spectrum. The Senate moved a huge step to the female left despite many more D than R seats being up for grabs. Watch out Senate Rs in 2014, though the D turnout machine will be off till 2016. Governors' races are often wild card affairs anyway. Heck, the Mittster won in heavily D Mass., though it should be noted that those who know him the best (MA, UT, MI) like him the least now.

Gary, here are the vote totals for the House of Representatives. I'd like to know what you think they mean.

Republicans: 53,822,442
Democrats: 54,301,095

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/11/09/house-democrats-got-more-votes-than-house-republicans-yet-boehner-says-hes-got-a-mandate/

GOP painted itself in a corner in Illinois with Governor Ryan. Then along came Blago but his problems did not stick to the Democrats because the voters saw Blago digging his own political grave on TV. So the ball in Illinois is in the GOP's corner. Instead of whining about Madigan and so on the GOP must rebuild the Illinois Party from the ground up. Want a firecracker idea? About the elimination of townships? Illinois has over 7000 units of government, more than any other states. Pennsylvania is second with 5000. Too many very small school districts and other real small govt units. Ask a GOP officeholder about eliminating townships and they go into a complete defense of townships mode. Why? Because both GOP and DEMS have friends employed in those needless township offices. 20 states have townships and 30 states manage well with county governments.

Well said Gary... Honestly it boggles the mind to think about the current Illinois financial situation and then double down on democrats!! Illinois democratic are not the ones your collage professors told you about, they are the self-serving political machine driven politicians that only serve their own interests. I only wish folks would come out of the democratic bubble long enough to see where we are heading.