Election Rants, Stories and Thoughts (Non-Partisan)

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Master Baiter Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 116

I hope this post isn't too political. It isn't meant to be.

The race thing is real. I am very close with my mother's cousin Nana, she is really a second mother to me. She has always lectured me about being loyal to my President and also about my liberal views. Back at caucus time, she started calling me and preaching about Hillary. She was even going to caucus for Hillary and wanted to make sure I did too. I was wondering if Nana had had a stroke or something, because she had been a lifelong conservative. Then it finally dawned on me: this was about keeping the Black Man out of the white house. And, she happens to have bi-racial grandchildren. If people in Washington can find consensus and focus on that, Nana and the others can heal.

Here in Maine, we're dealing with a population of French-Canadians who were persecuted all the way up until the 1970's It created a generation of fearful, suspicious people who hate anyone they don't understand. If you use a big word, you're deliberately mocking someone who had to quit school at 12 to work in the mills. If you accept help from the Government, you're stealing from people who've been on a payroll since adolescence. If you enroll in college, you're abandoning your family who needs you to help pay the bills.

To this, we have added a huge influx of Somali refugees who came to Maine to escape the crime and dangers of inner-city Atlanta. Needless to say, the reception has been less than friendly. Still, we managed to elect a black Mayor 3 times - 2 terms in one city and then he crossed the river and got elected in the other city next door. We are schizo!

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Just because I don't want anyone to think JoJo is right about anything, from the NYT:

Quote:

Even with hundreds of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots still uncounted, the popular vote total stood at an estimated 133.3 million as of Wednesday morning, eclipsing the roughly 123 million voters who turned out in 2004, said Michael McDonald, a voting expert at George Mason University. Mr. McDonald said there maybe nearly a half million outstanding ballots in Georgia alone, and thousands more in other states — including the one with the largest turnout, California — that are still being counted.

Based on early figures, about 62.5 percent of all eligible voters cast ballots, just shy of the 62.6 percent figure that was recorded in the 1964 election. But that figure will climb and almost certainly set a new record as the remaining votes are counted, Mr. McDonald said.

Elite Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 1407

It was a monumental turnout.

I can't imagine what it would have been like at the pols had early voting not been allowed in some states.

The lines in Illinois would have been crazy long. They would still be in line!

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:28 pm

Thank you so much Razor. I must point out... I did put a disclaimer on my post.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:28 pm

jojobean wrote:

Everyone and everything is out to get me and that is a fact.

Welcome to my world jojo... Confused

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

jojobean wrote:

Thank you so much Razor. I must point out... I did put a disclaimer on my post.

Hey, I understand. There is no reason to let the facts get in the way of your posting. I mean, after 7,000 posts it's a little late now anyway....

Master Baiter Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 116

Tastysnack wrote:

...
I can't imagine what it would have been like at the pols had early voting not been allowed in some states.

I am very grateful for that!

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:37 pm

Numbers for the turnout:

The Associated Press wrote:

It looks like 136.6 million Americans will have voted for president this election,
based on 88 percent of the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots,
said Michael McDonald of George Mason University.
Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 64.1 percent turnout rate.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/05/news/turnout.php

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:38 pm

I was just reflecting on some of the above posts, and realized that I have seen now in my lifetime two historic elections.

NOTE: This is not to cross two barriers at the same time, so please don't make me look bad.

In my lifetime the first Irish-Catholic was elected and now the first person of African descent has been elected.

This with space travel and the internet means that there has been a lot of change in the "known" world, and that is a good thing! Cool

edited for an errant letter Embarassed

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:39 pm

@ YW
Many thanks. Your post disclose to me a totally unknown (for me) side of the US society. Really striking how little we can know about a world apparently so close, and with a popular culture apparently so ubiquitous thanks to movies, TV, comics, newspapers, and the internet.
@ tastysnack
there is even worse: countries where elections are not held at all, or are just a ridiculous proforma.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:59 pm

im just glad Australia doesnt have the never ending soap opera of the US Presidential Elections

Elite Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 1407

No need to quote post directly above yours -- JMR

Well, you already have kangraroo's. We have to elect ours. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:26 pm

Got to the Polls at 7:15 am, no waiting, but I live in a rich county with a lot of polling places.
Thanked each of the Polling place workers like I do every election. I worked as a Poll worker once, it is a very long work day sometimes dealing with difficult people. I respect these people for what they do and go through.

Got home and forgot about it until 8:00 o'clock pm when I went to the official County and State election sites to check the current state of things.

Only one US Rep and one Prop. still to be determined. Probably in a day or two when the absentee and some other ballots are opened and counted.

Fortunately the win for President this time was an overwhelming decision so not much risk of the fiasco of 2000 and 2004.

Yeaaa no more Political ads or phone calls!!! Very Happy

Elite Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 1407

No more ads, for a few months. Soon enough primaries start for 2010. It never ends. Until you die.

Master Baiter Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 116

It's true, the campaigns are too long. I think we should also get rid of the electoral college. Nowadays you can vote even if you're homebound, so why do we need to extrapolate?

Elite Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 1407

There are arguements for and against the Electoral College.

One of the more persuasive arguements is the interest of the smaller states. Without the College, most politicians would focus on the largest population centers.

NY, Chicago, LA, Philly to name a few. The minor population centers most likely would be ignored. Forget about rural populations. By forcing the politicians to focus on states rather than population centers it does help rural issues to focus attention on their needs as well.

For the most part it works pretty well. What I don't agree with is when the popular vote gets overruled by the EC. Doesn't happen very often, but has most recently (ie 2000).

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:39 pm

SamSpudz wrote:

Anyone on this side of the pond (or from) remember the Spitting Image skit of Maggie Thatcher leaving Downing Street?

edit: I thought I knew the one you meant but that wasn't it.

Odd that it doesn't seem to be on YT though.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:32 pm

@Tastysnack, very good outline of why the Electoral College is important.

Someone reminded me today that the US is not a democracy. The states are democracies - the nation is a federal republic that is made up of 50 democracies (plus DC and the Territories and Puerto Rico).

Every US high school student has to take a semester of US Government in order to graduate. Unfortunately, many either don't pay attention or they forget what they learned very quickly.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:33 pm

Pity it's not there.

Just to describe it in my grammartastic way:

Maggie completely trashed No.10 Downing Street and had to be pryed from the door kicking and screaming, not wanting to give up power. (even though she resigned)

Check out Spitting Image on Youtube to see some unbelievable (old) satire.
Shame they couldn't rekindle the magic with the animated show.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:20 pm

Congratulations to Obama, and a sigh of relief from our household.

However, even though Obama has been elected President, I'm not going to cast my vote until Saturday.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:39 am

Titania wrote:

@Tastysnack, very good outline of why the Electoral College is important.

Someone reminded me today that the US is not a democracy. The states are democracies - the nation is a federal republic that is made up of 50 democracies (plus DC and the Territories and Puerto Rico).

Every US high school student has to take a semester of US Government in order to graduate. Unfortunately, many either don't pay attention or they forget what they learned very quickly.

I was going to trim this, but it was too ripe!

I am not sure that all of this is taught anymore. I think that so many people think it is too complicated to explain it (though Titania and Tastysnack have done a very nice job). It seems to me that the news outlet that most of us get our news from are in too much of a hurry to get to the advertisements that they are not accurate and just say, "democracy", so we all forget what we knew at one time.

Thanks for the reminder!

Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

Samspudz I dont think anything could match up to the reality of her leaving in the car in tears Laughing

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:26 pm

/\/\ That made my day too. I think the Germans call it schadenfreude.

But then again, I am not supposed to express an opinion on these things so I'll leave you to it... Wink

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:09 pm

My concern is that Obama is inheriting one hell of a mess and may have made promises he can't carry out. In many ways he is being set up to fail. Remember the way Tony Blair was hailed as the antidote to Margaret Thatcher. though even I would hesitate to suggest that Obama can be anything like him.

... and to show how cynical I am. What price on the Republicans having a Hispanic nominee next time round ?

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:29 pm

I was too young to remember anything on the news those days!!
Spitting Image will stay with me to my grave Laughing

Edit: just Googled, it was 1990 I was 13 so the news was booooring at that time!!

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