So how is everything shaping up in your states? We are going to be replacing Senator Byron Dorgan with our Governor (R) John Hoeven. He will be sporting a 70's porn stache and replacing the rug currently worn by Byron.

We only have 1 House seat in ND because no one wants to live here. Incumbent (D) Earl Pomeroy has his hands full this election because his opponent's whole campaign was to attach Earl's voting record with Pelosi. Pretty smart strategy but got old because we don't know anything about Berg. In ND, the farmers dictate the politics and Earl keeps getting them paid by the Feds, so I don't see a change happening, but it will be close.

Anyway, 10 seats in the Senate is a pretty big swing for the Republican Party to take over, and if it happens Obama has no chance to get anything else done. I'm reminded of the slogan "Shove Obamacare down our throats in 09 and we'll stick the election up your ass in Nov. 10."

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No idea. They're voting to legalize pot here but the law sucks and I'm actually going to vote against it. You go to jail for something like 3 years for giving pot to someone under 21. That's ridiculous. Everyone here shares pot with their kids.

The Dems vs Repubs are meaningless to me. One party screws up the country this way, the other that way. Both suck. It's like being asked if you'd rather get kicked in the left nut or the right nut.

I still vote though and I think if someone doesn't vote, they shouldn't bitch. In a perfect world, anyone who voted for the bailout would be voted out this election.

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What we need to do is give Senators 1 term only, change the Presidency to a 1 term six year deal, and give Representative 1 term six years, and eliminate the career Politician.

Make it a little more difficult for a lifetime of corruption from the same usual suspects.

The only problem I have with legalizing pot is enforcing its abuse among heavy equipment operators and things like that. I think the taxation of pot would raise a lot of revenue, and lets face it, the hippies are now retiring yuppies now, so it isn't like the drug culture isn't present in all the living generations of this country.

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I have no problem with pot whatsoever. Stealing from Bill Hicks here, but say you're at a party and some a-hole starts a fight - is he drunk or stoned?

We all know the answer.

Now, I'm in complete agreement about limiting the career politicians. Maybe 3 terms for Congress, 2 for Senate, and 2 for Pres. I don't have the exact answers, but it's probably somewhere between yours and mine.

As for heavy machine operators, if they're operating stoned, fire them. It's not that hard.

Good thread, Dakota. Wish others would chime in.

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People run against career politicians so they can make a career out of being a politician. I'm not career politician, but I'd like your vote so I can become one. That's basically mentality of politics.

Wisconsin is going to go Republican across the board. Walker will be Governor and Johnson is going to beat Feingold. I live in Green Bay, which has never voted in a democrat for their third term as their congressman. That won't be changing. Kagan will likely lose.

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Haven't been watching the polls.. and won't until well after I stop and vote.

But one thing is for damn sure... I can't wait for the political ads to cease for a while again. Fact twisting self serving nonsense.. to the point all I hear is blah, blah, blah.

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I know one thing, getting a majority of republicans is going to work out just great. Obstruction politics to the max. If anything, Obama will be able to say that he tried to do everything he could in 2012, but was blocked by the republicans on everything.

Will help him in getting a second term, as well. Ask Bill Clinton about that.

Don't feel bad people - I got a choice here between Barbara Boxer and Carla Fiorina. If that's not some of the two worst choices in America, I don't know what is. Fiorina ran HP into the ground, laid off thousands of Americans and sent their jobs to India, and insulted them on the way out. Literally.

Boxer is your career politician, and one of the worst. Which is a shame because she started off as an outsider and actually used to be a nice person (one of my closest friends knew her personally).

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No clue how MN is going ATM. Will check when I get home from work tonight.

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IA: we have choice for governor between obamoid chet culver (but less charismatic than barack-the-say-nothing-really-persuasively obama) and terry branstad....the last time branstad was on ballot, I voted "none of the above" since i was convinced that the state would be better off without a governor than with either him for his fourth term or that year's dem idiot. (We have a rule that you can only be governor for four consecutive terms; but our politics is so devoid of alternatives that branstad, out of office for 8 years, was the best the gop could come up with.

I decided against "none of the above vote" only because I didn't know for sure the libertarian candidate was an idiot. since "none of the above" wasnt going to be reported, but libertarian vote will, i voted with the probably crazy lib.

Senate: My guess is Chuck Grassley returns. I'm not a big fan of his, but I do believe he is sincere and honest. His economics is fucked up, but at least he's not a hair spray republican. And the chances of Iowa ever having a major candidate whose economics is not fucked up is slim and none. So avoided "none of the above" choice on a whisker again. (Grassley had a campaign ad that said "I hope you vote for me" which I thought a bit refreshing alternative to "my opponent is evil, vote for me.")

Congressperson.....another awful choice. Voted libertarian again just because the incumbent is ...well, a typical useless politician.

Frankly, I've gotten so I seriously consider writing in "none of the above" on every major election these days.

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