US Midterm Elections Megathread III: Hitting The Wall

[Thuzbekistan]

Judge Rules Native Americans In North Dakota Must Comply With Voter ID Law

Photo ID should be enough. Why specify a street address? Dumb law is dumb.

[Corrian]

The polling group that most accurately predicted Trump throughout the election has Democrats up 17 points in the generic ballot

Though I think they were too favored to Trump, saying he'd win the popular vote, which obviously didn't happen.

[Ifreann]

Judge Rules Native Americans In North Dakota Must Comply With Voter ID Law

Photo ID should be enough. Why specify a street address? Dumb law is dumb.

Voter suppression. It's the cool new thing that's not cool or new.

[Hakons]

Judge Rules Native Americans In North Dakota Must Comply With Voter ID Law

Photo ID should be enough. Why specify a street address? Dumb law is dumb.

It makes sense not to change voter laws less than a week before an election, but it's obviously strange to require a street address. The judge that confirmed the law said essentially that the secretary of state has some explaining to do.

[Valrifell]

Imagine if everyone took this view and said that about their opposing ideologies. Imagine if national leaders took this view. Oh wait, they have. And they've killed them. Right wing, left wing. It doesnt matter. If you take the view that the world would be better off without a very large group of people, then you find yourself on the edge of a very slippery slope to supporting genocides or political repression.


In other news, Heitcamp did a stupid: Heitkamp endorses state Dems' false claim that ND's hunters could lose licenses if they vote

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/heitka ... -they-vote

Heitkamp is screwed, and with it, any real chance I see of the Democrats taking the Senate. I'm pretty sure after her chances disintegrated completely is when the chances for Democrats taking the Senate at all (When it was like 1 in 3 chance) dissipated altogether. Losing that one is pretty much the biggest barrier to getting 51. There was a CHANCE, albeit small, before that, but now there is pretty much no path at all.

I'm completely open to being surprised.

[Corrian]

Also one of the big potential wins for Democrats is in State Attorneys General races. There are like 8 races that are close too and 7 of them are held by Republicans. 1 Democrat one, which is Minnesota, and interestingly that one if it flips would be the first time one went Republican in Minnesota since like 1972

[Corrian]

Oh, and there has been 2 to 3X more money put into AG races than ever before, at $100 million.

[Thuzbekistan]

Photo ID should be enough. Why specify a street address? Dumb law is dumb.

It makes sense not to change voter laws less than a week before an election, but it's obviously strange to require a street address. The judge that confirmed the law said essentially that the secretary of state has some explaining to do.

Pretty much. They better explain themselves because that is incredibly dumb.

[Thuzbekistan]

The polling group that most accurately predicted Trump throughout the election has Democrats up 17 points in the generic ballot

Though I think they were too favored to Trump, saying he'd win the popular vote, which obviously didn't happen.

I hope they are up All the Republican options in my state just suck. But in the case of Steve Cohen, I voted Republican because I just don't like Cohen. Chergman or whatever her name is a MAGA lady that can't win, but still. Registering my absolute disgust.

[Corrian]

Rosen is also gaining against Heller again in the final days

[Valrifell]

Rosen is also gaining against Heller again in the final days

I noticed this before, too.

All good signs for Dems as we get closer to the 6th.

[Corrian]

Washington turnout is near 40% so far

[Tobleste]

Pretty sure any of you going on about a "One party state" being a bad thing probably want Democrats in charge of everything.

Nope. I very much want a strong opposition party.

Republicans are more naturally suited to opposition anyway. Fiscal conservatism is a sensible thing to believe but they abandon it as soon as they're in government. The last 2 years also show they've no notion of how to solve any actual problems. They're basically a 'post-policy' political party that uses identity politics (e.g. moaning about the NFL) to get support for their unpopular economic agenda (e.g. tax cuts). Solutions to actual problems (e.g. climate change, gun crime, debt, low wage growth) are something they don't have.

I honestly don't know what they actually contribute to America other than debt, anger and conditions for gun crime.

[Telconi]

Nope. I very much want a strong opposition party.

Republicans are more naturally suited to opposition anyway. Fiscal conservatism is a sensible thing to believe but they abandon it as soon as they're in government. The last 2 years also show they've no notion of how to solve any actual problems. They're basically a 'post-policy' political party that uses identity politics (e.g. moaning about the NFL) to get support for their unpopular economic agenda (e.g. tax cuts). Solutions to actual problems (e.g. climate change, gun crime, debt, low wage growth) are something they don't have.

I honestly don't know what they actually contribute to America other than debt, anger and conditions for gun crime.

Well, there are people who both A) Live in the United States, and B) are not ideological clones of Tobleste.

[Cannot think of a name]

Currently? Yes. Until there is an opposition party that isn't determined to burn down the cathedral. I don't mind a fiscally conservative opposition, one that asks the questions 'can we afford this' or 'is this the best way to solve this problem.' We need that, in fact, someone to apply the brakes, someone to come at a problem from a different angle. You can, and on occasion we've had, opposition that recognized the same problems but had different solutions and then we can decide between those proposals. We can argue over which is the greater priority, what's going to work better for the country as a whole, what are we going to do for those for whom a policy is going to leave out.

We don't have that now. We're past the point of arguing over a marginal tax rate or even if a private sector solution is better than a public sector solution. We're literally deciding if we want to treat certain people like fucking people. We're deciding that as long as some people become very rich it's okay to fuck over poor and middle class people and then tell them it's even poorer people's fault. In the current political state we're sacrificing basic fucking humanity over a non-substantial threat to someone's boomstick and the promise that 'different' people will get what's comin' to them. I don't want democratic rule into the sunset, it won't work. Even a predominantly dominant party will become corrupt or lazy or deaf to those they supposedly represent. They'll become resistant to challenging their own ideas. But at the moment? Come Tuesday? Yes, I want everyone with an R next to their name to lose hard, go home, and get their fucking shit together so they can come back and remember we're on the same fucking team. It won't happen. But in the long term we'd be better off and the people who favor reasonable conservatism would be too.

"I want a one-party state because I don't like my opposition."

You'd work quite well in China, comrade.

This is my surprise face that you didn't understand what was said.

[Telconi]

"I want a one-party state because I don't like my opposition."

You'd work quite well in China, comrade.

This is my surprise face that you didn't understand what was said.

"I want an opposition party that doesn't oppose" is functionally the same as "I want no opposition party"

[Thuzbekistan]

Nope. I very much want a strong opposition party.

Republicans are more naturally suited to opposition anyway. Fiscal conservatism is a sensible thing to believe but they abandon it as soon as they're in government. The last 2 years also show they've no notion of how to solve any actual problems. They're basically a 'post-policy' political party that uses identity politics (e.g. moaning about the NFL) to get support for their unpopular economic agenda (e.g. tax cuts). Solutions to actual problems (e.g. climate change, gun crime, debt, low wage growth) are something they don't have.

I honestly don't know what they actually contribute to America other than debt, anger and conditions for gun crime.

I guess we will ignore all the legislation Republicans have passed just in the last 20 years targeting issues to try and find solutions. Just because they don't agree with the proposed solutions does not mean they don't propose their own. And just because you don't agree with their solutions does not mean that they are not contributing anything.

[Telconi]

The polling group that most accurately predicted Trump throughout the election has Democrats up 17 points in the generic ballot

Though I think they were too favored to Trump, saying he'd win the popular vote, which obviously didn't happen.

Maybe not counting "illegals?"


Anyway, this is good news. I am very pleased.


Weird thing is:

Less than half of USA votes. Where the hell have the others been? Have they seen the news every day? Like, I feel like they've vanished.

They're indifferent. I mean, government probably has a minimal effect of half of Americans at least, and many it does effect are likely just fatigued or disenfranchised with the whole thing.

[Thuzbekistan]

They're indifferent. I mean, government probably has a minimal effect of half of Americans at least, and many it does effect are likely just fatigued or disenfranchised with the whole thing.

Minimal?

I strongly disagree. But other than that, I understand but they need to realize this is a civil duty as a citizen.

Registering to vote also comes at the cost of possible jury duty selection. That is an interruption no one likes.

[Telconi]

They're indifferent. I mean, government probably has a minimal effect of half of Americans at least, and many it does effect are likely just fatigued or disenfranchised with the whole thing.

Minimal?

I strongly disagree. But other than that, I understand but they need to realize this is a civil duty as a citizen.

Yeah, minimal, unless you're directly effected by any of the current hot button issues, your life is essentially consistent from one administration to the other.

As for it being a civic duty, well, not everyone shares that belief.

[Telconi]

Minimal?

I strongly disagree. But other than that, I understand but they need to realize this is a civil duty as a citizen.

Registering to vote also comes at the cost of possible jury duty selection. That is an interruption no one likes.

Well that's easy to avoid...

[Thermodolia]

Registering to vote also comes at the cost of possible jury duty selection. That is an interruption no one likes.

People like Jury duty?

What? I like it

[Page]

They're indifferent. I mean, government probably has a minimal effect of half of Americans at least, and many it does effect are likely just fatigued or disenfranchised with the whole thing.

Minimal?

I strongly disagree. But other than that, I understand but they need to realize this is a civil duty as a citizen.

I always vote but I have a different view of it. I don't consider it a civil duty (because I don't believe I owe a thing to the state), it is more that I consider it wasteful to squander what minuscule influence one has over the direction of the state.

[Cannot think of a name]

Minimal?

I strongly disagree. But other than that, I understand but they need to realize this is a civil duty as a citizen.

I always vote but I have a different view of it. I don't consider it a civil duty (because I don't believe I owe a thing to the state), it is more that I consider it wasteful to squander what minuscule influence one has over the direction of the state.

In a nation of 350 million people when someone complains that they can't just grip the wheel and yank it I wonder if they've really thought that through.

[Page]

Voting matters but it can only be truly powerful when there is solidarity among the people.