Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Badger]

Are there really that many undecided voters left to influence? And wouldn't they have pretty much decided to wash their hands of this whole fiasco of a campaign and spend Election Night watching House of Cards reruns?

 

Speaking of which, does anyone have special plans for Election Night? I don't know how much coverage of the tallying up I could stomach, to be honest. So many talking heads doing what talking heads do. So many inane predictions that will be obsolete within fifteen minutes. The probability that Trump will show just what an ass he is when he loses, or when he wins, or when he claims to have won after he loses.

 

I do have to vote for the House race, so, I will vote.

[Old Man]

Clinton joins the Grammaton Clerics:

 

[Badger]

I'm glad she didn't wear gray.  Since I watched a Chairman Mao documentary from 4-5 am this would have been freaky.  (though more for letting certain radio host to make certain "connections" that we have heard way too often   )

[Lord Liaden]

Clinton joins the Grammaton Clerics:

 

Well, that explains her shoulder shake. It's a gun kata.

[pinecone]

She has to take it to tollerate Bill's antics...

[Badger]

If she has a khaki version, maybe she can shave her head and get a Persian cat.

 

 

 

 

What???

[Old Man]

1863: "Four score and seven years ago..."

 

1932: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

 

1960: "Ask not what your country can do for you."

 

2016: "No you're the puppet!"

[BoloOfEarth]

Watched part of the Al Smith Dinner last night.  Came in partway through Trump's remarks, so I can't fully comment on those, though I'd think he could afford someone to write better jokes.

 

While I enjoyed Hillary's remarks (and liked that she took some shots at herself, to show it's all in fun), I wish she'd gone a bit lighter on the Trump jokes.  However, I loved the one about Trump being healthy as a horse.  "You know, the one Vladimir Putin rides around."  Zing!

[Ternaugh]

The two monologues from the Al Smith dinner. Like the debates, Trump goes off the rails and starts attacking Clinton pretty heavily (to loud "boos" from the audience), including a line at 14:02, "For example,here she is, in public, pretending to not hate Catholics."

 

 

[Iuz the Evil]

I don't know if I ever recall two candidates for President who obviously loathe their opponent so completely. They absolutely detest the opposition, with the intensity of a supernova.

[Nolgroth]

There probably had to be at some point, but probably before we were born. Or maybe this is really a hysteric historic election.

 

On second thought..."Or maybe this is a hysteric historic election."

[Lord Liaden]

After the 2008 election, John McCain in his concession speech congratulated Barak Obama and urged his supporters to accept the decision of the people. (His recent change of tune has cost him much of my former respect.)

 

Minimal civility and responsible conduct among American political figures was not that long ago. What we've seen this decade isn't the norm, and accepting it as the norm will only enable more reprehensible behavior. You Americans, and the citizens of every country, need to keep demanding more of our elected leaders. We can't let them off the hook by just throwing up our hands and walking away; because our children will be stuck with whatever mess we can't clean up.

[Badger]

So, you're saying it is a good thing I am childless. 

[Lord Liaden]

Without knowing your gene pool, I'm hesitant to say whether that's a net gain or loss.

[Badger]

Well, being childless, obviously means I am intelligent.  As stupid tends to outbreed intelligence.

[DasBroot]

I don't know if I ever recall two candidates for President who obviously loathe their opponent so completely. They absolutely detest the opposition, with the intensity of a supernova.

 

Reasons Trump has for hating Hillary: She hasn't dropped out yet.

 

Reasons Hillary has for hating Trump: His continued existence as a viable candidate in the minds of Americans in the face of all he's said and done makes a mockery of the system she's dedicated most of her adult life to.

 

There are dozens of other things they could hate about each other - if not hundreds - but I doubt they're as important to them as those two things.

[Tom]

Absentee ballot now in the hands of the USPS.

 

Now if only that meant I didn't have to see any more election stuff...

 

On the plus side, I picked up a sheet of Star Trek stamps while I was at the post office.

 

On the 'hmmm' side (since I live in a battleground state):

 

• Candidates were listed in alphabetical order by last name.  That put Clinton first and Trump last on the list for President.
• The party affiliation of the Libertarian candidate was left blank.
• Only Trump/Pence included their middle initials (I assume that was a campaign choice, but it was noticeable).

 

I assume the ballot design is State-wide.  I live in a county that tends Democrat, but the Governor and Secretary of State are both Republicans.

 

Minor 'nits', but unfortunately this isn't an election cycle where we can assume they won't be picked...

[Ternaugh]

Darrel Castile (IAP) is first on our ballot, followed by Hillary, with Trump, Donald J. just above "None of These".

 

I'll be heading out soon to do early voting at one of the local malls.

[Ternaugh]

And that's me done. Very long line that moved fairly fast at the mall. One man was asked to remove his Trump hat (but not his "Fear God/Trust Jesus T-shirt*) when he was approaching the "no campaigning" line (which is posted), and I think that he was also asked not to take pictures of folks in line with his tablet, but I was too far away to hear the conversation between him, the campaign worker, and the security guard. He did get back in line, and apparently did vote.

 

My signature didn't fully match the one on file**, and so I showed my DL, and everything was good***. Our electronic voting machines are pretty easy to use, and print a paper receipt (behind glass) that allows for verification and for both electronic and manual recounts.

 

 

 

*I wore a Goonies T-shirt, which I figured was "good enough".

 

**I believe that the signature on file is probably over 25 years old now, and it's changed dramatically in that time. During my time as a manager, I needed to sign stuff so often that first all of the vowels dropped out of my signature, and then all but the first consonant in my first name went missing. Given that I rarely sign anything on paper anymore, the final consonants in the last name are starting to warp into illegibility.

 

***Our local election department also sends out voter ID cards, and that would have been satisfactory, as well.

 

[Lord Liaden]

As of our last federal election in Canada, we still used paper ballots and pencils. Probably seems quaint, but I find it comfortingly material.

[Badger]

Reasons Trump has for hating Hillary: She hasn't dropped out yet.

 

Reasons Hillary has for hating Trump: His continued existence as a viable candidate in the minds of Americans in the face of all he's said and done makes a mockery of the system she's dedicated most of her adult life to.

 

There are dozens of other things they could hate about each other - if not hundreds - but I doubt they're as important to them as those two things.

 

I think you may be overestimating Hillary, I think for both it is the other hasn't dropped yet, and have dared to challenge their right to be sovereign President.

[Badger]

As of our last federal election in Canada, we still used paper ballots and pencils. Probably seems quaint, but I find it comfortingly material.

 

Yeah, I hate computer ballots (especially considering I don't trust a machine to do what I request of it).  Before then, I at least knew when I voted for someone, my vote was going to go to that person.  The computer not so much. I can be reasonably sure, but there is a slight pain of self-doubt when I leave the voting place.

[Badger]

And that's me done. Very long line that moved fairly fast at the mall. One man was asked to remove his Trump hat (but not his "Fear God/Trust Jesus T-shirt*) when he was approaching the "no campaigning" line (which is posted), and I think that he was also asked not to take pictures of folks in line with his tablet, but I was too far away to hear the conversation between him, the campaign worker, and the security guard. He did get back in line, and apparently did vote.

 

My signature didn't fully match the one on file**, and so I showed my DL, and everything was good***. Our electronic voting machines are pretty easy to use, and print a paper receipt (behind glass) that allows for verification and for both electronic and manual recounts.

 

 

 

*I wore a Goonies T-shirt, which I figured was "good enough".

 

**I believe that the signature on file is probably over 25 years old now, and it's changed dramatically in that time. During my time as a manager, I needed to sign stuff so often that first all of the vowels dropped out of my signature, and then all but the first consonant in my first name went missing. Given that I rarely sign anything on paper anymore, the final consonants in the last name are starting to warp into illegibility.

 

***Our local election department also sends out voter ID cards, and that would have been satisfactory, as well.

 

My signature changed when I injured my left middle finger (lefthanded) to where I couldn't use it much without pain for near 6 months, it hurt to write so the the latter half of my last name turned into mangled scribble, just to get my signature over with. Oddly, for my finger, one day I woke, and it simply didn't hurt anymore.  I have no idea why, but didn't complain.

[Badger]

Cubs vs Indians World Series.

 

With that and this election, the Mayans are proven to have just been 4 years early.

[Nolgroth]

I fully expect the Cubs to accept the World Series results only if they win.