Friday, November 7

The Friday Not-So-Random Ten+5 advises you not to let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

All the shouting over the past few days has been about Barack Obama's election to the presidency, but it's important to remember that there were also 470 Congressional races in play on Tuesday, and while the Democrats didn't have quite the massive sweep they did two years ago, they did pick up a bunch of seats -- at least 18 in the House (with votes still being counted in eight races) and at least six in the Senate (with one seat in Alaska still undecided and two more in Georgia and Minnesota headed for a runoff, Minnesota still being recounted, and Georgia headed for a runoff). And more than a few people who lost on Tuesday are folks we can all be very happy are no longer befouling our legislative process in Washington. This week's Not-So-Random Ten+5 happily bids them good riddance with the Five People In Congress I'm Most Thrilled To Be Rid Of In 2008:



Rep. Tim Walberg (MI-07)
If you earn the endorsement of the Club for Growth, a radical anti-tax organization determined to keep this country in multitrillion-dollar debt for eons to come, that's a strike against you right there. Here are two more: suggesting that Baghdad is "as safe and cared for as Detroit" and pushing the long-discredited myth that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11. Walberg's either an idiot or just a total douche; in the interest of fairness, I'll let him choose which one.
Defeated by: Mark Schauer, minority leader in the Michigan state senate and founding board member of Battle Creek Habitat for Humanity.



Sen. Elizabeth Dole (NC)
There was a time when I never would've dreamed of putting Liddy Dole on a list like this -- she seemed so sweet and grandmotherly, and she did a good job as head of the American Red Cross. But after getting elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001 from North Carolina -- a state where she hadn't held permanent residence in more than 40 years -- she proceeded to do precisely jack squat, to the point where even fellow Republicans were grumbling about her lack of leadership. The final straw came late last month, when Dole, facing a closer challenge from her Democratic opponent than anyone expected, got desperate and released a repellent, if not downright slanderous, attack ad accusing that opponent of accepting a donation from an atheist group and implying that she was an atheist herself. For that offense, Liddy got exactly the punishment she deserved: losing her Senate seat and being sent home to grapple with a Viagra-juiced Bob Dole. Let that be a lesson to the rest of you.
Defeated by: North Carolina state senator Kay Hagan, who is not only not an atheist, but is in fact a Sunday-school teacher. (Incidentally, her Guilford County district is where Sarah Palin made her "pro-America parts of America" remark a few weeks ago; Guilford went for Barack Obama by a margin of 18 percentage points.)



Rep. Robin Hayes (NC-08)
Another brilliant Republican legislator from the Tarheel State, Hayes said at an October rally for John McCain in Concord, N.C., that "liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God." Later, he denied he said it, and then when someone came up with an audio recording of him saying it, he denied that he denied he said it. While you're trying to figure all that out, Rob, howsabout we find someone to take over your legislatin' duties for a little while.
Defeated by: Former textile worker Larry Kissell, who lost to Hayes two years ago by a margin of just 329 votes.



Rep. Bill Sali (ID-01)
You've got to be a baaaad Republican candidate to lose to a Democrat in ultra-conservative Idaho, and make no mistake, Bill Sali was a baaaad candidate -- so bad, in fact, that it's shocking he even got elected in the first place: Both his predecessor in the 1st District and his soon-to-be-colleague from the 2nd District publicly ridiculed him during his first run for Congress, and the Republican speaker of the Idaho House, where Sali served for eight terms, called him "an absolute idiot." Sounds about right: Earlier this year, Sali supported massive deforestation in his home state by saying that there "could be up to 40 barrels of oil" in each tree.
Defeated by: Walt Minnick, a staff assistant to Richard Nixon turned Democrat and entrepreneur.



Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04)
Quite simply, one of the most worthless members of Congress in history. In three terms as a national legislator, she focused pretty much exclusively on two "issues": restricting the rights of homosexuals, and trying to force her Pentecostal beliefs on as many people as possible. In 2006, with the country still mired in two overseas wars, Musgrave called gay marriage "the most important issue that we face today." Through it all, she weathered numerous controversies over her campaign funding, including the fact that she got $30,000 from Tom DeLay's PAC and refused to either return the money or donate it to charity. The entire country is better off for no longer having this silly, ignorant, petty woman involved in its legislative process.
Defeated by: Betsy Markey, who worked in both the Treasury and State departments under Reagan and who founded a successful software company upon entering the private sector.

And now, a Not-So-Random Ten to mark this historic election:

1. Tears for Fears, "Change"
2. Public Enemy, "Brother's Gonna Work It Out"
3. The Chambers Brothers, "Time Has Come Today"
4. The Streets, "Let's Push Things Forward"
5. Deee-Lite, "Vote Baby Vote"
6. Bobby Darin, "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
7. BT, "Embracing the Future"
8. Massive Attack, "Better Things"
9. Talking Heads, "What a Day That Was"
10. Trey Parker, "America, Fuck Yeah"

Your turn to put your own Random or Not-So-Random Tens in the comments, along with any personally satisfying victories or moments from the '08 election. (And here's to a Sarah Palin nomination in '12.)

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Doug, I think that's a recount in Minnie, not a runoff.

Anonymous said...

Politica of ultimate deluded selfishness goes down in flames. Maybe we care about each other. I'd like to think this election was a repudiation of Rovian politics and PNAC ideas. Nothing cab made it up to Kerry. He won, if Cuyahoga Coubty was counted. His service was slandered in the intderest of a draft dodger. McCain built his reputation on things Kerry accomplished in the Senate and McCain japped on when it seemed politically astute to jap on them.


If the 2004 election hadn't been stolen, we'd all be in a better place, and so would Barack. These assholes shredded the Constitution. Fixing this mess is going to be a monumental task.

Josh M. said...

Personally, I'm looking forward to bathing in the defeat of Jim Martin here in Georgia. While I'm no real fan of Saxby Chambliss, Martin's anti-Fair Tax ads have not only misrepresented it, but flat out lied about it. I voted Libertarian in the general election, but will switch to Republican in the runoff in hopes of feeding Martin a big STFU sandwich.

Anonymous said...

Gormless Coleman is a tool. One way or another Used to be a Democrat,became a W acolyte. How vacant do you have to be to switch to vacancy?

Meanwhile, these assholes blow up Muslim wedding parties and claim it boosts Homeland Security

There is such a thing as depravity. Chebey's picture is next to the definition

Re: Georgia. Saxby is despicable. In the history of mankind, his anti-Max ads made Rove look like Mother Teresa. He's a xcumbag. There is no way of getting around this. Piece of shit, plain and simple. The ads that claimed his opponet favored cgils proatuion. Well he got a bite, and he couldn't hekp hinself.

I'd say Rove tried the nmost disgustthing thing he coulc think of. He got Saxby.
There is no excuse for Sackless. Pure oiexw of shit.

Jonathan M. Reed said...

Two NC legislators go up in flames. I'm not sure whether to hang my head in shame or cheer that the invasion of non-native North Carolinians (including myself, but mostly from Pennslyvania, Jersey and Ohio) have helped turn the tide at long last.

In true astonishment news, the editor of a paper recently bought out by the company I work for is run by an ultra-conservative nutter (that sports, literally, a Hitler 'stache and he runs his weekly column on the front page with his mug)who used his poorly-proofread pages this week to decry the election results as the end of the world.

He even went so far as to posit whether Obama would make Islam the national religion (while using the term Muzzelman in place of Muslim) and why it's a bad thing Obama's historic win could be in the history books next fall (including the phrase "On the positive side, most students never get past WWII in history, so they won't have to read about it").

Holly said...

The shiniest highlight (except for the part where we elected a black Democrat President, obvs) had to be CNN explaining that Liddy Dole no longer has to pretend to live in NC because of a big influx of cash from the DNC, not the part where, y'know, she called a Presbyterian church elder and Sunday school teacher a godless whore on television. Hasta, Liddy baby! S'been real.

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6. Evil Nine - How Do We Stop the Normals?
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8. Evil Nine - Luke Goss
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Robert said...

I know he shares you party affiliation, but good riddance to the smarmy hypocrite Tim Mahoney (FL-16) who was cheating on his mistress as well as his wife even while running a campaign in 2006 based on "bringing back moral values" to Mark Foley's old district.

And I hope you're right about our new President and I'm wrong. I'd love to be surprised.

Josh M. said...

"The ads that claimed his opponet favored cgils proatuion. Well he got a bite, and he couldn't hekp hinself."

I think Max Cleland himself typed that paragraph.

Anonymous said...

I hope we are moving forward in America, away from divisive politics. I don't care if you are a conservative or a liberal, just don't accuse people who disagree with you of not being Americans!

My biggest hope for President Obama: A new culture in America which features citizens getting together and solving problems in their communities without the guidance of partisan politics. Let's come together and talk like adults, folks.

beast in 'bama said...

Your photo of Rep. Tim Walberg reminded me of a story by David Sedaris, entitled "Six to Eight Black Men"

"The blind can legally hunt in both Texas and Michigan. In Texas they must be accompanied by a sighted companion, but I heard that in Michigan they’re allowed to go it alone, which raises the question: How do they find whatever it is they just shot? In addition to that, how do they get it home? Are the Michigan blind allowed to drive as well?"

duvydawg said...

What's funny is that Jim Martin and Saxby were both fraternity brothers (Sigma Chi) at UGA.

Jim Martin must have been a double legacy or something, how'd that dude ever get a bid?

Dawgs win, but don't cover tomorrow against the Blue Cats.

Anonymous said...

Gordon Smith (R-OR) finally got ousted by Oregon state Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Smith, like many Oregon Republicans, is more moderate than the GOP elsewhere, but he's a bit slimy (owns a frozen foods company that knowingly & willingly hires undocumented workers & then exploits the shit out of them) & votes party line more often than not.

Anonymous said...

Looks more like we've traded Rove for Marx.

Anonymous said...

That's great! Out with the bums! What happened to Maxine Waters? Surely she lost. Yes? What about that idiot from Houston, Sheila Jackson Lee? God, what a dumbass. Lest we forget Connine Brown? Just a waste of air.

blackertai said...

"...accusing that opponent of accepting a donation from an atheist group..."

Not to question you, but I'm still not sure how this is an attack. I didn't think in any sense it was illegal to be an atheist in this country, and taking money from atheists can't be illegal, because I know many good, ole fashioned Republicans that aren't believers. The RNC never has any trouble taking their money.

Anonymous said...

Did I hear somewhere that William Jefferson got re-elected?

ACG said...

I gotta agree with blackertai. Calling Kay Hagan an atheist is no more a slander than calling Barack Obama a Muslim. It kind of is, in the sense that it's a lie told with the malicious intent of taking advantage of religious bigotry in her constituency. But there's nothing inherently wrong with atheism that would prevent an atheist from serving, any more than there's anything wrong with Keith Ellison.

Will said...

At least Liddy didn't refer to herself in the third person. You know it, I know it, and the American People know it.

That said: Georgians. I know the anti-fair tax ads sucked (and were not endorsed by Martin) but come on. Linder couldn't get any real support from the Fair Tax when the GOP ran Congress and Bush had a "mandate" back in 2004. Are you really going to let that be the one issue to send Saxby back? The same Saxby that couldn't even get some pork for infrastructure improvements in water when the spigots were going full-tilt? The same guy that thought S-Chip was too expensive but $700 billion (and counting, with no oversight) for Wall St is fine? Really? Martin may be a little milquetoast, but Saxby's a useless piece of shit.

Anonymous said...

You DemoLibs are set up really nice now. You can just blame Bush and the republicans for all problems past and present.

The last (2) years we were led by the Dems in both houses. What accomplishments can you give me?

They were always quick to point to Bush's 30% approval rating while never mentioning Congress's approval rating of around 14%.

Who had you rather be in foxhole with Bush and Libby Dole or Nancy Pelosi and Barny Frank.

Wait never mind, I know why you might pick Barny.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, don't drop your canteen in the foshole.

Jim Martin? Isn't he the guy that was running DFACS in Georgia and was fired for incompetence?