MB's Own November Midterm Election

Lisnaholic · 10-31-2018, 10:53 PM

^ Well, that's rather different from what you originally said, but I'm too tired to discuss it any more - it's time for bed in Lisnaland.

~~[MERIT]~~ · 10-31-2018, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

Well, that's rather different from what you originally said, but I'm too tired to discuss it any more - it's time for bed in Lisnaland.

Nope, it's 100% in line with what I said before, just a bit more elaborate and tangential, as it incorporated a reply to your posts.

Sleep well! Hope I can do the same soon.

Lisnaholic · 11-01-2018, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by '[MERIT

Sleep well! Hope I can do the same soon.

^ Thanks! I hope you had a good night's sleep too. With my morning coffee, I'm learning that the voter supression going on in Dodge City is more obviously anti-democratic than I previously mentioned. This is closer to what has been happening:-

Prior to 2016 the Republicans decided that one Polling Station was sufficient for a town of 13,000. That one Polling Station had to serve ten times as many voters as the national average, which meant long, long queues for everyone, but probably meant bigger problems for people with low-prestige, on-the-clock jobs, i.e. lower-middle class/working class voters. Also this lone Polling Station was in a civic center in a white suburb: " The civic center just happens to be in the heart of the white part of Dodge City and next to the country club and its golf course,". Handy for some, I suppose, but probably not for Latino voters living the wrong side of the tracks.

Voter turnout in 2016 suggested how effective that limited access to a Polling Station was: 61% of whites, 17% of Latinos turned out to vote in 2016.

Currently, inspired by the success of their obstructionist approach, Republican Ms.Cox, the county clerk, has ramped up the same technique by moving the city's only polling station out of town completely, to a warehouse in the desert that is one mile from the nearest bus stop. To add insult to injury, the move was announced to hundreds of newly-registered voters by giving them the wrong address for the new polling station. This is such a blatant ploy to disrupt the exercise of voting rights that:-

Quote:

On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to intervene and reopen the [old] civic center for voting. The swift backlash and widespread attention to Dodge City’s change came in no small part because of restrictive voting laws championed by Kansas’ secretary of state, Kris Kobach, a frequent A.C.L.U. foe who also happens to be the Republican nominee in this year’s extremely close race for governor.

[source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/u...as-voting.html ]

Looking forward, in response to the pending law suit Ms.Cox has intimated that polling facilities might be revised in time for the 2020 election, but she has no plans improve things for the midterms. No plans to provide polling stations in local schools for example, which would surely be the logical, low-budget approach if the authorities had any interest in encouraging unfettered democratic representation by the people, for the people.

I'm glad you liked this quote, MicShazam - it gives me an excuse to repeat it:-

" If a candidate is making it difficult for people to vote, you shouldn't vote for him."

rostasi · 11-01-2018, 08:51 AM

I listen to an interview show almost every night called "Think" -
not necessarily just because of the subject matter, but the host
is actually an incredibly good interviewer - no matter the topic,
left, right or in-between. This was one from a few weeks ago
interviewing the woman who wrote this book:

The title pretty much mentions the obvious,
but I still heard some numbers that I found
to be astounding. The interview is here.

Also, I wanted to point out that the assertion of equivalency
of "voter fraud" and "voter suppression"; then labeling them
both as "hype" and then saying therefore you don't trust either
side is the pinnacle of lazy thinking that's a major factor concerning
why we are in the mess we're in these days. You might as well say
that you have no trust in either flat or round earth "hype."

**Frownland** · 11-01-2018, 08:57 AM

Both issues are simultaneously over and understated by partisans who dominate the conversation.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/...registrations/

OccultHawk · 11-01-2018, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Both issues are simultaneously over and understated by partisans who dominate the conversation.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/...registrations/

Voter suppression is understated almost universally in the south. That doesn’t necessarily contradict your statement but you may not fully understand how Jim Crowy it is down here. Maybe... anyways it’s very Jim Crowy down here. It’s real bad.

**Frownland** · 11-01-2018, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

Voter suppression is understated almost universally in the south. That doesn’t necessarily contradict your statement but you may not fully understand how Jim Crowy it is down here. Maybe... anyways it’s very Jim Crowy down here. It’s real bad.

I'm aware.

Psy-Fi · 11-01-2018, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostasi

Also, I wanted to point out that the assertion of equivalency
of "voter fraud" and "voter suppression"; then labeling them
both as "hype" and then saying therefore you don't trust either
side is the pinnacle of lazy thinking that's a major factor concerning
why we are in the mess we're in these days. You might as well say
that you have no trust in either flat or round earth "hype."

I wasn't asserting an equivalency of the two. And yes, I do think there's a ridiculous amount of exaggeration and hype from both Republicans and Democrats on both issues. And no, I don't trust either side to give me non-biased information on either issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Both issues are simultaneously over and understated by partisans who dominate the conversation.

Pretty much what I meant.

OccultHawk · 11-01-2018, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

voter fraud is not a real issue

Republican politicians are for the most part aware it's a non-issue, maybe not Trump, but those most aggressively pushing the laws do so entirely to increase their chances of winning by disenfranchising young and African American voters

Church

rostasi · 11-01-2018, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elphenor

...doesn't mean Democrats are not just as bad on issues like gerrymandering

Except that they're not.

View Poll Results: How will/would you vote on Nov 6?
Generic Democratic Candidate	8	47.06%
Generic Republican Candidate	2	11.76%
Other Candidate	2	11.76%
I don't vote in midterms	5	29.41%
Voters: 17. You may not vote on this poll

10-31-2018, 10:53 PM	#51 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	^ Well, that's rather different from what you originally said, but I'm too tired to discuss it any more - it's time for bed in Lisnaland. __________________ "Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

11-01-2018, 08:51 AM	#54 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,007	I listen to an interview show almost every night called "Think" - not necessarily just because of the subject matter, but the host is actually an incredibly good interviewer - no matter the topic, left, right or in-between. This was one from a few weeks ago interviewing the woman who wrote this book: The title pretty much mentions the obvious, but I still heard some numbers that I found to be astounding. The interview is here. Also, I wanted to point out that the assertion of equivalency of "voter fraud" and "voter suppression"; then labeling them both as "hype" and then saying therefore you don't trust either side is the pinnacle of lazy thinking that's a major factor concerning why we are in the mess we're in these days. You might as well say that you have no trust in either flat or round earth "hype." Last edited by rostasi; 11-01-2018 at 08:56 AM.

11-01-2018, 08:57 AM	#55 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	Both issues are simultaneously over and understated by partisans who dominate the conversation. https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/...registrations/ __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x