Tiny New Hampshire town may have to ditch traditional midnight voting https://t.co/ptq2t4bjEz
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) December 23, 2019
The loss of Dixville would chip away at New Hampshire’s very identity. Around the country, around the world, if anyone has heard of New Hampshire, it is largely because of its presidential primary. If they have an image of what that looks like, it is probably Dixville Notch #fitn
— James Pindell (@JamesPindell) December 8, 2019
Me, I think our nation will somehow survive the media’s loss of BREAKING NEWS about the opinions of a handful of aging white mostly-male voters in one of the more isolated and unrepresentative areas of the country.
Dave Weigel’s latest Washington Post Trailer has a pretty good summary of the Granite State’s voters:
… New Hampshire is 92 percent white, the least racially diverse of the early states, with most of its black, Latino and Asian voters concentrated in a few mid-sized cities.
New Hampshire has a semi-open primary, giving voters who have not registered with the Democratic Party their loudest voice of any of the first four states. Four years ago in Iowa, 78 percent of caucusgoers identified as Democrats. In Nevada it was 81 percent; in South Carolina, 82 percent of primary voters were Democrats.
But just 60 percent of New Hampshire primary voters who pulled a Democratic ballot were registered with the party. The independent streak helped Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) win by a landslide; he won registered Democrats by a single point and crushed Hillary Clinton by 45 points with independents. He won key local labor endorsements, too, especially helpful in the only early-voting state that isn’t “right to work.” …
… The last primary had an obvious direction and momentum that simply hasn’t been replicated in 2020. By this point in 2015, Sanders led Clinton by eight points in New Hampshire and never looked back. This year, no Democrat has built a lead outside the margin of error since July, before the bounce from former vice president Joe Biden’s announcement had faded. In an average of polls, the lead has switched three times since October, from Biden, to Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, to South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and back to Sanders…
There are plenty of voters here who aren’t too liberal but will pull a Democratic ballot. Since January 2017, when the president was sworn in, Democratic registration has shrunk by 3,071 voters, Republican registration has shrunk by 15,554 voters, and 9,529 new voters have climbed onto the rolls with no party registration.
They’re in high demand. This is a primary, after all, with none of the time or organizing demands of a caucus state. Late-breaking voters, people who maybe paid attention for only the final week of the contest, can change everything…
What Weigel is too polite, or too partisan, to say explicitly is that NH is a notorious haven for professional Repub ratf*ckers and capital-L libertarians (ex: The Free State Project). The Venn diagram between those groups has, shall we say, a considerable overlap.
It’s worth reading Weigel’s whole explainer on the various regions of the state and its voters. But I personally will find it delicious if the Live Free or Die Trying Staters manage to throw away their treasured #FirstInTheNation status just as — because, really — the factors that make “old-fashioned” face-to-face politicking and media so white-conservative centered are eroding due to attrition!
Davis X. Machina
Hart’s Location will take over, as they have done in the past. {Another tiny Coos County hamlet.}
ThresherK
I’ve been there on an XC ski vacation. The handful of the folks who “live” and vote there are overwhelmed, numerically, by the “little people” who come from nearby towns to do the bulk of the work which keeps the place coming.
It is, unknowingly, pretty representative of things here. Who cares if the first votes in the nation aren’t on the goddamn TV?
Villago Delenda Est
Let. It. Die
satby
@Villago Delenda Est: this!
geg6
@Villago Delenda Est:
Amen!
Mary G
Housemates went to visit a great aunt in San Francisco and are now trapped because the Grapevine and alternate routes are all closed by snow. It poured here almost all night here, but fortunately no tornado.
trollhattan
Bloomberg has hired up and is spending metric tonnes making a run at Calif. We’ll see who he actually pries percentage points away from, I can’t even guess.
The DVR is a mighty weapon against broadcast buys.
trollhattan
@Mary G:
That’s a rerun of Thanksgiving, when my fam took something like ten hours to get over the thing going south. Good times.
Kraux Pas
We definitely need more representative states at the front of the calendar, but I don’t see the complaint about allowing independents to vote.
They’re the largest slice of voters in some states, so excluding them would be another way to make things unrepresentative and may diminish interest in the candidates since these voters would have less reason to follow along. And while some ratfucking may occur, I’m pretty confident the overwhelming majority of primary voters legitimately support their choice.
Yarrow
Not clear from the excerpt why they’re going to have to give up midnight voting. Is there some reason why?
Gin & Tonic
@Kraux Pas: A primary election is a way for a political party to choose its nominee. I can’t see why a political party should allow people who don’t belong to it to choose its nominee.
khead
Good riddance.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mary G: The 101’s closed?
Jeffro
On top of our incredibly dumb system of electing a president, you really could not come up with a dumber way of nominating candidates for president if you tried.
Ten thousand years from now, our galactic overlords will be laughing about this over beers, or whatever passes for beers. “They did it HOW? LOLOL!!”
rp
Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.
mrmoshpotato
@trollhattan:
Mwhahhahhaha fast forward! Ok, too far! Go back a bit.
mrmoshpotato
@Mary G: ?Oooo yeah, they closed down the Grapevine ?
Kraux Pas
@Gin & Tonic: Again, allowing independents to participate helps to build voters’ interest in candidates and gives candidates a bigger base of support to start building off of.
Many many states have these partially open primaries. Are the Ds wrong to allow this? I don’t even think VT has partisan registration.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Kraux Pas: It also allows for rodent fornication, no thanks. No open primaries.
khead
@Kraux Pas:
Any chance you happened to catch the multiple posts on this very site earlier about people acting in bad faith? I mean, it was pretty hard to miss them.
Kraux Pas
@?BillinGlendaleCA: So petition your state party if you think telling a plurality of voters in many states to pound sand is a good idea.
You’re in CA anyway. Don’t you have jungle primaries?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Kraux Pas: I’m not telling them to pound sand, just if they want to participate in the Democratic Party’s Presidential nominating process, they need to be a member of the Democratic Party.
We have the jungle primary here in CA, but not for the Presidential nomination. I’m not a fan of the jungle primary in general.
opiejeanne
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Sounds like the southern routes from I-5 to 101 are closed, but maybe you could get there on 41 to Paso Robles.
opiejeanne
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Amen. Too many rat-fuckers.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@opiejeanne: But if they’re going from SF to LA, you don’t need to head to the coast…just stay on the coast.
opiejeanne
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Yes, but these people are already stuck at the grapevine, the route to Ventura county is blocked too. They had to head for the 101 long before they got there.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@opiejeanne: Also the 58 though the Carrizo Plain.
J R in WV
OK, off topic food break.
Roasted a small turkey breast, came out really juicy and tender. Simmered potatoes in chicken broth. Shredded Napa cabbage for a veggie stir fry with ginger sauce. Had a big bowl of lamb gravy from the other night on the mashed potatoes. Sparkling chardonnay wine.
Dessert was a maple-pecan pie with local dairy vanilla ice cream. Now I’m too stuffed to go to bed, even tho I’m really sleepy.
Merry Day After Christmas…
I’ve mostly been browsing favorite comic strips on GoComics, and reading novels about shape changer cats… hell with politics for the next couple of weeks! Last Saturday evening was annual next door Solstice Celebration, big crowd of local musicians picking, great food. Next Tuesday will be annual New Years Eve party at other neighbors, maybe 20 miles away. It was in the 60s here today! No snow, no sleet, just sunny pretty day. Envy is yours!
phdesmond
@Yarrow: it’s mentioned that one of the 5 officials moved away, so the body lacks the votes to do anything (sort of like the US federal election commission).
opiejeanne
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Anywhere with low enough passes between the 101 and I-5.
I saw a note online that San Diego was getting snow on a high route at the border with Mexico. Have you seen anything about that?
Barbara
“If anyone has heard of New Hampshire” it is because of . . . Dartmouth, the White Mountains, Bretton Woods, Mt. Washington cog railway, Walden Pond, etc. People are unbelievably stupid.
Omnes Omnibus
@Barbara: Walden Pond?
opiejeanne
@J R in WV: We’re getting some snow tonight but it won’t stick because it’s not cold enough here. Says it will raining and snowing starting at 9pm, Pacific time.
I’m waiting.
opiejeanne
@Omnes Omnibus: LOL! I’ve been to Walden Pond but never to New Hampshire.
Barbara
@J R in WV: We did Christmas today as well because we were traveling yesterday. Didn’t open gifts until this evening.
Barbara
@Omnes Omnibus: Okay, I might have mixed that up. I think both Emerson and Thoreau wrote about Mount Monadnock, which is definitely in NH (I climbed it) and my kids went to a camp named Walden nearby, so I merge everything with NH in my mind.
Barbara
@opiejeanne: okay, okay, guilty as charged.
Kent
@trollhattan:
Given that basically no one under 50 watches live TV anymore I gotta guess these massive TV ad buys are mostly going to hit the over 55 cohort (Boomers and older).
So…Biden maybe?
The Dangerman
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
It’s 101 or Motel tonight, apparently. And I think the only route open from the Central Valley to the 101 (if you were coming down the 5 initially) is the 41 and/or 46. I’m in the Central Valley tonight and saw a verrrrrrry close call to a head on collision on the 41 near Kettleman City on Christmas Eve (it wouldn’t have collected me, but I probably would have had to stop to call 911 and/or the Coroner). Point being, if you are on any part of the two lane 41 tonight, be careful. It’s seriously dangerous as the speeds get crazy fast (I assume CHP might be out to slow people down tonight).
ETA: I’d do 166 before 58. And I’d only do the 166 if I reallllllllly had to be there.
mrmoshpotato
@J R in WV:
How? How is this physiologically possible? :)
Yutsano
@opiejeanne: I guess we’re supposed to maybe get a small taste of that come Saturday. Most likely not enough to get me out of work on Monday but we’ll see.
I was supposed to go to Canada in a couple of weeks but my friend who was going with me backed out. I’m not in the mood to go alone so looks like I’m going to Dallas in February before the true insanity of filing season kicks in.
ThresherK
Dave Weigel should know better than to write this about statistics:
“That’s not how it works! That’s not how any of this works!”
If you’re 3% ahead of someone else in a poll with a 3% margin of error chances are 84% that you’re actually in the lead, per Kevin Drum.
And, fair warning for next year, this “statistical tie” crap is usually pulled out when a Democrat is leading a Republican.
sab
@Mary G: It’s the middle of the night here in northeast Ohio, on December 26, and I have my bedroom window open to cool the place off.
In a normal year, I would be worrying about my pipes freezing.
All the trees outside have leaves budding
I still have pansies blooming in the hanging basket outside my living room. December 26!
mrmoshpotato
@ThresherK: Can “statistical tie” crap be met with a tactical big slap?
Ken
@Barbara: Also the (former) Old Man of the Mountain, if only because of the US quarter. I guess that’s another way NH is unique, their state quarter design has been superseded by events.
MomSense
Fuckem
kindness
New Hampshire is the New England state that is full of cranks. Maybe it goes back to their right wing nut Newspaper publisher William Loeb. My brother went to college there and I will admit to really enjoying visiting him. But even in NE, NH stands out as odd. They’re proud of it. How a state that size has a state Assembly with over 400 representatives is lunacy.
Honus
Yeah, Dixville Notch. That guy in the jacket and bow tie kind of says it all. He’s the one I want picking our National leaders.
I read something about Dixville Notch about 50 years ago and mentioned it to my dad. He said “there’s about fifteen people there and they’re all republicans”
sab
@Yutsano: I Just bought my blank W-2s today. I may be done with 2019 payroll tax filing by New Year’s Day. Earliest ever. This may be my last tax season. I cannot wait to retire.
danielx
@J R in WV:
Wait, back up – shape changer cats?
anarchoRex
A truly small-d democratic Democrat presidential primary would be all-primaries (no more caucuses), be all open/semi-open, and would be based in vote totals rather than delegates.
And fucking Iowa and NH wouldn’t get to go first either.
NotMax
@Barbara
First thing which comes to mind isn’t Franklin Pierce?
Patricia Kayden
sab
@NotMax: Thank you. My little sister is planning to retire to NH. I will remember that line
ETA: you know you are old when your much younger little sister has retirement plans firmed up.
Omnes Omnibus
@anarchoRex: Democrat?
mrmoshpotato
@Patricia Kayden: LMAO
sab
@danielx: I thought he was referring to a book I had read. Then I Googled it. It’s almost a genre.
anarchoRex
@Omnes Omnibus: not sure what your question is but I mean the Democratic party if that’s what you’re asking.
SectionH
@?BillinGlendaleCA: NO OPEN PRIMARIES! Yes, all caps deliberate. While we actually were at home for 6 whole days, I got through a lot of paper mail, including the OTT big card saying “yes we know you’re a permanent mail voter, but let us make sure you know the CA primary isn’t Open?”
OMG, I love my adopted state.
Yutsano
@sab: I understand the why, but the tax burdens on truly small businesses are ridiculous. Nevertheless, you’re investing in the future of your employees even if that seems small right now. Good job keeping your head above water and even better going into retirement knowing you did things right.
Yutsano
Vert der ferk? Der sitee goon de bork de bork de bork!
sab
@Yutsano: When I started out, talking to clients, our job was to keep them clean. “You can’t do that! You will get caught!” Then, as IRS funding got cut, it was “I won’t sign that. You will probably get away with that, but I have a reputation and other clients to protect.” Lately, it had been ” You can’t do that. You will probably get away with it. But I don’t want to be on the downside if you get caught ( that is unlikely, but possible.)
Disheartening and boring. What is the point? I am a Warren Democrat. Capitalist all the way, but there should be enforced rules. Lately, we are China. You can mostly do anything. If eventually we decide we don’t like what you did, we will shoot you dead.
How is anyone happy with that as a system to live by.
Amir Khalid
@anarchoRex:
Referring to the Democratic party or something associated with it as “Democrat” where the normal usage is “Democratic” is a petty Republican tactic intended to tick Democrats off. Around here it’s considered an R troll move.
sab
@Yutsano: I used to have employees. Lately, it’s just my Dad’s caretakers. The usual is to make them subcontractors and give them 1099s. I know these people. They are wonderful caretakers, but idiots on taxes. So I do the whole withholding thing so that they won’t get buried with social security taxes.
This shouldn’t be optional. I should be nailed to the wall if I don’t pay these peoples payroll taxes. Jeez. My mom worried about this in 1965. Why is this even an issue?
[
anarchoRex
@Amir Khalid: Jesus, what a thing to waste your time being pissed about
Amir Khalid
@anarchoRex:
There are Republicans who do think Democrats are that petty.
SectionH
@opiejeanne: No legit routes to Mexico are blocked by weather. I mean srsly. There’s a backup at Otay Mesa Northbound… doh. Per current obvious Google. But yeah, whatever nonsense about icy roads in SD, just No. It has been raining… YES!!
We flew back to LEX at a cruelly early hour yesterday, and apparently avoided an Amazing amount of rain at home. It was chilly and rainy the week we were home, and I’m not complaining – I LOVE LOVE all the rain we can get. I mean, there were 2 years in a row where we got barely 2″ a YEAR, which is < Phoenix. The piles of dead trees in Balboa Park still break my heart. Yeah, I know, but damn. So Rain, yeah!
anarchoRex
@Amir Khalid: apparently it works on Omnes
Sister Golden Bear
What was supposed to be a leisurely drive from the Bay Area down to Paso Robles, took twice as long as usual thanks to the Grapevine, in the mountains just north of LA, is still closed after yesterday’s snowstorm, and so lots of people were having to take 101 as an alternative.*
The plus side is I took some scenic alternate routes on the way down, which did take a bit longer, but beat sitting in stop and go traffic. Still, five hours the road is pretty tiring. Hoping tomorrow’s drive to LA will be better.
On the plus side, although online tickets had sold out, I was able to get a walk-in ticket to “Field of Light,” which was absolutely magical. 58,000 solar-powered lights covering 15 acres of rolling hills. It’s been extended to the end of June and well worth a visit if you’re in Paso Robles.
——
*For non-Californians, the 5 and 101 freeways are the two major routes between SoCal and NorCal, and having one of them closed is a BFD.
Amir Khalid
@anarchoRex:
He’s not being petty. It’s a Republican tactic, like I said.
sab
@anarchoRex:Democrat v Democratic ( adjective.) It pisses me off every time I see it. It also signals me about any particular reporter’s political leanings. Useful, that is.
Sister Golden Bear
@?BillinGlendaleCA: The 101 is open, but northbound is a parking lot from what I saw on the news.
Southbound from the Bay Area was pretty bad. It’s not helping that long stretches from King City south are being widened (yay!) but with the construction they’re currently one lane each way.
anarchoRex
@sab:
pretty sure it says more about you than meETA: sorry, on second reading I don’t think your comment was directed at me, apologies
sab
@Sister Golden Bear: Couple of weeks ago had my first holiday with with my newly transgender niece, formerly nephew. She is still the sweet person she always has been. Very odd to call her “her” since I have known her for 30 odd years, but habit aside, it does feel more right. Lots of things about her that never felt right now do feel right. Siblings are all onboard. Parents and step-parents not so much.
Any advice?
anarchoRex
@sab: sounds like you’re on the right path.
sab
@anarchoRex: Naw. It is about you, and your need to be annoying. Go at it, if that is what you need to do in life.
I am now officially confused about you.
@anarchoRex:Luddite here. Can’t do fancy crossouts. We are okay?
Ruckus
@Kent:
Who else but old rich geezers would want to vote for Bloomberg anyway?
Ruckus
@sab:
I cannot wait to retire.
I say this to myself most every day when I wake up to the alarm. Right after “Oh Fuck, work – again.”
Sister Golden Bear
@sab: I expect you’ll see your niece continue to blossom, and thank you for being supportive.
As far as the parents and step-parents, it’s a little help provide advice without knowing why they object to her transition — other than continue being supportive and let the parents you’re being supportive. It may or may not be appropriate to make the point that it’s better to have a live daughter than a dead son.
anarchoRex
@sab: i am If you are
sab
@Sister Golden Bear: Live daughter dead son is my point.
My sister is supportive, but her husband and her ex and her Korean stepson-in-law are not. Kind of being utter assholes. Turkeyday was tense. Lots of Asian male patriarrchy going on. Nephew/niece on same level as rude son-in-law.
I normally support my sister being into the Asian culture thing, but they do have the highest suicide rates in the developed world for confused or unhappy adolescents. I am 65 years old, having lots of gay and transgender friends since high school. She has no phucking idea about the risks she is running backing the traditional males. She is seriously angry at me for saying so.
Families being familes, we will probably get over this.
SectionH
. Too fucking tired.
sab
@anarchoRex: I am. I never understood what the issue was. Apparently there wasn’t one, just misunderstanding. Also I attacked you first. Sorry. I was wrong.
Sister Golden Bear
@sab: Both the patriarchal aspects and the family honor aspects of Korean culture (i.e. actions of one affect the honor of all) — and the high percentage of Korean-Americans being conservative Christmas (dunno if that applies in this case) — are definitely gonna make things harder. Especially if your niece was the oldest child, which carries extra burdens.
If it comes down to it, the important thing is protect your niece, even if that means cutting ties (hopefully temporarily). As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s a reason why the LGBTQ communities talk about “families of choice.”
sab
@Sister Golden Bear: Son in law is Korean, but father and stepfather are Chinese. His/her Chinese born now American aunt had a transgender English1 teacher as a foreign language teacher back in the day 30 years ago. Aunt said, re transgender teacher ” that’s perfectly normal. Chinese mythology is full of transgenders.” I think it is just a male thing.
sab
@Sister Golden Bear: She has supportive siblings on the other side of the continent from parents. I think she will be okay.
anarchoRex
@sab: it happens. It’s my bad too, my firsts instinct was to go into a defensive crouch, which didn’t help. Anyway, happy holidays!
sab
@anarchoRex: Same to you. My holidays okay so far. Very much hope yours are and will continue to be so.
opiejeanne
@Yutsano: Did your power go out?
J R in WV
@mrmoshpotato:
How ’bout “Now I’m [Not Literally] too stuffed to go to bed”? then.
J R in WV
@danielx:
Yeah, like werewolves, but some of them turn into cats, any size from giant panther to big Maine Coon… pretty interesting, no politics, magical world w no guns. Self-published on Amazon, written by a young woman from Scotland. No serious thinking needed.
Villago Delenda Est
The MSM’s inherent GOP bias is obvious to anyone who isn’t a Rethug.