# 2009 Election Results **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 4, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238 "2009-11-04T01:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/161 "2009-11-05T03:51:08Z")
Lemme see if I got this right: Losing two state races = referendum on President Obama. Winning two Congressional races = never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/162 "2009-11-05T04:01:25Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > Lemme see if I got this right: > > Losing two state races = referendum on President Obama. > > Winning two Congressional races = never mind. When you’re the world’s only remaining super-party, you create your own reality. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/163 "2009-11-05T04:22:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > “Mangled” meaning with, or without, a public option? > > I agree that SOMETHING will pass. They have to, for sheer PR value. The question is will it include a public option? > > Yes, sorta. The majority of voters want their health care free, but don’t want to pay for it. Who is getting this free health care? Is it workers who get it from employers? Is it politicians with their health care? Perhaps it is you? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/164 "2009-11-05T14:22:48Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Who is getting this free health care? Is it workers who get it from employers? Is it politicians with their health care? Perhaps it is you? Reading is fundamental. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/165 "2009-11-05T14:26:22Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > So those polls I linked to, that showed the Republicans polling in the single digits and teens everywhere but the South, they were “wishful thinking”? Yes. A few years ago polls showed the opposite, and the Democrats were the ones wringing their hands. Ideology has not changed. The Republican brand is not all that popular just now, largely because of economy/Iraq issues. These tend to be cyclical. (FTR, I also disbelieve the specific poll numbers that you quoted, but it’s irrelevant here, as above.) > [@](#): > > That’s somewhat different from a law of physics, I hope you realize. People, parties, movements don’t have to heed “practical considerations.” An evolutionary law can be flouted in the short run; it’s just that the result is a dimunition of the species. Right, but when that happens the parties swing back to the middle in order to survive. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/166 "2009-11-05T15:05:47Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Yes. A few years ago polls showed the opposite, and the Democrats were the ones wringing their hands. Ideology has not changed. Not sure what you mean by ‘the opposite,’ but I’m sure that the Dems have never had numbers like that. > [@](#): > > (FTR, I also disbelieve the specific poll numbers that you quoted, but it’s irrelevant here, as above.) A) Those poll numbers directly address your absurd contention that the two parties are always equidistant from the American center. B) If you simply don’t believe them, that’s nice, but I could say the same thing about any evidence or argument you produced. Once you go down that avenue, there’s really no point in debating, is there? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/167 "2009-11-05T15:11:29Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Not sure what you mean by ‘the opposite,’ but I’m sure that the Dems have never had numbers like that. Those specific numbers are not important. > [@](#): > > A) Those poll numbers directly address your absurd contention that the two parties are always equidistant from the American center. No, they don’t. As previously explained, there are other issues that impact popularity of political parties, beyond ideology. > [@](#): > > B) If you simply don’t believe them, that’s nice, but I could say the same thing about any evidence or argument you produced. Once you go down that avenue, there’s really no point in debating, is there? OK. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/168 "2009-11-05T16:25:22Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > Lemme see if I got this right: > > Losing two state races = referendum on President Obama. > > Winning two Congressional races = never mind. Mirrored statement: Mrs. Pelosi said “From my perspective, we won last night. We had one race that we were engaged in – it was in northern New York. It was a race where a Republican has held a seat since the Civil War, and we won that seat. So from our standpoint, no. We had a candidate that was victorious who supports the health-care reform… So from our standpoint, we picked up voted last night, one in California [CA-10] and one in New York.” To paraphrase, the only race that mattered was the one the Dem’s won. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/169 "2009-11-05T16:38:04Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Mirrored statement: > > Mrs. Pelosi said “From my perspective, we won last night. We had one race that we were engaged in – it was in northern New York. It was a race where a Republican has held a seat since the Civil War, and we won that seat. So from our standpoint, no. We had a candidate that was victorious who supports the health-care reform… So from our standpoint, we picked up voted last night, one in California [CA-10] and one in New York.” > > To paraphrase, the only race that mattered was the one the Dem’s won. 😃 To be fair, “From my perspective” for Mrs Pelosi is arguably “from the perspective of the House of Representatives”, in which case its true that the Dems had a good night. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/170 "2009-11-05T16:39:51Z")
From a federal perspective, she’s right, though. I think the significant exit poll data is that showing that Obama wasn’t really a factor one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/171 "2009-11-05T16:40:46Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > To be fair, “From my perspective” for Mrs Pelosi is arguably “from the perspective of the House of Representatives”, in which case its true that the Dems had a good night. Yeah, I can see that. But when I first heard her statements I quoted above, my initial reaction was to roll my eyes. And that’s why I think it’s spin, from the other direction. That’s all spin is, presenting things from a desired perspective. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/172 "2009-11-05T16:43:07Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > From a federal perspective, she’s right, though. > > I think the significant exit poll data is that showing that Obama wasn’t really a factor one way or the other. I don’t buy into the pundits who are saying that the “other side” got bitch slapped. I think both major parties are exaggerating (or downplaying, as case may be) the implications of the races. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/173 "2009-11-05T17:24:30Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > To be fair, “From my perspective” for Mrs Pelosi is arguably “from the perspective of the House of Representatives”, in which case its true that the Dems had a good night. Absolutely. The House of Representatives’ Blue Dog Coalition [lists 52 members](http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/Member%20Page.html). There are now 258 Dems in the House, while there were only 256 last week. This means Pelosi now needs only 12 Blue Dogs, rather than 14, to pass a bill. Don’t think that isn’t important. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/174 "2009-11-05T18:56:28Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Not enough time to reprint the ballot. The election had Scozzafava as the Republican Candidate. > > Now, Hoffman became _sponsored_ by the Republicans, and the one the Republicans wanted to win, but I’m pretty sure that no, Hoffman was not the person getting the votes that were given to the person in the Republican slot in the voting machine. > In fact, I’m pretty sure the result was roughly Owens 49, Hoffman 46, Scozzafava 5. So… I’m pretty sure you have no idea what you’re talking about. > > Unless I’m wrong. And I don’t think I am. It’s always funny when someone agrees with me and then tells me I’m wrong. Anyway, you basically said precisely what I thought happened. Scozzafava dropped out without enough time to reprint the ballot, but that the selection committee gave the nod to Hoffman when she dropped out. Pretty much as I said. But you may continue the time-honored tradition on the dope of calling someone an idiot while agreeing with them, but just adding a little more detail. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/175 "2009-11-05T19:17:56Z")
“It has been a Republican stronghold for well over 100 years. In some parts of the district, the last non-Republican to represent the area in Congress was a Whig.” ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/176 "2009-11-06T01:07:14Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > But you may continue the time-honored tradition on the dope of calling someone an idiot while agreeing with them, but just adding a little more detail. You great ball of fetid iguana kidneys, I’m telling you that you have no idea what I was saying, and you completely missed the point. I was talking about the votes received by the candidates. The ones that went to the Republican did _not_ go to the Conservative by some magic. They went to the Republican Candidate, even if she had dropped out of the race. The interesting thing is that there was only a three day margin, and yet only five percent voted for the candidate-that-was-not-there. This means, among other things, oh blindfold over the eyes and nipples of Justice, that Ashcroft really _did_ lose to a dead man, it was not simple inertia that made him lose. You are talking about something entirely different, endorsement by a party. Endorsement does not transfer votes. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/177 "2009-11-06T03:27:09Z")
The Democrats won a very closely contested district which was only lost due to the meddling left-of-Rockefeller Republican and lost the two governor chairs by a wide margin (in New Jersey the third party candidate, Daget attracted moderate Republicans and Libertarians who would overwhelmingly have voted for Christie) yet they claim they had a good night? Also the massive drive to legalize homosexuality for the last year is finally being slowed and this is the first major conservative victory since Prop 8. Also pretty much proves outside of Massachusetts _voters_ will not approve of homosexual marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/178 "2009-11-06T03:54:03Z")
“Legalize homosexuality?” ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/179 "2009-11-06T04:07:51Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > “Legalize homosexuality?” Typo; homosexual marriage. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238/180 "2009-11-06T04:15:52Z")
“…suspect should be considered armed and fabulous…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2009-election-results/516238.md?page=10)