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Poll Results – 2/23/2010

Here are the results of the Republican vs DINO poll.

And here are your comments.

From Oso on February 21, 2010 at 12:51 pm. 

 

I'm with Lisa G. We need an Other. I'd vote for a rotted dead dog over a blue dog. I'd campaign for a rotted dead dog over a blue dog.

 

From Kevin Kelley on February 19, 2010 at 11:29 am.   

My selection was "I'm a Republican - The Dino"... with my logic being that the DINO would be closer to what the Republican party used to be and give an excellent balance, while hopefully lacking the crazy social conservative religious garbage that has polluted the GOP.

If congress was filled with Blue Dogs and Democrats, I think America would do just fine...

 

From Lisa G. on February 16, 2010 at 8:33 am. 

 

We need another category (like there aren't enough choices already) for Other. You always include the Other, but not on this one and I don't think I've used it yet. This time I need it.

 

From TomCat in reply to Lisa G. on February 20, 2010 at 6:28 am.   

Then put it in a comment. :-)

From TWM on February 16, 2010 at 7:25 am.  

 

As an independent I don't find any answer acceptable regarding my stance on the question ergo I will forgo voting in this poll and watch with shallow eyed disgust at whatever the outcome of the elec...errr poll is.

 

From Diane on February 15, 2010 at 2:30 pm. 

 

Wow, I'm the first one to vote, so right now it reads 100% Independent Party (of course that will change quickly, I'm sure).

Diane - Laughlin

I posed this question to make a point about strategic political thinking.  I am a Democrat, and I voted DINO.  Why would I, one who rants regularly and vehemently against DINOs vote that way?

In the polling booth we have at most three choices.  We can vote for a Democrat, vote for a Republican, or vote for a third party candidate.  I did not include third party candidate in the poll, because the electoral deck is so stacked that they can’t win.  Therefore, third party candidates only split the voters on their side of the political spectrum.  As such, any vote for a third party candidate becomes an effective vote for the opposite side of the spectrum.  Voters for third party candidates are actually voting against their self-interest.  I learned that lesson the hard way.

That leaves the Republican or the DINO.  Now, it the Republicans were to put up a progressive candidate here who would not hesitate to work and vote with progressive Democrats and there was a DINO in opposition, I would vote for the Republican.  However, since progressive Republicans are as common as flying pigs, I don’t see that happening anywhere in the foreseeable future.  As much as I would hate voting for a DINO, I see it as critical that the Republicans not get control of either body in Congress, where they can control committees and sub-committees.  That makes the DINO the strategic choice.

The new poll will be a quick one.

Poll Results – 2/16/2010

Here are the results of the ‘support Obama poll’:

And here are your comments:

From Jo on February 14, 2010 at 1:24 pm. 

 

Since I am a Canadian and not qualified to make a comment, I will say that since Obama is your President, you folks should support him on all issues, as long as he is your President. You voted for him, now he needs your support. Isn't that how it is supposed to work? If you don't like his issues, then you vote for someone else you can support.

I don't like the man personally, I think he was all blunderbuss and no fire, and I think for the most part he has let you down, but while he is still in office, you folks need to support him. You guys hired him for the job.

 

From Oso on February 12, 2010 at 11:47 pm. 

 

Supporting Obama means supporting Wall Street's financial policy,UHC's health care policy and George Bush's foreign policy. He can crawl up Lloyd Blankfein's ass to make his next speech.

 

From Gwendolyn H. Barry on February 7, 2010 at 4:17 pm.  

 

Overall, TC, I still support my President... but I watch closely now. Ya know what I mean?

 

From Lisa G. on February 1, 2010 at 3:43 pm. 

 

I'm going with most issues. I don't want to blindly say all issues without evaluating them first.

 

From chris williams in reply to Lisa G. on February 5, 2010 at 6:19 pm.

 

I think that most white people, want obama to fell. so they can blame it on the black man. his on party is his biggest problem. white people ganging up to protest a black man is not a new idea. only difference they dogs and clan members in white.

 

From Vigilante on February 1, 2010 at 10:02 am.

 

I find myself in easy agreement with BHO on most issues. But there are glaring exceptions: Afghanistan being a major one.

 

From Kevin on January 31, 2010 at 4:58 pm.  

 

I think that Obama needs the most support when faced with obstructionist actions undertaken by the GOP and their conservative misinformation machine. The Democrats lack an adequate structure to respond to the GOP garbage and will end up losing to the hordes of ignorant tea party sheep.

 

From Otis on January 30, 2010 at 11:06 pm.  

 

I think that the only way to truly evaluate any politician is on an issue by issue basis.

When I put this up, it was a trick question, intended to make a point.  In my opinion, a patriot supports whatever is the best policy for the country regardless of the source from which that policy arises.  The only way that this can be done is to base support on an issue by issue basis.

Overall, I find myself supporting more of Obama’s policies than I oppose.  Overall, I find myself opposing virtually all GOP policies.  I think most of us agree on that.  However, when we believe that Obama is wrong about an issue, isn’t it our patriotic duty to oppose him on that issue, even though we support him overall?

Kudos to Otis.  You nailed it, my friend.

Stop the GOP Filibastards

Too much is enough, according to Nancy Pelosi.

In an interview with Roll Call [sub req] Nancy Pelosi makes the case for using a "majority vote," or reconciliation, for getting healthcare reform done.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is pinning the blame on Republicans for a lack of bipartisanship in Congress and plans to bypass them if they continue to oppose efforts to enact near-universal health care.

"A constitutional majority is 51 votes," Pelosi said in an interview Tuesday with Roll Call. "If in fact the Republicans are going to say nothing can be done except by 60 percent, then maybe we all should be elected with 60 percent. It isn’t legitimate in terms of passing legislation."

....

"There is some unease when you talk about, well, what’s happening to the initiatives to help the American people?" Pelosi said. "Is there never anything that can be done without 60 votes?"

....

[I]n her interview with Roll Call, Pelosi stopped short of saying the filibuster should be done away with altogether, but she used some of her bluntest language yet to defend the use of reconciliation as something that has been used with regularity by Republican and Democratic presidents alike.

"We have set the stage for that. It’s important for us to remind the American people of the inconsistency that the Republicans have in saying this is unusual. No, five times President Bush used it. ... This is what the Republicans did to pass their bills, their tax cuts for the rich," Pelosi said.

"It’s up to us to make sure the public knows that this is not extraordinary. And the public knows that a constitutional majority is 51. It would be a reflection on us if we could not convince people that this is not an unusual place to go."

And Pelosi complained about the never-ending filibusters by Senate Republicans going far beyond the health care debate.

"Yes, the filibuster has its place, it may even have its place in health care — it’s a very big issue. But does it have its place on every appointment and every piece of legislation? We have over 200 bills over there that haven’t been taken up. Most of them, 70 percent of them, were passed with over 50 Republican votes in the House. ...

"We haven’t gotten as much done as we should and one of those reasons is because of what the Republicans are doing. ... The American people have to make a judgment about the conduct of the Republicans in insisting on that on every vote, and the Democrats in the Senate have to deal with the challenge that they have."

....

Pelosi also said she is open to Republicans presenting new ideas at the Feb. 25 bipartisan health care summit called for by Obama, but she said she’s already seen the Republican health care alternative offered on the House floor and said it only provided insurance for an additional 3 million people instead of the more than 30 million in the Democratic bill.

It's an important political message to set up going into the February 25 meeting--Republicans not only have obstructed the process every step of the way. The summit is pretty unlikely to change that dynamic, and the summit can be used, if Obama and Reid are willing to go along with Pelosi in this messaging, to get the bill done through reconciliation… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

It’s certainly time for reconciliation, but more.  Rachel Maddow and Howard Dean make one of the best cases I have heard for ending the filibuster.

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This bill will never pass, because the GOP will filibuster it.  But it only takes 51 votes to change the Senate rules if they do so on the first day of the next new session in January.

Off Topic:  I’m adding a new feature to the daily Open Thread. Short Takes are brief news references with links.  Cjeck it out.

Open Thread – 2/1/2010

Yesterday I needed to sleep and got tied up in chores so I didn’t get any visiting in, but I did keep up with comments here.  Today I should do better, before the busy part of the week hits.

We had a troll issue this week in the Margolis thread.  Please do not feed the trolls.  They thrive on insults and drama.  Feel free to deflate their talking points respectfully with factual information.  If they insult you, please ignore them.  I will deal with it.

Today’s Jig Zone puzzle took me 4:06.  To do it, Click Here.  How did you do?

The boys at Red State Update are ready for Groundhog Day.

 

Here’s your cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Nate Beeler - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

What’s interesting this week?

Monthly Report – 2/1/2010

Politics Plus returned to the Internet on September 5, 2009 as a brand new blog.  Our first five months show an excellent  increase in activity after a great start..  As of Midnight we have had 33, 612 visitors.  Last month, we had 8,410 visitors, up 1,180 from December, an increase of 14.7%.  We also has 10, 134 page views, up 1,476 from December, an increase of  17.0%.  This averages to 271/327 visits/views per day, up 35/48 from December.  I’m most pleased.  After the normal December slowdown we’re forging ahead much faster than I had imagined.  Here’s a graph of February visits and views.

Here’s a graph of visits and views since we reopened.

Here’s a graph of how long people are staying while they’re here.  It covers only the last five hundred visitors.

And here is our most recent ClustrMap, last updated 1/17, showing our readers from all over the world:

Our 26,000th through 33,000th visitors, respectively, were Lisa G, Kay in Maine, Mark, Hillblogger, Stimpson, Jolly Roger, Hill and Mark.  You’ll find a special section in our sidebar honoring them and linking to their blogs.
We still have a Technorati Authority of 1, which means they have not updated us since the day they recognized our existence.  I applied five months ago.  How frustrating!  Although I have emailed them on several occasions, the only response I received is a automatically generated email saying that they will get to us whenever they get to us.  Someday (sigh).  According to Google Webmaster Tools, there are currently 5,065  external links to Politics Plus.  There are 169 external links to just our top five articles in January.   I think we are well within the B list range for popularity, but since that term is unique to Technorati, so to have that recognition, we’ll just have to wait for them to get off their imperial arses.  So please keep linking the articles you like here to your blogs, facebook pages, stumble upon pages, etc.  When you see material you like here, the operative commandment is: “Thou shalt steal!!”  Please do link back though.  Hat-tips are much appreciated.
I use the terms “we” and “our” while referring to Politics Plus. Since this is a one-person blog.  I assure you, I’m not doing so in the royal sense.  The we in Politics Plus includes all of you. Without your presence and comments, this blog would be pointless.  Newcomers repeatedly praise the quality of the comments here.  Whatever success this blog does and will enjoy is because of you, so please congratulate yourself.  Thank you all for another fantastic month.

News IQ Results

Here is the original article for the quiz you took yesterday:

The public has consistently expressed strong interest in the health care debate, but relatively few Americans can correctly answer two key questions related to the Senate’s consideration of health care legislation.

In the latest installment of the Pew Research Center’s News IQ Quiz, just 32% know that the Senate passed its version of the legislation without a single Republican vote. And, in what proved to be the most difficult question on the quiz, only about a quarter (26%) knows that it takes 60 votes to break a filibuster  in the Senate and force a vote on a bill. The survey was conducted before Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown won a special election to the Senate on Jan. 19; Brown’s election means Senate Democrats can no longer count on a 60-vote majority once he takes office.

About six-in-ten (59%) correctly identify China as the foreign country holding the most U.S. government debt. Nearly as many (57%) know that the United States imports two-thirds of the oil it consumes. As was the case in previous knowledge surveys, a majority (55%) knows the current unemployment rate is about 10%. However, far fewer (36%) correctly estimate the current level of the Dow Jones Industrial Average at about 10,000 points.

The news quiz, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press Jan. 14-17 among 1,003 adults reached on cell phones and landlines, asked 12 multiple choice questions on subjects ranging from economics and foreign affairs to prominent people in the news. Americans answered an average of 5.3 questions correctly.  

The survey finds that while the public struggled with most of the political questions on the survey, most Americans (56%) know that there currently is more than one woman serving on the Supreme Court. Notably, this is the only question on the quiz where as many women as men answer correctly; men scored significantly better on other questions. 

In response to questions about terrorism and national security, half (50%) correctly identify Yemen as the country where intelligence officials believe the suspect in an attempted Christmas Day airline bombing received training and bomb materials. A slightly smaller percentage (43%) knows that during all of 2009 there were more American military fatalities in Afghanistan than in Iraq; 32% said more U.S. troops were killed in Iraq. This question proved difficult for many, even though interest in developments in Afghanistan – and media coverage – picked up in late 2009 as President Obama announced his war strategy [See "Top Stories of 2009: Economy, Obama and Health Care," released Dec. 29, 2009].

Questions about people in the news round out the quiz update.  About four-in-ten (39%) know that Nevada Democrat Harry Reid is the majority leader of the U.S. Senate. About a third (32%) correctly pick Michael Steele as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. Interestingly, nearly half of Republicans (48%) are able to identify Reid as Senate majority leader compared with just a third (33%) of Democrats. More Republicans can identify Reid as majority leader than can identify Steel as chairman of the RNC (37%).

About four-in-ten (41%) correctly say that Stephen Colbert is a comedian and television talk show host. This is the only question on the quiz that more people younger than 30 than older people answer correctly (49% vs. 39%).

Asked how many GOP senators voted for the chamber’s health care bill on Dec. 24, only 32% know that the measure received no support from Republican members. About as many answer incorrectly, saying that five (13%), 10 (8%), or 20 (8%) GOP Senators voted for the bill. About four-in-ten (39%) do not know or decline to answer.

A smaller percentage (26%) knows that 60 votes are needed to break a filibuster in the Senate. About as many (25%) mistakenly say that a simple majority of 51 votes can break a filibuster.As with most other questions on the news quiz, well-educated people, older Americans and men are more likely to correctly answer the questions about the Senate vote on health care and the filibuster.

Less than a third of Republicans or Democrats can correctly identify the number of votes needed to end a filibuster (30% among Republicans, 25% among Democrats). College graduates fared better than other demographic groups on this question, but fewer than half of college graduates (45%) know that it takes 60 Senate votes to overcome a filibuster...

Inserted from <Pew Research>

Nine of us took the quiz and earned an average score of  9.77.  As a group we are more knowledgeable than 84% of the public.  If nothing else, this should highlight the responsibility we have to teach those with whom we interact.

Poll Results – 1/31/2010

Here are the results of our poll on revisiting comments:

And here are your comments:

From Jolly Roger on January 24, 2010 at 1:29 am.

 

I almost always do, especially when I comment on right-turd blogs. You'd be amazed how many times my comment is either not what I wrote, or entirely gone.

 

From Otis on January 19, 2010 at 9:51 pm.

 

I am making sure my wife isn't making too much fun of me.

 

From Kevin on January 19, 2010 at 11:40 am. 

 

I am always interested in what others have to say in response to what I write, or if I made an error and someone corrects me, but sometimes I forget where I left my comment!

 

From Sue on January 17, 2010 at 4:47 pm. 

 

I always go back and see if my comment made an impact. I'm always flattered when someone agrees with what I have to say!

 

 

From sasha vagramov in reply to Sue on January 18, 2010 at 8:13 pm. 

 

what is this commet for?

 

From Sue in reply to sasha vagramov on January 25, 2010 at 7:11 pm. 

 

who is this sasha and what exactly is she saying to me??

 

From Lisa G. on January 17, 2010 at 2:21 pm.

 

I love to see what TC and everyone else has to say about my comments. You are all such smart people and I learn something from all of you everyday - thank you so much for my free education on all topics!

I voted almost always, because I do whenever I can, but at times I get so busy that by the time I get back to a site, I have forgotten where my comments are, and I seldom have time to explore old threads searching for them.

Sue, I think she was someone new who didn’t know how to use the comment section.

The new poll may evoke some controversy.  Check it out.

What’s Your News IQ?

Pew Research has produced a fascinating quiz, and I’d like to see how well our readers do.  It’s easy to do, just 12 multiple choice questions with 3 more for demographics.  I got all 12, but don’t be disappointed if you do not.  I spend several hours a day researching.  Please Comment with your results.  Tomorrow, I’ll post an article on the quiz and compare our results to t6he country as a whole.

To take the quiz, Click Here.

Research 2000 Poll Confirms My Analysis

Yesterday I posted a major editorial in which I analyzed the causes of Coakley’s defeat in the Massachusetts special election for the Senate.  Since then, I have heard pundit after pundit stating the need for more bipartisanship, the exact opposite of my conclusions.  However, a new poll of Democrats and Independents who voted for Obama in 2008, but either voted for Brown or stayed home Wednesday backs my contentions.

Massachusetts voters who backed Barack Obama in the presidential election a year ago and either switched support to Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown or simply stayed home, said in a poll conducted after the election Tuesday night that if Democrats enact tougher policies on Wall Street, they'll be more likely to come back to the party in the next election.

A majority of Obama voters who switched to Brown said that "Democratic policies were doing more to help Wall Street than Main Street." A full 95 percent said the economy was important or very important when it came to deciding their vote.

In a somewhat paradoxical finding, a plurality of voters who switched to the Republican -- 37 percent -- said that Democrats were not being "hard enough" in challenging Republican policies.

It would be hard to find a clearer indication, it seems, that Tuesday's vote was cast in protest.

The poll also upends the conventional understanding of health care's role in the election. A plurality of people who switched -- 48 -- or didn't vote -- 43 -- said that they opposed the Senate health care bill. But the poll dug deeper and asked people why they opposed it. Among those Brown voters, 23 percent thought it went "too far" -- but 36 percent thought it didn't go far enough and 41 percent said they weren't sure why they opposed it.

Among voters who stayed home and opposed health care, a full 53 percent said they opposed the Senate bill because it didn't go far enough; 39 percent weren't sure and only eight percent thought it went too far.

The firm Research 2000 conducted the post-election survey Tuesday night on behalf of three progressive organizations -- the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America and MoveOn.org.

Taken from interviews of 500 Obama backers who voted in the Senate election and 500 Obama backers who sat out the election, the firm discovered that 18 percent of Obama backers who voted in the Senate race ended up casting ballots for Brown.

Of that group, 82 percent said they favored a public option for insurance coverage, with 14 percent opposed. Of those who sat out the election, 86 percent favored the public option, while only seven percent opposed it. The findings suggests that progressive arguments that disappointed Obama supporters deserted have serious merit... [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Huffington Post>

Just a moment ago, I heard Bitch McConnell say that the results of the election clearly show that the American people don’t the government taking over health care.  Either he is lying, or he is a fool.  Probably both.  These results clearly show that the voters who gave Obama a landslide victory in that state oppose the health care bill because they favor a public option.

The voters sent a clear message.  They are not happy with business as usual.  They want change we can believe in.  If Obama and the Democrats don’t get out of bed with the Banksters and the Corporate Criminals of Health Care, there will be hell to pay.

Poll Results – 1/18/2010

Here are the results of the latest poll:

And here are your comments:

From teabag this! on January 11, 2010 at 9:39 am.

 

poll should have included racist Democrat politicians like Harry Reid and Bill "bring me my coffee" Clinton

 

From Jo on January 9, 2010 at 8:51 pm. 

 

Torture is not acceptable at any time, to anyone, or by anyone. Unless of course the form of torture is locking someone in a room with CDs of Susan Boyle playing over ... and over ... and over ...

 

From Anon Paranoid on January 7, 2010 at 5:12 pm.

 

I'm against torture, however having said that I say waterboard all republicans, teabaggers, American Christian Taliban Terrorists and the whole previous administration with extra waterboarding for them.

After all according to Republicans as voiced by Dick Heinrich Himmler Cheney's terrorist daughter Liz, waterboarding is not torture so waterboard her at least 6 times during a twenty four hour period.

Oh, I almost forgot Sean Hannity the coward who said he would be waterboarded for our troops and turned to show us the yellow streak down his back, waterboard him 6 times a day for a week then ask him if he was tortured.

God Bless.

 

From Linda on January 6 on January 6, 2010 at 3:35 pm.

 

I am not for torture of anyone, anywhere anytime. Today's governmetal decisions are at best disturbing. On January 1, 2009, any adult receiving over $248.00 per month in medicaid benefits is reportedly ineligible for medicaid insurance coverage according to the a worker that approves medicaid coverage for adults. Now, follow that decision up with "Everyone will purchase insurance or risk being fined", and I have a COMMON SENSE QUESTION. Is is a prerequisite that the people who serve themselves, excuse me, us in Washington must sign an affidavit that they do not possess one shred of COMMON SENSE prior to running for the Senate or Congress. Additionally, IS ANYONE BUT ME TIRED OF THE DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN GULF!! After all, I am an AMERICAN, not a republican or a democrat. HANG THE PARTIES- WHERE IS JUSTICE, HONESTY, AND EQUALITY FOR ALL IN OUR NATION.

From Otis on January 4, 2010 at 7:46 pm. 

 

I voted 'Other' since I couldn't have multiple choices.

I think that GOP Leg., teabaggers, FOX news commentators, the annoying evangelicals, and anyone else that condoned, approved, and/or encouraged torture are first on the list.

I will include Wall Street CEOs on principle.

 

From Grung_e_Gene on January 4, 2010 at 1:17 pm. 

 

Torture is not acceptable.

 

From Annette on January 3, 2010 at 9:33 am. 

 

I voted nobody, because I believe we have to take the high road and stand on our convictions and our patriotism. If we lower ourselves to the standard of the idiot republican's then we are no better than they are.

 

From TWM on January 3, 2010 at 6:08 am. 

 

Torture Wall Street CEO's with a 75% tax on any earnings above $400,000 no matter where in the world they say they earned it :-D

.

 

From Kevin Kelley on January 3, 2010 at 12:55 am. 

 

I had selected other before I had realized that there was an option for nobody, but regardless, I would have to say that although there are numerous groups that I believe could benefit from a good torture, such as the tea party protesters, or those who rile them up, like Glenn Beck, I would have to take the high road and not torture any of them.

While they may feel it is okay to violate basic human rights for the benefit of their comfort level, I have principles and despite not being religious, I feel I have a spirituality that the religious right claim they have...

Even Pope John Paul II forgave his attempted assassin. While I am not saying any person should be absolved of their sins, I do believe it is important to not be distracted by the temporary.

 

From Lisa G. on January 2, 2010 at 7:01 pm. 

 

I voted for GOP Legislators - because they think it's ok to do to everyone else. Why should we reserve all that fun for Gitmo or other prisoners? Let's spread a little of that around. Besides, they're not doing anything in the Congress anyway but obstructing decent legislation so they have plenty of time on their hands. I'll throw the DINOs in there as well, because they are essentially useless as well. They can even invite their benefactors (Big Oil, Big Pharma, Ins. Cos., Military Contractors/MIC, and anyone else. We'll hold it at that Supermax prison where they're gonna put the Gitmo prisoners. It'll be like a big, fun party. Water-boarding for everyone. Bush and Cheney get to go first though.  ;-)

Nobody was the clear winner here.  A few had fun with this, voting and commenting tongue-in-cheek, but all kidding aside, there is only one right answer.  It is never acceptable to torture.

A Brief Note on Rules

Yesterday I banned an individual from commenting here at Politics Plus.  This is the first time I have found that necessary in this nor the previous incarnation of this blog.  The reason was quite simple.  The individual refused to abide by the rules here.  I have long said that Politics Plus has only one rule.  In truth, it has two.  The second is Thou shalt not SPAM!  I don’t really count that one, because that’s a universal rule, virtually everywhere.

The one rule is in our header, where everyone can see it.  All points of view are welcome, but personal attacks against me or anyone who comments here are forbidden. Trading insults never changes anyone's mind.  This is not difficult.  It simply means that we treat each other with respect.  If you want to post an insult to a public figure, say Bush, that’s OK.  I don’t like Bush either.  If you want to insult Jeff Merkley, whom I fully support and worked to elect, that’s OK too.  I defend your right to your opinion.  But, even if Traitor Joe LIEberman ever posts a comment here (God forbid!), please treat him with respect in your replies.

The individual I banned insulted another commenter.  Then he insulted the entire blog.  I deleted his offending comments, and warned him.  He protested that because the commenter and I had insulted public figures, he was being treated unfairly and insulted me .  He ignored his warning, and I will delete all future comments from him.  He then commented that he was being banned only because he disagrees with me.  If he knew anything about this blog, he would know that these pages have multiple comments from people disagreeing with me from all sides of the political spectrum.  Sometimes, they even inspire me to change my mind.  The thread I linked is an excellent example, because it contains a disagreement that does violate the rule and one that does not.

So please don’t feed the trolls.  They love drama, and if you get into an insult war with them, that’s exactly what they want.  By all means, refute their arguments, but please don’t return their insults in kind.  A few years back, a troll insulted another blogger, whom I considered a friend.  He responded with insults back.  The two had quite a little flame war.  When I returned and found it, to be fair I had to delete the insulting comments from both and warn both.  My friend deleted PP from his blogroll and had not been back since.  He has also refused to reply to me on his and other blogs ever since.

I don’t want to lose any more friends.  So please, demonstrate to trolls that you are better than they are by replying to them with respect.  Leave the insults for me.  I will deal with them.  OK?

Open Thread – 1/6/2010

This week I’ve been swamped.  Yesterday the morning was taken up by a doctor appointment and the afternoon with a visit from my oxygen company doing tests on me.  I barely managed to reply to comments and only visited one blog.  Today is my volunteer day with a therapy group for former prisoners.  I should get some visiting done tomorrow.
This morning I deleted a couple comments from a right winger who ignored the blog’s only rule, that we treat each other with respect, regardless of views.  I ask you all to use restraint in replying to such individuals, and reply to them respectfully.  Do not respond to them in kind.  I will deal with it as soon as I am able.
Please be patient with me.
Today;s Jig Zone puzzle took me 4:23.  To do it, Click Here.  How did you do?
Here’s your cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Pat Bagley - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Happy hump day!!

Poll Results 1/3/2009

Here are the results of our most recent poll:

And here are tour comments:

From Lisa G. on December 31, 2009 at 11:18 am. 

 

I voted to force my religion on others. That is the religion of Lisa, which includes (but not excluded to): not making my bed, not going to church, being spiritual when I want to be, folding laundry in mass quantities, hoarding food (I have a food OCD that my husband has named 'Bob'), not wearing panty hose, sweat pants are my holy garments, not balancing my checkbook (even though I'm a CPA), not filing my taxes on time and filing them at least twice (just to piss off the IRS), making mass quantities of soup (at least 16 GALLONS at time), bitter, biting sarcasm, and right the to change my mind at any time.

 

From Marva on December 30, 2009 at 5:05 pm. 

 

I'm resolved to unsubscribe from every DNC email begging for money. Where possible, I'll tell them exactly why. They are not doing what we elected them to do. They're being wimps and are letting the Reps and Dinos rule the world. I'm sick of it, and I will not vote for any of them that voted contrary to the campaign promises Obama made and has failed to keep.

I'm re-registering as an Independent even if I don't get to vote in primaries.

 

From Gwendolyn H. Barry on December 29, 2009 at 11:49 am. 

 

Mine isn't a resolution TC... it's just a choice to try and see things from the positive perspective before any other perspective so I might enjoy lower blood pressure and provide a better influence on the younger folks surrounding me. You know? I've been so danged 'shoot off' with all the outstanding news of the last year... I'd rather use a more meditational stance, we'll see how far I get? Eh? Happy New Year Dude! Glad to share the blogosphere with you! You do such a fine job! :-) ghb

There was no winner here.  I voted to quit smoking, as I am weaning myself off tobacco using electronic cigarettes at my doctor’s suggestion.  I also voted to lose weight, continuing an effort averaging about 1 – 2 pounds a month for several years.  I also voted to take progressive action, also a continuation of a long term effort.  And I voted to give up abstinence.  That abstinence can really mess up a fellow’s life. ;-)

Do you care to discuss how you voted?

The new poll allows multiple answers also.  It has an interesting twist.

Open Thread – 1/2/2010

Yesterday I visited every blog on my blogroll before the Rose Bowl.  I need to realize that I cannot visit everyone as often as I like, because just a short visit to each blog took me over six hours.  So in future I’ll be concentration on bloggers with new articles that comment here regularly.  Oregon lost the Rose Bowl, because Ohio State outplayed us.  Oh well…  I’ll be taking the poll down later today, so if you want to vote, please do.

Today’s Jug Zone puzzle took me 3:55.  To do it, Click Here.  How did you do?

Here’s your cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Daryl Cagle - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Have a great weekend!

Monthly Report – 1/1/2010

olitics Plus returned to the Internet on September 5 as a brand new blog.  Our first four months show a steady increase in activity after a great start..  As of Midnight we have had 25, 202 visitors.  Last month, we had 7,330 visitors, up 118 from November, an increase of 1.6%.  We also has 8,658 page views, up 26 from October, an increase of  0.3%.  This averages to 236/279 240 visits/views per day, down 4/9 from November.  I’m quite pleased.  After an amazing start in September and a surge ahead in October, we made steady progress.  We slowed ever so slightly in December, but that’s completely normal during the holidays.  Here’s a graph of visits and views.

Here’s a graph of how long people are staying while they’re here.  It covers only the last five hundred visitors.

And here is our most recent ClustrMap, last updated 12/25, showing our readers from all over the world:

Our 18,000th through 25,000th visitors, respectively, were Mark, Stimpson, Oso, Oso, Stimpson, Punky Penny, Sue and Dave Dubya.  You’ll find a special section in our sidebar honoring them and linking to their blogs.
Technorati seems completely useless.  We still have a Technorati Authority of 1, which means they have not updated us since the day they recognized our existence.  Although I have emailed them on several occasions, the only response I received is a automatically generated email saying that they will get to us whenever they get to us.   We need Authority of 100 to be on the B list again.  Well, according to Google Webmaster Tools, there are currently 4,573 external links to Politics Plus.  There are 169 external links to just our top five articles in December.  I think we are now linked enough to be B list, but I’ll have to check it out. So please keep linking the articles you like here to your facebook pages, stumble upon pages, etc.  When you see material you like here, the operative commandment is: “Thou shalt steal!!”  Please do link back though.  Hat-tips are much appreciated.
I use the terms “we” and “our” while referring to Politics Plus, since this is a one-person blog.  I assure you, I’m not doing so in the royal sense.  My Kingship ends with my kitty box.  The we in Politics Plus includes you.  Without your readership and comments, this blog would be pointless.  Whatever success this blog does and will enjoy is because of you, so please congratulate yourself.  Thank you all for another fantastic month.  On to a fantastic year!!
PS: We have some excellent articles today, sp\o please check them out.

Poll Results – 12/27/2009

Here are the results from the GOP Christmas Present Poll.

And here are your comments:

From Jack Jodell on December 19, 2009 at 10:06 am.

 

They should all get enemas of boiling water!

 

From Lisa G. in reply to Jack Jodell on December 19, 2009 at 12:18 pm.

 

I really like this, but, I'm voting for radio active isotopes. Not only would that hurt like hell, but it would eventually make them really sick. Or boiling mercury; I'm sure we can find a way to make that happen.

 

From Infidel753 in reply to Lisa G. on December 23, 2009 at 4:11 pm.

 

How about boiling radioactive hydrochloric acid?

 

From Lisa G. in reply to Infidel753 on December 26, 2009 at 12:39 pm. 

 

I like that even better!

From Luckyjoe on December 18, 2009 at 8:20 am. 

 

A sweeping victory in 2010 over the progressive/marxists. And though you don't believe in Christianity I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas, but not a Happy New Year as we all know that in 2010 the tea party candidates will be taking out the progressive trash. The stars are no longer aligned for your kind. Too much too fast has spelled your demise. It couldn't have happened to a bigger bunch of idiots.

 

From Judi P in reply to Luckyjoe on December 19, 2009 at 11:28 am. 

 

You've got to be kidding! I see you get your facts from FOX. And if you are an example of a Christian, I'm glad I don't attend the S. Baptist Church any longer. Typical RW response is to resort to name calling, threats and joining a tea party. God have mercy on YOUR soul.

 

From Diamond, Johnny Diamond in reply to Luckyjoe on December 18, 2009 at 11:01 am. 

 

Good job . Couldn't have said it better .

Thank you. And let's hope it's one term for the first muslim born marxist pres.

 

From Lisa G. in reply to Diamond, Johnny Diamond on December 18, 2009 at 8:45 pm.  

 

Keep listening to your God Rush Limbaugh and watching Faux News. Your breed will be dying out soon. Merry Christmas!

From Russ M on December 18, 2009 at 12:49 am. 

 

Letters from their constituents demanding a public option.

 

From TomCat on December 17, 2009 at 4:41 am.

 

Hunting trips with Dead-eye Dick Cheney

 

From Lisa G. on December 16, 2009 at 5:56 pm. 

 

Preferably to a country that they can't return from in Africa. And Lieberman must go with them. I hear Somalia (Mogadishu is supposedly like the Paris of Africa) is really nice this time of year. Merry Christmas assholes.

 

From Infidel753 on December 16, 2009 at 1:30 pm.

 

I voted for coal, since these guys love fossil fuel so much.

 

From Punky Penny on December 16, 2009 at 1:10 pm. 

 

Consciences

 

From rjs on December 16, 2009 at 12:27 pm. 

 

how about givin them lieberman?

 

From TomCat in reply to rjs on December 17, 2009 at 4:34 am. 

 

Don't they already have LIEberman?

 

Permanent vacations was the clear winner here.  This poll was intended to be humorous, and the off the wall responses were tongue-in-cheek, except for the diatribe from a member of the rabid right.

 

Do you care to discuss your vote.  My vote (already in a comment) was for hunting trips with Dead-eye.  I chose that, because I hoped it would get a laugh.

 

To finish off the year, there is a new poll on the light side, including a couple answers to please visitors from the GOP.  Enjoy!

Poll Results – 12/16/2009

Here are the results of the first December poll.

And here are your comments:

Showing comments 1-6 of 6.

 

From rjs on December 9, 2009 at 5:07 pm. 

 

you dont have an answer in your poll suitable for me; how about an enraged and sickened catagory?

 

From Rich C. on December 7, 2009 at 9:50 pm.

 

I would like to know any other option .. Talk to them??? ... yea right!!!! He should have sent more.

 

From Teri S on December 6, 2009 at 9:10 am.

 

We have been screwed. It's all been a total sham especially for those of us who voted for him.

 

From Lisa G. on December 3, 2009 at 4:47 am.

 

Pretty hacked off. I knew he was gonna do it, but I don't have to like it.

 

From TWM on December 2, 2009 at 5:12 am.

 

The question of satisfaction is premature and would be better posed in 90 days.

 

From Lisa G. in reply to TWM on December 4, 2009 at 12:06 pm. 

 

No, he asked about the decision, not the results. It's perfectly reasonable to ask about the decision now.

 

Very dissatisfied was the clear winner.

Do you care to discuss your vote?  I voted somewhat dissatisfied.  I could not justify very dissatisfied, because I voted for him knowing that he planned to escalate.  However, the revelation of the extent of corruption in the regime of the Bush/GOP puppet Karzai, even to the extent of a GOP style election theft, changed the circumstances, and I believe Obama should have adapted his position on that basis.

The new poll is quite a bit lighter.  Enjoy!

Open Thread – 12/15/2009

Yesterday I caught up on comments here and visits to other blogs.  I hope to stay caught up today.  I’ll be swapping out the poll sometime this afternoon, so if you haven’t voted yet, please do.

Today’s Jig Zone Puzzle took me 4:15.  To do it, Click Here.  How did you do?

Here’s your cartoon:

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Nate Beeler - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

What would you like to discuss?