These are a few photo-editorials I created during the run-up to the 2010 mid-term elections. Enjoy! Return to Raging Pencils Believe it or not, registered Democrats far outnumber registered Republicans in this country. The trick for either side has always been to find a way to engage their party's enthusiasm, especially during the mid-terms. Republicans usually rely on "hot button" issues like gay marriage to get their brethren into the voting booth, while Democrats rely on issues like minimum wage to fire the curiosity of the masses. If the Republicans take the House they will spend the next two years investigating every minute detail of the Democrat side of the House, issuing subpoena after subpoena with gleeful abandon. Yes, it'll be 1994 all over again. The ultimate goal of this new obstructionist tool is to slow this country's economic recovery, creating the illusion of a failed presidency. This is not just my opinion. This is the stated, number one goal of the GOP and you and your little need for food and shelter can just be damned. Or, you can get out there and support your Democratic candidate and help them get this country moving again. That's not a hard choice. One last thing: This election is also about upcoming redistricting as a result of the 2010 census. I watched as these conservative bastards stripped Texas of four Democratic seats back in 2001 and they'll happily do it to your state if they get a chance. So vote. Be a part of the future, not the past. 2000: Butterfly ballots, Florida. 2004: Provisional ballots, Ohio. 2010: Citizens United, entire country. Really getting sick of this shit. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to dole out $75 million dollars between now and November 2nd, expressly to Republican candidates and expressly for the purpose of attack ads. Sure, fine, whatever. That's what Citizens United was all about, right? Except that way too much of that money is apparently coming from outside this country, which makes its use illegal. Karl Rove is one of those responsible for ladling out the cash. When given the opportunity to deny the money was from foreign sources he mumbled something about having to wash his hair. This will take time to sort out, long after the election is over. No doubt the ChamCom will eventually be found guilty, whereupon they'll be fined a few hundred thousand dollars. That'll learn 'em. In the meantime the damage will have been done. Those millions of dollars will have poisoned the minds of voters against Democratic candidates, citizens completely innocent of the source of the money for these TV commercials and newspaper ads. The result will be a flock of new Republican House and Senate members, bought and paid for courtesy of our friends in Mumbai and Shanghia. Do you think these new congressman will be at all interested in fixing this funding hole? Hell, no. And so in 2012 it'll be Katy-bar-the-door, and the only candidates running will be those on the unabashed take. If you think greedy, selfish congressman with their hands out now are bad you ain't seen nothing yet, and unless we stop this abuse of the sytem now we'll be stuck with it forever. Seriously. Forever. Once the yes-men are in place the next thing to go will be Social Security. Then Medicare. You will then be on your own in a corporate environment that would like nothing better. " In isolation there is weakness". It'll probably even be on the money, someday. A nice little "Screw you" every time you open your wallet. But take heart. The Democrats already have several bills to fight this curruption but they need a cloture-proof Senate to pass them. So vote this November, and vote progressive. It might honestly be your last chance. Honestly. In case this whole "Citizens United" thing leaves you scratching your little punkin' head in confusion, here's an example of why it's such an onerous Supreme Court decision. A group called "Concerned Taxpayers of America" has been running attack ads against Democrats in both Oregon and Maryland. Records show they have $500,000 in the campaign kitty. The entire half-million came from exactly two people. Daniel G. Schuster Inc., an Owings Mills, Md., concrete firm, gave two donations to the group totaling $300,000 and New York hedge fund executive Robert Mercer gave the group $200,000. Now, how much money do you have to spend on campaign ads? This sort of thing was illegal until this year. And if the Democrats don't gain control of the Senate then the buying of elections by the rich is the new norm. It seems that the Rand Paul crazies are currently trying to suppress the recent video featuring Paul supporters energetically stomping the head of a helpless woman. They're trying to get it kicked off of Youtube because it's, you know, "too violent". Duh. If you haven't seen the video or can't find it on Youtube you can view it here courtesy of Dailykos.com. So pre-judge Clarence Thomas liked a little animal porn? Who doesn't? What matters is that it's clear he preyed sexually upon his female employees. So why didn't these women simply report Thomas to their boss like any normal person would? Because Thomas was their boss. OoooooOOOOOOooooohhhh. Clarence Thomas is a first-class scumbag. He deserves impeachment but, most importantly, he never deserved the position on the High Court in the first place (That goes for Roberts and Alito, too). The vote to approve him passed by only the very narrowest of margins, 52-48, the closest Supreme Court vote ever. Will he be impeached? Not a chance. The only thing the next Senate will be impeaching, if the Republicans take the Senate, is President Obama. Why? Who knows, except to show that the Supreme Court isn't the only Washington building staffed with scumbags. Return to Raging Pencils