Tag: Voting

Relax Those Drug Laws

Marijuana, the medical type, was on the ballot in my state of Mississippi and it appears that it has been made official…..and Mississippi was not alone in the vote on so-called illegal drugs….

In states across the country, voters sent a clear message they wanted restrictions on recreational drug use eased. On Tuesday, residents of Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voted to join the ranks of 11 other states that have done so.

In 2012, Colorado and Washington made the leap to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Colorado has collected $1.23 billion in marijuana taxes and fees since 2014, including more than $302 million last year alone. Washington eclipsed Colorado that same year, collecting $395.5 million.

Oregon, which legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2014, went a step further Tuesday and voted to decriminalize illicit drugs. Measure 110 makes the possession of small quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and other drugs a civil violation subject to a $100 fine, but no jail time. However, the measure does not go so far as to decriminalize the manufacture or sale of drugs.

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/04/931507602/from-marijuana-to-mushrooms-voters-want-drug-laws-eased

After 50 years of a War on Drugs and the failures plus the cost of over $1 trillion and all that and the program is a dismal failure.

Society is now looking into the necessity for a War on Drugs.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Contested Elections–A History

As long as you await the final results and the announcement of who will be president in 2021…..why not learn something…..like a little history.  (I can hear the eyes rolling in the background)…..

This election will not be the only election where there was some contention on who the winner was……but it may be the silliest in history.

As states continue to count their ballots in the 2020 election, it seems possible that Democrats and Republicans will end up in court over whether President Trump will win a second term in the White House.

President Trump has said he’s going to contest the election results – going so far as to say that he believes the election will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has a team of lawyers lined up for a legal battle.

Unprecedented changes in voting procedures due to the coronavirus pandemic have created openings for candidates to cry foul. Republicans argued earlier this year that extending deadlines to receive and count ballots will lead to confusion and fraud, while Democrats believe Republicans are actively working to disenfranchise voters.

Should either Trump or Biden refuse to concede, it wouldn’t be the first time turmoil and claims of fraud dominated the days and weeks after the elections.

The elections of 1876, 1888, 1960 and 2000 were among the most contentious in American history. In each case, the losing candidate and party dealt with the disputed results differently.

https://theconversation.com/a-history-of-contested-presidential-elections-from-samuel-tilden-to-al-gore-149414

Like I said it never hurts to learn while you are wringing your hands waiting for the results to be finalized.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

VOTE Today!

Closing Thought–03Nov20

Today in history….

1868–Ulysses Grant elected president

1896–William McKinley elected president

1964–Lyndon Johnson elected president

1992–Bill Clinton elected president

Onward……

I will be cruising the Coast to check on different polling stations to see if there is anything to report.

Today is the Big Day….time to make up your mind go to the polls and cast your worthless vote……worthless because all we will do is change who sits on the Golden Toilet in the White House.

“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action in mind.” ~ Frank Herbert

Policies will remain similar as those today…..the rich will get richer and the poor will go hungry….but at least were tried to rid the nation of the gutless wonders that control our very lives.

Regardless we need to vote our feelings and hopes…..

Then there are those creepy little piss ants that think they are tough by dressing like soldiers (something they are too cowardly to do in real life) and the DA of Philly has the right idea on the treatment of these small minded douche bags….

Philadelphia’s Democratic district attorney Larry Krasner is warning armed, so-called “poll watchers” to stay away from the city’s voting precincts unless they want to find themselves explaining to a jury why they “thought it was okay to come to Philly and steal our votes.”

“If you want to dress up like a G.I. Joe and claim you are protecting the polls when we all know what you’re really doing is intimidating voters,” Krasner told CNN on Friday, “you’re getting locked up.”

“Wannabe fascists stay home,” he added. “If your idea of how to have a democratic election is to steal it, then I’ve got something for you. I’ve got a jail cell, and I’ve got criminal charges.”

That should be law and enforced.

One final thought from Daniel Ellsberg (look him up)….

‘Tis the season for some progressives to argue that the best way to build a progressive political movement in America is to stick it to the centrist Democrats—who have rejected progressive nominees and platforms—by voting for a third party, even in swing states.

If that helps elect what many regard as a “greater evil” Republican, some third party supporters argue, it will radicalize significant parts of the electorate, help the third party grow, and gradually increase the prospect of victory for genuinely progressive politics.

As die-hard progressives, we strongly disagree. Few beliefs among progressives have been so thoroughly tested in empirical reality over the last twenty years—and few have been so thoroughly discredited—than the idea that running third party candidates in swing states during close elections is a good way to build a progressive voting bloc.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/11/02/dear-fellow-progressives-please-vote-biden

“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities.” ~ Frank Herbert

“Governments can be useful to the governed only so long as inherent tendencies toward tyranny are restrained.” ~ Frank Herbert

“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.” ~ Frank Herbert

VOTE!

“lego ergo scribo”

The Lesser Of Two Evils

I have had many debates and discussions in my 70 years on the act of voting.

We all know the ones that say it is a duty to vote or those that say if you vote for anyone other than the 2 major candidates then you are doing a disservice to the country.

This is all so much noise or to my thinking…..babble.

Every year here on IST I get someone that will come on and tell me why I am helping elect the “other” side when I talk about voting beyond Dem/Repub….I do not mind for they have their opinion and I have mine….and in the end it is my vote and I shall place it where I feel it deserves.

I do not like “Lesser of evils” elections and it seem in the last 30 years that is all we have been offered and in those years our lives have been stagnant….but we can feel better that we voted for the “lesser of evils” (that is sarcasm)……

A good summation……

There are two major parties in the US and they both represent “capital.” But since defining capital is very controversial among economists, let us simply say that both parties represent money, the kind of money that begets more money. This kind of money is sacrosanct. It is a deity. It is worshiped by almost everyone. Having this kind of money, or being backed by it, is essential for getting elected, especially since most voters rely on advertising before voting for a candidate. Many voters, even if poor, admire and highly respect those who have a lot of money.

Once in office the office holder must make sure that conditions for self-expanding money are kept intact. This means preserving and reproducing existing social relations, particularly by maintaining “law and order.” Among many other things, the class structure must be kept intact. But it is hard to define “class,” and, moreover, the word is tabooed in the US. So, let me illustrate this with a simple, personal example.

Voting for the Lesser of Two Evils: a Vicious Circle

So, what is it that prevents me from voting for a president? Is voting for Donald Trump or Joe Biden worse than having a colonoscopy?

I have told anyone who will listen….I have a set of political principles that I have never veered from in my voting history….I will not veer this election either.

You may disagree with my choices…but keep in mind they are MY choices.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

30 Days And Counting

Actually 29 days….but who is caring?

November 3rd is so close you can almost smell the desperation of some candidates….and that got me to thinking…..in these days of uber divisiveness and the lack of knowledge about how Civics work especially how the elections work….I thought I would do what I do best…..EDUCATE!

How many know how the system works?

That would be the election system.

Please put your hands down…..I thought about a lengthy dissertation on our voting process but then I had to laugh…..no one would read it for most think they have all the answers…..so instead I decided to dumb it down to the level of a 5th grader…..teach with infographics.

https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/electionsprocess-kids-1140x684-1.jpg

Then the vote and the Electoral College…..I personally would like to see this dinosaur scraped in favor of the popular vote…..but that is for another post.

Just how does the EC actually work?

Once again I will dumb it down to an inforgraph……

Click to access Electoral-College-Kids-Discover-1ttmyti.pdf

WE are hearing a lot about Red and Blue states….but how does that decide the election (via the EC)…..and again with the dumbing down of Civics……

The new Snake Chart from FiveThirtyEight

In recent years two presidents can thank their lucky stars for the EC….and both were from the GOP…..Bush and Trump…..so do not look for reform from the GOP it is about the only hope they have these days…..short of voter suppression…..and that is another post altogether.

This is how it works……any questions?

Learn Stuff!

Then VOTE!

I read, I write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Picking That President

Paper #2 of 2

2020 and we are in the process of picking our next president……all of which does not in the least represent what the people actually want or need.

Is there a better way to pick the leader of the free world?

Of course there is…..the quickest way in my opinion is to eliminate the Electoral College…..

Americans are understandably disillusioned with how the Electoral College picks presidential winners. The system arguably functions contrary to expectations of how a democracy should work, and inconsistently with the purpose the founders intended.

There are some bold reform proposals on the table that deserve consideration in the long run—ideas that would solve the problem that presidents can be elected despite the majority of voters opposing them, an outcome unthinkable in any democracycommitted to majority rule. The problem is that most of these proposals either aren’t going to be feasible by 2020, if ever, or, on close inspection, would actually worsen the problems they’re intended to solve.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/05/04/electoral-college-reform-2020-226792

But are Americans truly wanting to eliminate the stupidity?

The Electoral College, which allowed the past two Republican presidents to win office with fewer votes than their opponents, has officially become a joke.

In a skit last week, Saturday Night Live lampooned how the US is picking its leaders by highlighting the fact that most voters have no say in who will become president. But the Electoral College is no laughing matter. 

As long as the same person won the popular vote and the Electoral College, this wasn’t a problem. But with the last two Republicans owing their election to an antiquated system and not the support of a majority of voters, it has dawned on many Americans that something is amiss — especially because things seem to be getting worse.

If recent history is any indication, this is not just a problem for the loser but also for the winner. The former will miss out on being president despite getting more votes, while the latter has to live with questions about their mandate — or even their legitimacy.

Are Americans Ready to Junk the Electoral College?

There is yet another possibility that needs discussion……on the Electoral College and their voting for president….

Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging state laws that bind Electoral College electors to vote for the presidential candidate they are selected to support. The case was brought in response to four 2016 electors — three from Washington and one from Colorado — who tried to vote against their state’s popular vote winner, and, in the case of the Washington electors, faced fines for having broken their pledges.

These so-called “faithless electors” have long been a feature of American presidential elections, but it’s possible that the Supreme Court could shake up the Electoral College system, striking down state laws that try to guarantee electors’ votes by replacing or punishing those who don’t vote as they promised to. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the overall lack of enforcement of electors’ pledge to vote for the winner of their state troubled her, saying, “I made a promise to do something, but that promise is unenforceable.” But Justice Samuel Alito said that overturning the state laws could “lead to chaos where the popular vote is close.”

If The Supreme Court Lets The Electoral College Vote However It Wants, Will Chaos Ensue?

There are a wealth of ideas to fix the stupidity of the picking of the president/nominee….personally I kinda like the national primary thing…….Let people nationwide cast their primary ballots all at once.

There are others as well…here are 6 ideas….

Every four years, Iowans are deluged with the talking points, the stump speeches, the polls and, of course, the ads.

They also hear that they shouldn’t be first. Iowans are too white, too old and too few to merit first-in-the-nation status, say the critics.

But if Iowa shouldn’t be first, who should be? For more than a century, reformers have been proposing ideas for how to change the primary system. And they’ve been failing. And they’ll probably continue to fail.

No one is going to persuade state and party machinery to change the current primary system anytime soon. However, these ideas can at least help show what works (and what doesn’t) about the way things are now.

Here are just a few of the ideas people have proposed over the years:

https://www.npr.org/2016/01/26/463870736/no-way-to-pick-a-president-here-are-6-other-ways-to-do-it

One last thought on the presidency……a little historic rambling…..

If the prospect of the Trump – Biden presidential election fills you with horror and despair, you might give some thought to not just replacing both candidates but the presidency as well, at least as we now conceive it.

For some time now, but maybe since the Kennedy administration (which ended in a hail of voter-suppressed gunfire), I have been thinking that one of the biggest problems with American democracy is the presidency itself, the idea that the chief magistrate of the country should be one person elected every four years by a few swing voters in Ohio, North Carolina, or Florida.

Get Rid of the Presidency

Any thoughts on this topic?

One closing cartoon…..

Image

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

1968–The Rematch

Are any of you, my readers, old enough to remember the 1968 election? I can but it was not paramount on my mind for I was in Vietnam.

Do you know why it was called the “Election That Changed America”?

Let me help this may be a bit too deep for some……

It was a hinge point in history, one of the most consequential and tumultuous years in the American experience, and it changed the country forever.

One traumatic event followed another as a wide array of social and political trends that had been building for years reached critical mass. During the span of 12 months a half-century ago, there were two shocking assassinations, growing and sometimes violent opposition to the escalating Vietnam war, hardening class differences, severe economic problems, and an increasingly impatient civil rights movement that gave rise to combative and angry black power advocates. And that wasn’t all. Add in the rise of feminism, doubts about the credibility of the nation’s leaders, a growing rebellion of young people against their parents’ values, campus revolts against authoritarian administrators and lifestyle constraints, a new sexual freedom made possible by the birth control pill and, overall, a ferocious culture war over “values issues” such as abortion, crime, patriotism, prayer in school, freedom of speech and respect for institutions. It was all dramatized and magnified by popular culture and an increasingly aggressive news media eager to hold political and cultural leaders accountable for society’s shortcomings.

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-12-31/1968-the-year-that-changed-america-forever

2020 looks like a similar election to that of 1968 in so many ways….

President Trump and Joe Biden are waging 2020 like it’s 1968, but they come at it with radically different views about this country’s evolution over the past half century.

…

Why it matters: Trump wants to appeal to his base’s instincts and convince white, suburban voters on the fence that their safety is at risk. Biden is talking to those same suburban voters and trying to convince them that a second Trump term would impede racial progress and encourage violence.

What they’re saying: Trump hasn’t mentioned Jacob Blake’s name, but tweeted on Wednesday that, “TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!”

https://www.axios.com/trump-biden-1968-956021c8-0134-450e-a3da-cfe9625b728c.html

The only difference I see is that there is NO strong third party candidate at this time (less than 60 days before election)……

Will it be as historic as 1968…that depends on who you candidate is and how bad they are defeated.

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Voting Twice Explanation

Yesterday there was a massive uproar over something our Dear Leader has said…..for those that are not regular readers…..https://lobotero.com/2020/09/03/just-do-it-twice/

To be fair and balance there has been an attempt to clarify what the president told his supporters to do…..

The White House is pushing back against the allegation that President Trump is encouraging people to break the law by voting twice. “The president is not suggesting anyone do anything unlawful,” press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News Thursday, per Mediaite. “What he said very clearly there is make sure your [mail-in] vote is tabulated, and if it is not, then vote.” Background and new developments:

  • What he said: The controversy stems from Trump’s comments to supporters Wednesday, in which he said: “On your ballots, if you get the unsolicited ballots, send it in and then go make sure it counted. And if it doesn’t tabulate, you vote. … And then if they tabulate it very late, which they shouldn’t be doing, they’ll see you voted and so it won’t count. So, send it in early and then go and vote.” Trump made similar comments in a TV interview with WECT, per the Hill: “So let them send it in, and let them go vote. And if the system is as good as they say it is, then they obviously won’t be able to vote. If it isn’t tabulated, they will be able to vote. So that’s the way it is, and that’s what they should do.”
  • Clarification: On Fox, host Sandra Smith told McEnany that what Trump suggested would “obviously” be against the law. “He said, ‘Send it in early and then go and vote.’ Isn’t that telling someone to go vote twice?” Nope, said McEnany. “The president said send it in early, go and see if it’s been tabulated; if it hasn’t been tabulated, then vote,” she said. Trump “wants verification. Democrats want a whole new fraudulent system of mail-in voting never tried before in American history, and what Democrats are saying to you is, ‘Trust us, but don’t verify.’ What this president is saying is verify your vote.”
  • New tweets: In a series of tweets Thursday, Trump echoed what McEnany said. He encouraged people who get mail ballots to return them as early as possible. “On Election Day, or Early Voting, go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted),” he wrote. “If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizen’s right to do).” Doing so will ensure “THAT YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED, it hasn’t been ‘lost, thrown out, or in any way destroyed.'”
  • A reminder and a plea: The president’s original words caused enough of a ruckus that North Carolina’s Board of Elections issued a statement reminding people that it’s a felony to vote twice, reports the Washington Post. And the board’s executive director said mail-in voters should not do what Trump suggested and go to the polls on Election Day to verify that their mail ballot was counted. “This is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading COVID-19,” said Karen Brinson Bell.
  • Facebook’s action: Facebook says it will delete videos of Trump’s original comments because they violate “policies prohibiting voter fraud,” reports Politico. Posts that share such video without context or clarification will get yanked, says the company.
  • What the AG says: Asked about Trump’s original suggestion on CNN, Attorney General William Barr said he doesn’t know each state’s rules but backed Trump’s assertion that mail voting is vulnerable to fraud, reports the AP. It’s like “playing with fire,” he said. Michigan’s attorney general was pretty clear about the idea of trying to vote twice: “Hey folks. Attorney General (Dana) Nessel here—top law enforcement official in Michigan, for those keeping track. Don’t try this at home. I will prosecute you.

Did that clear it up for everyone?

NO?  Then you are not alone.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Just Do It Twice!

So advises the president.

As usual the president wants his supporters to commit a crime…..seriously……he wants them to commit voter fraud….A CRIME!

When asked by North Carolina news station WECT whether he was confident in the state’s absentee voting system, President Trump on Wednesday appeared to suggest that, in order to test said system, voters should attempt to vote twice and see how it goes. His answer:

  • “Well, they’ll go out and they’ll vote and they’re going to have to go and check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates then they won’t be able to do that. So, let ’em send it in and let ’em go vote. And if their system’s as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote (at the poll). If it isn’t tabulated, they’ll be able to vote. So that’s the way it is, and that’s what they should do. I don’t like the idea of these unsolicited votes. I never did. It leads to a lot of problems. They’ve got 11 problems already on very small contests. I’m not happy about it. At the same time, we’re in court with a lot of it. We’re going to see if it can be stopped. But send in your ballots, send ’em in strong, whether it’s solicited or unsolicited. The absentees are fine, we have to work to get ’em, you know, it means something. And you send ’em in, but you go to vote. And if they haven’t counted it, you can vote. So, that’s the way I view it.”

CNN notes that in North Carolina, it’s a felony to intentionally vote twice in the same election, and the New York Times calls Trump’s suggestion “the kind of voter fraud he has railed against.” A state official says “we’d strongly advise against” anyone who has already cast an absentee ballot going to the polls to vote again. He also explained that voters can check their absentee ballot’s status in three different ways. Trump made a similar suggestion to Nevada residents last month, amid a longstanding campaign against widespread mail-in voting, which he claims will lead to election fraud. Per NBC News, a Trump campaign spokesperson says Trump is not encouraging that voters vote illegally a second time: “President Trump encourages supporters to vote absentee-by-mail early, and then show up in person at the polls or the local registrar to verify that their vote has already been counted. It’s amazing that the media can go from insisting that voter fraud doesn’t exist to screaming about it when President Trump points out the giant holes in the Democrats’ voting schemes.”

Plus if they do commit a crime for this president he can then point to voter fraud that he has been preaching in the past.

This just proves that the man in the White House has NO IDEA the rules and laws of the country he rules over…..to suggest that Americans break the law to prove his point is just silly.

Mr. Trump I have the results of your IQ test….You failed miserably!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Your Mail-In Vote

There is a problem these days….voting will be a bitch and the solution that many have offered is that of a mail-in vote and of course that will not fit into the plan for Trump….he and his ilk are saying that a mail-in vote would be riddled with fraud.

He much prefers absentee voting.

Think about that for a minute.

Your ballot comes in the mail ……you fill it out…..then you mail it in…..

Do I need to let that sink in?

Let me help and explain a bit about mail-in voting…..

Vote-by-mail, mail-in voting, and absentee voting are essentially the same thing. We use these terms interchangeably. They all mean that a voter is submitting a ballot through the mail.

The process is fairly standard. First, a voter needs to apply for an absentee ballot if one has not automatically been sent in the mail. Once local election officials receive the request for an absentee ballot, the ballot is mailed to the voter. 

Lucille Wenegieme, spokesperson for the National Vote at Home Institute, told WhoWhatWhy that offering voters the opportunity to cast a mail-in ballot provides a sense of confidence because the voter has more time with the ballot.

“When I talk to somebody about vote-by-mail, somebody that hasn’t done it for the first time, I like to tell them that it really offers a level of convenience,” Wenegieme said.

America Decides 2020: Voting by Mail, Explained

Since this idea during the pandemic is gaining in popularity what can be done to thwart this process?

Slow the mail down!

Mail is piling up at post offices, and employees are worried that November election ballots could be delayed. The backlog has been building since the new postmaster general and President Trump ally, Louis DeJoy, enacted changes at the Postal Service this month that were billed as needed to cut costs, the Washington Post reports. They include turning off mail sorting machines early, requiring letter carriers to leave without some mail to avoid making extra trips or late deliveries, and ending overtime pay. Trump, who has called the post office “a joke,” this week floated the idea of postponing the election rather than having widespread voting by mail. He cited the potential for fraud, but workers and union officials say the new changes could at least bring chaos. “I’m actually terrified to see election season under the new procedure,” said a union local president in New York.

DeJoy took office in June. In announcing the changes, Vice points out, he said the Postal Service will trade delayed mail in exchange for saving money. A spokesman said the changes are necessary after decades of financial problems. Any delays are temporary, he said, adding that DeJoy was appointed by a bipartisan board and doesn’t take his marching orders from Trump. But a union president representing 200,000 workers and retirees put his objections on the record in a meeting with DeJoy. “It’s wrong for the people of the country, it’s wrong for the public Postal Service,” he said. “It drives away business and revenue.” Four Democratic senators asked DeJoy for more information this week, saying his lack of transparency “only increases concerns that service compromises will grow in advance of the election.”

This is an obvious attempt to try and alter the outcome of the election……

And the president just cannot let this go…….

President Trump escalated his criticism of mail balloting in a big way on Monday, first in a press conference in which he hinted at using executive action to curtail it and also in an interview. Coverage:

  • Two months: In a sit-down with Axios on HBO, Trump said widespread mail voting would lead to chaos. “You know, you could have a case where this election won’t be decided on the evening of Nov. 3. This election could be decided two months later.” He added: “Lots of things will happen during that period of time. Especially when you have tight margins. Lots of things can happen. There’s never been anything like this.”
  • Executive order: At his White House press conference Monday, Trump said some kind of executive order on mail voting is within his authority. “I have the right to do it,” he said, per Politico. “We haven’t gotten there yet, we’ll see what happens.” Trump didn’t provide specifics about what is under consideration.
  • Nevada: Trump also said the White House would sue Nevada after lawmakers there passed a bill to provide mail ballots to every voter ahead of the election, reports Reuters. “We will be suing in Nevada. And that’s already been taken care of, we’ll probably file something tomorrow,” he said.
  • The evidence: Trump continued to assert that mail balloting is vulnerable to fraud, while news stories (including this one at the AP) continue to assert that he has no evidence to back that up. Politico calls cases of fraud “exceedingly rare” but adds that mail voting might have higher risks if proper safeguards are not in place.
  • A GOP worry: The Washington Post reports that GOP leaders around the US are worried about an unintended consequence of the president’s campaign against mail voting—his supporters are refusing to embrace the practice. “As a result, state and local Republicans across the country fear they are falling dramatically behind in a practice that is expected to be key to voter turnout this year,” write Amy Gardner and Josh Dawsey.

This bit of theater has a new twist….

President Trump is OK with voting by mail … in one state, at least. “Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail! #MAGA.” It’s quite a shift from his typical stance on mail-in voting, which he has for weeks claimed will lead to voter fraud—CNN calls it “one of the most epic reversals in recent political history.” But he has said in the past that he is OK with absentee voting, and a spokesperson for his campaign said that’s what the tweet reflects: “What most states call ‘absentee voting’ has long been termed ‘vote-by-mail’ in Florida—it’s been that way for years, and it works,” she said.

“President Trump is fighting to make sure every valid vote counts—the exact opposite of what’s happened in New York’s and California’s train wreck primaries, where we saw Democrats’ rush to implement a faulty universal vote-by-mail system,” the campaign statement continued. At a White House briefing later Tuesday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany added that Trump has “been unmistakably clear that when you have this mass mail-out voting like what Nevada wants to do, the consequences are real.” (PolitiFact said last month that “there is no objective difference between absentee voting and voting by mail.”) The Hill notes that some on the right are concerned Trump’s harping on mail-in voting will end up suppressing the GOP vote, and adds that polls show Trump lagging behind Biden in Florida, a battleground state.

Does anyone else see how silly this whole thing is?

Not worry it can all end soon….but only if you VOTE!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”