comment #1

Circumvrent says ...

As a New Jersey resident and fan of THE SOPRANOS, I'm curious to see how it's like to live in a state run by the actual Bobby Bacala.

comment #2

Gordon27 says ...

I'm impressed that NY came as close as it did to throwing Bloomberg to the curb. If there'd been a decent candidate against him, he probably would've lost. And that's nice to know.

comment #3

btwnproductions says ...

Seconded, Gordon27. I voted against him. The term limits shenanigans were too much.

comment #4

Ronald McFirbank says ...

Well, universal health care was a nice dream while it lasted, except for the fact that it cost an absurd amount of money we don't have and even the Chinese might not lend us, but it's over now. Wonder what Obama will do for the next three years (besides golf with his buddies)?

comment #5

BurmaShave says ...

It's okay though, the Vs are going to give us universal coverage.

comment #6

DeeZee says ...

Did Miramax survive a flatline?
http://riskybusiness.blogs.thr.com/2009/10/miramax-may-not-be-totally-cooked-just-yet.html
X-Mas Carol gets a "Bah, humbug"-type reception?
http://riskybusiness.blogs.thr.com/2009/11/disney-christmas-carol.html
Does Crazy Heart make for some good Oscar bait?
http://riskybusiness.blogs.thr.com/2009/11/crazy-heart-jeff-bridges.html
Marty's next pay-check job is for BD.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i4eef19a7bf70315d74c32516e314b1e9

Anyway, don't be despondent, yet. Cali still votes mostly Democratic, even though it occasionally picks Republican governors.

comment #7

Gordon27 says ...

I actually think DZ's is the correct response to McFirbank's post.

comment #8

DeeZee says ...

Oh, and http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=50947 ...

comment #9

Travis Crabtree says ...

Most people who aren't trying to hype their own radio show aren't saying that this was an end-all referendum on Obama-Year One.

But that's not stopping MSNBC and HuffPo from bursting an appendix to shout it out. ("In fact, you COULD say that it was BAD news for the Republicans tonight")

Gotta analyze the fuck out of SOMETHING I guess. ("What does it SAY? What does it MEAN? Does it send a message?")

And has anyone made more money from being not funny as Andy Borowitz?

comment #10

BurmaShave says ...

McFairbanks, I'm going to assume you are a Republican, so I'm going to have a really hard time with you attacking our young and athletic first black President about his golfing.

comment #11

Travis Crabtree says ...

Love the doors there at the Broadway Screening Room, by the way. Cool signage.

comment #12

DeeZee says ...

I like how the suits are proud that BD won't likely-if at all-be profitable for another three years.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010838.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

comment #13

THE MovieBob says ...

It's not a refferendum on anything other than reality: Obama is a politician, not a miracle-worker and DEFINATELY not invincible; and furthermore it wasn't the idealists voting FOR him that won the election, it was a majority voting AGAINST Bush-via-McCain/Palin. The sooner Democrats get that through their head and buckle down, the sooner they'll start getting stuff done.

For me, the silver lining on this MIGHT be that since it's looking like Maine's version of Proposition 8 is going to pass and THIS TIME there's no "oh well, Obama won" salve for liberals; MAYBE the youth vote contingent Obama listens so closely to will get on the Democrats' asses to fucking DO SOMETHING about this homophobic insanity. Even from a raw cynical political perspective it's the right thing to do: Health Care, whatever side your on, is a Boomer issue. Obama's "youth base" cares MUCH more about social issues.

comment #14

DeeZee says ...

Bob: Health care's definitely a youth issue, too, since none of us want to be broke taking care of our parents' and grandparents' ailments or get screwed out of benefits when looking for work-assuming there's any work left for us in the first place, of course...And I don't entirely agree that we're not motivated, if the conservative monopoly in NY-23 went down so easily. So if the Dems want their guys to win more, they just gotta talk to us personally, regardless of the issues.

Anyway,
http://www.newsweek.com/id/220554
http://www.newsweek.com/id/219371/page/1

comment #15

Movie Watcher says ...

If you listened to Hannity, you would think the repubs won control of the senate and house. Not much will change, and a president, any president, loses some seats in the next election. The repubs are splitting into two factions, and the infighting is interesting. Of course, that doesn't exist on Fox, it's "No, there's no problem here". Travis, it's true that MSNBC will talk about this all day Wednesday, and it will be analyzed to death. But as of this morning, the upstae NY race winner is going to be Owens, not Hoffman. If that's the case, then what was all the fuss about?

comment #16

TheGK says ...

From the Republican point of view, it was interesting to see that the governorships were won by moderate Republicans but the 'real' conservative in NY-23 lost in a district where a conservative really should have won, notwithstanding the time and money the Tea Party poured into the race.

Also, none of these races had anything to do with health care although there is now another Democratic rep in the House to vote for the health care proposal (probably), while the governors have sweet nothing to do with it.

comment #17

Ronald McFirbank says ...

In your zeal to follow the mainstream spin that these races mean nothing nationally (then why did the parties spend so much money on them) or for Obama (then why did he spend so much time campaigning for Corzine), you miss my point.

The point is, Congressional Democrats in moderate states are now spooked, and a year away from reelection. Pelosi-Reid health care is dead. Simple, really.

PS I hate golf.

comment #18

Floyd Thursby says ...

My fellow Garden Staters may have wanted change, but Chris (Two Faces Have I) Christie is so obviously a corrupt or at least corruptible creep that I can't understand why they did what they did. Turnout was reportedly a record low. When me and the mrs. voted at 5:30, only one other voter was there. The cowardly indifferent voters will regret their failure to act.

Meanwhile, at least Corzine can return to the NBA. Lots of teams need veteran backup centers.

comment #19

Michael says ...

Floyd, why wouldn't he just go back to Goldman Sachs? He'd have more power there than if he was re-elected.

comment #20

Me says ...

As a voter in Virginia, I can tell you that this campaign had very little to do with Obama. Creigh Deeds (the Democrat) ran one of the worst campaigns I've seen. The Republican ran ads saying who he was, what he stands for and came across as a good guy. Deeds went negative from the start and never gave the voters any reason to vote for him, only reasons to not vote for the other guy or himself. In many ads, it looked like Deeds couldn't even put together complete sentences. It was pretty awful.

comment #21

Ronald McFirbank says ...

In the end, the failure of Obamacare will be laid at two things, both Obama's fault. One, the entirely reasonable fear that people have of a giant health care bureaucracy-monopoly. The Republicans put out something listing something like 200 new panels or committees or whatever that will have oversight over health care. It is not an endorsement of the current deeply illogical system to fear that such a vast expansion of government power with no clear accountability will come at your personal expense in every sense of the term.

The other was floating this trillion-dollar monstrosity on the heels of what quickly came to be seen as a massive torching of money to no good end, the stimulus. If Americans are suddenly in a belt-tightening mood, the speed with which a trillion dollars vanished down the rat hole is clearly a large part of the reason.

Obama could certainly have had a health care bill if he had been willing to accept a more limited (I use the term ironically) notion of government's role. But when a creature of the urban machines and the law firm establishment, who's never held a real job in his life, suddenly declares that he's fit to run the auto companies and the health care sector and the economy all at once, it's no surprise that the public should look askance. Call it by the homophobic insult "teabagging" if you want, but the public is rediscovering what Obama has evidently never known but Mr. Micawber understood quite well:

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery."

comment #22

George Prager says ...

Which is why Hoffman won in NY 23...no wait...

comment #23

BurmaShave says ...

Thank you George. The Dems actually picked up a seat in the House last night, continuing a special election trend that's been going on since Obama's victory. The first Democrat sent from that district (which after the 2010 census and redistricting won't even exist) since Reconstruction. How is that not part of the narrative. Not to mention Garamendi in California.

I'm from Virginia, I can attest to what a bad candidate Creigh Deeds was. He latched onto the thesis issue and then wouldn't let it go long after it stopped doing the damage it could. And now we have Governor Pat Robertson and Attorney General Rick Santorum. But this was most definitely a local issue election. Roads, education, taxes, etc. I imagine it was much the same with Corzine, also a legendarily bad candidate. Looking forward to Booker destroying that fat fuck Christie in 2013.

comment #24

Ronald McFirbank says ...

That's quite a victory, the Democrat beating TWO Republican candidates (who got 51% if you lump them together), one of whom was a third party challenger, in one of the most liberal states.

That should TOTALLY reassure Blue Dog Democrats in the west and southwest.

comment #25

TheGK says ...

In short, McDonnell ran a coherent and consistent campaign which spoke to what the constituents of cared about - which didn't include the unreasonable fear of government run health care. Christie ran a campaign based on Corzine's governorship sucking.

Hoffman ran a conservative campaign with no regard to the constiuent's 'parochial' concerns and handed a solid Republican House seat to the Dems.

I guess the American people have spoken. If the Repubs or conservatives want to keep banging the government healthcare drum and run on about abortion, same sex marriage and sweet, sweet guns, then they're screwed.

comment #26

corey3rd says ...

Corzine wasn't that beloved as a Gov. The Dem in Va was pathetic. They lost because they sucked - not because there was a voter insurrection. Although it was odd that the media didn't ask about how the fat guy got out of his traffic ticket that let to a man in the Trauma Center. They just focused on a fat jab.

The only real "Obama" vote was the NY district since Palin and her dwarves packed onto a candidate who had no business in the race since he didn't live in the district and didn't have a clue about things affecting the people in the area. Hoffman's only appeal was that he was Glenn Beck's buttboy. And this man who looks like a serial killer was beaten in a district that has been solid GOP since the Civil War. But Michael Steele doesn't see this as mattering since it's just a Congressional seat that doesn't matter.

comment #27

Travis Crabtree says ...

Back to the Fox thing again, I guess.....

Come on, Movie Watcher.... did your REALLY watch Hannity? Or is that what you're assuming he did? (I didn't watch him, so I don't know myself... maybe he did.... but he's fucking Hannity)

But going back to what we've discussed before, Hannity (and Maddow, i.e.) are self-identified ANALYSTS.

As far as election coverage goes, I'll take Fox's Brett Baer, Hume and Juan Williams over MSNBC's desk of Matthews, Olbermann and O'Donnel....

That being said.... I'm not much for morning shows, but I finally got around to catching a Fox and Friends... the only bits I'd ever seen of it were angry posts regarding conservative bias displayed by its hosts.... that's the least of the problem... those people are downright goofy... is there a gas leak in that studio?... I'd think Fox could do better... it reminded me of the show Marge Gundersun was watching just before being kidnapped...

comment #28

Travis Crabtree says ...

Deep, Corey.... real deep.

Yeah, I saw that HuffPo headline, too. The HuffPo Palin obsession continues...
("The Candidate That Sarah Palin Liked Lost! That's Kind Of Like Sarah Palin Losing! read more in our special Palin Section!")

Anyway.... our nation is now forever changed.

(2009) The Republican party is back!
(a year ago) The Republican Party is DEAD!
(1994) The Democrat Party, as we know it, is dead
(1992) The Republican Party is in it's death throes
(1988) The Death of the Liberal

comment #29

Eloi Manning says ...

The independent candidate in NJ ran some funny negative ads. One showed him striding up a flight of stairs confidently, while some fat Christie lookalike stumbled and sweated like a pig. Quite amusing to see his weight being so obviously used against him in negative ads.

"Don't vote for Chris Christie, because he's a fat fuck."

comment #30

Floyd Thursby says ...

For those unaware of Fat Fuck's traffic accident cited above:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/gop_gov_candidate_chris_christ_2.html

comment #31

Travis Crabtree says ...

Making fun of someone's weight is a great strategy if you're trying to win the Jeffrey Wells vote.

But perhaps not so smart if you're looking to win over the millions of fatties that live in New Jersey.

comment #32

Travis Crabtree says ...

"Fat Fuck"?

Typical right-wing name-calling. oh wait...

comment #33

Floyd Thursby says ...

"Typical right-wing name-calling. oh wait..."

Many of us enjoy CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM even though we've never killed any swans.

comment #34

dangovich says ...

"In the end, the failure of Obamacare will be laid at two things, both Obama's fault. One, the entirely reasonable fear that people have of a giant health care bureaucracy-monopoly."

Ronald, if this fear exists, then why do 57 percent of Americans support a government-run program to compete with the private insurers? Two recent polls (Kaiser and WaPost/ABC) found the same level of support. The majority of Americans want the public option, contrary to what the teabaggers claim.

comment #35

George Prager says ...

Owens got more than 50% of the vote.

Mgmax...I mean McFirbank should change his name to Dutch Schultz.

comment #36

corey3rd says ...

never trust a fat fuck lawyer - all the world is their ned beatty

comment #37

corey3rd says ...

"Folks, I want you to print these words out. I want you to get the transcript off my website. I want you to print these out, I want you to distribute them, I want you to carry them with you, and we'll just see how close I am to being right. (When Hoffman wins) the State-Run Media will say, "New York-23, the race is more about the demise of the Republican Party and anger on the right than Obama or his policies." Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday

comment #38

TL says ...

Instead of reading tea leaves based on 3 races, I sure do wish we had statistically significant ways to figure out
what the country thinks about President Obama and the prospects for Democrats in congress.

If only, if only....

comment #39

Floyd Thursby says ...

Still interested in hearing what off-and-on-New-Jersey-resident Wells has to say about Fa ... er, Gov. Christie.

By the way, if Two Faces Have I divorced Mrs. Fat and married a recent former republican NJ governor, her name would be Christie Christie.

comment #40

DeeZee says ...

Ronald: "One, the entirely reasonable fear that people have of a giant health care bureaucracy-monopoly."

Um, we already have that in the "free" market system.

" It is not an endorsement of the current deeply illogical system to fear that such a vast expansion of government power with no clear accountability will come at your personal expense in every sense of the term."

But it's ok to expand our powers to round up and torture innocent people for being Mexican and Muslim.

"The other was floating this trillion-dollar monstrosity on the heels of what quickly came to be seen as a massive torching of money to no good end, the stimulus. "

As opposed to the bail-out? At least the stimulus actually stabilized the economy.

"But when a creature of the urban machines and the law firm establishment, who's never held a real job in his life,"

Fuck you. Since when is being a community organizer not a "real" job? Only to people who don't know shit about management and planning, but who think greeting people for a living is a real job, believe it's not a real job.

"suddenly declares that he's fit to run the auto companies and the health care sector and the economy all at once, it's no surprise that the public should look askance."

They seemed to jump on Obama's "business" decisions faster than those of Bush-cus he's black.

"That's quite a victory, the Democrat beating TWO Republican candidates (who got 51% if you lump them together), one of whom was a third party challenger, in one of the most liberal states."

Except that that seat hasn't been Democratic in over 100 years. And one of the losers was supposed to be a symbol for the tea-bagger movement.

comment #41

David says ...

I question the validity of these surveys that ask general questions about "Republicans" and "Democrats" rather than specific candidates. Huckabee doesn't equal Ron Paul and Obama doesn't equal John Edwards.

And can we acknowledge that the same-sex marriage opposition isn't just coming from Republicans? Libertarians are slowly but surely taking over the right while we have a Democratic president who still opposes gay marriage and voters in largely Democratic states who seem perfectly comfortable legislating bigotry. I know from enough surveys on the subject that we're only a few generations away from gay marriage being a non-issue, but for right now it's still sad all around.

comment #42

Floyd Thursby says ...

As I predicted, the Phillies will win the seventh game tonight ...What's that? Oh. Never mind.

Matsui's being the first samurai to homer in the World Series is mentioned in Phil Caputo's excellent new novel, Crossers, which could make an even better film if cast properly. Lots of good roles for folks 50-65.

comment #43

Ronald McFirbank says ...

"(2009) The Republican party is back!
(a year ago) The Republican Party is DEAD!
(1994) The Democrat Party, as we know it, is dead
(1992) The Republican Party is in it's death throes
(1988) The Death of the Liberal"

Good point, Travis. Or as I've often said, "By the time you read it in Time magazine, the reverse is starting to happen."

Which is why I wouldn't predict what the electorate will do in 2010-- but it's obvious what those who fear what the electorate will do in 2010 are about to do.

comment #44

Travis Crabtree says ...

"Except that that seat hasn't been Democratic in over 100 years. And one of the losers was supposed to be a symbol for the tea-bagger movement."

That's completely wrong, DeeZee. (good thing you're not a conservative and I'm not a liberal.... I'd be calling you a "Lying Liar who LIES!!!" right now)

Good point, David. Prop 8 in California did not pass because the state's so full of fundamentalist Republicans.

comment #45

DeeZee says ...

Travis: If I'm wrong, why did Politico agree with me? As for Cali, it's currently a state populated by people who vote Democratic on local candidates, but social conservative on most issues which aren't marijuana-related-which explains a lot, actually. I imagine states like Maine are the same. Libertarians voting against gay marriage are fucking hypocrites, for obvious reasons, though.

Anyway, http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/rush-limbaugh-blames-newt-gingrich-hoff .

comment #46

David says ...

"Libertarians voting against gay marriage are fucking hypocrites, for obvious reasons, though."

Where is this happening?