From The Hill: Turnout in early voting has been very high, especially among young voters in competitive states.
From SF Examiner: San Francisco’s Prop C is a battle between your two new corporate political parties.
From Verge: Foxconn puts the con in Wisconsin.
Press Release: Oregon Senator Ron Wyden’s proposed data privacy act.
From the IEEFA: So far, the Trump years have brought record declines in coal-fired electrical generation.
From the Washington Post: Looks like Amazon’s HQ2 may be next to the Pentagon in Crystal City.
There’s still time to register for phone or text-banking through Indivisible, or contact a local campaign to help out. Let’s leave it all on the field.
And finally, closing arguments in the Texas Senate race:
He doesn’t have to know….
A funny ad for the Texas US Senate race between @TedCruz and @BetoORourke. pic.twitter.com/ojjTBk4Pdm
— Texas Resistance (@TexanTruth42) November 2, 2018
Was watching CNN until a moment ago, when I turned it off in disgust. The talking heads are talking about how the polling was all wrong.
In virtually EVERY case, maybe by the time the night is done, it will be EVERY case, if the polls had a race close enough to be inside the margin of error, it went the way of the fascists.
How about Occam’s Razor: It is not a problem with that every polling company, including the polls done by Democrat campaigns, badly underestimates ONLY fascist support, but that the voting process, controlled on the State level by fascists, is rigged.
No one wants to broach the subject. Except of course, the puppet tyrant.
The fascists will “win” the 2020 election. That is clear now.
But what is far more terrifying, is the fact that at least 40% of the electorate is totally fine with democracy being flushed down the toilet. It is happening all over the planet, and Orwell’s nightmare is making giant leaps toward reality.
“In virtually EVERY case, maybe by the time the night is done, it will be EVERY case, if the polls had a race close enough to be inside the margin of error, it went the way of the fascists.”
Tell that to the Republicans that were running for governor. Except the nationally popular candidates Gillum and Abrams, the Democrats swept the state houses.
Say what?
Ohio, Florida, Texas, all stayed red at the gubernatorial level.
Of course Georgiastan was going to stay in the hands of the regressives.
The ONLY close race that the Democrats apparently won was in Wisconsin, where Five-38 had the Democrat gubernatorial candidate up by 1.7% in polling, and that closed to 1.2% in the actual votes.
If the Dem’s could not sway that many people in 2018, there is no hope in 2020. OR, as I state, it really is irrelevant. In most states, especially big swing states like Florida and Ohio, the fascists keep control of any oversight on the voting machines and procedures. All it takes is flipping 1.0 or 1.5% of the votes to the other color and they can then blame “the inept and biased mainstream media’s polling methods”.
Oh for goodness’ sake, Dins, Dems retook the House, flipped critical governor’s mansions in Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nevada, and kept the governor’s mansion in Pennsylvania. And yes, while Florida was a sucker punch (because of course it was), last night was a victory. Accountability is coming to the Comrade in Chief very soon.
Get over your pessimistic shit. Retaking the House was our cause last night and we succeeded.
There was another goal: rebuilding the Democratic Party national infrastructure and expanding the base. It happened. It wasn’t as complete as we hoped (Beto and Gillum) but look at how many never before activists got involved. This is huge. Knowing “how” to compete is critically important to actually winning. Having one house of Congress that can and will challenge trump and the GOP legislatively is huge. We didn’t get everything we wanted but we served notice. Now, we suck it up and begin planning to retake the senate and presidency in 2020. Politics is hard but giving up is not an option.
With the exception of Gillum, the polls for the House and state/governor’s races were all pretty much spot on. The Democrats underperformed across the board in the senate, but that was mainly done in red states, and Boss Tweet specifically made the Senate a priority (hence why he “claimed victory”). So, it is not so much a surprise that that occurred.
Assuming Democrats win the House and hopefully stem lost in the Senate we need to start to work out a stratagem to gain the trust and votes of the vast geographic rural part of the of the country. My own rural home county has shifted over the last 50 years from rural backward deep south to urban progressive. With several major Universities and Colleges. Education and the opportunity to interact with wide types of different people broke down most of the old thinking. Bringing broadband internet to the rural areas will break down a lot of barriers as the more cosmopolitan culture of our urban areas will become available for rural people. New ideas would become known such as using grown heat to grow tropical and semitropical crops in cold country. A opportunity that unless you have internet access would most likely not know. Also we need to find ways to bring decent jobs and housing to these people. With automation light manufacturing could be brought to rural areas. Bringing education through the internet and prosperity by new innovation will change rural culture. This is important because those areas control the Senate. Without winning rural America we will not keep control of the Senate. We have to plan next and not rest on one victory. One major trend world wide is as people become prosperous, women become educated and self sufficient liberal democratic culture and civilization win out. We should harness that principle for our own backward parts of our country.
meant ground heat.
“Bringing broadband internet to the rural areas will break down a lot of barriers as the more cosmopolitan culture of our urban areas will become available for rural people.”
It has been my experience that rural people are naturally conservative in the sense that they dislike change. I expect they’d rather stick with the familiar comforts of Fox News and Facebook memes than use the internet to seek out the urbane, enlightened culture of liberalism. I don’t disagree with your overall point, but broadband won’t be a significant component to getting there. Exposure to education and other cultures (whether they like it or not) will be the biggest drivers of change.
I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and ask:
Why? Why do we have to “gain the trust” of rural voters? Republicans have had much success openly disdaining cityfolk, calling them everything from morally depraved to traitors. The truth is that conservative rural America and liberal urban America have two nearly diametrically opposed visions for the future of this country. They are largely irreconcilable. Rural voters have shown they’re not interested in their own economic advancement so much as tearing down the success of those uppity city folk whom they despise. Do you think they voted for Trump because Trump promised to lift them out of their poverty, or because he promised to bring liberal bicoastal “elites” to heel? If economics was all they wanted, they would have voted for Bernie. But they chose an extra helping of envy, hatred and racism by voting for Trump. Why exactly should I gain their trust? They’re very correct in perceiving that I don’t plan on supporting their priorities. They already have a party that caters to their every whim. We don’t need to do the same.
As Chris memorably said once, a party that appeals to everyone isn’t a party, it’s a refugee camp. The Dems are already a refugee camp. No need to add more dissident voices to its big tent. Especially not ones that really just want to see the rest of us destroyed.
>] “Assuming Democrats win the House and hopefully stem lost in the Senate we need to start to work out a stratagem to gain the trust and votes of the vast geographic rural part of the of the country.”
After tonight? No, the rurals are gone. Screw ’em. Exceptions exist, but the overwhelming majority of them have demonstrated absolute fealty to Trump.
Maybe in the long-term we can do something, but we’ve come to a point where *every* election (presidential and midterm) has to be fought like the whole damn country’s on the line – which, much to my immense regret, sounds less and less like hyperbole.
Most interesting article in today’s Guardian on a theme Chris has returned to many times: the “white confederacy” that has lurked beneath the surface of our politics forever. It bears thinking about again. Racism was stoked by the outcome of the Civil War, not ended. It simply went underground only to be brought into full view with the presidency of DJT. Crush it. Stomp it into the earth. Enough!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/04/the-american-civil-war-didnt-end-and-trump-is-a-confederate-president?
Just read the article . A lot of smart people have pushed this view. The Normans conquered initially the Anglo Saxons. But culturally they were eventually adsorbed by the people they conquered. I am watching the old South being assimilated into a wider more outward and forward looking culture. Much of the bad will be left behind while much of the good will be past on. My grandson just voted for the first time. His best childhood friend is a cousin who like Obama had a white mom and a black dad. He is becoming a man of the new south. His grand kids will look at this time period in puzzlement and wonder why people were so hateful and so fearful.
We should hope!
I think right now there are two Souths–the urban South (Atlanta is predominant, but there are other relatively progressive cities, too) and the rural South, which includes all the towns and small cities that are still outraged at the attempts of the carpetbaggers to destroy their traditions and their civilization as they knew it.
It seems to be taking a long time to overcome the “knowledge” inculcated into the minds (and hearts) of those Southerners who still revere not only Robert E Lee, but also Jefferson Davis.
Just did a drive by of my polling place here in Atlanta on the way to work. Line wrapped around the building and down the street, and the polls weren’t even open yet. Young people everywhere – well over half the line.
Go, young people!
Hopefully, this despicable president and derelict Congress have inspired millions of disengaged people to get up off the couch and stand in line – because lines are part of the GOP strategy to discourage and suppress voting. It is encouraging to see so many who, it appears, are voting for the first time or after a very long time.
Americans have taken Democracy for granted. This president and his supporters have poked damaging holes in our democratic institutions and upended norms that our ancestors bled to protect. In time, hopefully we may look back on these tumultuous, disasterous years with gratitude – gratitude for reminding us that Democracy was attained through sacrifice and it is fragile.
Like everyone, I worry that this groundswell of voter interest will not yield the results necessary to begin the long process of undoing the damage wrought by this administration, unchecked by this Congress. I have to hold out hope that the result will be a sweeping mandate for change, delivered by overwhelming numbers that leaves no doubt what the majority of Americans hold dear.
But, I could be wrong. I was wrong in 2016. Surely, I won’t be wrong in 2018. Will I?
The Gop has “stacked “ the deck in every possible way. It will require an overwhelming vote for change given the impediments republicans have been installing for years. It’s really incredibly sad to witness high voter turnout neutered by gerrymandering, voter suppression, and lies. This is what a powerful, smart minority does when they no longer represent the majority of voters and will not yield power at any cost.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/04/america-minority-rule-voter-suppression-gerrymandering-supreme-court
The polls look good for Gillum. But I will not rest easy until the voting is over and he has won. My wife from Georgia would have voted for Stacy if she was still living in Georgia. She did like me voted for Gillum.
Five p.m. and I just finished what will likely be my last tour of precinct voters who managed to miss early voting. Time to walk the dogs and have a glass of wine.
Good job, Bobo. You’ve earned it. Fly, Thomas, and all of you here – thank you for your passionate, disciplined efforts to encourage voter turnout. We may not win all the elections important to us individually, but Democracy will win. It may take more time – as Chris noted, this is a marathon, not a sprint, but it has been inspiring to see ordinary people make extraordinary effort to take back our country.
Thank you and let’s hope the people of America have heeded the warning signs and will vote in huge numbers for change.
Thank you, mime, thank you.
There was an excellent recent New Yorker article about the Foxconn deal in Wisconsin and what a mess its become; https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/did-scott-walker-and-donald-trump-deal-away-the-governors-race-to-foxconn
Its a real shame, I have always loved Wisconsin and been there many times. I appreciate how difficult the local economy has been challenged so its tough to watch what could have been a great deal so sloppily reduced to an outright buying of a deal that likely will never recoup the purchase price. Their governor deserves to lose. What a costly amateur blunder for a quick photo op.
WI Governor Scott Walker is a walking photo-op. He needs to be repudiated by defeat. This is all people like him understand. Something personal. That they can’t hide from or package in ubiquitous rhetoric. I have never respected Walker for how he has treated the people of WI. Let us hope that his states voters have had enough and will vote him out.
Interesting article about Amazon possible location(s). It’s not clear from the Post’s article whether they consider Crystal City and Alexandria to be the same place, which they definitely are not. Nor is it clear “Northern Virginia” includes an alternate location farther out to the west beyond Vienna, where the commuting might be a lot easier.
Also, a discouraging observation…doesn’t the Post hire proofreaders any more. That article is a MESS.