Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Electile Dysfunction

The NY Times gives the Repubs a 70% chance of retaking the Senate by a slim margin, Wash. Post gives them 90% odds. Practically ALL the Democratic ads in my neck of the woods touted the candidate's strong pro-choicism but the Times recently had an article about the Dems highlighting birth control issues front and center while putting jobs and the economy on the backburner. Dunno, seems like they have some type of prurient interest. Cuomo will most likely get reelected Governor of the Empire State but Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino seems fairly popular just judging from all the lawn and road signs I've seen. I still kinda prefer the old-time voting booth with the curtain and the levers. You no longer have 100% privacy since if you're a little rusty you'll probably ask the election clerk for help with the ballot sheet going in the scanner. I'm actually surprised at this point you can't just vote from your smartphone. Sure there are issues to work out but everybody's confidently doing their banking on them. I was an election worker once in Dobbs Ferry. Had to be there like 5AM and stayed 'til 9PM. Never again. It'll be nice though when all the political ads are over and we can get back to those Cialis commercials where the husband gives his wife that goofy look in the kitchen.

40 comments:

  1. We vote in a County Fair building: lots of parking, 27 some precincts with their tables and old lady election workers. Used to be we just signed the log and voted. Now we have to prove who we are to the old ladies that have seen us for thirty years.
    Don't you hate it when they all laugh at your driver license photo?

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  2. I didn't have that problem this morning. Went with my folks to help them out and was uncertain myself. Mostly black women with puzzle books working the tables. Folksy and friendly.

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  3. "I didn't have that problem this morning."

    Neither did I. ;-)

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  4. Back in the day, I stood in line outside the school In New Brighton..longer than some concert venue. Took three hours to get to vote in the Nixon-Kennedy election. Today, only Phil that owns the print shop was in line ahead of me, and they had 9 booths. Retirement: going on 12 years and I just got a call from the ammunition plant. Ammo passes all tests, then out in the field a month or two later misfires like
    hell. Ran over some causes, most likely a chemical reaction in the primer composition, and how to test for that using masked IR spectra and differential thermometry.. They will probably give up after I'm in the Alzheimers Ward.

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  5. The age-old question: does voter apathy help the Republicans or the Democrats?

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    1. Typical studies indicate 30% non voters lean GOP, 51% lean
      Dem and the remainder don't lean one way or the other. So, IMO apathy
      helps the GOP. I have no idea of why folks don't vote, unless they can't get to the polls, or have just given up on the process. In Idaho, we would elect
      an old corpse if he was for gun rights, even if he was running against St. Peter..

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    2. I tend to not vote in off-year elections but midterm and presidential I vote. I hear Angelina Jolie may enter the arena someday.

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    3. Something about acting that creates politicians; Reagan-President,
      Al Franken-Senator, Sonny Bono-Mayor of Palm Springs, and congressman (and bad skier), Clint Eastwood, Mayor of Carmel, CA and
      Arnold Schwarzenegger- Guv-California. Surprised some of the Muppets
      haven't run.

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    4. They're one and all the same.

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    5. It kinda makes sense BB since they already have the name recognition from being an actor. Didn't work for American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken though. He ran for something, Senator from somewhere I think and lost.

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  6. I was a bit surprised at today's ballot: I had my mind made up on all the candidates, then they threw in four guys at the end running for 'irrigation district'. It said vote for
    four. Politicians should start at the bottom, but County Irrigation District Administrator
    reminds me of dog catcher..just sayin.

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  7. Best election headline in the blogosphere... Hands down!

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    1. Agreed, Dave. I'll give Z-Man credit, although the term was used in a political ad against John Boehner-
      "“Signs of electile dysfunction may include extreme skin discoloration, the inability to punch oneself out of a wet paper bag, or maintain a spine in the face of liberal opposition … smoking, and golf,” a narrator says. “If you have a Boehner lasting longer than 23 years, seek immediate medical attention.”
      ---the candidate, from the Christian right, was fired from his job at a small
      Christian school. (but not for cleverness, IMO)

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    2. I didn't make up the phrase Dave. I just remembered it from somewhere and borrowed it. It's like when Katie Couric first used "bad hair day" and then everyone used it.

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    3. And it's everywhere today...

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  8. Z-man... let's not forget Fred Thompson/Senator and Actor... not necessarily in that order...

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  9. Obama was really really really depressed and subdued during his press conference just now.

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    Replies
    1. Were you expecting party favors? Balloons? The Dems got crushed. Now we'll see how the GOP functions as the party in charge when the Dems go into the Dean Smith 4 corners stall...

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    2. My usually disinterested wife threw the newspaper across the room.
      Poor woman, she has lived in a bright red state for thirty years now.

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    3. Conventional political wisdom has it that Obama was the main reason behind the debacle.

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    4. Don't be a Kochsucker.

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  10. I'm always perplexed by American voting patterns. Americans gave Obama two terms and he won handily both times now Americans have handed Congress back to the Republicans. Happened before with Clinton but I'm always left wondering are these the same voters voting? Is it simple perversity? checks & balances? Are these voters of no particular political persuasion, the famed independents? Do they give one party a chance and when they screw up do they hand the controls over to the other party? political oscillation.

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    1. If you can figure it out, you could make a killing as a political consultant.
      IMO, the deal with Obama was a reaction against the previous 8 year administration. Most people are interested in economics as it pertains to
      themselves, and this time around, the ads blamed Obama. But looks what
      happened in his 6 years: stock market up from 6545 all the way to 17545,
      crude oil down from $149 to $81 a barrel, (along with gas prices) and consumer index down from 6% to 1.5%, while inflation has been minimal.
      Those a remarkably good stats. But....jobs and wages have stagnated:
      they are about the same as in the Reagan years. Apparently politics cannot
      help the middle class. Rand Paul would cut corporate and wealth taxes to
      practically nothing, announcing that it would bring back the jobs that went
      overseas. -yeah, right- I read somewhere that a lot of poor southern whites
      that now have health insurance are mad about it. Figure that one out. My
      take is this: the last time the GOP had this much clout in congress was in
      the 1920s. You remember what happened in 1929? So we have the GOP
      catering to business and the Dems catering to minorities. Don't you think most reasonable folk are looking for a party that addresses their common concerns?

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    2. Which is why I don't get Mark Udall running a one-issue birth control campaign. Then there was Wendy Long's empty wheelchair ad.

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    3. Yes, the single-issue concern & strategy. Out here it is guns: even running for coroner you better mention the necessity of concealed carry.
      Some people ran against ebola, the state education supervisor in our
      state had never voted in an election, neglected to mention her first two
      marriages, had never run for office, was caught plagiarizing, spent no
      money on ads and won. The (R) after her name was enough. Same for
      the guy than won secretary of state. He had been kicked out of his
      GOP legislative leader post by fellow Republican legislators, numerous
      GOP leaders endorsed the dem and he won anyway. Sort of like Brownback down there in Kansas. Haven't been following the back east
      contests, what was Scott Brown's platform? Most of us didn't vote , which makes one wonder what political ads didn't light their fires.

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    4. The voter turnout for NY Guv was woefully low. Andrew Cuomo kind of ran on Ebola at the end without saying so. Perhaps he should send a simple thank you card to Dr. Spencer.

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  11. Replies
    1. Funny how in this country we seem to know how to cure the disease.

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  12. Was reading about 'remote overkill' this morning. The makers of thermostats had come up with a remote that worked anywhere in the house. No wall dial, and you got the current temperature, date, windspeed, furnace amperage, time, blower rpms,
    etc. Some computer guy said most average people just want to turn the thing up or
    down a degree or two...the rest is junk.

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    Replies
    1. & then you turn it down right before you go to bed. It's called keeping up with the techno-Joneses. If they get a washing machine with wifi you gotta have one too.

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  13. How come humans can land a robotic spacecraft on a comet 300 million miles away going at 41,000
    miles per hour....and we can't control potholes?

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    Replies
    1. It sure would be swell to cure Cancer though.

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  14. The Ebola doctor who left Bellevue yesterday - he seems like a likeable chap but I'd like to see a little more remorse over his pre-virus gallivanting around the Big Apple.

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    1. Its the bowling alley thing. Hard to find in Liberia: lack of self control.
      Apparently he didn't infect anyone. Bowling alleys are dangerous enough as it is.

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    2. Another big side topic is CDC says he shouldn't have sex for three months. Oh wait maybe they'll revise that.

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    3. Lucky he likes to bowl.

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  15. The latest ebola case, a doctor, demonstrated how lethal the virus is once it has entered the blood and organs, They were unable to save him. IMO, a successful vaccine would eliminate the problem. Except for all Saty's yuppy friends who refuse
    vaccination grounds based on some new age philosophy.


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