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Subscribe to RSSEven though all eyes are focused on the battle for the White House, there are 435 House members who’ll be elected next Tuesday. The House is likely to stay in Republican hands, giving Mitt Romney a helping hand if he wins the presidency, but presenting President Barack Obama with a legislative choke-point if he wins a second term, potentially limiting or blocking his agenda for at least two years.
Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, discusses seats Democrats would need to take control of the House, and the chances of the Republican Party gaining seats on Tuesday.
In the final days of the 2012 campaign, Democrats face a steep climb in their effort to retake control of the House, probably one that’s too steep.
Needing 25 seats to regain the majority they lost in 2010, the Democrats are fighting both against the power of incumbency and, in some states, against partisan lines drawn during last year’s re-mapping of congressional districts.
One forecasting model designed by political scientists Eric McGhee, John Sides, and Ben Highton predicts that the Democrats will gain one seat in the House. Analyst David Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said in an assessment Thursday, “the most likely outcome is no net change to a Democratic gain of five seats.”
Related: 2012 Election Book from NBC News
In an April interview on Fox News, House Speaker John Boehner said “there's a one in three chance that we could lose” the House and “we got a big challenge, and we've got work to do.” Although, that statement may have been more of a spur to motivate GOP donors then a genuinely fretful forecast of the risks to Boehner’s majority.
Karl B Deblaker / AP
House Speaker John Boehner speaks to supporters gathered at a rally in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012.
But the speaker’s comment gave ammunition to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rep. Steve Israel who flagged it for Democratic donors in an e-mail “BREAKING: He admitted it” – in other words Boehner had conceded that his majority was in jeopardy.
Even if Boehner was exaggerating for effect back in April, there are surely opportunities for Democratic gains, some of them obvious ones – such as the Democratic-leaning upstate New York district represented by conservative first-termer Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle – and others that the DCCC has worked hard to create and exploit in the last several months.
Israel “decided that we needed to expand the playing field and play offense in more Republican-held seats or else Republican outside groups would overtake us with their money. We’ve been aggressive and put them on defense in seats they never would have expected,” said DCCC communications director Jesse Ferguson.
Among the places Democrats say they have a good chance to make gains:
- California’s 36th Congressional District: Rep. Mary Bono Mack, first elected in 1998 after the death of her husband Rep. Sonny Bono, faces a genuine challenge. “Raul Ruiz, the Democrat, has clearly made this into a more competitive race than some initially anticipated it would be," said Andy Stone, spokesman for the House Majority PAC, an outside Democratic group that will have spent over $300,000 on ads in that race by Election Day.
- Florida’s 2nd Congressional District: Democrat Al Lawson is making a challenge to freshman Rep. Steve Southerland, with help from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, House Majority PAC, and a get-out-the-vote group called Fair Share Action, which is funded by AFSCME, by Denver gay rights activist and Democratic mega-donor Tim Gill, and others. The district had been represented for years by Blue Dog Democrat Allen Boyd before Southerland toppled him in 2010.
- Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District: Democrat John Ewing, the treasurer of Douglas County (Omaha), is trying to unseat Rep. Lee Terry, first elected in 1998. "We view it as a real possibility to expand the map here," said Stone. The House Majority PAC has invested $75,000 in late TV buys. The Omaha World Herald endorsed Ewing calling him “an extremely capable public servant” with “the ability to work across divides to find practical solutions.” The paper added, “After 14 years, it's time for a change.”
The New York Times' David Leonhardt talks about the jobs report and the country's fiscal future.
The DCCC “Red to Blue” list is the roster of challengers whom the party designates for financial, communications, grassroots, and strategic support. The “Red to Blue” label signals to Democratic donors that these are competitive candidates worth backing. Some on the “Red to Blue” list, like Manan Trivedi who is seeking to oust battle-hardened five-term survivor Rep. Jim Gerlach in the suburbs of Philadelphia, seem likely to fall short.
And one red-to-blue Democrat has already fallen by the wayside: Democrats had high hopes for Pete Aguilar in California’s 31st Congressional District, but he failed to win a place on the ballot, getting only 22 percent in the June open primary in which the top two finishers advance to the November ballot.
The GOP has suffered from its own unexpected events: in Tennessee, first-term Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a doctor, is under pressure after The Huffington Post reported that he had an affair 12 years ago with a patient while he was getting a divorce. The news site published a transcript of a telephone conversation in which DesJarlais allegedly counseled the woman to get an abortion.
For all the effort and money being invested in this year’s House races, in one sense, the outcome of the struggle next Tuesday was largely shaped in 2010, when conservative fervor and anger over “Obamacare” drove Republicans to the polls, resulting in catastrophic losses for the Democrats. The Republicans won 63 seats, the largest gain for either party since 1948.
Recommended: Romney's closing argument: 'I promise change'
This year’s list of competitive races makes it clear once again how big a catastrophe 2010 was for the Democrats. They lost more than two dozen incumbents who’d represented Republican-leaning districts – including some long-serving members such as former House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri. The districts Democrats like Skelton once held, or the redrawn versions of them, are now mostly safe for Republicans.
“Our strategy in 2010 was to go to the seats that wanted to vote Republican,” said NRCC communications director Paul Lindsay. Democrats such as Skelton were in districts that had voted for Republican presidential candidates Sen. John McCain in 2008 and President George W. Bush in 2004. This year, Lindsay said, “We are competing in Republican territory; they (the Democrats) are competing in more swing territory.”
Recommended: Ad spending closes in on $1 billion
But in 2010, Democrats also lost several districts, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, which had been Democratic turf, which they’ve had to spend money this year to try to reclaim.
To be sure, some of the first-term Republicans who are in Democratic-leaning districts seem unlikely to survive next Tuesday: Buerkle, for one, may be too conservative for her Syracuse-based district.
But in the irregular cycle of each party gaining, then losing, and then regaining the House majority, it now appears that the Democrats’ turn has not yet come.
Redistricting explains some of their challenge.
Not all redistricting has worked to the Republicans’ advantage: they’ll lose some races in Illinois and California due to re-mapping. But Republicans were able to play defense. Case in point: Pennsylvania.
Pollster and political scientist Terry Madonna at Franklin & Marshall College said Pennsylvania Republicans did “a masterful job” in gerrymandering the state’s congressional districts, calling it “the most skillful gerrymander any state has done.” The Republicans protected their incumbents, especially the four freshmen elected in 2010.
The only House seat now in play in the Keystone State is a Democratic one held by Rep. Mark Critz, Madonna said.
He added that the $5.4 million investment of Republican money on TV ads in the presidential race in Pennsylvania in the final ten days of the campaign might give a lift to Critz’s GOP opponent Keith Rothfus by boosting Republican turnout.
When all the votes are counted, it seems almost certain that House Democrats will have much more work to do in 2014.
Leave a Comment:
Dave, Elivs is probably one of those liberal arts majors who has no real skills and is a government teat sucker hoping Obamination will be re-elected so he can continue to live off the taxpayers.
Do you consider the Bank Bailouts, Oil and Farm Subsidies, or even the money being spent in Iraq to nation Build as Government teat suckers?
yeah i got my free phone dumb azz..can you believe that did not have to work for it..i wish i were smart like you ones who work for a living???..i have one tooth how many do you have???boelifer..bet none
hey bowlfinger....did your mom have any kids that lived ?????
Hey Obamie you're doing a heck of a job in New Jersey and New York. You're making Bush look competent.
Bush's competence or lack thereof cost the lives of thousands of people in New York.
ouch !!! U FIX'd him..........
where is the old fart any way..i have not seen him in Texas..oh that's Right he is in the caymans..the republican island
Ya gotta love the plethora of revisionist liberals here, especially on the first comment section, that seem to believe that the population exists primarily to pay taxes to a bloated, inefficient, wasteful, corrupt government.
It is clearly beyond their ability to understand that this country was founded, in large part, to stop having a totalitarian government force them to pay taxes for which they received no representation. Not to mention the fact that until 1913, this country had no permanent income tax. That means that for 137 years after the Declaration of Independence was written, there was no income tax. I'm sure liberals can't even begin to comprehend how we survived without one.
I do not exist to serve the state. I am not the personal ATM of the Federal Government. The Federal Government is NOT America, and the progressive income tax is a page right out of the Communist Manifesto.
I am not a Romney supporter, nor will I be voting for him, but if he wins, I'm going to be buying stock in pharmaceutical companies that produce seizure control medications. Liberals will be on the floor foaming at the mouth and quivering uncontrollably at the thought that they will not get their greedy obsession of taking more from the rich fulfilled if Romney wins.
CnR:
Do you drive on our roads?
this is why we are in debt..2 wars ..12 years of tax breaks..bailed out banks...get it dumb azz..yes we need those taxes now
4thDown: Yeah, I do. And for the most part, roads are controlled by the several states and not the Federal Government. I'll gladly pay the taxes in my state to maintain my roads. I don't need the Federal Government involved unless it involves some national defense interest.
so you do ride on socialism roads..my oh my..why did it take you so long??
Elvis: The cost of the two wars is still less than Obama's Trillion dollar stimulus bill and was spent over the course of a decade, not in less than 4 years. I won't even mention all of the other debt he has piled on top of that.
You don't believe that. I can prove it with two simple questions. Do you use every credit, deduction and loophole you can to reduce your own tax burden? I'll bet the answer is yes.
If you feel so strongly about paying more taxes, why don't you do it? Just send that check into the IRS for deficit reduction. They'll gladly cash it.
sorry fella you live here also your going to pay your fair share
elvis: We paid over 80 grand just in Federal taxes alone, after all deductions last year. So, I don't put much stock in those that pay far less or even nothing, thinking they know what my fair share should be. I love those in the 47% (and I'm not saying you're in the 47% since I don't know what you pay, so I'm just pointing out the conventional wisdom of that segment) who pay little or nothing, demanding that those of us who do pay should pay even more because they think the government will give it to them. It's time for the 47% to start paying their fair share because 0 isn't a fair share of anything and I'm tired of carrying their water for them.
How many trillions have been spent on the war on poverty over the last 50 years? Well guess what, there are more people in poverty today than ever. You can not tax your way to prosperity.
I also noticed you didn't answer my two questions about taxes. That's okay, the deafening silence pretty much screams the answers anyway.
There ya go with that "plethora" talk again.....just leave women's private parts alone........(ps...I wouldn't admit to being a republican either) wink wink nod nod.....
As an Independent Voter I'm voting Democrat stright down the line from President to dog catcher. If the Dems don't win a majority it'll be another 4 years of slow, steady recovery. If Romney wins the election and holds the majority he'll get a lot done, but it will towards the destruction of our workers and making te rich richer. If however Obama wins and he gets a mandate it'll be a good time to be an American.
Ed, it's always a good time to be an American.
Ed McT - Yeah it will be a good time to be an American just like its a good time to be a Greek.
YEP !!! Night all !! any of you little teabaggers need a night light go ahead........Obama won't get ya.....
Hey I saw a new bumber sticker. Teat Suckers for Obama!
did you buy one..to put in your family pictures..to show your grand children...this was the year i was a dumb azz..but grandpa..don't say it
what's a "bumber" sticker?
Julia,
Romney's post-election band-aid?
From the mouth of Grover Norquist, the real leader of the GOP, he explains that the Republicans don't want a thinker or a leader in the White House, but merely someone who can hold a pen and sign what he is told to sign (effectively making Norquist the President, with no accountability.)
Mitt has never publicly refuted this statement by his boss Norquist.
they want another Bush
I saw that interview and I was disgusted with it. It brings out the Jack Abramoff idea of Government.
Why haven't the Republicans been using George Bush in this election?
Norquist:
Following his marching orders. Everyones got to have a little "contra" in them. dirty tricks? We will see.
Don't forget....jack be nimble...jack be quick...light the norquist candle stick.
For every job that the obama created 75 people went on food stamps!
There are more people unemployed now then when obama became president.
Gas is $2 a gallon more now then when obama became president.
ect.ect. and it is still getting worse. Plus $6.3 trillion further in debt in 3 and a half years.
You obviously have some math comprehension problems.
sorry that reflector shield will not be operational on election day..the dark side will lose..deep breathing
Half Truths, at least you admit Pres. Obama made some jobs and stopped some of the bleeding.
Now, if we could just get some Republicans to set a goal to help rather then obstruct we might make things alot better.
They even turned down deals and compromising that Jeb Bush said he would have taken to help us.
Elvis we are praying the dark side will lose and Romney will win, I did not mention the murders that the people you support are hiding( coverup)
JFix dont bother taking your shoes off ,just stop counting ,Its way beyond you grasp.
Get smarter it was the dems that refused all the jobs bills,take heed of your name
Yeah Dave, it's way beyond my grasp how wrong your math is. Congrats on failing basic arithmetic.
The Taliban gave orders and killed the 4...bush and Cheney gave orders for war killed 4,500 American for oil..do you see the difference yet???
hey dave remember the highway bill?????the party of no..said no..the tea nuts
Jfix,Where am I wrong ,Everythig I said is a fact,Oh thats right dont confuse democrats with facts, Sorry Jfix
Elvis you agree that not helping our Navy Seals that are begging for help is OK, Why dont you tell there familys that, You coward
I am sick of some that are trying to use their deaths to be blamed on any President rather then who actually killed them.
Dave, over the years....food stamps have done more to support the continued existance of "family farms", then have they done harm.
Talk about oil?....spell that with "food" in the same sentence. You want to be "working for the man", then just let our food supply fall into the same category as "big" corporate energy. $4 per gallon gas will be the least of our woes.
like what dave..
Well mathlete, let's take your claim that for every job that has been created under Obama, 75 people have gone on food stamps.
Low estimate of 3.5 million jobs created under Obama x 75 = 262.5 million people on food stamps.
Idiotic.
Dave, I think you are just hoping to use it to help your party. You , nor I , know all the facts.
It shouldn't surprise you that Obama is flip-flopping for votes...he loves lying.He'll court any loser to get elected.If any of you would read Obamas' book you'd see what his ideas for this country are all about. The country is in the shape right now that he wants it to be in. Read his book...you'll see it there. I did.
Obama is flip flopping for votes? Mitt Romney has more positions than the Kama Sutra.
who wrote it and what part did you dislike
tick tock tick tock..waiting
are you sure it was a book you read or a book of obama on the front of a book you seen
or not really a book at all
It's always bad for the country whenever a demoncrat wins anywhere
hahaha oh thats so funny..
It would be better for our Country to stop being so patriotic to a party and elect more independents that are not walking party lines.
steel master you are telling the truth
Name one Republican who has reached across the ilse to compromise during the Obama admistration? If they did they were threatened by the "establishment"! It was so bad that in 2010 the more moderate Republicans were given the cold shoulder and the Party ran someone crazy nut job against them.
Until lately I had alot of respect for Republicans, I didn't always agree with them but I believe they were sincere in their beliefs. The last 10 years I have seen the once Respected Republican Party turn into a Party of religous zealots, full on crazies and truth deniers. Now the Republican Party just flat out lies and hopes that if they say the most proposterous crap that someone will beleive it. Like Mitt Romney claiming he wanted to "Save the auto industry." When in fact he said, "Let Detroit fail!' Like saying Jeep was going to move ALL their production to China if Obama was elected, not a flat out lie but a big enough lie that IT is a lie.
Now Republicans, have a new MOTTO, Lying for the Lord, which any Christian will tell you is breaking one of the 10 Commandments from GOD HIMSELF! Funny I don't remember a Commandment from God about gays, but I do remember a yard stick to my backside about breaking the Commandment about bearing false witness.
I believe we need a conservative view point in Washington! Being a liberal I do realize Liberals need to be reigned in, just like conservatives need to be reminded about being compassionate towards others in the law making. But NOT these Conservatives, they are insane. Legitmate rape, rape babies a "gift"from God, Corporations are people, but unions (made up of people are evil). This is NOT REagan's or Goldwater's Republican Party!
When I was a child and I acted badly, my grandmother use to tell me I couldn't eat at the grownups table until I acted like a grownup. When we get grownups in the Republican Party, instead of hateful bullies, then they are welcome in my book to come back to the grownup table.
they are false witness
no it is the stinking liberals and obameee that do the lies blueingoregan,and it is you liberals and obameee are as just as guilty in the deaths of those 4 brave men in libya,and it is the liberal and dems that are retards in congress and the senate,
Active Army
Maybe you should be paying more attention to your sworn duty to protect and defend the constitution than surfing the net. By the way I have 27 years service to this great country which the democowards are trying to send down the toilet.
the only reason obameeee got elected in the first place is stupid whites voted for him and john mccain ran a lousy campaign,obameee,gave out classified infomation that put our brave troops in harms way,4 brave men died to the incompetence of obameee( he is just as guilty as the animals that carried out those killings)and he continues to lie about it and then puts a man in jail and puts blame on that man when it is all obameee's fault,fast and furrious and obameee continues to lie about it and even does a executive order to protect his a— — ,15,000,000 people still unemployed,16,000,000,000,000 debt,47,000,000 on foodstamps,shoving illeagals down our throat,deviding this country worst then the civil war,obameee's and stinking liberals phony wars on everything and everybody,middle class has lost more then 4500.00 a year since obameeee and the liberal scum,obameee and liberal scum has pretty much said if you dont agree with the destruction of america due to obameee and liberal scum you will be called a racist,well i can keep going on but if i was a republican or conservative i would not vote for anything that that incompetent obameee and his liberal cronies put forth and i would not compromise with obameee and his liberal cronies esspecially knowing that obameee and the liberals agenda is to ruin this country worse then they already have done.a vote for obameee and his liberal cronies is a vote to ruin this country worse then they already have
Halloween is over , so you guys can stop acting like your anything other then patriotic party spinners.
Mitt Romney's closing stragegy in the last days before election is simply to bombard the American media with negative messages about president Barack Obama.
THAT DOESN'T make anything he says true,...at all P-E-R-I-O-D.
Romney is simply using the firepower gained by his money from Super PACS to overload the mind of the American people. It's little more than the power of the bully in the school yard. "Might makes right".
Don't fall for it,...defend yourself.
How is this guy convincing the 99%,...95% ?,...90%?.... TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR OWN SELF INETEREST ?!! WTF?!! MORE tax breaks for the wealthy ? Really ?!!! Like the LARGE tax breaks and de-regulation of the Bush era have created more jobs !!!
GET REAL !!! SNAP OUT OF IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Believe me,...I see it all the time. I deal with the biggest bunch of elititists. There are TWO sets of rules,...those for those who are wealthy and "IN",...and those for everyone else. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
DON'T give out to security under pressure. The American people must stay unified. Vote OBAMA !!!
Mitt Romney is an out-of-touch elitist and corporate welfare specialist,...
Mitt Romney is attempting to buy the election through media overload.
STOP HIM.
Vote Barack Obama and Joe Biden on Tuesday, November 6th 2012
What ?
This comment was meant for weathernco.
Ain't it amazing? I hear from the LEFT about the 1% ers (that are all supposed to be Republican) yet by a 3 to two margin they are DEMOCRATS. And by the way the minimum tax for that group is 35%. And to all of you that pay NO taxes and have never voted STFU!
Are you trying to let us know that Democrats pay more tax at a 35% rate ,3 to 2 over Republicans, and should get out and vote?
I love these comments about Obama, it just shows how some Americans are profoundly mental retarded. You would bring harm to yourselves just to get him out of office. Well I'm going to help you retards get was you damn deserve. Romeny will get in office just to fu-k rest of your lives rest of the way, where Bush left off. If you jackasses aren't rich you are dirt under their feet don't give a darn about you poor a-ses. So start early and go down by the river to pick your spot, because this is where middle class and the poor will be living from now on. And come Nov. 6, 2012 I will be voting Romney. He's been telling people what he likes and dislikes in a few things, he is rich and he will be for the rich and the rich only. Now it's about time for the retards to feel his wrath. He was against it now he's for it, so many times he had to appear that he is for something that he is really against. He is just fooling the retards and they are so stupid. So I will help the retards out to gain their misery that is about to come to them. Obama hasn't done nothing but fight for jobs, extended unemployment, GM from going bankrupt, what Romney loves to do and outsourcing jobs, descent healthcare that really works for the people and affordable, Bin Laden is dead, brought the soldiers home from Iraq and Afganstan will be soon. This President has done nothing but fight for the middle class and the poor and the retards have not appreciation. And he had those neo-cons of a congress the party of NO those 2010 useless bastards, working just for the rich taking people like the Koch brothers money and sold the people out the very ones that sent them to capitol hills. I am a republican just not that kind. These are thugs with criminal back grounds, like Rep. Isaa the grand theft boy. Boy! it's true money talks and bullsh-t walk.
Will Reince Priebus get fired if the Republicans lose?
Who is this Rancid Princess anyway and where did he come from?
He is the National Chairman for the Republican party.
The key here is -- is the house going to become controlled by Democrats? And the answer is No, the odds of this happening are so low as to not be worth discussing. Well how about the Senate? Who wil control the Senate? With current polling in the Senate races it looks like the Republicans have about a 70% chance to take control of the Senate, with even better odds to be within one seat of control. Look at the scandal starting to develop in NJ where Menendez appears to have hired hookers while in the Dominican Republic (and shafted them on the agreed to rate to boot). Even if he wins reelection which is likely (unless the scandal blows sky high in the next couple days) he will likely be forced from office (his own comments on the Secret Service Hooker scandel saying they should all be fired will kill him). And then the NJ Gov (Christie) appoints a Republican to take his place ... game set and match in the Senate.
So for everyone voting for President it comes down to this choice really. Vote for Obama and watch two more years of government gridlock, no decisions, constant fights as he vetos everything the Republicans propose and they can't override his veto. Or vote for Romney and with the House, Senate, an Oval Office under one party, we will get action in Washington. Those are your choices folks. Obama and gridlock .. or Romney and action. It IS that simple.
I think anymore gridlock caused by Republicans would be bad for them.
It may well be, if Americans continue to fall for the propaganda of the Democrats. The Democrats are really pumping up the propaganda volume on this. But, have you actually read the legislation that has been blocked to see why it is being blocked?
Having read it myself, I now fully support what the Republicans in the House and Senate have been doing. At first, I was sitting here wondering why all the stuff was going on in Congress and was myself beginning to fall for the propaganda. Then, I started actually reading the stuff the Democrats were trying to pass without debate. Then, I became outraged that Obama and Reid were behind what was going on.
Personally, I like the fact that it is illegal to have oversight of something if there exists a conflict of interest. Frankly, I like worker safety and environmental safety in the energy sector. I like the fact that America cannot afford bigger government and deficit spending and that the Republicans are working to prevent additional spending bills disguised as jobs legislation.
I also like the fact that we don't pay here in America what Europeans pay for gasoline. If the legislation that the Dems keep pushing were to have passed, gasoline would have gotten to be more expensive than it now is. They would have allowed conflicts of interest to be legal. They would have repealed laws governing worker and environmental safety in the energy sector. They would have raised the debt ceiling further and borrowed more than ever before. America needs to grow its economy, not run itself into bankruptcy and make working conditions less safe.
Shame on the Democrats for trying to bury the American middle class even further and trying to blame it on the Republicans! For shame!
@dcpyle, I am middle class and I am tired of having my life upset by Republicans. You say you like Safe work places and the Enviroment. I agree with you. Some jobs have inherit dangers but we try to them a safely as possible. As for Envirement I offer this.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2012/0913/Romney-energy-plan-pro-drilling-anti-regulation-and-mum-on-climate-change
As for being outraged about what Obama did, which is perfectly legal. If Boner and his Cronies were doing their job in stead of wearing their White Hoods, much more would have been accomplished in stead of bits and pieces. I've been trying to find out how we could get rid of John Boehner and every time I get to where the Law should be it disappears. There is a way to get rid of these SOBs.
No the Republicans have "0" chance of taking the Senate.......
I have read some of the legislation from both parties and I have no loyalty to either one of them. You mention conflicts of interest and when I read them and investigate why some of our congressman vote or write the bills they do and most of what I see and read is based on their own personal agendas which are conflicts of interest. We don't vote for them to make laws and bills to increase or support their wealth or ideas yet most of them do instead of doing what is best for us the people. Plus, the use of parties and their controls over our congressman furthers a parties interests over those of the people. Evidence of what I am talking about is shown in the case against our Congressman about Inside trading abuses. Investigate and find out what ever happened to that and you will find a hush, hush and lets bury, cover up, hide, not mention, and any and all attempts to rid our Congress about those suspicions of conflict of interest.
When was the last time that Republicans voted en masse to increase the cost of gasoline for the middle class? And you honestly think Republicans upset your life? And, "white hoods"? Really???
Thought I would throw in a history factoid for fun. The founders of the KKK (pertinent because of your above reference to white hoods) were Democrats. Republicans also were targets of the KKK in those early days.
where is this in the news????
Imagine going to vote for your presidential candidate and pushing the button on a touch-screen voting machine -- but the "X" marks his opponent instead.
That is what some voters in Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Ohio have reported.
Fox News has received several complaints from voters who say they voted on touch-screen voting machines -- only when they tried to select Mitt Romney, the machine indicated they had chosen President Obama. The voters in question realized the error and were able to cast ballots for their actual choice.
"I don't know if it happened to anybody else or not, but this is the first time in all the years that we voted that this has ever happened to me," said Marion, Ohio, voter Joan Stevens.
Stevens said that when she voted, it took her three tries before the machine accepted her choice to vote for Romney.
"I went to vote and I got right in the middle of Romney's name," Stevens told Fox News, saying that she was certain to put her finger directly on her choice for the White House.
She said that the first time she pushed "Romney," the machine marked "Obama."
So she pushed Romney again. Obama came up again. Then it happened a third time.
"Maybe you make a mistake once, but not three times," she told Fox News.
Marion County Board of Elections Director Sophie Rogers, though, said: "My personal opinion is that she hit it too hard."
"We've noticed people just punch on them. She might not have hit the square that she wanted," Rogers said.
Rogers insists there are no problems with the touch-screen machines in Marion County and that after learning of Stevens' complaint she took the machine out of circulation and had it reexamined and recalibrated. She says there was nothing wrong with the machine to begin with.
But in response to the growing number of complaints, the Republican National Committee has sent a letter to election officials in six states -- Ohio, Nevada, Kansas, North Carolina, Missouri and Colorado -- demanding tighter controls on touch-screen machines.
The RNC wants the machines to be re-tested, more technicians added to fix any problems, and verbal reminders given by election workers telling voters to double check their ballots.
Multiple voters from several states wrote Fox News to report problems similar to what Stevens reported.
One voter asked: "I wonder how many voters just hit the 'Cast Ballot' without reading the machine?"
"How can we be sure our votes are not being stolen electronically?" asked another.
One expert warns it can happen.
"Vote jumping complaints have arisen in every election that uses touch-screen voting machines, with the complaints going both ways," said Barbara Simons, author of the new book "Broken Ballots: Will Your Vote Count?"
Simons, an expert on electronic voting who is on the Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Commission, said there is good reason for people not to trust the older touch-screen machines.
She said, "This phenomenon can occur when a machine goes out of calibration. The need to re-calibrate frequently is an important reason for discarding these aging, unreliable, and inaccurate machines and replacing them with paper ballots."
Frequently recalibrating the machines is one of the RNC demands.
But election officials insist that the machines are practically foolproof. They say any problems are due to human error, and that tinkering with machines is almost impossible.
"It is nearly technically impossible to pre-program the voting machines in Nevada to vote for a specified candidate," said Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller, in a statement to Fox News.
He said machines are tested by each of the state's 17 counties individually.
"While it is possible for a voter to inadvertently select a candidate, it is not possible for the machine to automatically select a candidate."
Miller notes that similar allegations were investigated in his state during the 2010 election, with the assistance of the FBI. Authorities found that claims that machines "were pre-programmed, malfunctioning or in any way preventing any voter from casting a ballot for the candidate of their choice were without merit."
Miller, a Democrat, brands the Republican demand to election officials as "based upon rumor, hearsay, or unconfirmed media reports," as well as "irresponsible" and "unfortunate."
He said his office has "not received any direct, first-hand complaints from voters."
In Ohio, touch-screen machines, for example, are being used in Lorain County with no reported "switched votes" or operational issues.
"We haven't had any problems with the touch screens this year and everything is going well," Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams told Fox News.
His county has used touch-screen machines since 2005.
Adams, a veteran election official, said that in his county, machines are not electronically designed to be able to change choices, and there is no way for anybody to rig a machine or pre-program its choices for one candidate or a slate.
"We have heard of these issues in some of the other counties. We had sporadic issues a few years ago, and since then we have upgraded our software and our board has replaced most of our touch-screen unit screens if there were any problems with them. And since we've done that about a year and a half ago, we haven't had any major issues."
Lorain County did replace 400 of its 1,200 touch screen machines last year.
Adams also notes that there is what is called "a paper trial," like a receipt, where voters can see their choices printed out. He also says that anybody who has a problem voting should immediately tell elections officials.
While Fox News spent the day at the County Board of Elections, where early voting was taking place, election workers were doing just that.
One woman's long fingernails blocked her selection, until she moved the angle of her fingers to get it right.
An elderly man did not realize that he did not cast a vote for president, so a worker did exactly what Adam advises. She walked the voter through the process.
"I pushed the button!" the man declared.
"You might have accidently hit it twice. Just lightly tap it, real light," advised the worker.
She also showed the voter the paper evidence of his votes to confirm them.
"Are you satisfied?"
"Yes, thank you very much," the voter replied.
Nevertheless, Joan, who said she finally was able to cast a correct vote after three attempts, advises fellow voters to confirm their choices.
"Be very careful when you vote. I don't care who you vote for, just double-check."
If you suspect problems and the polls or voter fraud where you live, tell us: Voterfraud@Foxnews.com
Read more: #ixzz2B8JgzWxn
I suspect it would have been news on Fox where you copied it from.
Doesn't surprise me at all... I'm sure the Obama has already purchased plane tickets fothe his polling center thugs ...
Vote for me or else.. Obama.... President of the gimme more foundation... Ill get you your fair share of the rich mans money..... Have any of you idiots cashed that check yet???
This is why computer ballot machines should not be a legal method of voting.
The ballot should be made of paper and offer a simple bubble for you to fill with a pen next to the candidate that you select.
Computers are too easy to foil and the software can be defective as well as being susceptible to viruses and Trojans.
Your vote cannot be altered on paper as easily and there is always a real world record.
But, then you have dimpled and hanging chads to contend with.
That's an awful lot of writing for nothing. Touch Screen gives you a chance to review and change your vote. It is onthe last screen. It ask if you would like to do this and when you select it you go back to page 1, it shows you your selection and you can change votes on every page. when you get to the last page you see the same 2 choices go back or Done. If you don't understand there is a proctor there to assist all you have to do is ask. He/She doesn't care how you vote only that you get your selection.
The highlight of my Tuesday will be casting a vote against Mary Bono Mack.
That's too bad, the highlight of my day if I wake up will be helping my grand children to learn that "WE" as Americans are all equal and GOD doesn't play favorites in his or her love.
I think it boils down to this.
If you have a job and want to keep it..Vote for Mitt.. If you don't have ajob and want one vote for Mitt.
On the other hand.
If you don't have a job and want the government to support your sorry ass then vote for the empty suit (just like you did in 2008) even though you should know by now... Odumbo isnt going to fix your sorry life...Unless of course you're an idiot.
If you want to continue down the path of selling your kids down the drain, printing more money to support those "special" pup tent dwellers in the park that think the world owes them a living... Vote for the empty suit.. again... and wait another 4 years for another bucket of empty promises...
It's time for change instead of blame... Romney is your only choice unless of course you want to give away everythng you work for to a bunch of idiots that thing they are entitled to what you work for.
On Nov 6th let's make sure Obama and the gimme more crowd are sleeping in their pup tents in the park again instead of sleeping in your bed and eating at your table.
Look out behind you. Its the Koch brothers... run for your lives.....
Does anyone know how to clear out an Obama rally? Throw in a job application>>>
Our votes will also be counted in Spain, a total atrocity if you ask me.
I'm beginning to wonder if our votes mean anything anymore or if the whole thing is rigged before we even cast our vote.
Romney believes in Rule By Corporations for Corporations.
If Romney gets elected FEMA will be gone and when the storms hit and destroy your home and your neighbors home and kill your family,... well you are on your own because you are a victim. Government is not meant to help Real Americans its purpose is to ensure the enrichment of the ruling Billionaire class.
Elect Robme if you want a country like Somalia where they live by the golden rule, the one with the most gold rules.
Democrat propaganda. He has gone on record to state that this claim is a lie. It's in the latest news, too. Please try to keep up.
I remember another very popular lie against another candidate for the Presidency. That was the claim that he was going to introduce a military draft a few months after the elections. The candidate stated time and again that he was against the draft and that he would not do it so long as he was President. That didn't stop the propaganda that Democrats kept spreading around.
The ultimate source of the propaganda, though, was unexpected. It was a foreign national who started the claim. Democrats ran with it. And, all during the same time two Democrats were trying to push through new draft legislation in Congress. They failed but the propaganda continued and grew.
Then, he was elected president again and no draft happened. But, that doesn't stop Democrats from spewing more propaganda to try to get the people frightened into voting for Democrats, particularly those who just experienced a natural disaster.
He has just gone on record??? How long has he been saying otherwise publicly 4-5 months now??? total BS from ROMNEY or are you lieing. A favorite Republican Past Time. What you say means nothing at this time and I'm not even going to fact check it.
Figures that you won't fact check it. Democrat favorite past time. Believe with the rest of the sheeple. Believe in the Obamamessiah and his minions. He has never said that he would get rid of FEMA. That is a Democrat lie told often enough to be considered truth by Democrats.