brightlights's Blog

Denmark is held-up as a model of environmetal-action against "Global-Warming." Denmark has a land area of 16,640 square miles, the usa has 3,794,101. The population of Denmark is 5,532,531 people, that of the US is 308,071,000.

Denmark generates 20% of it's electricity from "Wind Power," 80% from coal. The US recently achieved 1% of it's electricity spun from wind turbine blades, 60% from coal.

President Obama is going to commit the US to a great reduction in CO2 emmissions to the acclaim of the Conferees from the rest of world as a way to pressure the US Senate to pass the Cap and Trade Bill, Click "Global Warming Link" Below,

This is the Link: Global Warming Link

We are reviewing an excerpt from the November 23, issue of Newsweek magazine to illustrate the "love-dislike-but-still-cash-the-checks" relationship between Sarah palin and the media.

Gone Rouge by Evan Thomas      Pages 28-29

The Republican Right Aims To Crush The Last Scattered Remnants Of The Old Moderate GOP Establishment. 

Moderate Republicans-Yes, they are not yet extinct, though most are in hiding-scoff at Sarah Palin and wish she would go away. But she's not going away...her new book Going Rogue: Am American Life promotes her brand of in-your-face, power-to-the-people conservatism.

(President Obama) knows the long odds against as right-wing populist winning the presidency...He shouldn't be too cocky however, because the decline of the center is ultimately a problem for him and the whole country. If the Palinistas seize the GOP, they probably cannot take the White House But their brand of no-prisoners partisanship can sure tie-up the Congress.

...Since taking office, the President has so far failed to win the battle for the center. the post-election polls show that the country is drifting to the right. Obama needs to win some of those independents back if he wants to get things done. The Republican right, aiming to prevent that, aims to crush the last scattered remnants of the old moderate GOP establishment-or any Republican that will work with the opposition. The talk-show shouters are cheering on the purge, demanding purity."

There is another new element in the American political equation: the "Tea Partys" that have been held in civic centers all over the US. There may be a new, Click "Political Party Brewing" Link Below:

Political Party Brewing

The way the American political system has revolved is that there are two major dominant political parties the Democrats and the Republicans that for the last one hundred and fifty years have supplied the country's Presidents and most of it's Congressmen and Senators.

The selection of Congressional candidates is through a "primary election" in the 435 districts in the bi-annual events except in the case of a "special election" to present candidates to fill-out a Congressman's term as in the New York State District 23 where Representative John McHugh was appointed Secretary of the Army by President Obama that caused the need for the November 3rd, 2009 election.

Under New York State Election Law the Republican Committeemen of the 23rd Congressional District selected State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava to be the Republican candidate which caused a lot of dissension among prominent national Republicans who endorsed another Republican Doug Hoffman (who was selected as the Conservative Party's candidate, the CP is what is referred to as a "third party.")

Former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin and current governor Tim Pawlenty of Wisconsin endorsed Doug Hoffman, the Conservative candidate while former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich endorsed the Republican Committeemen's candidate Dede Scozzafava who was criticized as being too "liberal" on the "social issues," even more so than Bill Owens, the Democratic Party candidate (who are generally more liberal than the Republicans.)

All three of the Republican endorsers are potential presidential candidates in 2012.

Newt Gingrich said of his support for the more "moderate" Republican, Dede Scozzafava "If you seek to be a perfect minority, you'll remain a minority."

 Sarah Palin praised Doug Hoffman on her facebook page, and:

"All the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds. The race for New York's 23 District is not over just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy- on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs, in 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate."

Democratic Party candidate Bill Owens is a lawyer and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman is an accountant and was the controller of the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. 

Let the Games Begin

Voter Registration in New York Congressional District 23:

Republican:         167,272

Democrat:          120,887

Independent:       19,619 (No party declared)

Conservative:         5,561

Workers Family:       1,482

Libertarian:                      77

Total:                  392,006

November 3, Election Results;

Democrat:                  63,496    Bill Owens

Conservative:            58,161    Doug Hoffman

Republican:                   7,137     Dede Scozzafava

Total Voters:             128,688  

Did Not Vote:          163,318 

This made the Democratic Party 2 for 2 in Congressional Special elections as the one in California was also successful. President Obama had won the majority Republican voter registration district in 2008 52% to 47% for Senator John McCain.

 There were 10,200 Absentee ballots which would be mostly votes for the "Republican" candidate (as older, more contientious voters are more likely to vote Republican) as they were cast before Dede Scozzafava withdrew from the race and asked her supporters to vote for the Democrat! causing conservative writers to criticize her again for her "liberal" positions, (they were right.) 

Dick Armey, "Freedom Works" Washington, DC lobbying group that promoted the National Mall "Tea Party" 9-12 March On DC and another lobbying company, "The Club For Growth" brought over $1 million to the 2nd largest Congressional district, geographically, in the US that is mostly rural.

As this had become a contest that was on the 6:30 PM broadcast News and Cable TV political commentary programs we are thinking that the many outside news broadcasting trucks and crews that came into the district and the constant "Robo Calls" to voters' phones "turned-off" the 60 percent that did not vote, as they do not like "outsiders" telling them what they should do.