Happy Thanksgiving everybody. This year, we give special thanks for…um, let me see here…for…. Well, I guess I’m thankful that it’s not January 20th yet. Anad that it’s not snowing. Beyond that, I dunno, ‘cuz come Inauguration Day, we are SOOOOOOOO fucked. I wish I was just being a pessimistic alarmist or something, but I really don’t feel so good about what’s to come in this country. I’d say I hope we can hold on for 4 years, but I’ll be the fucker gets a second term. Just ‘cuz We The People really are that stupid. Not all of us, of course – just a minority that somehow make up the majority of voters in the Shithead States of America. The old chestnut is that you get the government you deserve, and I’m fine with those people getting the government they voted for. I just don’t think it’s fair that I’m getting stuck with the government they deserve.
I was going to write more, but the dogs are insisting on being pet this morning. Every time one leaves, another comes to take his (or her) place. So I guess that’s another thing I’m grateful for – no shortage of doggies to scratch behind the ears.
To those of you who don’t have to go over to the in-laws today (anybody talks Trump today, and I’m gonna scream), have a Happy Thanksgiving. I guess the rest of us will just have to do the best we can.
Now hurry up and eat so you can get out to Walmart before all the good shit’s gone.
Heading to a family members house today. Out of a slew of liberals, a couple Trumpites will be there. I’m thankful they’ll be greatly outnumbered. So what do you think of Jill Stein’s recount effort? I’ll grab any desperate port in a storm that might save us from the Trump Tempest.
PJ, I remember the first year you were there. I couldn’t understand how the heck you stayed alive on that tractor AND you did not lose any appendages to frostbite.
So hope ya’all have a great day. and Vern, not sure they’ll let me play your Tofurkey play list, but thanks!
I’m not especially optimistic about the recounts, but I’m glad somebody’s trying to do something.
Of course, there’ll be a civil war if the results get overturned. I wonder how it all would work? I imagine the Trumpsters would be filing all kinds of law suits (be ironic if it went to the Supreme Court with a 4-4 decision). I can see things dragging on past 1/20/17, so I wonder what would happen? Ask Obama to stay on for a while (don’t imagine that would go over too well). Appoint Speaker Paul Ryan as interim President?
It would be strange days, indeed.
Someone said she should have been flagged for delay of game but it was worth it.
For my hat loving friends!
That was a concert with a pompom hat!
As pertaining to the recounts, I have so little respect for Stein. I will say that it is just a stunt to extend her 15 minutes to 20 before she disappears Nadir like for another four years.
As a few talking heads said today, she should not have run in the first place.
Yeah, I don’t know. I think they should always do recounts. I don’t think it should be based on how close the election is or require a ton of money to trigger. I’d like to see a random sampling of districts recounted and I think if the results vary from exit polls by a statistically significant amount, they should automatically recount.
Big problem of course are the areas with paperless systems. There’s really no recount possible – just “retabulation”. Same with the old lever machines we used to use here.
At least with the SAT-style ballots we have now, there’s a paper record to recount if it comes down to it.
I’d like to see the machines spit out a “receipt” with a summary of how you voted. If it agrees with who you think you voted for, you put it in a box (or if you don’t want paper, then just display it on a screen you can either accept or void). Otherwise, you get one of the old people who are volunteering to work the polls (actually, for some reason they no longer look all that old to me – I guess they’re getting younger) to void your first ballot and you try again.
As it is now, even with the paper ones we have, all you see is that your ballot went through OK (unless you color outside the lines like “somebody” I know did, which apparently buggers everything up).
Frankly, as I’ve said probably far too many times before, I think it should all be paper ballots and at the end of the night you get a bunch of volunteers and observers from all interested parties and you buy them pizza and let them count the ballots. And no stupid rules – whether you use an ‘X‘ or a ‘✔‘ or color outside the lines or circle the person’s name, as long as you can tell the “intent of the voter” it counts.
That way we can all go to bed after we vote and get the final results in a day or two. Fuck the media and the election night dog and pony shows they have. We can wait a few days.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving or at least managed to get through OK.
It is funny about Thanksgiving. I have been out here in the bubble with not much crazy relative stuff since 1973. I went to a new situation yesterday with people I did not know. It was great. No pollyticks even though we were all pretty much on the same page. Actually, it was a ground rule just to try to not bring everybody down. I don’t think I could have survived in my real family.
I hope everybody else survived.
Had some high drama before T-Day, but T-Day was calm with ground rules established ahead of time. Glad you made it through, sp. The “firsts” are definately the most difficult.
Jill Stein mucked things up for sure. But as I said, at this point, I need SOMETHING. She’s almost to 6 million so there are a whole bunch of people who don’t want Trump. Clinton said she’ll back the recounts if they happen…..This has been a strange election.
Trump won’t make it 4 years. I just don’t see how he can with all his self-dealings and he is already incapable of performing the job. He’s only had 2 daily intelligence briefings since he was elected. I very much think Trump has dementia. That’s why he’s passing these things to others and why he has Ivanka at his meetings – to be his memory and insulate him. I’ve said it before, but I wish someone would give him a mental exam.
Chicago Tribune? – 3 days ago
Great. Still here. I love going into the ancient archives. Furthermore, we should organize some sort of Réunion. Or, if one already exists, let me join it.
Go Jill. Go Hillary. Viva Palast and crew. Reverse this f##king election. Masses in the Streets.
Just like old times.
Thankful for ignore.
Ron Glass.
I see Jill Stein isn’t here. Ok. She siphoned votes, and probably cost Clinton key states. I wasn’t cheerleading for her. My intention wasn’t to tweak anyone. I am exuberant over the fact that there will be a recount, and a chance to deny the orange fascist the presidency. Yes it would have been better if Hillary had initiated the recount. Damn, may she pull it out.
Isn’t popular among many on the Left. Jill isn’t. I skipped the word “popular” out of the first sentence. Yes, I want to be perfect. Stay positive. I am confident we will turn things around, starting soon.
Hi Nicki, I hope everything’s going OK with you. Any problem I personally have with Stein (who I was considering voting for in my “safe” state of NY until I really looked into her and decided she wouldn’t actually make for a very good president – which is, it goes without saying, is just my opinion and not worth much of anything) isn’t with her “audacity” to run and challenge the status quo (I’ve heard a lot of talk about who’s to “blame” for Drumpf – and I place the blame squarely on the idiots who voted for him) – it’s the same problem I’ve had with all the Green Party (I’m a registered Green, for what it’s worth) candidates. After they get a statistically insignificant number of votes in the national election, they more or less disappear for four years, and then come back and talk about how much everybody else sucks (not that I actually disagree with that – pretty much everybody else does suck).
Problem is, that pattern will never change anything. It won’t win national elections, it won’t influence the Democratic Party, and it won’t change the system.
The Greens need to run for (and win) seats on school boards, town councils, and county legislatures. They need to get Greens on the benches of local courts. Then they need get elected to State Assemblies and State Senates and Governorships and the elect Representatives to the US House and the US Senate.
It’ll take a lot of work and many years to accomplish (and it’s not like I’ll be any help – I admit to being good for little more than signing online petitions, which are next to useless).
But running for Prez every 4 years and getting less than 5% of the vote isn’t going to accomplish anything. I equate it to all those “open letter” you see out there. You know, the “this is an open letter to <insert name here> to tell you what I think” letters that are basically saying, “here’s something you’re never gonna read expressing an opinion that you don’t give a shit about.”
Just like running for Preznit, they have every right to do it but even if I agree with them completely, it doesn’t actually accomplish much.
Of course, that’s the same thing I’m doing right now – expressing an opinion that doesn’t accomplish much, so maybe I’m totally wrong (wouldn’t be the first time). I admire the people who continue to keep up the good fight (much like Syracuse against Pitt yesterday – lost by a friggin’ basketball score fer chrissakes).
Me? I’m just trying to lay low and run out the clock.
I just wrote a long reply, and it vanished.
Term paper blues. The final draft gets lost in your computer. I know what I wrote. This response will be fresh. Much better than the initial one.
PJ. I agree at least 99percent with you on the Green Party. The party needs to concentate on running and winning locally. Nationally, the Greens and other third parties will always run the risk of throwing the election to the wrong candidate. I am not sure if this is what happened in 2016.Furthermore, I had no intention of voting third party so I did not look into Jill Stein’s qualifications.
What I like about third parties is they put forth ideas the mainstream parties would otherwise ignore. Sometimes, through pressure, the ideas are adopted. I know in the past, on these very pages, I was in favor of Ralph Nader for president. This was a source of many flame wars and so forth. In hindsight, I wish I had, following people like Zinn and Chomsky, made clear to not vote third party in places like Ohio and Florida. Perhaps I liked being obnoxious. Anyway, we live and learn.
I sort of feel the way I did in the aftermath of the 2004 elections. Bush was elected again. The Republicans kept the House and Senate. But people regrouped, and we took back both houses in 2006. Having resources like progressive radio blogs helped greatly. This very place came into existence as a result of a progressive radio show. (No kidding!)
I am having a hard time channeling what I wrote previously. Organize locally. Start taking back your county government. Work with neighboring counties to do the same.
A major area of concern Democrats have is voter turnout in the midterms. We did win all branches in 2008. But what the hell happened in 2010. Perhaps we were pissed off at Obama and the Democrats’ for their half-stepping, but not to the degree of losing over 60 seats and a chunk of the senate.
I listen to Norman Goldman’s radio show regularly. He is honest and level-headed. Norm’s thing is to defeat the Republicans locally. Turn your county Blue. Help others in adjacent counties to do the same. And he will help you.
My county, Multnomah, is Blue, especially in the urban areas. The local Democratic Party could use some grassroot infusion, nothing major. But the nearby counties are not solidly blue. In fact, some are quite Republican. Much work to be done in them. I plan on joining such local efforts.
For what it is worth, I donated a little money to a couple of New York State congressional candidates. Anna Holst (something) lost a close election to some jerk in a heavily gerrymandered Long Island district. The other was Zephyr Teachout. According to a Nation Magazine article, her district was also carefully gerrymandered to favor Republicans. I have not checked to see if she had won.
It was disappointing, to be sure, that the Democrats did not re-take the senate, and won back only 6 congressional seats. But at least they did not lose ground. Hillary won the popular vote by over 2 million votes. Trump won the election through a series of improbable quirks. And it goes without saying that we must not allow the Democrats to capitulate to Trump’s non-mandate. Fight him every step of the way. Be strong for 2018 and beyond.
End of statement. For now.
Sadly, Zephyr Teachout didn’t win. She’d have been a good Representative for the 19th Congressional District. At least, to the extent that a minority party can do anything in the House.
Was she given that name or did she acquire it?
That’s her real name (her middle name is “Rain”). Born to hippy parents in Seattle and grew up on a farm in Norwich, VT (her old man’s a con-law professor at Vermont Law School – Vietnam vet with a law degree from Harvard, and her mom’s the presiding judge for the superior court in Washington County, VT and a judge on the Caledonia County and Windsor County superior courts.
Outside money spent a fortune on her opponent in the election. A shame she didn’t win.
Wow, quite a background…
And she, of course, is a law professor at Fordham, was Director of Internet Organizing for Howard Dean’s presidential campaign, was a co-founder of the Antitrust League, the first national director of the Sunlight Foundation, and worked with Occupy Wall Street.
Which is why she had to lose.
So I was looking at the TSC website this morning. I don’t really have an in-between weather jacket (for days like today – supposed to be in the 50s again today, which aint bad for the last day of November).
Most of their product models look like this:
or this:
Except for this product, which is slightly different (can you tell why?):
Out here we work with layers to deal with weather fluctuations. Of course, our fluctuations are not as extreme as yours.
I was sad to see Teachout lost.
Oh, we wear layers out here, too. Fortunately, I’m white and can wear a hoodie without getting shot. Well, except maybe during hunting season – especially if I’m wearing brown gloves.
Spring this year was chilly but winter has been too warm. My irises (the plant kind) are growing again which means that when it freezes they will die and this spring there will be few if any flowers.
More 2016 sadness.
Andrew Sachs: Fawlty Towers’ Manuel dies aged 86
https://www.shinesty.com/collections/holiday-suits-and-blazers
Well I know what I’m asking Santa for this year.
WHOAAA! Wearing those suits would get you in good cheer!
I don’t actually expect this to make any differnce, but…
Pardon Snowdon
Some good news: Governor Snotball signed legislation stopping the killing of mute swams and requiring the DEC to show actual negative environmental impacts of the swans if they want to decide to eliminate them. It’s a good thing the DEC didn’t decide to eliminate humans because our negative environmental impacts would make us all targets.
I don’t know who initiated the policy and I can’t imagine why.
Plus, if it was humans, the mute humans are the ones I’d least like to see eliminated.
The Trumpeter humans, on the other hand….
Gail Collins today in the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/opinion/donald-trump-warms-up.html?ref=opinion