>>>>>>>>They are driving me insane. Probably at least 10 so far today. Is there a method out there to electrify all of them the second they pick up the phone? Their calls come from obscure phone numbers or the ever popular "Private name / private number" so I don't even know how to block them.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On the bright side, only three days to go.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>3 days till what ?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Sorry. Election day. The Republicans have bazillions to spend, thanks to their friends on the Supreme Court, and one annoying way it is showing up in nonstop automated phone calls.
>>>>>
>>>>>That is the most ridiculous thing you have written in years.
>>>>
>>>>Just the facts, ma'am. The Supreme Court ruling last year allowing anonymous political donations in any amount have opened the floodgates, especially for the Republicans. The Koch brothers alone (among the richest men in the U.S.) are believed to have given over $100 million to conservative candidates and causes. This has been widely reported so I'm mystified that you consider it ridiculous.
>>>
>>>I consider blaming the Supreme Court ridiculous. :o) Not to mention that you seem to pin the political donations on the Republicans and that somehow the Supreme Court and the Republican party are in cahoots :o)
>>>
>>>Just the facts sir:
>>>
>>>Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2010
>>>http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
>>>
>>>I'll post just the top ten:
>>>
>>>1 AT&T Inc $45,662,025 44% 55%
>>>2 ActBlue $43,181,888 99% 0%
>>>3 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $43,026,461 98% 1%
>>>4 National Assn of Realtors $37,623,999 48% 50%
>>>5 Goldman Sachs $32,899,102 62% 37%
>>>6 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $32,685,295 97% 2%
>>>7 American Assn for Justice $32,683,029 90% 8%
>>>8 National Education Assn $31,114,380 93% 6%
>>>9 Laborers Union $29,816,800 92% 7%
>>>10 Carpenters & Joiners Union $28,945,308 89% 10%
>>>
>>>If you look at the list (even better check the link). Not one of the top 10 is specific to the Republican party - all are for the Dems. The only exceptions are 1 and 3 which were to both parties. In fact, you have to go all the way down to #16 to find a top donator leaning Republican.
>>>
>>>You seem to have a unique situation in Chicago though:
>>>
>>>The governor's race has spawned more than $10.5 million in Chicago TV ads. Brady received $4.7 million from the Republican Governors Association to help with ad buys and the group is spending another $1 million for ads on his behalf. Quinn has spent $4.8 million on Chicago TV ads since September with a campaign fund bolstered by $4.4 million from outside groups.
>>>
>>>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/elections/ct-met-campaign-cash-flood-20101030,0,2883661.story
>>>
>>>Correct me if I am wrong, but Quinn is a Democrat is he not? :o)
>>>
>>>Republican donations may be soaring in Chicago (that is normal where either party thinks they may have a chance to switch the party in office), but looking at the overall picture and history, the Dems are way ahead.
>>
>>I was going to cite that same article. Nice to recognize one of your citations without having to look it up ;-) The TV ads are really nasty, almost all of them attack ads. You can't even watch a ballgame in peace without clusters of commercials trashing all four candidates in the Senate and Governor races.
>>
>>Evidently we disagree about the Supreme Court decision. I consider it one of the worst rulings they have ever handed down. Unfettered and anonymous political contributions a free speech issue? Now I've heard everything.
>>
>>UPDATE: That comment about the Tribune article came out wrong. I didn't mean your citations are no good, only that I in fact did read the same article in the paper yesterday.
>
>They've reached a new low in Cleveland (which traditionally doesn't even set the bar low, just lays it on the ground <g> )
>
>Our local Dem machine for Cuyuhoga Country has be decimated by a FBI probe resulting in a *lot* of indictments, including County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora who looks like Boss Tweed. The picture of his porcine presence being led away in handcuffs appears in at least 4 mailings received every day <g>
>
>All around it is going to be a bad year for Democrats in Ohio ( Obama didn't finish the campaign here yesterday for nothing )
>
>We will soon have Governor Kasich ( though it will only be covered by Fox News <bg> )

Thank God it's over. Yesterday when I got home from work there were six more phone messages, and at least that many more calls in the evening. This morning I voted before hitting the road and the polling place was littered with signs. There is some minimum distance from the polling place entrance (kind of silly because you have to walk right past them) and that's where most of the signs were. There were also some people trying to hand you leaflets, positioned a few millimeters outside the required distance.

I don't know if this is national or Illinois but starting with the 2012 elections political signs will remain with us for who knows how long. Now they have to be pulled up within 30 days of the election. It's part of the ongoing push to allow political partisans to pound their views against our foreheads with hammers, in the name of freedom of speech.

More good news from the wonderful world of American politics -- an article in yesterday's NY Times cited Republican operatives saying what we kinda knew anyway. The wild fund raising and spending this year, resulting from the Supreme Court decision, was a dry run for 2012. It worked so well for them this year there is no question they will use the same tactics to take aim at the White House.