Ernst by 10 points?

[demwing]

I call bullshit

Brownback reelected?

More bullshit.

Some of the Republican wins I can understand... I dont like it, but I get it.

These two result just don't make sense.

[Vinca]

1. The media gave Ernst a pass.

In fact, they turned her into a "sweet farm girl." She's every bit as squirrelly as Todd Akin and they let it go.

[demwing]

3. Every poll had the race very close

These results are some not believable. Tell me she won by 4pts, I'll choke on it, but accept it.

This race defies belief.

[cali]

5. not if dems didn't show up and vote, they aren't. they're all too believable.

[ucrdem]

10. Dems showed up.

Heard a lot of this last night, including locally:

Blacks Turn Out in Greater Numbers for Early Voting in Georgia
Nov 3, 2014 By Terry Shrop
http://atlantadailyworld.com/2014/11/03/black-voters-turn-out-in-greater-numbers-early-in-georgia-election-than-2010/

High Voter Turnout Expected Across Kentucky
Belinda Post
11/04/2014
http://www.wtvq.com/story/d/story/high-voter-turnout-expected-across-kentucky/40003/gz39So12FUCQHdLdxYO1Lw

High early voting numbers too. hmm...

[cleanhippie]

27. I think you (and the rest of us) will be sorely disappointed when the final turnout rates are posted.

Apathy was the second biggest problem with this election.

Corporate money was the first.

[ucrdem]

28. If they're "adjusted" to match the "results," as is now the practice,

I won't be disappointed or surprised.

[cleanhippie]

30. I mean just the raw numbers.

Meaning # of registered voters vs. the actual number of ballots cast.

Turnout was very, very low.

[ucrdem]

34. That isn't what I read and heard last night.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/04/reco-from-behindrd-early-voter-turnout-iowa-good-news-democrat-bruce-braley.html

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/04/turnout-hit-20-democratic-kentucky-area.html

http://www.wtvq.com/story/d/story/high-voter-turnout-expected-across-kentucky/40003/gz39So12FUCQHdLdxYO1Lw

High early voting and election day turnout all over the country is what I was hearing.

[cleanhippie]

36. Perhaps "early voting" was good, but I think the final #'s will tell a different tale.

[LeftInTX]

63. 200,000 less voted in Texas in 2014 than 2010

I also think reports tend to be anecdotal and aren't the big picture.

[LonePirate]

11. Polling for countless races missed the results by miles. This is the underreported story of the day.

[merrily]

2. Did you see acorn Russert praising Ernst on MSNBC last night?

Called her a Republican rock star. A term he also applied to then Presidential candidate McCain in 2008, only in 2008, Timmeh was too inexperienced to hide his gushing enthusiasm for RW candidates. Ludicrously asserted that college students loved McCain "because he's just SO authentic."

Last night, he masked his semi-insane bias behind a somber look, but a smirk did sneak through now and again.

[Frustratedlady]

7. He probably went home with one of those Joni signs stuck to his rear...

he was doing so much advertising for her.

He also said she would never commit to McConnell as SOTH and mentioned she was a Cruz follower. That should make for an interesting situation.

She will be the darling of Congress until they get to know her better. I'm sure the Koch bros. are happy with their creation. God help us in Iowa.

[merrily]

8. Thank you. Sometimes, the things I see and hear are so bizarre I need to know someone else

saw and heard the same thing I did.

And that was MSNBC, the station that pretends to be left. I don't even want to think what was on FOX last night.

[rpannier]

4. Not surprised that Ernst won

I was stunned that Rick Scott got re-elected

As to the polls showing a close race, I've seen polls get things dramatically wrong both for and against candidates I was supporting.

[merrily]

9. Scott and Walker are zombies, I am convinced.

You KNOW they're dead, but they just keep coming at you to eat your brains.

[HereSince1628]

35. In WI it looks sort of like it could be a Goldilocks problem

--no understanding of what is 'just right' to turn out the base.

Not democratic enough to appeal to reluctant dems, and not republican enough make motivated republicans switch and make up the difference.

At least here, I think it's time to admit the opposition is entrenched in a popular culture of "me" and dems cannot shake off the identity of "we".

Maybe it's time to quit the charade and embrace our "we-ness" and look more like who the base really is. A time to quit discouraging our own and enjoy the numerical advantage that we have around popular progressive positions.

Their most popular positions are "Enable rich people to break-away wealth and hate the lazy people who eat up tax dollars",

IMO, no point for a dem to try to emulate that.

[merrily]

38. All good points, and, ultimately, Koch money works wonders.

To think: supposedly the bluest state in the nation sent the slow, but greedy, Scott Brown to the United States Senate--to fill Ted's Kennedy's seat, no less.

Without Koch money, that never would have happened. They brought people in from the West Coast to show what a phenom Brown was, to create buzz for a lackluster state senator. And our bought and paid for local media played it like it was all authentic.

[ucrdem]

6. Lots of hmm last night.

And more to come.

[ladjf]

12. Face it, the people of Iowa are just as ignorant as those in most of the Southeastern states.

The same goes for Ohio and Indiana.

[demwing]

13. It's not the loss I question

but the margin

[ladjf]

14. For years I considered that Iowa, Ohio and Indiana were well educated & cultured people.

But, in the past few years those states seem to be just some additiona red necked states joining the secessionist states.

[exboyfil]

17. We had weak candidates and/or weak campaigning

Branstad is actually a pretty moderate Republican (he may be the best Republican governor in the country which isn't saying much though). My other post talks about what happened to Braley. The open House seat was always a coin flip. It actually got drowned out by the Senate campaign.

[OrwellwasRight]

43. We don't win by insulting people.

There are plenty of well educated & cultured people in every state, even the farthest red ones. But are all those people voting? If not, why not? If they are, do you expect they will all vote for Democrats? For those who don't, why not? We can't just insult, we have to self-reflect, learn, and change.

[ladjf]

54. I didn't insult all Iowans. I simply lamented the fact that the most ignorant of the electorate

won the election and that it was similar to other states with histories of voting against their best interests.

[bullwinkle428]

20. The people of Iowa put Barack Obama on the map in the 2008 caucus with a

huge upset victory over the "inevitable" Hillary Clinton, so there's that!

[ladjf]

55. That was a good thing. nt

[HereSince1628]

42. How does that make you feel about your home state of Iowa?

What would you do to relieve your fellow Iowans of their ignorance?

[ladjf]

56. I have been a long time admirer of Iowa's politics. I was particularly fond of

Senator Harkin and Lt. Gov. Pederson. Today I was just venting my disappointment that the less educated faction of the electorate carried the day. I don't think there is anything any one person could do to improve the situation. All over America the mean, crooked and greedy Republican politicians are getting voted in. Our population has been brainwashed by professional propagandists.

[madville]

15. Roberts/Orman in Kansas

Polls had it as a tie and then Roberts wins by 11%. McConnell was up an average of 5% in Kentucky polling, then beats Grimes by 16%. Georgia polling had their Senate seat and Governor all tied up for months, then both Republicans win by 10%.

[demwing]

21. So one of the following happened:

1. Dems didn't show up | We know this is bullshit, turn out was very high.
2. The polls were wrong - across the board. | Possible, but why?
3. Fraud. | 10% aberrations across the board deserve investigation

[HereSince1628]

46. In WI it's time to admit that high turnout also amplifies the teaparty

The old meme that high turnout -always- favors Dems is no longer true.

The tea-party is a populist party. Its populism is largely based on the virtue of selfishness and the goodness of forcing the needy to be self-reliant or die, but that's all currently fashionable.

[lancer78]

58. Dems didn't show up

but republicans did and that made a high turnout number maybe?

[demwing]

60. Show me

reports I saw stated very high turnout.

I'm interested in seeing your data...

[exboyfil]

16. Braley went into the election

thinking that Harkin's seat was going to be handed to him. He made some huge gaffs during the campaign season and never presented a coherent reason to vote for him. My wife and I voted for him - he is our Congressman, but I do not feel he earned our vote. Except for pockets of urban areas and surprisingly, the north central rural area, he was defeated across the rest of the state (think farmers who don't understand why a long time sitting Senator is not capable of chairing any committee including the Judiciary committee - say that in front of a fancy rack of booze and the image is even more terrible).

Then you have the anti-Obama head wind and the ceaseless negative ads. I can see 10 points. Even if you disagree with Ernst's politics (and there is a lot to disagree with), she does have a fine record in the military and growing up on a farm in Iowa is always a plus in this state. The big joke about castrating pigs is actually pretty serious here in Iowa where pork production is one of our leading industries.

Braley is the first national level politician i have ever interacted with. I liked him personally. His sister-in-law taught my daughters. I think he would have been a good senator (far better than the alternative), but he does not seem to be much of a campaigner. He can come back in two years and challenge Grassley for his seat. He better get a better playbook though.

[OrwellwasRight]

44. What do you mean by this?

"a long time sitting Senator is not capable of chairing any committee including the Judiciary committee"?

[exboyfil]

52. Braley's crack about Grassley

being only a farmer chairing the Judiciary committee if the Republicans won control of the Senate. It was very insulting to farmers and played a huge role in the election results.

Add to the fact he said it in front of one of the most disliked groups - trial lawyers in front of a fancy cart of booze. It was his 47% moment.

[OrwellwasRight]

53. Hmm. Thanks.

I thought he was supposed to be insulting farmers. Now you're saying he was just insulting Grassley, but that his insult was portrayed as an insult to farmers. What I take from this is that Democrats suck at spin. Again. Still.

[hrmjustin]

18. Dems didn't vote in IA and KS is just too republican.

Also because the senate race got close in KS it caused the gop to spend more money there.

If the senate race was not close I think Brownback would have lost.

[ucrdem]

24. "Record Early Voter Turnout In Iowa"

Record Early Voter Turnout In Iowa Could Mean Good News For Democrat Bruce Braley

By: Justin Baragona
Tuesday, November, 4th, 2014,

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/04/record-early-voter-turnout-iowa-good-news-democrat-bruce-braley.html

This was the story all over the country including where I live. But in Calif Dems won. Why? We've got a Dem governor and Dem Secretary of State. When that's not the case, we get "anomalous" GOP governors. Call me a conspiracist but I think it's pretty clear what's going on.

[hrmjustin]

29. I think she just won. it hurt that the gov race was not competitive.

Also our candidate insulted farmers and that poisioned the well.

[maced666]

19. Referee calls bodyslam.

10 pts.
oh boy.

[librechik]

22. how about Walker in Wisconsin?

good thing there's no corrupt election officials in the exceptional nation.

[libtodeath]

23. Nunn is tied or ahead in Georgia and loses by 7 or 8?

no motherfucking way.

[madville]

39. Same with Deal and Carter for Gov

polls have them all tied up for months, then Deal wins by 10%

[stevenleser]

25. The results are confirmed by exit polling which is the gold standard in terms of verifying the vote.

We will have to see exactly what happened. I think Democrats did not turn out and when that happens, the gift you get for a low turnout by your party is a big win for the other side.

[ucrdem]

26. Can you link to those exit polls?

The news last night was high voter and early voter turnout all over the country including Iowa. Voters turned out.

[stevenleser]

31. Here. A full percentage point less of the electorate than in 2012.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/11/04/2014-exit-polls-a-first-look-at-preliminary-data/

[ucrdem]

41. But better than 2010, per the tabulated results. Compare:

[OrwellwasRight]

48. Has the "Blame the progressives for depressing voter turnout.

The answer is more centrism" meme started yet?

You know it's coming even though there were virtually no progressive Senators running (save Merkley, who won), marijuana was legalized in OR and DC, the fetus = person amendment was defeated, and the minimum wage was raised everywhere it was on the ballot.

Yeah, progressivism is a real loser.

Bring it on Third Wayers, bring it on.

[n2doc]

47. Tell John Kerry that n/t

[truebrit71]

50. No shit. Gold standard my arse...

[geek tragedy]

32. Braley was toast when he used "a farmer from iowa" as an insult.

I mean, how fucking stupid is that?

[bklyncowgirl]

62. Yeah, not too bright. Wasn't there something about chickens too?

I've never been to Iowa but I know they have plenty of farms--and people who own them and work on them.

[Orsino]

33. How was turnout?

Did Obama-will-kill-you-with-Mexican-MOOSlim-Ebola trump Obama-who?

[Kaleva]

37. Ernst's victory speech put her audience to sleep

[Calista241]

57. She also has a seriously annoying laugh. n/t

[Kaleva]

59. Very annoying.

My ex, who was watching with me, told me to change the channel as she couldn't stand her laugh.

[DesMoinesDem]

40. One of the most accurate pollsters in the country had her up 7% +/- 3.7%.

I know a lot of people here just dismissed the poll because they didn't like the numbers, but rational people knew she was going to win, possibly by a lot.

BTW, Erst won by 8.5%, not 10%

[librechik]

45. black boxes. America just loves em

cuz we've had em for decades and nobody has made a single move to get rid of them.

[n2doc]

49. Wrong

http://hotair.com/archives/2014/11/03/states-abandoning-electronic-voting-machines-in-droves/

[librechik]

51. "Assuming this turns out to be true," the article says

I overstated when I said nobody is doing anything. I meant no one is doing anything significant as yet.

[Odin2005]

61. Young people didn't vote, so bitter old fuckers decided the election.