By David Futrelle
We’re on the eve of what may be the most consequential midterm elections in American history — quite possibly our last chance to protect what remains of democracy in America from the preening autocrat in the White House and from a party that’s been conspiring against our democratic institutions actively for decades.
So here’s an open thread. Post your thoughts. Post useful information, Talk about your concerns, Talk about what you’re doing to help hold back the Republicans and rein Trump in — canvassing, phone or text banking, helping people get to the polls?
No trolls.
I’d imagine that quite a few have also worked out that they were lied to and manipulated.
@ Sbel
2006 holds a special place for me as it was the first year I was old enough to vote. It was definitely something of a relief after six years of bush.
@ Jesalin
I remember seeing Farage gleefully admitting that the “Brexit means more money for the NHS” line was a baldface lie. At the time I was amazed by the pure cynicism of it all. After two years of Trump, it now almost seams quaint.
@Jesalin:
I don’t know, it was such a big lie to have swallowed, I imagine that a lot of them have also turned into Brexit-at-all-costs-ers because changing their minds would mean admitting to having been snookered, and that’s more unbearable than admitting you were wrong.
I mean, admitting you were wrong? Okay, that can be done. Admitting you were taken in by con men? Well… okay, that could be done, but it’s uncomfortable. Admitting you were taken in by con men while half the country was pointing out to you that it was nothing but a con? That’s a lot harder.
:sigh: Can’t sleep tonight as I’m not feeling optimistic at all. Democrats seem to be able to fuck up even the easiest of elections, and I’m currently living in Democratic Utopia Massachusetts, of all fucking places. Would it be too much to be able to stop hearing from that douche mumbling about voting for a “real” Indian? Or to watch Charlie Baker pretend to care about your troubles? All the ads I’ve seen tonight on TV have been “Vote Republican” showing happy (white) families smiling now that they can send their kids to violin lessons now that the economy is fixed, or some such nonsense. Lol. Repubs fixing the economy?
Fucking Republicans. Like they could ever fix anything other than an election.
With all the hubbub going on about Repubs v. Dems it’s easy to forget about the ballot questions being voted on tomorrow in many states. I’m lucky in that I don’t have to worry about zygotes becoming a legal persons in my state, but I do get to vote on a commission that will discuss ways take away the “personhood” of big money, so yay! And hopefully uphold a law that prevents trans people from being discriminated against in public places, so there’s a lot’s riding on tomorrow.
Go out and vote everyone. No, I don’t care if you’re not American.* Go stuff a ballet in a bottle and toss it in the ocean, or a river, or something.**
*Tonight, on Fox News, proof that Democrats are encouraging voter fraud.
**Tonight, on Fox News, President Trump has spent 10billion trillion dollars mobilizing the National Guard to the American Shoreline with databases in hand. They are there hiding behind barbed wire in order to check the IDs of any messages in a bottle that float onto US shores. Thank you gentlemen. US democracy. is. safe. for. another. day.
Another Ohioan here. The current Congressional forecasts for my region (Senate stays blue, House stays red) and the governor’s race being a tossup have me hopeful, but all elections make me nervous because Ohio’s so purple that no one can really fucking predict anything with any degree of accuracy.
@Victorious Parasol
Same. That guy is on a level all his own.
Another thread about the right to vote:
https://twitter.com/nhannahjones/status/1059427863173177345
The US system of voting on a working Tuesday is disenfranchisment. The 50 different state electoral systems are disenfranchisment. Voter ID is disenfranchisment. Gerrymandering is disenfranchisment.
So the Dems run a hurdle race while the GOP run flat out.
Here’s hoping hurdles are cleared.
I’m voting tomorrow.
I’m going through a major ordeal, 2 hours each way in traffic, to make it to the poll I’m registered at.
And as a millenial, I kinda do want a ,”thank you,” just for all the damn effort. Especially because I doubt the guy I vote for will win anyhow, and we will all have to look at Ted Cruz’s punchable face for the next 6 years ….while abortions are made inaccessible entirely, in my state anyhow.
It’s not just the house and senate on the ballot. Watch for ballot measures, multiple states have referenda to deal with gerrymandering and/or expand the franchise . Watch for governors and judges, they can stop bad redistricting maps in a few years. Watch for secretaries of state, no more Kemps or Kobachs. 2018 isn’t just about 2018, it’s about carving a path for 2020 and beyond. Which makes me nearly unbearably tired just thinking that far ahead, but, fuck it, let’s do this
If anybody wants a quick laugh, check out the Wreck-It Ralph 2 hashtags on Twitter – not for the WIR stuff itself, but for the dude who’s been getting the Disney princesses’ and Sonic The Hedgehog’s VAs to talk about voting while in character.
That’s right, woke Sonic. “Strangest timeline” doesn’t go far enough.
No pressure, but this might be the most important election of the year in the entire world. The rest of us are currently holding our breath.
So yeah, good luck y’all.
Good wishes from me in Scotland. I’m pretty worried for you guys, and I hope it goes okay.
anyway, I’m reasonably optimistic about this election. The 2017 elections and the special elections have me convinced that the energized Democrats and general anti-Trump mood are real. I’m hoping that means the polls are underestimating Democratic votes by a few points. But even if not, the Democrats are still likely to win the house and be well set up for the 2020 elections and redistricting.
When I focus on the possible negative outcomes, it leaves me paralyzed and demoralized. So I focus on the most likely positive outcome. If it turns out I’m wrong, well, there’ll be plenty of time to be paralyzed and demoralized after the election. No need to get a head start on it.
I generally try to ignore a lot of the political pundits in the last week or two before an election. They love, love, love to write/say that the Dems are “blowing it.” Whether the Dems are winning big or losing big or anything in between, that’s just their go to narrative for elections. There’s a reason why “dems in disarray” and “good news for John McCain” are running jokes in some quarters.
I just hope we’ll have some results Tuesday night. A lot of the races are going to be close and some states, like Arizona, are very slow to count their ballots – especially the mail-in ones.
@Axe:
Did you see this story about Kemp? The corruption is kind of breathtaking.
As a Brit, thank you to all USians commenting or lurking here for voting/volunteering to get out the vote. It makes a difference to all of us, but only you can do something about it.
I have all my fingers and toes crossed for positive results.
Based on his past behaviour, I guess it’s almost a certainty that Trump will claim, based on no evidence, that at least one of tonight’s results is illegitimate. I just wonder how far he’ll take that.
@Moggie
Yep. I live there, and it’s been 1 thing after another with this fuck. The purges, the machines, the robocalls. His goddamn posters are red, white, and black for fucks sake! The audacity, nay caucasity, it burns my soul. Both in a pain way and a motivation way 😛
Dad and I voted this morning. Mom can’t, hasn’t been able to get her VA license yet. Yes, I’ve gotten on her about it multiple times. She’s getting it today.
Senior Center was the location, other than the parking being a bit wonky due to long-tern construction (they were prepared, had dudes in vests directing) everything really ran like clockwork.
“Do you understand the two state constitutional amendments up for vote? If not, here are pamphlets explaining them in longer text than the ballot.”
“The scanner does not mind if you put the ballot in upside down or right side up, it knows what its doing.”
“We made the pens really obviously voting-only so you don’t take them”
@Mikey
I’m not quite following what your complaint about the “50 state electoral systems” is in midterms, but now is a good of a time as any to point out that The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is designed to eliminate to electoral college by awarding each states electoral votes to the winner of the nationwide popular vote. Also, a lot of states do have state holidays on voting day, including some very red states such as Louisiana. ?
People, we can fight to get these things passed through in our own states. Axe is right that the Republicans have been playing the long game on the local level slowly and quietly for decades. Time for the Democrats to do the same.
Back before cars it took most people a full day to get to polling stations in horse drawn carriages (or walking!) in frigid Novemember weather. The least I can do is suck it up. Because voting is a privilege that blood and pain and sweat has been spilled for.
Getting kids off to school and then going to vote. Remember that Uber is giving free rides to polling stations today, and that there’s a couple different websites offering free rides to people who need them.
Did early voting last week or so. An old friend of my family decided she’d vote no on Q3 and started harassing me about it on Facebook. I blocked her because I don’t have time for backstabbers. Also had to ditch my therapist, who decided at the last minute that she couldn’t write a surgery letter for me, and refused to understand why I felt time was of the essence.
I’m hopeful for change, but TBH I’m expecting a landslide defeat on Q3. And even if not… There is no society or system of government that can survive the normalization of cruelty. And there is no system of thought that can argue effectively against a sadist.
Sorry I haven’t been engaging here much BTW, the stress levels have been kind of extreme. Q3 is a critical battle, and the Boston trans community is terrified beyond feeling.
MA folks, please vote yes on 3 as if your vote is crucial, because it probably is. And also yes on 1, because that’s both a workers’ rights issue and a patient safety issue – if you’ve ever been stuck in an understaffed hospital you know what I’m talking about.
@Kereea:
Sorry, maybe I’m misunderstanding, but couldn’t she use a provisional ballot?
The best of luck to all of you from the UK
Nothing I can do except watch and offer internet hugs, but I have everything crossed x
@jone
For what it’s worth—thank you! ?
That’s a heck of a drive, and I do appreciate you going through that so you can vote.
As another wise Canadian once said:
But for what it’s worth, I’m encouraged by the mass mobilization and turnout I’ve been seeing. I still remember that deep feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach watching the election results in 2016. I knew that Republican victories was going to result in a lot of people’s misery and to have it lead by a reality-show carnival barker like Trump was just the cherry on the shit sundae.
Well, this election is the first time one can really strike back at the party that has injured so many over the last two years (and more). The party that held health care hostage. The party that let Puerto Rico drown. The party that uses penniless bedraggled masses as fodder for racism. The party that not only turns a blind eye to fascism, but lends it political cover.
Now is your chance to give it a mauling it may never recover from. They have to cheat just to squeak out a victory. Their electoral base is only shrinking year after year. Let’s shut the door on this pitiful chapter.
Good luck!
@Cyborgette
Holy shit, fuck your therapist. Sending you good healing vibes from the Southcoast. Let’s keep each other’s backs in this battle.
Question 1 honestly confuses me, so I skipped it. At first glance it was something that I agreed with, but I had a couple of nurse friends say that while they agreed with the idea, they felt the question is really poorly written and would likely do more harm than good. So I just skipped it rather than vote either way on something I wasn’t sure of.
I practically skipped to the poll for question 2. Citizens United is a HUGE bugbear of mine, so any time I get to potentially eat entire popsicles made of FREEZE PEACH and frozen tears is a good day for me.
Question 3 just horrified me by it’s mere existence. Fuck this world, all hands on deck, let’s burn this fucking ship down.