The Politics Thread

[marceline]

Polls don't matter anymore. People are actually voting now. Let me repeat:

POLLS DON'T MATTER ANYMORE. PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY VOTING NOW. 

Georgia is seeing record breaking turnout. Why would you focus on a poll which is just a few hundred people instead of looking at what's actually happening on the ground?

This is going to sound harsh and I promise that it's not directed at you personally...

A lot of folks have got to deal with their 2016 PTSD. My social media is filled with  hypervigilance, catastrophizing, and paranoia which the algorithms just keep feeding.

It's not like we haven't had any elections since then. Republicans have been losing for years.

[Vee]

This is how I feel.

I don't think we'd be human if it wasn't somewhat nervewracking for many of us. They're close numbers materially and the stakes are (once again) higher than they've ever been. But all Republicans have done since '16 is continue to lose elections. I have yet to see evidence that is changing, and we're still up where we need to be in a lot of the polling (which, as you say, has ceased to matter). Still, I do have some anxiety any time we get this close.

I'll feel better on the night once I start to have my own suspicions borne out of course, just as they were overnight in 2020 (though it took a few hours) or in 2012.

[DramatistDreamer]

Agreed, with all of this.

On the first day of early voting in North Carolina, my sister texted me a photo of her waiting in what appeared to be a long line. When I asked her how long she had to wait to vote, she said 45 minutes. She was insistent on waiting for her turn to cast her ballot because she felt she had to do all she could to help prevent ole what’s his name from ever getting in the White House again. It came as no surprise to me when I read that NC had record turnout for the first day of early voting. People are moving with intention. The time for handwringing about the polls has long since passed. Everyone needs to commit themselves to a plan to vote and follow through to make sure TFG gets to focus his time on his multiple court cases after Election Day.

 

For all the talk about Black men supposedly being lured into MAGA, there hasn’t been much in the way of letting actual Black men speak for themselves in mainstream media. Here is one perspective concerning Project 2025.

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[DRW50]

It's some of the early voting numbers that are concerning me (Virginia, NC, among others). Hopefully it's just going back to normal when so many Republicans didn't vote early in 2020, rather than a real sign of a shift to Trump that various polls have indicated. 

An NYT article on the Arab-Americans who are pushing for Trump. One person in this who was co-head of the "Abandon Biden" group (later Harris) even has a selfie on her Twitter smiling with Trump. Just absolute scum.

https://t.co/pocsopBPWF

Some reports that the door-knocking group funded by Elon is partly fradulent.

Exclusive: Trump ground game in key states flagged as potentially fake | Donald Trump | The Guardian

[DramatistDreamer]

This came across my timeline and it is great that Paul Whelan is speaking out about how instrumental Grimes was in agitating and raising funds for his release.

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[Vee]

Meanwhile:

 

[DramatistDreamer]

If people  showing up to vote in record breaking numbers favored Republicans, I doubt many would seemingly do all they can to suppress the numbers of of people able to cast their votes. JMO, the GOP tends to benefit from lower voter turnout in many districts.

Also, did anyone know that this was going on?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/mail-carriers-and-usps-reach-tentative-contract-that-includes-raises-and-air-conditioned-trucks

I know media only reports on the contentious labor issues but given the current election cycle we are currently in, so close to Election Day this seems important.

[janea4old]

 

[DRW50]

Trump's persona of saying whatever he wants and this being "funny" is serving him well now that he just rambles incoherently any time he is in public. Biden never did a tenth of this but if he said the wrong name or paused for a second, they were waiting to put him away.

[Wendy]

No, you're right. I've been pretty good at being optimistic this time, but the occasional freakout had its moment.

I do think 2016 will always be with us, though, if just to ensure we don't get complacent and VOTE.

[DRW50]

This is another reason Democrats seem to be struggling - that so many actually miss September 2020 says it all about how broken this country seems to be.

 

[Vee]

Gallup by way of Alex Thompson. I'll pass on taking that at face value.

Edited October 20, 2024 by Vee

[Wendy]

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[DRW50]

I don't have any use for either of them but it's not the only polling that has people nostalgic for the Trump years and now apparently even the pandemic itself. Times are hard now, but I can't believe people are nostalgic for that period. I think Trump is just such a husk that people, with help from the media, make him whatever they want him to be and ignore what he actually was.

[Vee]

That doesn't mean I'm going to take it seriously. It's Gallup!