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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

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There been a group of high school kids taking tRump signs & flags in the neighborhood.

The Girl promised she was not part of it, but maybe knows who they might be.
 
Planit said:
There been a group of high school kids taking tRump signs & flags in the neighborhood.

The Girl promised she was not part of it, but maybe knows who they might be.
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I live in a VERY diverse neighborhood and some high school kids tried to do that. It didn't go well--the old man (decorated war veteran and former drill Sergent) on the corner tore their heads off about trying to intimidate people and to go home. Oh, and the dumbass one on his bike got his flag twisted up in his front spokes and ate shit as they tried to hastily ride away when other neighbors started popping out to make sure they weren't messing with the old guy. Looked like he had a good case of road rash, which made me happy.
 
Random Political Questions:

How is the order of the candidates for each race on the ballot determined where you live?

Do you think that the President wears a comprehensive health monitor that alerts staff when there is an abnormally?

Do you pick a candidate based on their party or who they are on the positions?

How much do political signs sway your vote?






Early voting starts later this week and while I was going to vote as soon as possible, I am not so sure anymore. I still don't know who I want to vote for, especially for President.

A friend at church made a very good pitch for why I should vote for Trump, even though he is completely against Trump's personality and character.
 
michaelskis said:
Random Political Questions:
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How is the order of the candidates for each race on the ballot determined where you live? Federal at the top, then work down. Dogcatcher would be last.
Do you think that the President wears a comprehensive health monitor that alerts staff when there is an abnormally? No

Do you pick a candidate based on their party or who they are on the positions? I vote for the person, not the party. May the best candidate for the position win. Research, vote history, stated policies - all are part of what makes the "best candidate". I've voted for 3 parties on one ballot before.

How much do political signs sway your vote? Zero. Waste of time and money

Early voting starts later this week and while I was going to vote as soon as possible, I am not so sure anymore. I still don't know who I want to vote for, especially for President. Are you voting based on a single issue? For example: abortion. You may be staunchly pro-life and do not support Biden's support of Roe v Wade, and therefore want to vote Trump even though you may not agree with his character and (lack of) morals. However, Trump's "miracle cure" for COVID was made with stem cells from aborted fetuses. So who's pro-life is this instance? Would be confusing to most people.

A friend at church made a very good pitch for why I should vote for Trump, even though he is completely against Trump's personality and character. So you're saying a friend is voting for Trump because he's a Republican and despite his personality and character? That's not a ringing endorsement in my mind. But then, I vote for person, not the party.

For some races, it is hard to make a decision. In the end, you have to decide who may turn your stomach the least. I've held my nose and voted for a candidate before. It can be the choice between the evils of two lessers.

Personally, I believe that if you don't vote, then you shouldn't complain about the outcome.
 
michaelskis said:
Random Political Questions:

How is the order of the candidates for each race on the ballot determined where you live?

Do you think that the President wears a comprehensive health monitor that alerts staff when there is an abnormally?

Do you pick a candidate based on their party or who they are on the positions?

How much do political signs sway your vote?






Early voting starts later this week and while I was going to vote as soon as possible, I am not so sure anymore. I still don't know who I want to vote for, especially for President.

A friend at church made a very good pitch for why I should vote for Trump, even though he is completely against Trump's personality and character.
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My order is the same as Sal. Fed-->State-->State Props-->County-->County Props-->City-->City Props

I pick by-person. For example, I'm likely perceived by you as being an unapologetically liberal democrat. For my local county commissioner, I will be voting for the Republican. For my county Sheriff, I will be selecting the Republican. Both of them are moderate and have generally acted in good faith in their offices, with no indication of heavy partisan influence. I don't always agree with them, but I haven't wanted to punch them either. Same with the DA. In fact, the sitting Sheriff and DA have been on the progressive side of the conversation when it comes to protests and criminal justice reform, although I think they are more motivated by flexibility in allocating finite enforcement resources through diversion than a true civil rights/systemic racism motivation, but I'll take it. It probably helps that I know they both have siblings elsewhere that have addiction challenges. They are good listeners and have treated me kindly in all interactions.

Unfortunately, the Texas GOP at the state level deserved to be drowned in a bathtub this election--they are universally horrible and a product of a single party being in power in this state for 25 years. Hell, they even let a carpetbagger move to Texas and claim the Texas GOP Chairmanship. I'll be straight-ticket on all of those races. A lot of them are likely to be involuntarily retired as Trump poisons down-ballot races.

Signs have little influence on me. I will say, however, that signs do affect me in one way: I judge by the company the sign keeps. For example, if I know someone is a complete jackass and has a particular political sign in their yard, it causes me to view that candidate with a bit more suspicion and at least do extra homework. Likewise, the signs surrounding a sign play a role. In my community, it is pretty common to see local GOP signs, but a complete absence of Fed/State signs because even the GOP folks here are not happy. In fact, I see a TON of "Republicans for Biden" signs. Those get my attention.

Regarding your last statement, I'll simply say this: decide on your own. Stop asking for people's opinions, and ignore the ones offered. This country is exceptionally polarized. You ain't getting a straight answer from anyone--you're getting a hot sports take. The best approach is to simply study each of their actions, each of their words, each of their characters, each of their performances in leadership positions, and each of their platforms on your own. Think about how their respective administrations will likely play out. Decide what is important to you--is it certain single issues or an entire platform and how well you align? Which vote will make you proud or, conversely, which will make you less likely to drink your feelings afterward. Cast your vote accordingly.
 
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I just go in whatever order the ballet is printed in. For me fed, state, local, city initiatives or bonds. I have always voted for the person. I'm not so much of an issue voter. More often I vote for the other person because the one in office is a proven idiot.
 
Salmissra said:
So you're saying a friend is voting for Trump because he's a Republican and despite his personality and character? That's not a ringing endorsement in my mind. But then, I vote for person, not the party.
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No, he is voting against the Biden/Harris ticket. In fact he is voting for a democrat for Governor. He pointed out all sorts of things that Biden and Harris done while in elected office. He also said that sometimes it is better handle the wolf, than the wolf in sheep's clothing.


As for the order, I was talking about the list of candidates and not the races. I am trying to determine if it was random or if there was a method for how they show up on my ballot. They are not alphabetical, it is not the incumbent listed first in all races, it is not by party... but Donald Trump shows up first for the presidential ticket.
 
michaelskis said:
As for the order, I was talking about the list of candidates and not the races. I am trying to determine if it was random or if there was a method for how they show up on my ballot. They are not alphabetical, it is not the incumbent listed first in all races, it is not by party... but Donald Trump shows up first for the presidential ticket.
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Ahhh... at least with local city/county races here they draw numbers out of a hat. Pretty fun tradition, except for that one time it resulted in two candidates getting into a fight. Even then, I don't think anyone was sad to see those two go at it (both had reputations for short fuses and not liking one another, and neither were especially well-liked).
 
I had to look it up because I don't care enough, but here is the AZ answer

The placement of candidates’ names on ballots goes beyond alphabetical order. It depends on the type of election, the city and sometimes even the precinct.

Arizona state law requires if two or more candidates appear on a ballot, precincts rotate the names of each candidate so that every name appears an equal number of times in every position.

Charters for towns and cities may call for a ballot draw, a public proceeding to select the order of candidates. It leaves the order up to chance, and was used in March’s Presidential Preference Election.

November’s general election will be ordered by political party affiliation. The party of the gubernatorial candidate who received the most votes in each county will be listed first. This means the name of the Republican candidate is first in Maricopa County.
 
From a strictly pro-life perspective, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best option is a split ticket. Neither party pushes for all aspects that I feel would encompass comprehensive pro-life platforms, so best case scenario is that the branches are split between parties.

That’s not the only issue I vote on, but it is a very important one, and I’ve had to really think through what I feel comfortable with supporting.
 
The California GOP put out fake ballot collection boxes. Then they endorsed that decision by saying, people are going to give ballots to people they trust.

Yes, the election is rigged, but it looks like the rigging is being done by the accusers.

www.huffpost.com

California's Republican Party Told To Remove Its Unofficial Vote-By-Mail Collection Boxes

After the state GOP defended its use of makeshift ballot drop boxes falsely labeled "official," authorities issued a cease-and-desist order.
www.huffpost.com www.huffpost.com
 
The sad part is no one will do anything about it. Someone needs to do some jail time and not in a cozy federal pen. They need to go to the one described in Office Space (keeping it clean for LP).
 
Planit said:
The California GOP put out fake ballot collection boxes. Then they endorsed that decision by saying, people are going to give ballots to people they trust.

Yes, the election is rigged, but it looks like the rigging is being done by the accusers.

www.huffpost.com

California's Republican Party Told To Remove Its Unofficial Vote-By-Mail Collection Boxes

After the state GOP defended its use of makeshift ballot drop boxes falsely labeled "official," authorities issued a cease-and-desist order.
www.huffpost.com www.huffpost.com
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Multiple news agencies are now picking this story up...here's a picture of the CA GOP fake ballot boxes.

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two thoughts for today.

I hope they extend the voter registration in VA since someone cut the cable.

Second, I watched some bits of the hearings regarding the SCOTUS appointments. I am really impressed by Judge Barrett. I think I would have zero hesitation voting for her if she was running for President and I will be very disappointed if she does not receive Senate confirmation.
 
Planit said:
^^^I thought the same of Merrick Garland.
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And he should have been appointed.

Are you saying that because the Republicans did the wrong thing 4 years ago, they should do the wrong thing again? I mean seriously, just because the Democrats did not get their way because the Republicans made the wrong decision, does that mean that they should stop their feet like a spoiled brat and demand it get delayed? Because that is what it sounds like a lot of people are suggesting.
 
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^^^What I'm saying is that Garland was fully qualified & had been confirmed unanimously (by both parties) for his previous federal court appointment. But then 4 years ago, Bitch McConnell and the Senate decided to play political games so yes they did the wrong thing.

I made no comment on this confirmation hearing. I merely stated that I felt the same way about Garland of which I reckon you agree based on your comment that he should have been appointed.
 
Planit said:
^^^What I'm saying is that Garland was fully qualified & had been confirmed unanimously (by both parties) for his previous federal court appointment. But then 4 years ago, Bitch McConnell and the Senate decided to play political games so yes they did the wrong thing.

I made no comment on this confirmation hearing. I merely stated that I felt the same way about Garland of which I reckon you agree based on your comment that he should have been appointed.
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I did not agree with some of his political positions, but I felt that he would have made decent Justice and Obama was the sitting President so it was within his Constitutional authority to make the appointment.

But both parties are trying to politicize things for a body that should be above the political crap. For example, the "Little History Lesson" that Harris mentioned during the VP debates was a load of BS. Lincoln delayed it not because he felt that that whom ever was elected should get to appoint the vacancy, he delayed it because he wanted to get the pulse of the county and was planning to offer up an appointment during a lame duck session if he had lost. Until the new President is sworn into office, the president is the president as defined by the Constitution of the United States. It does not matter if we agree with them or not, if they are part of our party or not, or if they are making good choices or not.
 
The problems I have with Garland outside the whole political football stuff is that she is not qualified with only a couple years on the bench or I should say there are better qualified people out there and what she says during a confirmation hearing does not match her actions and opinions in the past. There are more moderate judges who actually would follow the law and not just say it.
 
michaelskis said:
And he should have been appointed.

Are you saying that because the Republicans did the wrong thing 4 years ago, they should do the wrong thing again? I mean seriously, just because the Democrats did not get their way because the Republicans made the wrong decision, does that mean that they should stop their feet like a spoiled brat and demand it get delayed? Because that is what it sounds like a lot of people are suggesting.
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We have covered this already. You can sit all high and mighty on principle, but the fact is the GOP screwed Obama with Merrick's confirmation process, and rather than fix the wrong, you think everyone should just get over it. Why shouldn't people be upset by the game that was played? And history does matter - no nominations to the supreme court have happened this late in an election year.
 
Sorry, Barrett. The super right wing crazy lady - not that I have an opinion about her. Garland was okay.
 
dw914er said:
We have covered this already. You can sit all high and mighty on principle, but the fact is the GOP screwed Obama with Merrick's confirmation process, and rather than fix the wrong, you think everyone should just get over it. Why shouldn't people be upset by the game that was played? And history does matter - no nominations to the supreme court have happened this late in an election year.
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So let me get this correct:

You are upset that the Republicans did something stupid (and wrong in my book) 4 years ago when they would not move forward with President Obama's nomination for SCOTUS.

And you are upset now that the republicans are doing EXACTLY what you wanted them to do 4 years ago because it is Trump's nominee and not Obama's nominee.

Yes, history does matter. But so does constitutional authority. The line is drawn on January 20th at noon if Trump loses, and it does not matter if you or I like it.
 
michaelskis said:
So let me get this correct:

You are upset that the Republicans did something stupid (and wrong in my book) 4 years ago when they would not move forward with President Obama's nomination for SCOTUS.

And you are upset now that the republicans are doing EXACTLY what you wanted them to do 4 years ago because it is Trump's nominee and not Obama's nominee.

Yes, history does matter. But so does constitutional authority. The line is drawn on January 20th at noon if Trump loses, and it does not matter if you or I like it.
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Refer back to my postings on this before. The concern is the uneven approach the Senate is taking on a lifetime appointment for the people making key judgements for our country; this game of saying they are doing the right thing, but only only when it is convenient to do so is what is helping to divide the country. Your position is intrinsically inequitable, as these positions matter and you offer no solutions to fix what happened 4 years ago.
 
I usually receive at least 1 or sometimes 2, but today I received 11 political campaign mailers.

At least they're spending their campaign $$$ and helping the printing, marketing, graphics industries and USPS.
 
Planit said:
I usually receive at least 1 or sometimes 2, but today I received 11 political campaign mailers.

At least they're spending their campaign $$$ and helping the printing, marketing, graphics industries and USPS.
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My mailbox is full with mailers, and I've been getting several calls and texts each day for political ads as well. I'll be happy when this is all over with.
 
dw914er said:
Refer back to my postings on this before. The concern is the uneven approach the Senate is taking on a lifetime appointment for the people making key judgements for our country; this game of saying they are doing the right thing, but only only when it is convenient to do so is what is helping to divide the country. Your position is intrinsically inequitable, as these positions matter and you offer no solutions to fix what happened 4 years ago.
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Hang on, let me find the keys to my time machine. Come on, you know that you can’t retroactive fix stupid mistakes from years ago. The only thing you can do is stop making the same stupid mistake over and over again.
 
dw914er said:
My mailbox is full with mailers, and I've been getting several calls and texts each day for political ads as well. I'll be happy when this is all over with.
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Yeah, but will it EVER be over with....

It seems that with each election cycle, the years between get smaller and smaller. It seems that Trump has been campaigning for 6 years now. He never stopped campaigning after being elected and the two years before that.

If Trump wins and even if he loses. you can bet that Campaign '24 will start in less then four months.
 
dw914er said:
My mailbox is full with mailers, and I've been getting several calls and texts each day for political ads as well. I'll be happy when this is all over with.
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We're receiving one to three mailers per day (pro tip for the campaigns: every single mailer has been against someone I'm not going to vote for or in support of someone I am going to vote for - y'all are doing it wrong). No calls (weirdly), no door knocks (also weirdly, but maybe that's a Covid-related thing), and a random text every two or three days.
 
Bubba said:
We're receiving one to three mailers per day (pro tip for the campaigns: every single mailer has been against someone I'm not going to vote for or in support of someone I am going to vote for - y'all are doing it wrong). No calls (weirdly), no door knocks (also weirdly, but maybe that's a Covid-related thing), and a random text every two or three days.
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The random texts are new for me. I am getting a couple per week. In Ohio we always get a ton of mailers, but I was thinking we weren't going to be important this year... but it turns out I was wrong.
 
Bubba said:
We're receiving one to three mailers per day (pro tip for the campaigns: every single mailer has been against someone I'm not going to vote for or in support of someone I am going to vote for - y'all are doing it wrong). No calls (weirdly), no door knocks (also weirdly, but maybe that's a Covid-related thing), and a random text every two or three days.
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We've been getting tons of mailers this cycle, for everything from local school board on up. I'd say we average about 4 or 5 a day. I think the only race we haven't received a mailer for is the county drain commission.

I've been getting tons of random texts this cycle too. During the past couple of elections, we'd always get a few texts and 99.99% of the time they for candidates or issues that we were already aligned with. This time around we've been getting them from both sides. I will say that the ones we get from the Republic side have been EXTREMELY negative and apocalyptic, almost comically so.

We've had exactly one door knock this season - from somebody canvassing for our state house rep.
 
michaelskis said:
As for the order, I was talking about the list of candidates and not the races. I am trying to determine if it was random or if there was a method for how they show up on my ballot. They are not alphabetical, it is not the incumbent listed first in all races, it is not by party... but Donald Trump shows up first for the presidential ticket.
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It is different in each State. In some states it is random. In other states (like IL) it is first to file or in the case of same day/same time filing a lottery is held. Some are alphabetical. Some are by party affiliation.
 
An artist friend of mine has been keeping all of the political mailer inserts he receives and will be gluing them to a mannequin with the head of George Washington. He said that it will be titled "How Far We Have Fallen"
 
This is the first election where I've received texts. So far it's only about 3 a week, but that may increase now that early voting has started here.

I have reported every single one of them as spam. Does not matter which candidate or party, they are all spam to me.

So far, the R's have much more negative words and an apocalyptic tone than the D's.
 
Bubba said:
We're receiving one to three mailers per day (pro tip for the campaigns: every single mailer has been against someone I'm not going to vote for or in support of someone I am going to vote for - y'all are doing it wrong). No calls (weirdly), no door knocks (also weirdly, but maybe that's a Covid-related thing), and a random text every two or three days.
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Not getting the mailers, but we get TV stations out of Columbus, GA. Almost every ad was Presidential election or GA senate. Every now and then we'd get an Alabama senate race commercial.

It drives me crazy that Alabama is likely going to elect a coach, who moved back about a year ago, and has zero understanding of issues or laws. He love God and Trump and hates liberals. Went after one city locally because they allowed drag queens in the Christmas parade because they didn't want to get sued and didn't want to discriminate. He'll replace Doug Jones, who prosecuted the 16th Street Baptist Church bombers, and by most accounts has been a middle (slightly left) of the road senator who's willing to work across the aisle. Tuberville won't debate him and won't answer any questions from the media (live or in writing). My only hope is that more Alabama fans will decide they'd rather vote for a Democrat than an ex-Auburn coach.
 
Salmissra said:
This is the first election where I've received texts. So far it's only about 3 a week, but that may increase now that early voting has started here.

I have reported every single one of them as spam. Does not matter which candidate or party, they are all spam to me.

So far, the R's have much more negative words and an apocalyptic tone than the D's.
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I get at least 3 texts a day. It will be over soon enough.

On the issue of the GOP shenanigans over the SCOTUS appointment: it does not matter who the candidate is or how well qualified they are or highly regarded they are. The GOP railroaded the confirmation process for Merrick Garland despite the nomination occurring months and months ahead of the election under the pretenses the American people should have a say vis-a-vis the newly elected president. But here we are 4 years later, in the middle of a poorly managed pandemic, weeks away from the presidential election and the GOP is ramming this through....because they can, not because it's the right thing to do.

Even if Barrett is confirmed she's always going to have an asterisk by her name. (I do believe she will be confirmed barring 3 or 4 GOP senators suddenly finding their moral/ethical compass.)

I need to drop off my ballot at the county drop box tomorrow.
 
So, apparently Barron Trump tested positive for COVID. Does that mean that the President must quarantine at home for the next 14 days in accordance with CDC guidelines?
 
michaelskis said:
So, apparently Barron Trump tested positive for COVID. Does that mean that the President must quarantine at home for the next 14 days in accordance with CDC guidelines?
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You expect trump to follow CDC guidelines? He hasn't and he won't.

Melania at least seems to be following them. Haven't seen her since her diagnosis.
 
So I voted in the the election on Tuesday, the first day of early voting.

What I find interesting is that several people I know to be Republican have indicated they are voting for Biden. The rallying cry seems to be to vote for country over party.
 
apnews.com

Bipartisan Christian group forms super PAC to oppose Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of prominent Christians from both sides of the aisle, including a past faith adviser to former President Barack Obama, is forming a political action committee designed to chip away at Christian support for President Donald Trump in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign.
apnews.com apnews.com

Not our Faith SuperPAC is pretty interesting. They make the argument that you can't be pro-life and vote Trump. They push that pro-life, in biblical teachings is about more than just abortion and includes how children and families are treated. They argue Trump is not pro-life and that Biden, a devout Catholic is more pro-life overall.

As someone who is continually confused by how in 2020 you can be a single issue voter, this group is getting at a lot of what I think is needed in terms of discussion with strong Christians. Pick your passage, but it is clear that Trump isn't "overall" more pro-life, or pro-bible, or pro-Christian. He is likely, when looked objectively at the whole pictures, much less all of those things than Biden.
 
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