Tag: New Voters

Bad Voting Info

It is that time again when people will start looking for their place to vote….in some states it seems to change yearly….most will go on-line but will they get accurate info?

Could AI give bad voting info?

OpenAI’s ChatGPT was caught spitting out false voting information for battleground states, CBS News discovered, in another grim sign of how AI is poised to upend elections.

The errors came to light after reporters at CBS asked for basic information on voting requirements, polling locations, and other questions that a typical voter would ask if they lived in states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin — all places that could determine the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election in the fall.

When reporters at CBS asked ChatGPT questions such as the deadline to mail in a ballot in certain states, it would give different but still erroneous outputs on separate devices.

Though OpenAI released a statement in January saying that anybody entering basic voter queries into ChatGPT would be directed to the non-partisan voting website CanIVote.org, reporters at CBS sometimes didn’t get that link to this website when asking voting questions.

“We’ve also developed partnerships to ensure people using ChatGPT for information about voting get directed to authoritative sources,” an OpenAI spokesperson told CBS News. “We are closely monitoring how our technology is being used in the elections context and continue to evolve our approach.”

https://futurism.com/the-byte/chatgpt-bad-info-vote-battleground-states

AI WILL influence voting and we should do all we can to counter it….

2024 will be the first election year to feature the widespread influence of AI before, during and after voters cast their ballots, including in the making and distribution of public messages about candidates as well as electoral processes. 

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has been working hard to help address the impact of AI on our democracy, including educating the public about what to expect in upcoming political campaigns and recommending policy solutions lawmakers should adopt to mitigate the greatest risks to our election system.  

CLC has particularly highlighted the danger of political ads that use AI technology to generate deceptively realistic false content — such as “deepfakes,” which are manipulated media that depict people doing or saying things they didn’t say or do, or events that didn’t really occur — to mislead the public about what candidates are asserting, their positions on issues, and even whether certain events actually happened. If left unchecked, these fraudulent and deceptive uses of AI could infringe on voters’ fundamental right to make informed decisions. 

In addition to influencing the voters’ perceptions of candidates, AI could be used to manipulate the administration of elections, including by spreading disinformation to suppress voter turnout.

https://campaignlegal.org/update/how-artificial-intelligence-influences-elections-and-what-we-can-do-about-it

All I can say is ‘Voter Beware’!

If you have question then contact your local election commission directly and get good info….after all it is your vote and it is valuable.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Young Are The Problem

We have an election coming our way in just a matter of months and I have noticed the interest in it is not very good and seems to be waning daily.

In years past an election was a time for the exchange of ideas and debate….these days it is a time for yawns and head shaking.

I am not thrilled with the choice of candidates but I am old and set in my ways…..but the real problem is the younger voter…..it seems they are turned off by Biden and Trump both….

David Brooks, a shill for special interests, thinks Biden has a problem…..

David Brooks says he still thinks President Biden is the Democrats’ strongest candidate for president, but he’s getting more pessimistic about his chances of beating Donald Trump in November. For starters, Brooks writes at the New York Times, many voters simply prefer Republicans “on key issues like inflation and immigration.” But Biden also has a big problem with young voters, Brooks writes. He cites a recent NBC News poll that found only 64% of voters are highly interested in the election, down from 77% in 2020—and among voters 18 to 34, the figure is just 36%.

That might be partly due to the advanced age of both candidates, Brooks writes, but “part of it is also about Biden’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war,” which has been more strongly criticized by young people than other groups. “I think what we’re seeing at Columbia and on other elite campuses is a precursor to what we’re going to see at the Democratic convention in Chicago,” writes Brooks. He characterizes the clashes between police and leftist protesters at the 1968 Democratic convention as an “early marker of the differences between the more-educated and less-educated classes. They were part of the trend that sent working-class voters to the GOP.”

If there are similar clashes at the August convention, “the chaos will reinforce Trump’s core law-and-order message,” Brooks writes. “It will make Biden look weak and hapless.” Click for his full piece. The NBC poll found that Biden and Trump are “essentially tied” among voters 18 to 34, with Biden at 44% and Trump at 43%. Biden’s problem with younger Americans isn’t just about Gaza, writes Philip Bump at the Washington Post. He notes that YouGov polling of registered voters going back to 2021 shows big swings in support for Biden among younger voters—but Gallup polling of all Americans shows younger people “are consistently less approving of Biden than Americans overall.”

A fearmongering piece….trying to influence people with suppositions.

I can understand why the young have a problem with Biden….for I have a problem with his old ass….but where will the young put their vote that is if they bother to vote?

One tactic was the student loan debacle….trying to get on the good side of young voters.

Will it work?

Will they vote for Trump?

Interesting demographic that could make the difference in this election.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Will They Or Won’t They?

For months upon months we have been bombarded with election stuff…..predictions and speculation will not stop until the votes are counted…..

There is one group in this election that all pundits are concerned with that they may not go to the polls…..and they just cannot understand why Millennials would not vote.

But why would they not want to be part of the process?  The same reason that many do not want to be part of the process.  The process is broken and money plays too big in elections…..but the Millennials are a group, a generation. that could well make a difference…..

In what people are calling — accurately, in my opinion — the most important American midterm election in our lifetimes, there’s been a lot of things we’ve never seen before: like, for example. a president sending thousands of troops to the U.S. southern border or erasing the existence of more than a million transgender people, all to boost GOP voter turnout a point or two.
And then there’s this: non-voter porn.
If you read the news, you know the kind of political smut I’m talking about. Full-frontal exposures of mostly attractive 20-somethings, revealing their often lame-sounding excuses why they’re joining the more than 60 percent of eligible Americans who typically don’t vote in midterm elections.
We’re talking about 20-somethings who’ve never used the U.S. mail and are traumatized by the idea of finding a postage stamp for a registration form, or so don’t see how a small president in search of a balcony is any different than any other politician.
Tomorrow will these voters go to the polls or will they stay home and let the old farts pick their leaders….and then they bitch…..
Shut up and go vote!

 

A ‘Better Deal’ For America

How many times have you read something similar?

Ever since their massive defeat in 2016 the Dems have been looking for their new niche before the next election…..they are hoping for a little redemption in the eyes of the American voter.

Let’s be honest…their message sucked all the way to the voting booth…..as an opposition party the Dems are just pathetic…..(so says an article in the Guardian)….

Six months into Donald Trump’s term, and Democratic politician’s ability to be an opposition party is, in a word, pathetic.

When the poll came out saying that “Democrats stand for nothing more than opposing” Trump, I thought to myself, ‘If only that were true!’” But they can’t even do that well. When House Democratic Caucus chairman Joe Crowley was asked by the Associated Press just what his party’s core message was, he “hesitated” and then said, “That message is being worked on.”

Source: The Democrats’ performance as an opposition party? Pathetic | Steven W Thrasher | Opinion | The Guardian

They have been going thru a party “autopsy” to find the right hook to get into the skin of the voter…..

After 10 months of agony this is what they have come up with to save the Party from oblivion…..and this is the “message” they worked on and settled on as the next step in the process…..

Still smarting from November’s brutal election and looking to push a more populist agenda in the lead-up to the 2018 midterms, Democratic Party leaders gathered in the small town of Berryville, Va., on Monday to announce their new “Better Deal” plan, the AP reports. “The focus starts on economic issues,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “That’s where the American people are hurting. That’s what we most felt was missing in the past in the last several elections.” Here are some of the plan’s details:

  • Cost of living: Democrats promise to lower the cost of prescription drugs and college tuition, fight for “families struggling with high monthly bills,” and crack down on monopolies.
  • Higher wages: The “Better Deal” plan promises millions of good-paying jobs, a higher minimum wage, investment in infrastructure, and an aggressive crackdown on corporations that outsource American jobs.
  • 21st-century economy: Democrats say they are committed to providing tax breaks to employers who offer workforce training, bringing high-speed Internet to the whole country, and offering millions of apprenticeships.
  • What’s missing: Noticeably absent from the “Better Deal” plan is any mention of the social issues that motivate many Democratic voters but that may turn off the rural, blue-collar voters who abandoned the party for Donald Trump last year. Those include immigration, LGBT rights, and abortion, Politico reports.
  • Strategy: Democrats want to talk about “how working- and middle-class incomes have stagnated as the costs of housing, health care, education, and everything else have continued to increase,” writes Ben Mathis-Lilley at Slate.
  • Critique:Roll Call reports that it took the Twitterverse no time at all to point out the similarity between the “Better Deal” slogan—”Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages”—and that of pizza delivery giant Papa John’s: “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.” Columnist Jonathan Allen goes deeper on what he thinks is not only a bad slogan, but a “muddled message” overall.

WORDS!

They are as empty as the “plan” they purpose.

Personally the ‘Better Deal’ sounds a lot like the deal they offered with Clinton….this ‘hook’ will not work…it is all promises that they can not deliver….

Simplistic jingoism won the last election…..not a complex ‘plan’.

Maybe that would be a better place to start.

This will insure more losses for the Dems.

In short, Pathetic as usual!

The Real Reason Millennials Are Going Green(Party)

5 days to do the right thing and vote for a candidate that actually stands for change…….or you can just be part of the problem of this vicious cycle….your choice.

This time around the young are more likely than not to vote other than the 2 major parties……I know…..both parties are claiming a growing support but I just do not see it….

I voted Green and there seems to be a growing like for the Green Party and Dr. Stein……she has opined an op-ed about these voters….

OPINION | Millennials like Green stances on debt, healthcare, the economy and more.

Young people are planning to break from the two-party system in unprecedented numbers this year. Their discontent is real: one May 2016 poll showed 91 percent of voters under age 29 wanted an independent challenger to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Media pundits have reacted harshly toward these young rebels, especially those supporting me and Ajamu Baraka, who as progressive Green candidates are constantly framed as taking votes from Clinton.

But instead of attacking our young voters, why not ask what’s motivating them to vote outside the two-party box? They’re well aware of the conventional wisdom that they should vote for the “lesser evil,” which the media has beaten into them for months. What few pundits have been willing to admit is that for many young people, voting Green is not a whim but a well-considered decision.

Source: Jill Stein op-ed: The real reason millennials are going Green | TheHill

My question is……has these young voters really seen through the BS that the media feeds them?

I hope so for we truly need the change that everyone wants but is too afraid to vote for it…..instead they vote for slogans and platitudes and in the end they are left holding the same bunch of corrupt individuals…….and a burning desire for change…..a pathetic cycle that needs breaking…..

Why Millennials Have Less Faith in Democracy

This election has something that no other election has had in 40 years….the youth vote.

In the past Black voters have held the key or Hispanic or women….etc etc……but this year the young could be the deciding vote for who will get the nod to run this country…..

Believe it or not there is a pretty good article in The American Conservative on the youth vote or not…..

The latest media shock from the polls is that millennials have given up on democracy.
A quarter century ago only one-sixth of those between 16 and 24 years of age said democracy was  “fairly bad” or “very bad.” But today that has increased to almost one-quarter among millennials, according to the World Values Survey as reported by Roberto Stefan Foa and Yascha Mounk in a recent edition of the Journal of Democracy.
The main reason was that millennials do not think they can influence policy under democracy.

Source: Why Millennials Have Less Faith in Democracy | The American Conservative

I know…what is old professor doing reading a conservative rag like TAC?

Actually I give all comers a shot at trying to help the reader understand this world a little better and believe it or not….there are some pretty good writers in the magazine….

I may not always agree but I am willing to hear them out….so should anybody that truly cares about the direction of this country….

Beyond A Protest Party

I am not a supporter of either of the two major candidates……basically because they are jokes….one is a self-centered dick and the other is a war hawk slobbering over the chance to start more conflicts and make her M-IC handlers smile.

If you are like me then you have two other choices….the Libertarian Party or the Green Party to which I am leaning……

The Libertarians have some good points on the international stage and on privacy issues but their stands on the domestic economic stuff is a bit scary….at least to me.

That leaves the Green Party and Dr. Jill Stein.

But what does the Green Party need to do to start winning the voters over?

To move beyond symbolism, the Green Party needs a strong infrastructure and a commitment to down-ticket elections.

There wasn’t fancy catering, blaring music or the release of thousands of balloons at the Green Party’s presidential nominating convention in Houston, Texas. Nor was there the presence of thousands of cops from dozens of state and federal agencies, or hundreds of cameras snapping photos as mainstream television reporters prepared outside for live standups.

Rather, one bored-looking campus security officer stood outside the University of Houston’s (UH) multipurpose room as the party’s media coordinators handwrote my press credentials and handed me the weekend’s schedule of events. One might not even know a convention for a political party was happening at the campus at all — many UH students I spoke to over the weekend didn’t.

Source: Beyond a Protest Party: What Will It Take for the Green Party to Start Winning?

If you are not a nose picker or a secret war hawk then there is a logical choice for your vote……

Think Green!

To Vote Or Not To Vote?

This election cycle has been crazy brutal….name calling, insults, lies, confusion and most all just plain theatrics……many young voters were turned on by Sanders but since his endorsement of Clinton they are even more confused and angry.

I recent did a post about the anger and confusion of the so-called Millennials….

Bernie has lost his position as the head of a progressive movement…he did that the minute he endorsed Clinton and quickly on his coat tails was Warren….all in the name of unity…&#…

Source: The Millennial Revolt – In Saner Thought

These voters are being turned off by the policies and issues of modern neoliberalism….aka Clinton…..

Their confusion and anger are reflected in a recent poll…..

Most young Americans say the Republican and Democratic parties don’t represent them, a critical data point after a year of ferocious presidential primaries that forced partisans on both sides to confront what — and whom — they stand for.

Source: Poll: Most young Americans say parties don’t represent them

My question is….will this anger and confusion lead to a true viable third party run?

Whatcha think?

Think Green!

 

The Millennial Revolt

Bernie has lost his position as the head of a progressive movement…he did that the minute he endorsed Clinton and quickly on his coat tails was Warren….all in the name of unity……balderdash….

Millennials come out hard for Bernie….and if the establishment thinks that these endorsements will appease these voters in the name of unity….then I do believe they are mistaken.

There was a hard campaign to discredit Bernie by the neolibs, mostly Clinton supporters who masqueraded as media pundits….but they may have played a dangerous game with these voters….

We have been told a story about the presidential candidacy of Senator Bernie Sanders, a story perpetuated almost exclusively by centrist Democrats vehemently opposed to his progressive agenda.

This story has many variants, but each features a central component: The Sanders campaign, the narrative goes, is merely masquerading as an ambitious political revolt dedicated to improving the material conditions of the public. In reality, contrary to its facade of progressivism, the Sanders campaign has largely served as a vehicle through which angry white males can freely express their fury at the expense of Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and the rest of the liberal political class.

Source: The Millennial Revolt Against Neoliberalism | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

These voters may well look for an alternative and I do not mean the Trump camp…..

After decades of silence the young have found their voice….they just need to keep shouting….do not them wear you down…..a better world is possible.

Millennials: Vote For Destruction?

A sigh of relief will go out when this election cycle is finished….it has been NOTHING useful said by any candidate for either side…..we have had enough negativity to last a life time…….we have had very little said as to how the country will be repaired if elected…….the only people that are getting anything out of this election are the pollsters, they are getting rich and the consumer is getting confused.  Perfect analysis of the American electoral system.

This election will be forever a joke without a punch line.

Both parties are trying desperately working to get millennials to the polls…..but what can we expect from the X-Box bunch it they do vote?

Republicans might find support in an unusual place in next week’s election: among millennials. A new poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics shows that 18- to 29-year-olds who will likely vote on Tuesday prefer a GOP-run Congress. The margin is small, with 51% favoring the GOP and 47% favoring Democrats, but it’s a noticeable shift from a poll just ahead of the 2010 midterms. In that one, those who wanted Democratic control were up 55-43.

That’s a “stunning turnaround,” writes Ron Fournier at the National Journal, but he adds that Republicans shouldn’t celebrate too much. Generally speaking, millennials don’t like Republicans, and “the long-view IOP findings suggest that neither party is poised to win the largest generation in US history—a pragmatic, demanding, relatively nonideological electorate raised in an age of terrorism, war, and government dysfunction.” In short, then, consider the youth vote “up for grabs,” says the Harvard group’s director of polling in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

If this happens it will be the big political disaster since Gary Hart…….this country will start a downhill slide that can only help people that want real change…..and it could get very messy……but I will explain that in post to come……

Any thoughts?