Tag: 2024 Elections

The 2024 ‘No’ Vote

I have read several reports telling me that younger voters will stay away from the polls….even some of the older voters are not all that thrill and are considering not voting in this election.

If that is true why do they consider not voting?

The last time Richard Brown voted was in 2008. He had caught a couple of presidential debates on TV, and found himself liking what the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, had to say. And as a Black man, he was excited by the idea of voting for the country’s first Black president.

Then in 2012, he decided not to bother casting a second ballot for Obama. It wasn’t that he had soured on the president — he just didn’t think it was necessary. “He’s already in office … [so] I kinda figured he didn’t need my help,” Brown said. He was willing to take the time out of his day to cast his vote, but he didn’t think it would have an impact on the outcome. “I know it’s kind of a stupid thought, but I feel like one missed vote isn’t going to change anything.”

Twelve years later, though, he’s planning to vote again. It’s not because Brown, who is now 53 and lives in the Midwest, is newly hopeful that his vote will matter. In fact, he’s not at all confident that the candidate he’s supporting, Joe Biden, will win. But the stakes of this election feel personal. Over the past four years, some of his friends have changed the way they act and talk, saying hateful things about Obama or sharing racist memes on Facebook.

“I’m not even really keen on Biden,” Brown said. “It’s more so that Trump is bringing racist rhetoric out of a lot of people.” Those kinds of comments are “really hurtful to me, disrespectful to me,” he said. So he’s decided to vote again this year: “This way, if [Biden] does lose the election, I can’t say that it was my fault because I didn’t vote.”

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/non-voters-poll-2020-election/

I can understand for I find myself not at all thrilled with the two major candidates and any independents are not going to have a shot at the big chair….so not voting is an option, just not for me, but an option nonetheless.

Beyond that there are about 5 reasons some people will not vote….

Voting is a right that allows citizens to make their voices heard, but the reality is that as many as half of eligible voters in the US still don’t participate in the election process. 

The US lags far behind most other developed countries when it comes to voter turnout. Only 55.7% of Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, and even less of the population, 36.4%, voted in 2014, according to the Pew Research Center. 

People’s motivations for voting vary. They might believe voting is their civic duty and that their ballot has the power to make a difference. Others just want to fit in with their peers, or their anger about a certain issue drives them to the polls. 

The reasons people don’t vote are just as complex. While full voter participation helps maintain a fair and functioning democracy, everything from logistics to socioeconomic status can get in the way.

Here’s a list of five things stopping Americans from voting. 

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-people-dont-vote/

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Liar! Liar!

It is election time and lies are spread like peanut butter…..but of all the lies which is the most prolific? Lies are an essential part of the modern campaign strategy, well political lies have always been there so saying ‘modern’ is misleading.

My post is along the lines of one from my friend John….

Scandal of the Century: Why Republicans Can’t Tell the Truth

Which of our two parties spread the most crap?

The creator of a top political fact-checking website has finally revealed which party lies more: Democrats or Republicans.

Bill Adair, who started the Pulitzer Prize-winning website PolitiFact, admitted that – despite his claims over the years – he was, in fact, keeping tabs and found the GOP to be the most liberal with the truth.

In 2012, Adair was asked which party lies more by a caller on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal and claimed he “didn’t keep score.”

The former Washington Bureau Chief for the Tampa Bay Times has since left the nonprofit fact-checking company and so said he can now “talk freely” about who is more deceitful.

Appearing on Washington Journal 12 years later, as part of a media blitz to promote his new book Beyond the Big Lie, the fact checker admitted he “was lying” in 2012 to show his company was “truly nonpartisan.”

By PolitiFact’s tally, the Republican party was actually lying “far more” than the Democrats – and since then, Adair, has found the disparity between the parties has only grown.

Between 2016 to 2021, Republicans lied 55 percent of the time, compared to Democrats 31 percent of the time, according to Adair’s company’s investigations of politicians’ statements.

“I think we need to talk about it because the fact that there are so many lies coming from the Republicans, it’s really affecting our discourse,” he said

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/republicans-democrats-lies-bill-adair-fact-check-politifact-trump-b2631493.html

According to this report the GOP tells the most lies….who did not see that coming?

Now that we have established that….let us ask Why does Trump lie so often?

When it comes to lying in politics, Donald Trump is in a class of his own. According to the Washington Post, he made 30,573 false or misleading claims in his four years as president, increasing year-on-year from six per day in his first year to 39 per day in his fourth.

Although other presidents have lied to the public, none have lied like this. Some of Trump’s lies are trivial, and many are self-aggrandising (“Nobody builds better walls than me”). Then there are his more egregious lies, like the one about the 2020 presidential election being “stolen” – demonstrably and dangerously contrary to the facts, with serious consequences for the nation and public trust.

And these lies can cut through. Research by political scientists Kevin Arceneaux and Roy Truex found that this “big lie” about the stolen election was very “sticky”. Around 50% of Republican voters believed it, regardless of any emerging contrary evidence. The researchers also found that belief in this lie boosted Republican supporters’ self-esteem – as they weren’t “losers” after all.

https://theconversation.com/why-does-donald-trump-tell-such-blatant-lies-241192

I have an easier answer….because he can and get away with it.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Cornell West For President

A mere couple of weeks before we vote so I thought I would do a little FYI…..please refrain from any snarky remarks…..once again….just FYI to let people know there is more than the pathetic two running in the 22024 election…..since the media is ignoring I thought I would do the right thing and bring the news out.

I have written many times that the last time I voted for a winner in a presidential election was 1976….and my streak may continue with the 2024 vote.

I am a weird bird for I vote my principles and not some easy out like voting for the least objectionable candidate…..and almost every time I am accused of helping elect this idiot or that…..but it is my vote and I have no one to answer to but my own conscience….so nay-sayers can piss off.

Last election season I was duped by Gabbard and I supported her as a Dem later I found out what a racist homophobe she really is…..I will try not to make that mistake again.

This next election is turning out to be dumb or dumber….no Repub nor Dem has any business being a candidate they are all as corrupted as corrupt can be.

So when the news came out of a possible third party candidate that I know and admire his work I was pleased to see that I may have a person to vote for this time around.

That person is Cornell West….

Another big name is entering the 2024 presidential race, though not for one of the two main political parties. Dr. Cornel West, the well-known progressive scholar, philosophy professor, and activist, said Monday that he will run for the nation’s top office on the People’s Party ticket, the New York Times reports. The third party was founded by Nick Brana, a member of Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign team, but Sanders himself declined a bid from the party for him to get involved before the 2020 election, in which he again ran as a Democrat. West, who has taught at Yale, Princeton, Harvard, and, currently, Union Theological Seminary, says he is concerned with “the destruction of American democracy,” and that he is more concerned about voters than other politicians, whether Democrat or Republican, Politico reports.

“Neither political party wants to tell the truth about Wall Street, about Ukraine, about the Pentagon, about big tech,” the left-wing academic said in a campaign video posted to Twitter; in the video he referenced a 2022 interview in which he called former President Trump a “neo fascist” and President Biden a “milquetoast neoliberal.” (He’s also criticized former President Obama, and Forbes says he’s a non-Marxist socialist and Christian who has supported Sanders in the past and considers himself a populist alternative to mainstream politicians.) West says he is concerned with issues including the living wage, affordable and guaranteed housing, abortion rights, universal health care, mass incarceration, and climate change. “I enter in the quest for truth, I enter in the quest for justice, and the presidency is just one vehicle to pursue that truth and justice—what I’ve been trying to do all of my life,” West said.

Like I stated so far West is along my line of thinking about the world and US position within it.

But since Gabbard I will be researching West’s positions very carefully for I will not be duped again.

Update:  Since I wrote this draft news has come out that West will seek the nomination of the Green Party.

Progressive activist Cornel West announced he is seeking the Green Party nomination for president in 2024 after declaring his candidacy for the People’s Party nomination last week. 

West said that he decided to run as a candidate for the Green Party to try to build a “broad United Front and coalition strategy.”

“In the spirit of a broad United Front and coalition strategy, I am pursuing the nomination of the Green Party for President of the United States,” West tweeted Wednesday.

He asked people to “support this unprecedented effort to empower precious poor and working people here and abroad. I thank the volunteers of the People’s Party for the initial launch!”

(thehill.com)

I have supported the Green Party in the past and may do so again….but as always I will research closely.

More updates:  West has passed on the Green Party and will run as a true independent…..

Progressive activist Cornel West said Thursday that he is no longer running for president under the Green Party banner. Instead, the high-profile African American thought leader will run as an independent.

“I’m running as an Independent candidate for President of the United States to end the iron grip of the ruling class and ensure true democracy!” West wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“People are hungry for change,” he added. “They want good policies over partisan politics. We need to break the grip of the duopoly and give power to the people.”

I like the sound of that…..party politics is what has gotten this country where it is today….screwed up!

His policies can be found here….

https://www.cornelwest2024.com/platform

For more information this is an interview with West on Democracy Now…..

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/6/7/cornel_west_2024

Have you noticed that the media has downplayed anyone other than the two candidates?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

My Vote At The Crossroad

I wish that I could say that I have made up my mind for the 2024 election….but I cannot.

We are sitting at 2 short weeks before our trips to the polls.

We have two major candidates that stand for nothing that I hold dear.

I have said many times that I have not voted for a winner in presidential elections since 1976….during all that time I have voted usually for a third party….not that any of the candidates were that appealing to me but rather their platforms were more in-line with my principles.  Never have I ever regretted the vote I cast.

That brings us to this election….I still think that a third party and/or an independent candidate would get my vote…..and then brace myself for the unbending stupidity about my doing so would elect this person or that…none of which I agree….

Why Your Third-Party Vote Is Not Wasted

My argument is that it is MY vote and I shall put it where I think it will do the most good for this country not because of some personality that is all show and no action and what actions they do take is usually for the benefit of business not the people.

I have not noticed an uptick for independent candidates….if this was any other election but this one I would see this as a good sign….but sadly it is not…..but it is a good sign for the people are starting to see just how corrupt and do nothing the two parties have become.

Now let us look at nightmare scenario that is forming.

Let’s say the independent s make it so that neither major candidate gets the required number of electoral votes to win the election outright….what then?

Then it would fall to the House to elect the president….

If you don’t believe the 2024 presidential campaign can get any more bizarre or anxiety-inducing, just wait.

70 percent of Americans have indicated that they don’t want the major presidential candidates they now appear stuck with. A substantial percent of Democratic voters and a majority of Republican voters don’t want President Biden to run because of his age and perceived cognitive issues. A substantial number of Republicans and a majority of Democrats don’t want former President Trump to run because of his perceived legal issues.

…

If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. The House of Representatives elects the President from the three (3) Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each State delegation has one vote and it is up to the individual States to determine how to vote. (Since the District of Columbia is not a State, it has no State delegation in the House and cannot vote). A candidate must receive at least 26 votes (a majority of the States) to be elected. The Senate elects the Vice President from the two (2) Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. Each Senator casts one vote for Vice President. (Since the District of Columbia is has no Senators and is not represented in the vote). A candidate must receive at least 51 votes (a majority of Senators) to be elected. If the House of Representatives fails to elect a President by Inauguration Day, the Vice-President Elect serves as acting President until the deadlock is resolved in the House.

What if no candidate wins 270 electoral votes?

With the House controlled by the GOP, no matter how small the margin, and that party in bed with the Trumpian mindset we could be looking at a Trump win.

Now do you see my quandary?

My vote could throw this thing into a House election….in a different time I would laugh it off as corrupt politics at work….but it is different this time around.

Do I hold with the convictions of my principles or do I hold my nose and vote for an old fart that may not live another 4 years?  And his successor is not someone that I would ever consider worthy.

Then there is the other ‘guy’ whose policies are so far right that it scares me and the party he controls just keeps with its trek right….no where would I consider a vote for these people (being polite as possible)

Now I stand at the crossroad.

Three paths are before me….one is one that I would never travel….one is a road that holds no hope for the people of this country….and the last road is more in line with my principles but could be disastrous for the country.

I try to vote with my head and the policies that I think could benefit the most people not the party that promises and seldom has any inclination of fulfilling those promises.

My head is telling me to look beyond the two corrupt parties, which I have done on numerous occasions, but then the thought brings me back to those damn crossroads.

What to do?  What to do?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is Harris Repeating Mistakes Of The Past?

To answer that question…I believe she is repeating past mistakes.

I listen to political ads and Harris seems to be targeting those ‘Never Trumpers’ but is that a good idea when people are struggling with this economy?

Kamala Harris’ decision to mention Alberto Gonzales being added to the list of Republicans who’ve thrown their support behind her rubbed Jeet Heer the wrong way. In a piece for the Nation, Heer writes that the reference to the former US attorney general at a Thursday town hall sponsored by Univision was a “tone-deaf” move—Gonzales has been out of the public eye for two decades and brings the phrase “torture memos” to mind. As far as ill-advised choices go, it was a minor one, but Heer sees a “broader” and more “distressing” pattern at play: In the waning days of her campaign, Harris is putting too much effort into trying to win over “Never Trump” Republicans. And he sees a parallel with the final weeks of Hillary Clinton’s run for the White House.

“One big reason Clinton lost in 2016 was that she neglected the working-class base of the party at the expense of trying to win [GOP] converts,” writes Heer. Fears are rising within the party that Harris is doing the same. And yet “unlike Hillary Clinton in 2016, Harris does have a genuine economic populist agenda.” For example, her proposal that Medicare cover in-home care for seniors and people with disabilities would, if enacted, be a revolutionary investment in caregiving. However, Harris’ campaign is bungling things by trying to court a pool of Republicans instead of focusing on this proposal and economic policy in general, according to Heer. Three weeks is barely enough time to change course. She must do it now. “Hitting hard on economic populism while there is still time to excite the base remains the best path to victory,” Heer writes.

Read the full column.

The working class always gets the shaft in recent elections…..it is always about some silly notion of ‘trickle down’ BS.

Less than a month and Harris is still not laser focused on making working stiffs lives better…..we have nothing but a slogan….’A New way Forward’.

Sorry but we are stuck in reverse.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“A New Way Forward”

The media and most pundits are telling us that this election is an economic election….”are you better off today/”….sort of thing.

This is a look at the Dems and their promises of a better life.

In 2024 this is the tagline of the Dems and Harris…..personally I do not see this being new or forward moving…..basically it is the same rehash of the policies from Biden and a wealth of other Dems running for office.

But if you still need to have a bit of incentive then please her site and read what she is proposing…

Click to access Policy-Book-Economic-Opportunity.pdf

I do not see the ‘new way’….but then I am not the biggest fan of Democrats these days.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

The Polls Are In

Daily we see the media report on the polling numbers….Trump ahead by 2%…..then Harris ahead by 4….and then the two candidates are in a dead heat in some swing states….and on and on….

These polls are never very accurate they are at best a snapshot of the day that are taken or even worse they are not accurate because people will say anything to get off the phone.

I have never made my decision on who to vote for by poll numbers and neither should anyone else.

The commercials seem wall-to-wall, the media coverage is intense, and the pressure—not just on the presidential candidates—is building. And the nation has more than three weeks of this left. Ezra Klein suggests one way Americans can ease their stress is by ignoring the polls. They’re not going to tell us which candidate will win anyway, Klein writes in an opinion piece in the New York Times. The polls could be more accurate than they have been in the past couple of elections and still be off by 2 percentage points in battleground states. “That would be consistent with Harris winning every swing state,” Klein writes. “It would also be consistent with Trump winning every swing state.”

That’s not overstating the indecision in the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump race, Klein says, pointing out that Nate Silver’s model calls the most likely result “Harris sweeping all seven swing states. And the next most likely is Trump sweeping all seven.” Pollsters are taking steps to avoid the mistakes in previous elections, but there are problems with those measures, too. There are undecided voters even now, and there are voters who have decided but won’t cast ballots. Events that appear to be major losses or victories for Trump or Harris barely budge them in polls. America will have its answer soon, but Klein says it won’t come from the polls.

Klein’s column can be found here.

Please look over the candidate and vote for the one that best describes what you want for this country….polls are just numbers that can be tweaked to say whatever it is the pollsters want them to say…..so it depends on who is asking the questions.

Vote for the best person that will serve the US….not a bunch of worthless numbers and stats.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

One Billion And Counting

I read today that the Harris campaign has raised $1 billion for the campaign….and the word is that it may not be enough….think about that for a moment.

In less than three months as a presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris has raised more than $1 billion—a historic pace. That’s more than her opponent, Donald Trump, has raised all year, per the New York Times. The Harris figure comes not from required campaign filings, the next of which is due later this month, but from multiple people who know of her operation. Despite the unheard-of fundraising rate, aides are concerned the Democratic campaign might not have money to win, the Washington Post reports. They’d also prefer the $1 billion figure not receive much attention. Their fundraising reasoning includes:

  • The short campaign: Entering the race long after Trump has meant Harris has to make her pitch to voters in much less time and has to rely on more sweeping, expensive efforts to reach them.
  • Battleground states: In all seven swing states, polls show no lead that isn’t within the margin of error. The Harris campaign figures it will have to spend big in all of them. “There have never been so many electoral college votes in play so late in the cycle, which means that our strong fundraising and volunteer enthusiasm are not guaranteed to be enough to fully reach voters everywhere they are,” one Harris person emailed the Post.
  • Perceptions: “Talking about this type of big money doesn’t convey the sense of urgency to do every single thing in all of the big and small ways,” another person involved said Wednesday.
  • The opposition: Trump pulled in $309 million through the end of August, and Harris reported spending about three times what the Republican nominee did in August. But super PACs, including Elon Musk’s, are helping narrow the spending gap to turn out GOP voters, per NBC News.

Does anyone see a problem with a campaign that has $1 billion and could still not be enough?

All these elections are getting out of hand….every year it takes more and more to fund a run for office.

That figure should have people starting to consider some sort of campaign funding reform.

Just a thought!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Battle Of The Big 2

This could be a post about the 2 big oil companies or the 2 big car companies but in this case it is all about the VP candidates time in the spotlight at their battle in the Big Apple.

I watched it because….well…so you did not have to do so.

I thought it would be a slap fight with no focus on the country or its problems….it was feisty at times but worthless….

Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz started Tuesday as “blank slates to much of America,” reports Time, which cited recent surveys from the Pew Research Center showing as much as 25% of the electorate say they’ve not heard of either man. Their only scheduled debate kicked off at 9pm ET on CBS News with moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell. Standout moments and lines:

  • On whether they would support a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran: Walz had a bit of a “shaky” start, per ABC News, swapping Israel and Iran at one point. But he emphasized running mate Kamala Harris’ “calm, steady leadership” while pointing to former President Trump’s relationships with Russia and North Korea. After providing some quick details about his upbringing, Vance said, “You can’t ignore October the 7th,” which occurred “during the administration of Kamala Harris. … When was the last time that an American president didn’t have a major conflict break out? The only answer is Donald Trump’s 4 years as president.”
  • On climate change and Hurricane Helene: Vance zeroed in on carbon emissions, suggesting that if Democrats believe they drive climate change, they should reshore as much American manufacturing as possible and do as much energy production domestically as possible. He argued that Harris’ policies have led to the opposite happening.
  • Vance’s emphasis on the ‘Harris administration’: NBC News points out that Vance is “trying to frame her as the central character in the White House,” with references to and criticism of the “Kamala Harris administration” and “Kamala Harris’s policies.”
  • Walz brings up faith: When referencing the bipartisan border bill that died in the Senate this year, Walz had this to say: “I don’t talk about my faith a lot, but Matthew 25:40 talks about ‘To the least amongst us, you do unto me.’ I think that’s true of most Americans. They simply want order to it. This bill does it. It’s funded. It’s supported by the people who do it, and it lets us keep our dignity about how we treat other people.”
  • Mics cut: While ABC News frames the debate as “largely civil,” the mics were cut toward the end of a conversation about immigration that referenced the legal status of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. “Margaret, the rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check,” Vance said before talking about the mechanics of immigration and asylum applications. Walz joined in, spurring Brennan to say, “Gentlemen, the audience can’t hear you because your mics are cut. We have so much we want to get to. Thank you for explaining the legal process.”
  • On whether Walz was actually in China during the Tiananmen Square protests: In response to a report that he actually wasn’t in Hong Kong until afterward, Walz gave a winding answer that didn’t answer the question, and was then pressed to give an answer. Walz said he “misspoke.” He said at one point, “I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect, and I’m a knucklehead at times.”
  • Quick takes on how the candidates are faring: “It is very striking how much more fluent and comfortable Walz is discussing domestic policy than he is talking about foreign policy,” observes NBC News.
  • On abortion: Vance said he knew many women who had abortions and referenced one friend who told him a pregnancy would have ruined her life because she was in an abusive relationship. “We need to do a better job of earning the American people’s trust back on this issue,” he said. “We need to be pro-family in the fullest sense of the world,” by supporting things ranging from fertility treatments to affordable home ownership. On abortion policy specifically, he said the proper way to handle is to let voters and individual states make their own policies in our sometimes “messy and divided countr
  • On school shootings: Vance initially spoke about the connection between gun crimes and illegal weapons and the border. On schools, he said “I unfortunately think we have to increase security in our schools,” suggesting stronger doors and windows and more school resource officers. Walz replied, “I’m a hunter, I own firearms. We understand that the Second Amendment is there. But we have a responsibility to our kids. If we really want to solve this, we’ve got folks that won’t allow research on gun violence … there are reasonable things that we can do to make a difference. …. Do you want your schools hardened to look like a fort?”
  • On the housing crisis: Vance pointed a finger at Harris for “letting in millions” of people into the country, saying illegal migrants are a driver of increased housing costs. Vance said one solution would be to “drill, baby, drill”—the lower energy prices would reduce the cost of building materials and, therefore, housing.
  • On Jan. 6 and the 2020 election: After an extensive conversation, Walz asked Vance point-blank if he thought Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance did not give a yes or no answer. “That is a damning non-answer,” said Walz.

All in all this debate will change no minds on their vote.

To me this was just a show for toothless bulldogs to strut .

I can say the Vance is an idiot and Walz is just boring…..and since I do not believe that the ‘undecided vote’ is as large as some say this debate did nothing to change any minds.

A night to forget and watch a hockey game.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”