Nate Silver still leans toward Obama.

Obama.

MCQ – I agree with you that some event could tip it. It has been so volatile thus far. In addition, it will be interesting to see what impact early voting has given that leans Obama. My guess is that Obama will pull out a win – it will be close but Ohio will swing his way and Romney will just miss in 1-2 other swing states…

President Obama wins, Republicans, especially fundamentalist types will turn on Romney and Mormons. You heard it here first.

Agree with annegb that this election will be closer than most people predict. It’s smart for Romney to distance himself from Obama on nearly every issue, not only along party lines, but in value terms, so people know he is a solid choice, if they don’t want a repeat of the last four years. (But then, isn’t that what all challengers do?) I will predict a Romney win, particularly if he brings it home in the final debate and rides on that momentum.

Watched parts of the speeches both men gave last night—-didn’t catch what event it was, but they roasted themselves and each other. Pretty funny.

Nate Silver puts Obama’s odds at 67.9%. Intrade shows 61.1%. Not very close. My plan, follow the smart guy and the smart money. Obama gets a 2nd term.

And Guy Murray, too. You should be a fly on the wall of my facebook. Guy feels his feelings!

Republicans have no idea how much Democrats despised and feared George Bush. We’re a crazy bunch here in America.

I keep getting emails about laws Obama signed allowing him to restrict our freedoms, but there’s no mention of what George Bush signed after 9/11.

The thing is, America is bigger than its stupid leaders. We are all America.

I’ve always been a student of the Holocaust but lately I’ve been reading piles of books written by survivors. Many here are afraid of total—-crap, I have no idea how to spell it, but the thing is, what Hitler did would never fly here. Americans are crazy for their guns and we have big mouths.

Anyway, I think we need to have more faith in ourselves and the power of our citizenry. Because I will have no patience with the losing side bitching for the next four years that they were robbed.

I’m telling you, my vote in 2016 might be decided by how the loser acts after this election.

When the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress during Obama’s first two years, did they repeal any of the laws they complained about that were passed during Bush’s years?

No.

cantinflas – it is interesting to watch the polls. It would seem Romney will take Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, but lose the other swing states and the presidency if we believe the current polls.

Well it looks like Mitt Romney needed an October surprise after all but couldn’t or wouldn’t develop one. Maybe he thought his performsnce in the first debate would carry him through. I sent his campaign my first e-mail the day after that debate and sent three more e-mails each 3 days thereafter. The messages were typed into a “suggestion box” window on his web site which were swallowed up there when the message was finished. I begged that whoever read them would take them to the higher ups and just consider them for “a few seconds.” The first message had all the essentials which could have been acted on immediately. The other messages were just repetition and refinement. Who knows what happened to them? So many e-mails to read and probably one out ot a thousand is useful. Were all of them read – not likely. Were none of them read – possibly. It just seems like it would be worth it to read them on the off chance that they might find a real gold nugget somewhere.

So, what could be more American than mom, the flag, apple pie, and the filibuster? Don’t you just love the filibuster? But its time has come, and it has to go. All the time and money it has wasted, and all the legislation it has distorted is shocking. Yet it has never been made a msjor issue in a Presidential campaign. Yet it is an issue of pure principle that terrifies politicans. It is not seen as a “normal” issue like money, taxes, and jobs which were all this campaign really came up with. They beat that dead horse until it turned to dust, and still nobody could understand what all those billions and trillions were going to do.

On to the stage comes the filibuster issue. It is taken from a Dutch word that means freebooter or pirate. It has been a downright embarrasment to the Senate at times that has caused them to tinker with it giving the illusion that they have migitated its more harmful effects. Yes, hypocrisy and illusion. Like Pat Buchanan said the other night, “Romney will not be able to repeal Obama Care because he won’t have 60 votes in the Senate.” 60 votes in the Senate! Like it was cast in concrete, and nobody could ever do anything about it. The last time I looked, the Senate had only 100 members. Now that is a number that the American People can get their head around. Of that, it only takes a majority of a quorum to pass a law. A quorum to do business is a majority of the Senate or 51 votes, so a majority of that is just 26 votes to pass a law. Of course on important issues just about everybody shows up to vote. So at the most, it would take 51 votes to pass a law.

But the filibuster is different. The filibuster or Cloture Rule allows unlimited debate (and thus delay) on a bill or motion until 16 Senators sign a cloture petition. Then a cloture vote is taken which needs 60 votes to end debate. Yes, 60 votes period, no matter how many are present in the quorum. Yes, 60 votes to stop debate, but 51 votes or less to pass a law. Such is a simplified explaination. There are many ins and outs to it plus other dilatory tactics used. If somrthing could be done just about the Cloture Rule (Senate Rule 22 which is sometimes called “Catch-22″)like reducing the votes needed for cloture to 51 then it would go a long way to curbing the abuses of the filibuster. It would not end the filibuster per se but make it alot easier to stop when things got ridiculous. Legislation would have a much smoother and faster flow.

Then there is that minority that will not like that possibility. The U.S. Senate is the only legislative body in the country that has it. If it was such a good idea, you would think that state legislatures would adopt it. No, just that hide bound attitude in the Senate that came from an early quirk in its rules allowing for unlimited debate when life was much slower. You will find many arguments for its continued existence, but none of them will overcome its fundamental unfairness.I will end this comment for now hoping to pick it up later after some other bloggers comments if any.

Does anyone know how to say I told you so in a really nice way? I’m open to suggestions.

I think both candidates set the tone with their speeches acknowledging the feelings of their opposition. They were gentlemen. I absolutely loved president Obama’s speech. I made Bill listen to it

I think Don is allowed a bit of gloating, given that so many Mormons think we just elected Satan

Actually I was right on Obama winning. As far as right wing Evangelicals blaming Mormons, just give it time. I predict Billy Graham’s website reinstates ‘Mormonism is a cult’ language. The civil war in the Republican Party is just beginning so hold on, it will be a bumpy ride. My guess is that Chris Christie emerges from Sandy devastation as a powerful voice for the return of more moderates and less crazies to the GOP.

I agree with Anne…..President Obama was totally gracious, as was Governor Romney in concession. I hope the Romney’s stick around on the public stage….Anne Romney has a lot to offer especially in educating people about MS.

Oak–how about just not listening to Fox? No one will accuse Rachel Maddow of being a ‘sex kitten’, or Chris Mattews or Ed Schultz of just ‘reading the news’.

I don’t like Rachel Maddow. I like Ann Coulter even less; I’m so sick of the (sometimes rhetorical) yelling back and forth.

I think the whole experience was a positive one for Mormons and I disagree with you, Don, about a backlash. There will probably be some, but there are also people who no long think Mormons have horns.

I LOVE Chris Christie. I wish we had more like him, in terms of telling it like it is, political correctness be damned. But, I worry about his weight. He’s a heart attack waiting to happen. (As am I)

Us Mormons are awaiting the apocalypse; I am. Maybe it will happen next month. Woo-hoo, the millenium!

Heck, I don’t even know what the fuss all is but if it is I’m okay with it. What’s the downside of the millennium coming?

Well, anyhow. I want to buzz through a scenario that could have made Romney the winner. So Romney comes out about a day after the last debate and proposes that something be done about the filibuster. The filibuster or threat of filibuster will endanger his legislative program, and he will need to get on with governing. He is acting Presidential now by planning for the future. He will stop watching the polls and go for it. The filibuster will become the national campaign issue that it has never been before. He will ask the American People to get after their Senators and push them to change Senate Rule 22. This way he is asserting personal leadership of the people. It also validates his assertion that Washington will not change from the inside but must be forced to change from the outside.

Amazingly this program will not cost the American People anything except for what each wants to spend in raising hell with the Senate. I bet there is not one American in ten who has any regard for the filibuster, so the response would be electric. It would also be bipartisan since so many are fed up with the disfunction of Congress. Some old grouchy Senators will complain that it is not the President’s (ie. Romney’s) business to interfere with the Senate citing seperation of powers doctrine. All he need reply is that it may not be his business, but it sure as hell is the People’s business to interfere with the Senate. As any objectrive history of the Senate will tell you, the Senators tend to think that the Senate belongs to them. The six year terms and many other perks make them impervious to change. Now Mr. Romney will refer to it as the People’s Senate and the people will lead themselves in a crusade to change the cloture rule.

In his first announcement, Romney would also call on the Republican Senatorial candidates to support him in the effort. By in large I think this would help their campaigns also and possibly create a Republican majority in the Senate. Alright, lets back up a minute. Yes, ground work would have to be done. The Romney campaign would most secretly have to contact each of the Senate candidates and get some kind of commitment from them before hand. They would probably have to send an ambassador to each of the 33 campaigns and negotiate in secrecy. Could there be leaks? Yes, that is why it must be done quickly so as to avoid leaks and then spring it into the campaign as a surprise. Yes, very risky. Some candidates might feel threatened by the idea as some of their consitutients or backers may favor the filibuster. They would not have to support it directly. If they oppose it, then that is the nature of a bipartisan world. The bipartisan nature of this proposal cannot be kept out of it. But the Republicans have to jump on it first. It should not affect Romney’s success unless things get crazy. Kind of messy? Maybe – that is a subject for another time.

Oh pooh. Time magazine listed blatant falsehoods, exaggerations, and questionable conclusions on the part of your Guy, too, Don. This is what drives me batshit crazy. Your guy is a *******saint and the other guy is a tool of the devil. That’s crap Don. Unless you’re willing to give tit for tat I do not want to hear self righteous claims of dishonest on the part of the opposition, whoever the opposition is.

The outrage is laughable. I’m not addressing this specificially to you, Don, but I can’t believe you used that as your rationale in the face of the consistent dishonesty on the part of both men.

I was wondering the other day what would have happened if both men told the unvarnished truth. If Mitt said “I’m going to have all you people on welfare working in a year!” and Obama said “I believe in redistributing wealth and I’m taking yours, rich guys of America, to make sure every poor person in America has a cell phone (which he got a good start on himself in the election).

I think we’re becoming like Sodom, where it’s hard to find one honest man. We penalize them for honesty—-Mitt told the truth about how he felt about the 47% and got bitched out about it—-and then we penalize them for hedging. There’s a catch 22 here that’s on us, we, the people, as much as it is on the politicians.

I. am. so. sick. of. partisanship.

Oh, I forgot to mention political correctness.

Anyway, what I think doesn’t matter–the judgment of the American people matters, and they didn’t choose Romney. If Romney and the Republicans want to wallow in their loss and blame everyone else but themselves, I hope they knock themselves out, and continue to move themselves along the road to irrelevance. I just wonder how long it will be before someone in the Republican Party tries to move into the world of facts instead of continuing the celebration of Cinco Deny O.

I would never use the word Messiah regarding any politician. Those are your words, not mine. I can think of only one appropriate use of the word Messiah.