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Jan. 5th, 2010
THE GRAND OLD TEA PARTY
Jan. 5th, 2010 11:07 amITEM: A survey from Rasmussen finds that if teabaggers were a real political party, the Tea Party candidate would pull more votes than a Republican candidate on the same ballot.
In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.
In other words, the Tea Party brand is stronger than the GOP brand among right-wing voters right now.
Rasmussen does add that technically, the odds of the teabaggers actually forming a viable third party are very slim, if only because the FEC rules make it difficult to compete against the Democrat and Republican machines.
Which is why, says Rasmussen, “The more conventional route in the United States is for a potential third-party force to overtake one of the existing parties.”
You see where this is going already, don’t you?
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) does.
So does Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).
Of course, the only potential snag in that idea is that teabaggers exist in part because the GOP wasn’t batshit enough for them. So Republicans are going to have to go out of their way to out-batshit the teabaggers to convince them that coming onboard won’t compromise their batshit principles.
Still, with people like Bachmann and DeMint leading the goodwill campaign – to say nothing of Sarah "Second Most Admired Woman In America" Palin – that shouldn’t be a problem.
Upshot: This could be the scariest, most entertaining mid-term election EVER.
Get the tea ready,
This is dF
In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.
In other words, the Tea Party brand is stronger than the GOP brand among right-wing voters right now.
Rasmussen does add that technically, the odds of the teabaggers actually forming a viable third party are very slim, if only because the FEC rules make it difficult to compete against the Democrat and Republican machines.
Which is why, says Rasmussen, “The more conventional route in the United States is for a potential third-party force to overtake one of the existing parties.”
You see where this is going already, don’t you?
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) does.
If the Republican Party is wise, they will allow themselves to be re-defined by the tea party movement. And I hope that that will be the case.
So does Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).
“We need to stop looking at the tea parties as separate from the Republican party. If we do that, we can stand up and create the biggest tent of all.”
Of course, the only potential snag in that idea is that teabaggers exist in part because the GOP wasn’t batshit enough for them. So Republicans are going to have to go out of their way to out-batshit the teabaggers to convince them that coming onboard won’t compromise their batshit principles.
Still, with people like Bachmann and DeMint leading the goodwill campaign – to say nothing of Sarah "Second Most Admired Woman In America" Palin – that shouldn’t be a problem.
Upshot: This could be the scariest, most entertaining mid-term election EVER.
Get the tea ready,
This is dF
THE AIR THAT I BREATHE
Jan. 5th, 2010 07:01 pmITEM: Hong Kong's roadside air pollution reached life-threatening levels one in every eight days in 2009, according to a report citing govt figures.
However, a team of scientists from Hong Kong University of Science and say their own findings are two or three times higher than the government figures.
Close enough. There’s little question that air pollution here is pretty bad and getting worse – so much so that people with money have been moving out.
It’s what eventually gave the bridal unit asthma. And she’s FROM here.
Part of the problem is that we import a lot of our pollution from China via all the factories on the Pearl River Delta. The other part of the problem is that our chief executive tends to point this out as an excuse to not do anything about it – or to downplay it by saying things like, “Hey, our air is as clean as Barcelona’s, so what are you worried about?”
Which is why I’m rather in favor of cutting carbon emissions. At this stage, I couldn’t care less if they cause climate change or not. I just want my oxygen a little less chunky, thx.
Smokestack lightning,
This is dF
However, a team of scientists from Hong Kong University of Science and say their own findings are two or three times higher than the government figures.
Close enough. There’s little question that air pollution here is pretty bad and getting worse – so much so that people with money have been moving out.
It’s what eventually gave the bridal unit asthma. And she’s FROM here.
Part of the problem is that we import a lot of our pollution from China via all the factories on the Pearl River Delta. The other part of the problem is that our chief executive tends to point this out as an excuse to not do anything about it – or to downplay it by saying things like, “Hey, our air is as clean as Barcelona’s, so what are you worried about?”
Which is why I’m rather in favor of cutting carbon emissions. At this stage, I couldn’t care less if they cause climate change or not. I just want my oxygen a little less chunky, thx.
Smokestack lightning,
This is dF
