The 2022 Midterms

[Herdfan]

Are they being allowed inside?

There isn’t an “inside” as far as I have seen. The ballot drop boxes are outside.

That said, they shouldn’t be armed even if it is legal. I have no issue with them watching the drop boxes, but being armed is too far even for me.

———————

Also looks like PA is going to be forced to follow the law.

Pa. Supreme Court orders counties to set aside undated and wrongly dated mail ballots and not count them

Pennsylvania counties must set aside and not count mail ballots with missing or incorrect dates, the state Supreme Court said Tuesday.

www.inquirer.com

 

[Herdfan]

Did anyone see the new Cook Report?

Not good news for Dems. It’s behind a paywall but there is a little bit you can read.

House Rating Changes: 10 More Blue Districts Move in GOP's Direction

The scariest Halloween reality for House Democrats is the number of seats President Biden carried comfortably in 2020 that are at genuine risk a week out. And if you're looking for House upsets, the best places to watch might be blue states where there's no competitive statewide races driving...

www.cookpolitical.com

The problem for Dems is not so much they could lose some of these races, although the NY Governor’s race is one they could actually lose, but with the momentum shift towards the GOP, they are going to have to move money to formerly safe seats and away from other toss-up seats.

 

[shadow puppet]

As usual, Marc Elias nails it. The GOP will do anything they can to ensure the Dems lose.

The GOP no longer presents voter suppression and election subversion with a wink and a nod. It enthusiastically embraces these anti-democratic tactics.

The GOP: Breaking Our Democracy One State at a Time

From Marc | What happens now, when one political party wants our electoral system to break?

www.democracydocket.com

 

[lizkat]

Did anyone see the new Cook Report?

Not good news for Dems. It’s behind a paywall but there is a little bit you can read.

House Rating Changes: 10 More Blue Districts Move in GOP's Direction

The scariest Halloween reality for House Democrats is the number of seats President Biden carried comfortably in 2020 that are at genuine risk a week out. And if you're looking for House upsets, the best places to watch might be blue states where there's no competitive statewide races driving...

www.cookpolitical.com

The problem for Dems is not so much they could lose some of these races, although the NY Governor’s race is one they could actually lose, but with the momentum shift towards the GOP, they are going to have to move money to formerly safe seats and away from other toss-up seats.

It's getting late to move money at this point, except for get-out-the-vote category. What the Ds are moving though is high profile Democrats in lieu of the unpopular Biden. Bill Clinton is making some appearances in NY State this week, for instance. Obama is also still very popular and has been out on the stump in key races.

 

[lizkat]

Man these anti-democratic Republicans never give up, even when votes have already been processed.

Some R county judge in New York State brought suit quite late in the season against early processing of absentee ballots. In New York, that is done to prevent election results ending up in limbo for weeks. The challenge is making its way through the appeals process.

One judge has already remarked on the late-to-plate maneuver:

The early review challenge was bought in late September, about nine months after the law was enacted. Judges asked plaintiffs’ attorneys why they waited until it was close the Nov. 8 election to challenge it.

“Where have you been?” Justice John Egan asked Ciampoli. “Here we are a week before the election. There’s a whole lot of absentee ballots that have been cast by now.”

Appeals court mulls late challenge to NY absentee ballot law - New York Amsterdam News

State appeals court judges pressed attorneys for Republicans on Tuesday over why new absentee ballot rules in New York should be rejected with Election Day looming and more than 550,000 of the ballots already sent out.

amsterdamnews.com

 

[Citysnaps]

A shame Michelle Obama isn't interested in running. Princeton University, Harvard Law, super intelligent, and she comes with a trusted advisor who has tons of domestic and foreign policy experience.

Sadly, I suspect it would give many in the country a major case of the shakes, resulting in ugliness ramped up to 11.

 

[lizkat]

The establishment Democrats got exactly what they asked for in a Biden presidency and they will be punished appropriately as a result.

It's one thing to lose to Trump and his minions when they were untested. It takes a special level of incompetence to lose to them after they've proven who they are.

To make things worse, the Democrats have absolutely no Plan B to Biden in sight. Nobody to get excited about.

I know I"m replying to a really old post here, but it's striking how we're a week from the midterms and the post quoted above could have been made this afternoon.

Not sure what's with the Dems any more, they are playing below their weight and have done ever since they won the damn 2020 election. There's a talented bench there, but they are not being utilized. Makes me crazy.

I don't think "inflation and crime and immigration" alone can account for why the Dems stand to lose the House and maybe even the Senate.

Dems have won against those fear mongering mantras (and, facts - regarding inflation) in the past.

It's like this time around they're just flummoxed by all the noise and hate. Whatever their message on accomplishments may be, it's not getting through, and that's too bad because the legislation that has been passed is already having a positive effect on the economy despite inflation and the pressure of the Fed to rein it in. Also, some of the things the Rs are pegging away at are not high on the list of American concerns (immigration, for instance, is not a top 3 or even top 10 item). And yet the chances of the Ds retaining the House keep sinking if one believes the polls.

We are resilient as a people, but the Republicans are still trying to bring us all down by fear mongering cherrypicked problems and providing ZERO suggestions on how to resolve them. Some ads don't even suggest voting for Republicans, just recite the "inflation, crime, immigration" anti-Dem theme.

 

[Herdfan]

I don't think "inflation and crime and immigration" alone can account for why the Dems stand to lose the House and maybe even the Senate

Then what?

Roe got some traction early, but it seems to have moderated.

Jan 6? Polls show people don’t care. Sure it will fire up the hardcores and get them out to vote. But most people don’t care. Especially if the can’t afford to feed their family.

So you doubt inflation? Have you looked at your grocery bill? Bought your propane for the winter yet?

Inflation is certainly on the voters minds.

 

[lizkat]

Then what?

The need to retain democratic rule. Stop rolling back civil rights, women's rights, voter's rights...

Inflation is certainly on the voters minds.

Well of course it's on our minds. SOMETIMES there's INFLATION. We deal with it and put up with the Fed making us peons deal with the interest rate hikes remedy (not the banks, hey, they pass it on!) as well. We are consumerists so we whine when we can't have everything we want, or even anything we want at a decent price. Eventually it passes. It's not fun. No one is exempt. Even the yacht buyers mind find themselves pinched. For the elderly and poor, real hunger sits at the table. Life is hard, then ya die. But people never used to complain so much. Or let's say all complaining was local and so less oppressive than carrying around an internet's worth of whining in one's head every day.

On groceries, I resort in times of inflation to a zillion recipes for beans, rice and grains... and maybe some backyard greens when peppers go for $2 a pop. ​

​

On propane, yeah, I pre-bought for the season, took 100 gallons less and have yet to turn my heat on, because through some miracle it's still like a summer morning here when I wake up. Everyone is talking about it around here, it's... bizarre. We're not complaining.​

Anyway it's shortsighted to blame inflation on Joe Biden, especially since the economy is showing resilience despite the hassles with both the residual inflation and the Fed's ongoing rate hike pressure.

I do really get tired of the ignorance and the danger of voters not realizing the Republicans HAVE NO POLICY short of the ongoing and dreary nihilism of their tax cuts, plus kowtowing to an eminently unfit nominal leader of their party. The GOP, the RNC literally have no platform. What is that about? Not anything of benefit to their base. Does their base actually just want a strongarm kinda guy in the White House and a rubber stamp Congress? Because that's what Donald Trump wants. And he hasn't mentioned wanting anything the average guy on the street craves. Abortion bans? Pfffft. No, and the backlash on that is just beginning. Protectionist tariffs? The small manufacturer knows those just drive his materials costs up. Tax cuts for the wealthy? Oh wait. Already did those. How about for the base? Well yeah but those are expiring in 2025...

In campaigns we should be debating stuff like how to reduce hostilities vis a vis China, what about the decline of well prepared kids in the K-12 pipeline to the USA's college-educated future, why do we still have homeless people when we were bulldozing unwanted developments in Nevada as the subprime mortage crisis loomed, how to convert weapons mania to a fervor for renewable energy investment, how to make a U-turn on the rhetoric of political violence... but instead we're still running around accusing each other of bad behavior in past and FUTURE elections!

 

[Edd]

Hoping polls are wrong right now although I was actually polled for the first time. I was driving home from work and it was a miracle I answered an unknown number, like a 1 in a 100 shot.

 

[Huntn]

Why on earth should one have to feel NERVOUS about showing up to cast a ballot in the USA?

My original point is that if these people are trying to intimidate certain voters, how intimidating is it if you are voting a secret ballot? However, If the intent is scaring people away from the polls or at a minimum, we are watching you, then it should be illegal and it would be easy to make this distinction, guns on display. This is different than the tents set up outside the polling place with candidate propaganda.

 

[Huntn]

We early voted yesterday, a nice cool rainy day for Houston. No militia at our voting place.

Did anyone see the new Cook Report?

Not good news for Dems. It’s behind a paywall but there is a little bit you can read.

House Rating Changes: 10 More Blue Districts Move in GOP's Direction

The scariest Halloween reality for House Democrats is the number of seats President Biden carried comfortably in 2020 that are at genuine risk a week out. And if you're looking for House upsets, the best places to watch might be blue states where there's no competitive statewide races driving...

www.cookpolitical.com

The problem for Dems is not so much they could lose some of these races, although the NY Governor’s race is one they could actually lose, but with the momentum shift towards the GOP, they are going to have to move money to formerly safe seats and away from other toss-up seats.

At this point in time, a shift towards the GOP equates to a direct correlation with the deterioration of our society, a move away from democracy and towards fascism.

You might say this is exaggeration but my counter would be that the GOP as an entity supports diminished voter rights, they enact one sided, anti-Democratic policies that keep themselves in power, they manufacture, the word is “lie“ or if you prefer “cheat” to get ahead, and the extremes are saying “we win or it’s rigged” with the idea that any election we don’t win, should not be certified. This is not uncommon. If the corrupt leadership say it enough, then millions of sheep believe it.

The coercive“Stop The Steal”, is the tinder which this country will burn on. Ironically after all the corrupt players are in place and stealing is really happening, then it will be too late. They will scoff when accused, just like that lieing POS Donny Trump. It’s not beyond the pale in a future GOP controlled county to imagine bag teams working at night to insure “public safety”.

There is just no way that a majority or even a large minority could drink their brand of poison and the rest of us think, that things are looking up for the USA. If we on the opposite side of the corrupt GOP can‘t count on our votes counting, they have lots of reasons for your vote not to count, where does that leave us as a coherent functional country? We are in deep shit that’s where.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Republicans will spend 2 years investigating every high level Democrat and their families while attacking programs that help the poor and elderly. We know this because they said so. They only care about inflation to campaign on. They have no intention of improving things and their actions will just prove voters were wrong to put them back in control. I say let them dig their own grave.

 

[rdrr]

Republicans will spend 2 years investigating every high level Democrat and their families while attacking programs that help the poor and elderly. We know this because they said so. They only care about inflation to campaign on. They have no intention of improving things and their actions will just prove voters were wrong to put them back in control. I say let them dig their own grave.

Yes that might be the end of them if they do all those things. However the damage will be irreparable, and democracy which is currently on life support, will be dead.

 

[ronntaylor]

Reminder of what poll watching is really about. The poll watchers below were in Florida a century ago. Today they're in Arizona and other places where democracy is fragile.

Nov. 2, 1920: The Ocoee Massacre - Zinn Education Project

More than 50 African Americans killed in the Ocoee Massacre after going to vote in Florida.

www.zinnedproject.org

 

[Herdfan]

My original point is that if these people are trying to intimidate certain voters, how intimidating is it if you are voting a secret ballot? Hosever, If the intent is scaring people away from the polls or at a minimum, we are watching you, then it should be illegal and it would be easy to make this distinction, guns on display. This is different than the tents set up outside the polling place with candidate propaganda.

I don’t think it is about intimidating individual voters, but about intimidating those who are dropping off scores of ballots.

 

[Citysnaps]

I don’t think it is about intimidating individual voters, but about intimidating those who are dropping off scores of ballots.

How widespread is that? And where are these "scores of ballots" coming from? How many scores? Is that systematically done to the extent it can change an election?

Are those scores of ballots
• Stolen out of peoples' mailboxes in mass without being caught, and then
• Marked by someone wanting to see a particular candidate win, and then
• Signed using the signatures from the people they were stolen from (how do they accomplish that?), and then
• Delivered to a public drop-box?

• What happens when someone who has their ballot stolen requests a replacement and then votes? Surly the local registrar of voters will see a lot of duplicate ballots and raise an alarm.

Or....?

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

How widespread is that? And where are these "scores of ballots" coming from? How many scores? Is that systematically done to the extent it can change an election?

Are those scores of ballots
• Stolen out of peoples' mailboxes in mass without being caught, and then
• Marked by someone wanting to see a particular candidate win, and then
• Signed using the signatures from the people they were stolen from (how do they accomplish that?), and then
• Delivered to a public drop-box?

• What happens when someone who has their ballot stolen requests a replacement and then votes? Surly the local registrar of voters will see a lot of duplicate ballots and raise an alarm.

Or....?

I realize that I have superior criminal intellect. If I were to attempt to pull off such a thing I would change the last step to a mailbox, but I know that’s some pretty sophisticated thinking and nobody in voter fraud would ever think of such a thing, especially after pulling off all those other steps you mentioned. There’s some pride in dumping them in a location that is most likely being surveilled.

 

[Pumbaa]

I don’t think it is about intimidating individual voters, but about intimidating those who are dropping off scores of ballots.

Nice to hear that everyone here agrees that it is about intimidation.

 

[ronntaylor]

And where are these "scores of ballots" coming from?

It's coming from Pulleditoutmybuttstan