Tag: elections

Where is the revolution?

Huge outbreak of civil disobedience. The cause?

revolutionActress Susan Sarandon has said “some people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately if he gets in. Then things will really, you know, explode.” She made similar comments on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.

Then last week, on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, “Sarandon took her argument a step further, all but encouraging [Bernie] Sanders supporters to sit out in November should Clinton become the Democratic nominee.”

I know other people willing to vote for DJT rather than HRC, because Trump will either make things better or so much worse that people will get off their duffs and have mass protests. Whereas Hillary will be an incrementalist, picking off a couple of Sanders issues to placate the left. More than one person has suggested that Hillary would make a good Republican from the era before many of them (Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina) went guano crazy.

I keep vacillating between expecting the revolution, the political one that Bernie Sanders keeps talking about, or perhaps worse, and… almost nothing.

In response to a comment from an old acquaintance of mine, a fellow named Max Dee wrote:

At one point, I thought riots would be breaking out all over. I figure the American people had finally been pushed to their limit and they would take to the street to express their displeasure at being treated like garbage by their elected leaders. Didn’t happen. I wanted to find out why.

Then there was a huge demonstration in Chicago. People were coming from all over to protest. But what the cause? Macy’s was removing the name Marshall Field from the store. And in looking, I see it again and again.

Huge outbreak of civil disobedience. The cause? Sporting events. Black Friday. Lotto Fever. What would really upset the masses? Dropping the Super Bowl coverage. What would get people riled up and shouting? Delay shipping in the latest smart phone. At one point I didn’t think we could have a president as bad as Dubya Bush. Now I don’t think we’ll have one any better. You get the government you deserve.

Now rioting does happen when the social contract gets broken. But it’s usually in marginalized communities, and onlookers scratch their heads and say, “What’s wrong with THOSE people? They’re burning down their own neighborhoods!”

Given the continuing inequality that Occupy Wall Street began addressing a half-decade ago, where do you think we’re going as a country:
1) If Trump wins (which many people dismiss as a possibility, but I’m not one of them)
2) If Clinton wins

A bunch of religious leaders has issued a Call to Resist Bigotry — A Statement of Faithful Obedience. DJT is the target.

Oh, a note to you rabid Clinton supporters: these belligerent calls for Bernie to drop out of the race, since he has no likely path to the nomination, are not helpful. He maintains leverage going to the convention as a candidate, to formulate the party platform. Of course, NO ONE EVER remembers much what’s on the platform. Frankly, Hillary’s folk cannot fathom the depth of the true left’s contempt for her family.

Those Bernie supporters are not Bernie’s just to hand over. They’re committed to HIM, not the Democratic party, which he only recently joined. His supporters are grieving his, and their, probable loss and you’re over there hectoring, “Get over it!” Please Stop It.

In time, some will vote for Clinton; I will, even though she’s more of a war hawk than I’d like. I know I’m reacting, in part, as a response to some blatant sexism. What IS the “woman card” that Drump has accused Clinton of playing? Is it like the race card, only with estrogen instead of melanin?

A few Bernie supporters will vote for Trump. A bunch of them will cast their ballot for Jill Stein from the Green Party. A fair number will stay home in November. Hill fans: your nagging WILL NOT HELP your cause; give it time.

Presidential primary in New York is April 19

The polls do not open until 12 noon in most of upstate New York

vote-button-3A grumpy person’s guide to the Presidential primary in New York:

1. If you’re not enrolled in a political party (Democratic or Republican), you can’t vote, because they are closed primaries. New York has, arguably, the most restrictive primary voting regulations in the country. New voters had to enroll in a party by March 25, but previously registered folks would have had to have switched their party affiliation by October 9 of LAST year. There is pending legislation to change that, but it won’t affect this year.

Find out if you are registered to vote if you are enrolled in a party, and where you vote.

2. If you need to vote by absentee ballot, it’s too late to write the Board of Elections a letter requesting it. However, you can pick up an application, or print one out, and deliver the application in person no later than the day before the election, i.e., April 18.

3. The absentee ballot itself “must either be personally delivered to the board of elections no later than the close of polls on election day, or postmarked by a governmental postal service not later than the day before the election and received no later than the 7th day after the election.”

4. You may need that absentee ballot because the polls do not open until 12 noon in most of upstate New York, closing at 9 p.m. In New York City and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam and Erie, the polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.

5. You will have the opportunity to vote for the candidates and, on the Democratic side, also their delegates. Whether or not you vote for delegates, the candidates will get delegates proportionate to his or her votes. So if there are seven delegate slots, whoever get more votes, based on the allocation, will be the first one or ones chosen to go to the convention.

The candidates on the Democratic side are U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The candidates on the Republican side are business mogul Donald J. Trump, governor John R. Kasich (OH), surgeon Ben Carson, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (TX).

Here are some demographics of New Yorkers.

 

Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton?

I’ve signed Bernie Sanders’ petition to get on the ballot in New York State in April.

clinton-sandersA couple of days ago, Doug Muder at the Weekly Sift said he was undecided who he’d vote for in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary next week, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. He provided a fair assessment of both candidates’ strengths and weaknesses.

What I have tired of in this campaign has been the major liberal pundits’ case against Bernie Sanders, “urging citizens to ignore their conscience.” The idea of supporting Sanders is neither stupid nor unrealistic.

I think Robert Reich said it best: “Clinton would make the president for the country we have now. Sanders would make the best president for the country we want to have.” And he’s been at it for a long time. Check out this Doonesbury comic from 1981.

Someone on Facebook – sorry, I’ve forgotten who wrote:

I’m getting tired of all these “thoughtful” pundits who claim that Sanders just can’t win and that he’ll never get anything done that he wants to do, etc. If they are trying to get folks to switch to Hillary, they’re doing it all wrong. All they are doing is pissing Sanders supporters (and those who are not totally decided) off. It’s a stupid strategy, unless it’s right wing trolls who want Sanders supporters to stay home if he loses. You want people to get behind Hillary? Fine. Convince me. Don’t bash Sanders.

Bernie.Bert_Ernie
I like the America ad – what can I say?

Yes, there is some Hillary-bashing from some Bernie people, but it’s a different argument, and in any case, not one I’ve ever made. If the Republican candidate is Ted Cruz, winner of the Iowa caucus, or Donald Trump, likely winner of the New Hampshire primary, or Marco Rubio, waiting for those two to collapse, or actually all the remaining GOP candidates, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is the Democratic nominee, know that I will surely vote for her.

But the primary, I think, means voting with one’s heart. I’ve signed Bernie’s petition to get on the ballot in New York State in April. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, that’s who I’ll be voting for this spring.

GOP, Cuomo, concerts and hiking

boehnerJaquandor, the emperor of Byzantium Shores, muses:

What will it take to get the Republican Party to start moving back to the real world? I look at their collective insanity right now as the 2016 election cycle is revving up, and I remember how I noted in 2012 that if Obama was reelected, THAT year’s Republican Crazy would look quaint compared to what was coming in four years. Now that this prediction is coming OH SO TRUE, I’m worried about what the Republican field will look like in 2020 if the Democratic nominee wins next year.

Some people think that it will take another couple of electoral drubbings for the White House, but I’m thinking, as long as they keep winning at midterm time, that will be enough to keep them thinking that the Insane Approach is JUST THIS CLOSE to winning. (Sorry for the length of the question!)

Re: crazy: I thought the Republicans were in 1994. Now Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker, looks, in retrospect, practically looks like a statesman. You’ve answered your own question: when they start to lose.

I am starting to wonder if party alignments will begin to fray. John Boehrer (pictured) quits as Speaker amidst cheering from some Tea Party types, who considered him a RINO (Republican In Name Only), which is absurd. They are seeking an ideological purity, an “our way or the highway” philosophy, of people who do not appear to want to govern, or even have a government.

If a Democrat wins the White House in 2016, I have a sense that there will continue to be a bloc of obstructionists, in some ways, worse than what Obama faced in 2009, with little chance of a honeymoon. And if it’s a Republican President, I’m not sure he or she will fare much better, because, depending on the Congressional races, it could embolden the House fringe especially.

I can’t think about 2018, never mind 2020.

What’s your general take on Governor Cuomo, now that he’s into his second term? I can’t help feeling there’s something smarmy about the guy.

In some ways, Andrew Cuomo was his father Mario’s enforcer, so he’s been a schmuck for a while. Still, I voted for him in 2006 when he ran for Attorney General, and in 2010, when he went for governor. But I voted against him, twice, in 2014, in the primary and the general election. I ALWAYS voted for Mario, at least a half dozen times.

Some of my antipathy towards Andrew has to do with his generally manipulative ways, particularly with the Common Core education process. He dismantled the Moreland Commission looking into corruption when there was still work to do. He’s hostile to the press, and many citizens. Even the gun control SAFE Act, which I tend to support, I thought was forced through the legislature without due process. During the prison break, he seemed to insert himself in the story as much as possible.

I realized what a jerk he could be when he shows up on his brother Chris’ news program, as Jon Stewart pointed out. He’s just annoying.

This story in the New Yorker from February 2015 is pretty balanced.

There was some controversy in Buffalo recently over tickets to an upcoming Paul McCartney concert — the tickets were WILDLY expensive and sold out almost instantly, leaving a lot of angry people. Do you have views on how live music takes place these days? Demand for Garth Brooks tickets earlier this year led to Brooks actually adding shows to his Buffalo stop — I think he did five total shows — and the Rolling Stones recently sold out Ralph Wilson Stadium. Any thoughts? (What’s with me and the long questions?)

Yeah, I got McCartney tickets on the secondary market for his show in Albany, and they were pricey. I didn’t know until too late if I had followed him on his website a week before the tickets went on sale, I might have had a better shot at the tickets. I don’t have a solution except to say “no”.

Hiking in the woods: Yay or Nay? I’ve always liked hiking but I’ve REALLY taken a shine to it over the last year, now that I’ve got this four-legged-friend to hike with.

On flat services, or mild inclines/declines without a lot of tree roots to trip me up, sure. But I better wear my knee brace, just in case.

I♥NY: to vote in 2016 Presidential primaries, register in a party NOW

In New York State, one must be registered and affiliated in a party by OCTOBER 9, 2015 in order to BE ABLE TO VOTE for that major party’s candidate for President in April 2016. .

votingI came across this website via Facebook, VoteForBernie.org. It does not appear to be authorized by the Bernie Sanders for President campaign. But it had some useful information.

Among other things, it notes whether one had to be a registered Democrat in one’s state in order to vote for Sanders (or Hillary Clinton, or whomever) in next year’s primary/caucus season. And it would likewise apply to Republicans’ ability to vote for their candidates.

Some states allow for Open Primaries. One could vote for, say, Bernie Sanders, regardless of party registration. In Iowa, caucus voters are able to change party affiliation easily.

Others have Semi-Closed Primaries or Caucuses. These states allow people NOT enrolled in a party to participate in either the Democratic OR Republican primary/caucus, but not both.

The rest, such as New York, are Closed Primary or Closed Caucus states, which means only Democrats can vote for Democratic candidates, and only Republicans for the GOP roster.

The VoteForBernie site also indicates when one must register in order to be eligible to vote in the primaries or caucuses. For most states, it is 30 days or less before the balloting, though, e.g.., it’s two months beforehand in Colorado, and three months in Connecticut. (As of this date, there is one obvious error, which I requested be rectified.)

What is it in New York State, I wondered? The primary is tentatively scheduled for April 19, 2016; when I called the state Board of Elections this week, the person couldn’t say definitely, because of some state action that had not yet happened. But REGARDLESS of the voting date, in order to vote in either the Republican or Democratic Presidential primary in 2016, one must be REGISTERED in THAT party by 25 days before the 2015 general election.

In other words, one must be registered and affiliated with a party by OCTOBER 9, 2015, six full months before the primary. This is, by far, the earliest cutoff date in the country. New Yorkers, you have a little more than a month to register for a party. If you miss the deadline, you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VOTE for the major party’s candidate for President.

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