The Other 2012 Elections

[Pearl]

Yes, this is the year Americans pick a new president. But many of us are also voting in Senate, Congressional, and maybe even state and local elections. All these offices will effect us just as - or even more - than the presidential election. After all, depending on which party wins control of the Senate or HOR will effect how either Obama or Romney get things done.

So, how are things going on your turf?

Here in New York, we have incumbent Kristen Gillibrand going against Wendy Long of the GOP. I know some despise Gillibrand because they felt she immediately changed her positions once she was elected to office in 2008, and became more liberal. But New York is a liberal state, so she's probably a shoo-in to be reelected.

For the Congressional seat where I live, the incumbent Michael Grimm of the GOP is going against Mike Murphy - some Democrat I never heard of. Grimm's campaign is trying to make Murphy out to be a failed Hollywood actor who is only getting into politics for fun. However, the things Grimm is accused of is, well, grim. He's supposedly gotten involved with many shady business dealings and is too conservative when it comes to women's issues. Also, Murphy's campaign tactics are a bit silly. Twice in the past two months has he come on board the train I take to the ferry to go around shaking hands with morning commuters, literally saying "Vote for me!". This past Friday, he was at the ferry terminal doing the same. That screams desperation for me, and turns me off from him.

[trojanchick99]

California has 11 propositions, including dueling sales tax increases, banning the death penalty, and labeling genetically modified foods.

Oh and LA County has a measure to require condom use in adult films.

[bono_212]

No matter what happens, this is the year we ditch Mitch

[Moonlit_Angel]

After the recent redistricting stuff, Steve King is now part of my district, and he's up against Christie Vilsack. I am seriously hoping like crazy that Vilsack wins, in part because dear god, I can't take any more of King's complete and total idiocy.

We also have a vote coming up deciding whether or not to keep the judges that helped vote to legalize gay marriage here in my state. And on that note, even though I obviously can't vote on it given I don't live there, I'm still rather interested in what'll happen in Minnesota-there's a vote coming on the issue of gay marriage up there, too, and I've been seeing a lot of pro and anti ads related to it here (and the anti ones are hilariously stupid). It's sort of confusingly set up, though, because the "no" vote is actually pro-gay marriage, and the "yes" vote is anti-gay marriage, i.e., "yes" to keeping the "sanctity" of marriage intact, or something like that. But anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing how that will turn out. The anti-gay marriage side is all, "let the people decide this, not judges or politicians", but if the people turn out to say, "Yeah, actually, we're okay with same sex marriage being legal" I'll just laugh and wonder what the anti side's argument will be then.

[digitize]

Texas will elected a Tea Party nut, Ted Cruz, to the US Senate. He will easily defeat David Sadler, the poor sacrifice that the Texas DNC made this year.

As a result of ridiculous gerrymandering that left Austin and San Antonio with one Democratic-controlled House seat between them, surrounded by Republican districts (Austin is very left-leaning and San Antonio is moderately left-leaning), my congressional district has changed. I now live in the district of Lamar Smith, the guy who sponsored SOPA. Lloyd Doggett, pretty much a liberal diehard, was my old representative. The Texas GOP despises him and has spent the past decade trying to get him out of office. He ran in the primary for that one Democratic district. Republicans were hoping that he would lose in the primary, as that district is heavily Hispanic and Doggett is not, but he won handily. He will certainly win the general election. It's just sad to see him not be my representative anymore.

Meanwhile, Rick Perry will probably run again for Texas governor in two years, and perhaps for president in four. My greatest hope is that he gets kicked out in the GOP primary (for governor). I think even Republicans are starting to see that he is just plain incompetent, ideology aside, but maybe that's false hope. The leadership of my University is more or less at war with him at the moment, which is fun.

So... yay Texas.

[LuckyNumber7]

Here in Florida we've got Bill Nelson (D) v. Connie Mack (R) for Senator, and District 9 Representative race Alan Grayson (D) v. Todd Long (R).

Aside from Sheriff and some of the issues I have to observe, I don't think I have enough background or interest to vote past these.

I'll be voting Dem across the board for a variety of reasons.

For senator, I'm pretty content with what Bill Nelson's done in the past as one of our senators, but more importantly he's pro stem cell, generally pro-gay, and most importantly to me pro-space and pro-NASA as he is a former astronaut (and as I am an Aerospace Engineer/Astronautical Engineering student so I see it naturally as a key in my future for funding).

For representative, I'm going with Grayson. Alan Grayson really strikes me as a democrat with some libertarian flavor. Cut spending on wasteful topics, and a huge proponent of ending the wars (through slashing spending).

Good thing is both look to have a decent shot at winning. My polling station is walk-able distance from my apartment, too! First time to the polls, how exciting

[Axver]

I was hoping this would be a thread about 2012 elections in other parts of the world.

Not that anybody gives a shit about local council elections in Victoria, nor should they. Living in Brunswick, I get to pick between Greens candidates, Labour candidates, and independent candidates who lean either Green or Labour. It's great for me but must suck for the three conservative old ladies still alive in this bastion of inner Melbourne hipsterdom.

Anyway, I don't even know what elections that actually matter are coming up this year except in the US, so I'll show myself out of the thread.

[Moonlit_Angel]

Speaking for myself, I'm all for hearing about what's going on politically elsewhere in the world. Share away, non-U.S. FYMers!

[cobl04]

Well, our Speaker of the House referred to vaginas as "salty cunts in brine" and said they look like mussels in flirty, salacious text messages with his young male advisor. He stepped down. And that's the background to the sexism speech.

Hey, you asked!!

[Moonlit_Angel]

Charming! So good to know that neanderthal thinking isn't relegated to the U.S. politicians, apparently.

And these are the sorts of people voters get to decide on in regards to running either part of or the entirety of their countries at large. Greaaaaaaaat, I feel so comforted about the future now .

[LuckyNumber7]

Originally Posted by cobl04

Well, our Speaker of the House referred to vaginas as "salty cunts in brine" and said they look like mussels in flirty, salacious text messages with his young male advisor. He stepped down. And that's the background to the sexism speech.

Hey, you asked!!

[Moonlit_Angel]

Disturbing, isn't it? Who the hell was the person who thought any of these people would be perfect for such committees, and just how high were they when they made that decision?

[Pearl]

Originally Posted by Axver

Anyway, I don't even know what elections that actually matter are coming up this year except in the US, so I'll show myself out of the thread.

Sorry about that, I didn't give other countries much thought - so, yay for me being a typical American in that regard.

Yeah, if other countries have elections this year, by all means post away here.

[corianderstem]

So a vagina looks like a cunt? They should, seeing as how they're the same thing. What a fucking moron.

Here in beautiful Washington state, the majority gets to vote on the rights of the minority, and decide who gets to marry their loved ones.

We're also voting to legalize pot.

On November 7th, I hope to celebrate by turning my car into a giant bong, and marrying the first woman I see.

[LuckyNumber7]

Meanwhile in Florida...

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by corianderstem

So a vagina looks like a cunt? They should, seeing as how they're the same thing. What a fucking moron.

Here in beautiful Washington state, the majority gets to vote on the rights of the minority, and decide who gets to marry their loved ones.

We're also voting to legalize pot.

On November 7th, I hope to celebrate by turning my car into a giant bong, and marrying the first woman I see.

This is a great post

[KhanadaRhodes]

there were just two referendums:
- half-cent increase in sales tax to go to education. keep in mind tennessee already has the highest sales tax in the state, and the memphis area is at 9.25%.
- the other was a one cent increase in gas tax to go to funding for our city buses. (a funny side note is the most pathetic councilwoman of all was quoted as basically asking why this tax couldn't be put on liquor, when she's been busted for several duis herself. i guess you could look at it like if she doesn't mind paying more for her booze, maybe we should do that instead...)

other than that i just voted on a senator and congressman.

some people got to vote for stuff like school boards and other municipal elections but i live in a fun part of town. we're not unincorporated, we're city. but we're also county. see, there's memphis city and shelby county, two different governments. where i am was annexed (we didn't even get to vote on it, because we were originally unincorporated we were just gobbled up without any say) but we get taxed by both governments without the benefits of it. and as such we hardly get our say in any elections, either. you'd think i'd get to vote for both mayors...nope. i believe it works like this for the mayor: for years we could vote only for the county mayor, and conveniently when the corrupt mayor who annexed us "retired", then we could start voting for the city mayor. but we can no longer vote for the county mayor.

[digitize]

Originally Posted by LuckyNumber7

I'll be voting Dem across the board for a variety of reasons., too!

For some reason, I thought you were a libertarian. Was I mistaken?

[LuckyNumber7]

Originally Posted by digitize

For some reason, I thought you were a libertarian. Was I mistaken?

Ideologically speaking, but I value the social aspect more than the economic aspect. I will be voting Gary Johnson for President.

With that being said, Bill Nelson doesn't offer much to me but I really don't like Connie Mack at all. But Nelson does offer the social freedoms that Connie Mack will fight against in the Senate. Both offer state representation and promotion of NASA in the senate, which is super important to me. I guess Nelson gets my vote solely on the grounds of his stem cell and gay rights stances.

As for Alan Grayson in the House, he gets my vote because he is, in all practical purposes, a very Libertarian oriented Democrat. Very big on ending wasteful spending, anti-war spending, etc. He's by no means a Libertarian, but he certainly has a lot of economic qualities of one, and many that I like.

I'm not a Libertarian by party. I hold no party affiliation, and I decide on who I vote for by standing the candidates up one next to the other and comparing what I like more.

[trojanchick99]

I forgot, we do get to vote for a Senator, but it's no contest because Dianne Feinstein is awesome. She won the last election 60/40 and is polling about the same this term.