Friday, September 30, 2016

Newsflash: 2016 Election Voting Has Already Begun

Image result for "I voted" stamp
 Even as we learned yesterday that Libertarian Gary Johnson further disqualified himself from serious presidential candidate consideration, there was 103 year old Rulene Steineger putting most everyone younger to shame as she pushed her walker to the polls in Iowa. She was one of the earliest voters in a state (among eleven) for which voting is already going on. These  include: Iowa, Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine.

As for Rulene,, her reasons for early voting were pretty clear:

"I'm a hundred and three. That's the reason I'm voting early. I'm not taking any chances."

Indeed, and she's made clear her vote is for Hillary Clinton, so she's not taking any chances that  the Trumpster clown will sneak in by even one vote in Iowa - grabbing its electoral stash.  Meanwhile, for the first time in its 34-year history, USA Today's editors have come out against a presidential candidate, writing:

DON'T VOTE FOR TRUMP

"Trump is...by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency".

The paper also referred to a "dangerous demagogue" and a "serial liar' who "traffics in prejudice". With Clinton, the board split, half for half against. The main complaint was "Clinton's sense of entitlement and her lack of candor and her extreme carelessness."

The paper made it clear, however, they were not endorsing Clinton, but "disendorsing Trump'> They are basically okay with voters making any choice other than Donald J. Trump.  Meanwhile, we learn the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson (who for some reason many millennial Sanders' voters seem to be attracted to) has now confirmed his status as a clown and dunce.  See e.g.

http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2016/09/gary-johnson-passes-moronic-wannabe.html

In the most recent iteration, Johnson was asked by MSNBC host Chris Matthews, "Who's your favorite foreign leader?" To which Johnson grew pop-eyed, stared at Matthews and burbled "I...I...I'm having a brain freeze!"  He never could get a coherent response out though at one point he said "the former Egyptian President", but got hoist on his own petard when asked: "Which one?"

Does this guy belong anywhere near the oval office? I don't think so, not if he has to take a crash course in current world leaders and their nations. And certainly not if he couldn't even reference the Syrian crisis city of Aleppo (see previous link).  Yet, despite these major pratfalls, Clinton is still having to dispatch special teams to try and get the younger set on board who appear entranced by Johnson. Well, let's hope they soon wake up. Or as Bill Maher put it two weeks ago< "what the hell are you thinking?"

The general election is technically 39 days away, but in theory could well be decided before then, by virtue of early voting. I already identified eleven states for which it is already going on.  The early voting calendar and provisions, conditions can be found here:

https://www.vote.org/early-voting-calendar/

In all, 37 states and the District of Columbia allow early voting for this general election. Here in Colorado, wifey and I are also early voters - by mail. Colorado being one of only three states that permits mail balloting with no special excuses attached. We decided some years ago to go this route because often Colorado ballots are laden with special district issues and state referenda (this year including Amendment 69 for single payer health care, Amendment 70 to increase the state minimum wage, Amendment 72 to raise cigarette taxes to $2.94 a pack and Proposition 106, the medical aid in dying initiative.) Given the ballot complexity we opted to fill them out at home then mail them in. We will received our mail ballots from 18-22 days before election day, November 8th.  Our votes will be in well before then, signed, sealed and delivered. No traffic hassles, no standing in line - like many poor souls had to do in Florida in 2012, for hours.

Why don't more states offer the convenience of mail ballots and early voting? Who knows? But my suspicion is basically they want  to make it difficult to vote for certain demographic groups they don't trust - such as African-Americans. They have been in the sights of Reeptard gubernators since they helped bring in  electoral wins for Obama in 2008 and 2012. Of course, the primary instrument used for voter suppression is "voter fraud" which has been proven to occur only roughly 0.00000013 % of the time see e.g.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/voter-fraud-real-rare/story?id=17213376

This may or may not be a close "2000 type" election. My bet is that it won't and the plurality of Americans - if they haven't come to their senses after the Monday debate- will vote HRC on election day, especially early voters. In that view, I believe Hillary should have this election sewn up well before November 8th.

See also:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/dave-johnson/69158/robert-reich-on-this-election-is-a-must-hear


No comments: