Discussion: The REPUBLICAN Party XVII

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Chris Christie is Facing Another Bridge Scandal

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is reportedly ensnared in another bridge-related investigation, this time for the $1.8 billion funding to repair the Pulaski Skyway, which connects Newark and Jersey City. According to the New York Times, a probe launched by the Manhattan district attorney's office and the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Christie's administration misled bond holders to obtain the money for the project. Ironically, this new bridge investigation was spun-off from the ongoing investigation into Bridgegate.

The potential securities law violations, writes the Times, stem from 2010 and 2011 documents wherein Christie's office demands the Port Authority pay for repairs to the Pulaski Skyway—namely using money originally earmarked for a new Hudson River tunnel, a project that was cancelled. But according to the Times, that money couldn't be used for the project:

Again and again, Port Authority lawyers warned against the move: The Pulaski Skyway, they noted, is owned and operated by the state, putting it outside the agency's purview, according to dozens of memos and emails reviewed by investigators and obtained by The New York Times.

But the Christie administration relentlessly lobbied to use the money for the Skyway, with Mr. Christie announcing publicly that the state planned to rely on Port Authority funds even before an agreement was reached. Eventually, the authority justified the Skyway repairs by casting the bridge as an access road to the Lincoln Tunnel, even though they are not directly connected.

Though it would appear that the Port Authority and Christie's office were able to use creative, maybe even deceptive, naming to use the money anyway, possibly to their detriment:

In bond documents describing the Skyway reconstruction and other repairs, the Port Authority has called the projects "Lincoln Tunnel Access Infrastructure Improvements."

The accuracy of this characterization is now a major focus of the investigations, according to several people briefed on the matter. Under a New York State law known as the Martin Act, prosecutors can bring felony charges for intentionally deceiving bond holders, without having to prove any intent to defraud or even establish that any fraud occurred.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/n...quiry-said-to-be-linked-to-christie.html?_r=0

This guy and bridges just don't mix

 

[hippie_hunter]

Main problem I find with her is when she is in campaign mode, she comes off like a politician

I'm really not going to find fault with a politician acting like a politician. That would be like being angry at an actor for acting like an actor or a lawyer acting like a lawyer or the sky being blue.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Black Democrats Help GOP Sen. Cochran Quash the Tea Party in Miss.

Longtime Senator Thad Cochran beat Chris McDaniel by just over 6,000 votes in the GOP runoff election yesterday in Mississippi. He did so by convincing black Democrats to vote for him and increasing voter turnout overall — in the 24 Mississippi counties with a majority black population, turnout was up almost 40 percent.

In some counties, that trend was even more stark. Jefferson County saw turnout increase by 92 percent, according to Nate Cohn at The New York Times. African-Americans make up over 80 percent of the voting population in Jefferson.

Predicting an increase in Democratic voters, Tea Party organizations deployed poll watchers yesterday to intimidate black voters. In response, the NAACP dispatched its own poll watchers to look for intimidation and other problems. No monitor on either side reported any illegal activity.

Some Tea Partiers will probably always say that Cochran bought votes, however. McDaniel supporter Sue Barnett suggested at a rally last weekend that "Cochran's campaign had hired a community organizer to pay blacks to show up at the polls on Tuesday." In his concession speech, McDaniel didn't hide his anger — he said, "There is something a bit strange, there is something a bit unusual about a Republican primary that's decided by liberal Democrats. So much for principles."

Ultimately, Democrats realized that the likelihood of sending a Democratic senator to Washington from Mississippi was slim, so they supported the lesser of two Republican evils. Roger Smith, a black Democrat who organized for Cochran, told the Times:

I don't know too much about McDaniel other than what McDaniel's saying: that he's Tea Party, he's against Obama, he don't like black people. You're going to get one of the white guys in there. You got to make a choice.

Cochran, 76, has been a senator since 1978. He wasn't the only incumbent in Congress to face a much younger challenger yesterday — Rep. Charlie Rangel is still fighting to keep his seat in the New York Democratic primary.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/25/u...e-region®ion=lede-package&WT.nav=lede-package

Score one for pragmatism I guess?

 

[Thundercrack85]

If you have to choose between the devil you know, and the devil who claims to be even more against you, kind of a no brainer.

 

[Anubis]

Yeah, I know quite a few black Dems fill out a Republican Ballot just so they could vote against the billionaire running for governor in Illinois. Didn't work though.

 

[Kelly]

Nah, it shows the character of the people. They actually will end up breaking the law, because the law is too hard to uphold.

They are not to vote for anyone else in the actual election other than who they voted for in the primary. A few states have this law and this is one of the states....but oh well, kind of crappy thing that Cochran, the robo-call the last few days was just disgusting, and it asked the democrats to pretty much break the law.

I think he will end up losing his seat......oh well.

 

[Anubis]

What kinda law is that? I mean, if votes are supposed to be confidential, how can they tell who you voted for, without violating that basic law of privacy?

You should be able to vote for whoever you wanna vote for. Even if it's a vote for an easier opponent for the one you really want to win.

 

[wiegeabo]

Before this recent law change, in California primaries you could only use the ballot for the party you were registered for.

Which meant you were out of luck if you weren't registered with a party (Declined to State) or your party didn't have a ballot (most third parties). It meant you could only vote for the nonpartisan positions and had no say in who got selected for a party.

 

[SV Fan]

I think all states should adopt the California and Louisiana jungle primary system of putting all candidates in 1 pool, top 2 face off head to head. In this kind of system in deep red or blue districts you generally will end up with an extreme vs moderate candidate from one party and that way all people in the district at least have the choice even if they vote the opposite party(ie less of 2 evils). This is a sure way to get rid of idiots like Louie Gohmert, Steve King, Michele Bachmann, etc

 

[Kelly]

Well, if you are going to throw that out.....then I'll throw this out.....

You have to pass a current event test before you can vote.

That will get rid of the idiots voting....

 

[Thundercrack85]

It's illegal to discriminate against idiots for voting.

 

[Kelly]

It's illegal to discriminate against idiots for voting.

And if people want to vote for what some call idiots because they hold their social or fiscal ideology they should be free to do that as well....

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Sarah Palin-endorsed candidates are losing primaries, so maybe Sarah Palin will leave the Republican Party. "If Republicans are going to act like Democrats, what's the use in getting all gung ho about getting other Republicans in there?" she tells Sean Hannity. Yes. Yes.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sarah-palin-third-party-hannity

The sooner this idiot gets out of the public eye the better

 

[SV Fan]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sarah-palin-third-party-hannity

The sooner this idiot gets out of the public eye the better

I honestly wish that all these people like Palin who think we should have a 3rd party, would go out and create one. Would be the greatest thing possible. Sadly like most things she says, talk is cheap

And if people want to vote for what some call idiots because they hold their social or fiscal ideology they should be free to do that as well....

And what I suggested would allow them to vote for those Louie Gohmert types(or on the flip side Charlie Rangle), it would just put a better challenger fit to that district against him that everybody else can vote for

 

[Kelly]

Fit because "you" think they are fit????

What makes them fit? What is your criteria for fit???

If they get the majority of that districts vote, then that is what the district gets....whether you think they are "fit" to be a candidate or not.

 

[SV Fan]

Fit because "you" think they are fit????

What makes them fit? What is your criteria for fit???

If they get the majority of that districts vote, then that is what the district gets....whether you think they are "fit" to be a candidate or not.

Problem is you have Louie Gohmert type districts that will vote for whatever person has a "R"(or "D" in the case of Rangle) beside their name. So basically when a low turnout shows up to the primary to vote Louie Gohmert, there is not chance he will lose in a higher turnout election. Do a Jungle Primary you probably will have Louie Gohmert vs another slightly more moderate conservative, so that way the 30% of people who don't like Gohmert can vote for the less of 2 evils and actually have their vote count in the election. That slightly more moderate guy then has to find a way to get another 21% of the districts vote so chance are he has more broad appeal to the entire district as a whole, instead of a guy who wins a low turnout Primary

Jungle primaries basically are more likely to give people 2 choices that actually have a chance to win basically(even if it's a less of 2 evils choice)

 

[Kelly]

You have MANY DISTRICTS LIKE THAT SV....come on.

I think Pelosi is a looney tune....but if that is who her district wants? then ok, I'm not going to take that away from them, if she is who they want representing them, then ok....and I can assure you, her district will NEVER vote for an R.

If you want that to change, use my plan....

 

[SV Fan]

You have MANY DISTRICTS LIKE THAT SV....come on.

I think Pelosi is a looney tune....but if that is who her district wants? then ok, I'm not going to take that away from them, if she is who they want representing them, then ok....and I can assure you, her district will NEVER vote for an R.

If you want that to change, use my plan....

Out of curiosity do you understand what a jungle primary is? Pelosi is in a district with a jungle primary by the way

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonpartisan_blanket_primary

 

[hippie_hunter]

It's a system that has just recently been adopted in California though. It's not like they've had a long tradition of doing it like Louisiana.

 

[SV Fan]

It's a system that has just recently been adopted in California though. It's not like they've had a long tradition of doing it like Louisiana.

My basic point is while not perfect it's much better then the current system most states use. It allows districts to find people who better represent the entire district then somebody who can win low turnout primaries

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Todd Akin Has More Thoughts About Women and "Legitimate Rape"

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=29147159&postcount=312

 

[Kelly]

Out of curiosity do you understand what a jungle primary is? Pelosi is in a district with a jungle primary by the way

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonpartisan_blanket_primary

Well, duh San Francisco is in California. My point of bringing her up was simply to say, I don't see the point of calling out candidates, people in office, etc CONSTANTLY, EVERY CHANCE I GET and using things such as clowns, nut jobs, etc. IMO, it disrespects the people that voted for them.

As far as Pelosi as my example, I can't stand her, I think she is a disgrace to ANY PARTY, as is Harry Reid, as is Boehner, as was Cantor...but I'm not going to call out every syllable that they screw up on, and wonder ..."good God, how could the people in their district be so stupid as to vote for someone that is at best laughable" at every turn. They voted for them because they agree with their ideology. OK....that is their opinion, and that is their right.

I will however, tear policy apart...

 

[Kelly]

Todd Akin Has More Thoughts About Women and "Legitimate Rape"

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=29147159&postcount=312

His party is going to cut his tongue out any minute...lol

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

It's like his brain is a perpetual foot-in-mouth machine haha

 

[Kelly]

I can't remember which Conservative pundit it was.....but he was so pissed off.....it was pretty much.

"Dude, shut the **** up, you are an idiot, and you DO NOT represent me.....life is not about rape, keep your weird ideas to yourself, idiot".

Of course that is paraphrasing....but was pretty much the idea. I wish I could remember his name....it will come to me later. lol