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You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2020 / Election Day in WV

Election Day in WV

by John Cole|  June 9, 20201:15 pm| 123 Comments

This post is in: Election 2020

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It was very nice to vote for a number of EXCELLENT Democrats today, including, of course, Biden, gubernatorial candidate Stephen Smith, Isaac Sponaugale, and many, many others.

I always like voting, but it is so much better when you are voting for people you LIKE as opposed to voting for someone because the Republican is a fucking monster.

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Previous Post: « ‘Things We Cannot Have’ Open Thread: Bill ‘Ever Lower’ Barr Hears A Bus Rumbling Up
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Reader Interactions

123Comments

  1. 1.

    Achrachno

    June 9, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    Simply voting against monsters is still a worth while activity.

  2. 2.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    June 9, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    I can apply for my Illinois absentee ballot starting August 5. We have it marked on the calendar. We always early voted in Iowa. We wanted to be sure we weren’t stopped by illness or two feet of snow in November. With the pandemic, there’s even more reason to vote by mail now.

  3. 3.

    LuciaMia

    June 9, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Maryland was June 2. Mailin ballot for anyone that requests one.

    Heard some stories of difficulties in Georgia today.

  4. 4.

    Benw

    June 9, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    Off topic: Particles for Justice and several other groups are organizing an academic strike for black lives tomorrow: https://www.particlesforjustice.org
    Currently over 3k scientists have pledged to strike. It’s open to anyone in academia to join the strike. Join us!

  5. 5.

    Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)

    June 9, 2020 at 1:46 pm

    Congratulations.  All we have to do now is keep our heads down and plow ahead.  We can take the presidency and the Senate.  I’m feeling hopeful these last weeks.  It seems like white people–some of us anyway–are at last waking up to what’s going on here.  It’s now up to us to keep moving ahead.  With enough work and a little luck, we could end up with a presidency and Congress like the ones that came into office in 1933.

  6. 6.

    germy

    June 9, 2020 at 1:47 pm

    Things were not smooth in Georgia.

    https://www.ajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/polls-open-and-voters-line-for-georgia-primary/RDkUA0eKfnge6xuWT3YwiJ/

  7. 7.

    wvblueguy

    June 9, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    I had the pleasure of voting of voting for all of the same in the WV Democratic Primary today,  It was a great thing to vote on a machine that worked flawlessly.  I also was thankful for all of the poll workers at my Precinct today.  We may be considered a Red State here in West Virginia but at least it is easy to vote here whether on an Absentee Ballot, Early Voting or in a well organized Precinct.

  8. 8.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    OT:

    The “Squad” is apparently going to vote against the Democrats Crime Reform Bill because it doesn’t “Defund the Police”.

    How are they not our Green Tea Party?

    Also BS and AOC have endorsed a “progressive” instead of endorsing Amy McGrath for the Kentucky Senate primary.

  9. 9.

    Barbara

    June 9, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:
    1. There are many fewer of them. The extent to which the Tea Party was able to get people elected basically made it impossible for the Republican House majority to pass anything.

    2. Efforts by the squad or the groups that support them to “primary people from the left” have been mostly unsuccessful, with success limited to AOC herself and more recently the Democratic candidate opposing Dan Lipinski for a Democratic house seat representing one of the Chicago districts.

    I worry about a lot of things but this isn’t one of them.

    Regarding Amy McGrath, I have no idea why they would do this but I seriously doubt it matters.

  10. 10.

    laura

    June 9, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    @germy: Things have been carefully crafted to ensure that voting is not going smoothly in Georgia. Shuttering polling places, lack of adequate resources such as provisional ballots, failure to train poll workers, sketchy machinery and lines so long only the most dedicated of voters will be giving a chance to exercise A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO VOTE. This is Brian Kemp’s wettest dream. This will not likely trouble Chief Justice John Roberts who declared racism to be over and thus the justification for gutting the Voter Rights Act. This is your modern day Republican Party.

  11. 11.

    trollhattan

    June 9, 2020 at 1:57 pm

    Speaking of coal country.

    Britain is about to pass a significant landmark – at midnight on Wednesday it will have gone two full months without burning coal to generate power.

    A decade ago about 40% of the country’s electricity came from coal; coronavirus is part of the story, but far from all.

    When Britain went into lockdown, electricity demand plummeted; the National Grid responded by taking power plants off the network.

    The four remaining coal-fired plants were among the first to be shut down.

    The last coal generator came off the system at midnight on 9 April. No coal has been burnt for electricity since.

    The current coal-free period smashes the previous record of 18 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes which was set in June last year.

  12. 12.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    @Barbara: They cost us some states in 2016. We ignore them at our own peril. The R party’s hostile takeover by Russians is complete.  They are planning to do so with the Ds. For now their plans have been foiled but vigilance is not unwarranted.

    Garry Kasparov

    W Bush, Romney, and Mattis, all coming forward in recent days. Evangelicals and independents disapproving of Trump in record numbers. Trump’s only hope now is the American radical left!

  13. 13.

    Barbara

    June 9, 2020 at 2:08 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I am not ignoring anybody.  I am stating the facts, and the most salient fact is that the Tea Party embodies the mainstream of the Republican Party in that it expresses the views of at least a plurality of its members.  The same cannot be said for Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez, et al.  And no, I don’t actually think they cost us states in 2016.  I think misogyny and some related events did that.

    ETA:  Re Kasparov, sorry, that’s not enough to make me lose sleep, just as I don’t think Mattis or Romney are going to help Democrats in the long run.

  14. 14.

    raven

    June 9, 2020 at 2:09 pm

    @laura:  We voted a couple of hours ago. There haven’t been any problems reported in Athens but Atlanta has had some.

  15. 15.

    Catherine D.

    June 9, 2020 at 2:12 pm

    I’ve got my absentee ballot for the NY primary. We have a ton of candidates for state assembly, and I’m still sifting through them ?

  16. 16.

    White & Gold Purgatorian

    June 9, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    @Barbara:
    Regarding Amy McGrath, I have no idea why they would do this but I seriously doubt it matters.

    Not saying this is what motivated BS or AOC, but their opposition will probably help McGrath in the general election, and will make no difference in the Democratic primary.

  17. 17.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    The only point I am making is that the leftist fringe of D party is helping Rs like they did in 2016.  FWIW I don’t think it will work in 2020.

    25% of the BS or bust voters voted either for Jill Stein or the Orange One in November of 2016 and they definitely were a factor in HRC’s loss along with misogyny that you have pointed out.

    I also agree with what you said about Mattis and Romney about helping Ds. But their conversion signals a change in the zeitgeist.

  18. 18.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I can apply for my Illinois absentee ballot starting August 5. 

    Have you not done vote by mail before?  I’ve been voting by mail since the 2018 primary and didn’t need to reapply to have a ballot mailed to me for future elections.

  19. 19.

    Villago Delenda Est

    June 9, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    There are so few non-monster Rethuglicans nowadays.  See Oregon, where the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate is a certified QAnon loon.

  20. 20.

    Betty Cracker

    June 9, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    @White & Gold Purgatorian: True — it probably helps, if anything. I think at least a couple of Dems are opposing McGrath in the primary, and the one AOC is backing is a liberal M4A proponent, so I assume she supports him because they align on policy. I don’t understand why that’s a bad thing. Primaries are for sorting this shit out. That’s the way it’s supposed to work!

  21. 21.

    Jinchi

    June 9, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    @Barbara: Regarding Amy McGrath, I have no idea why they would do this but I seriously doubt it matters.

    Agreed, and I don’t really understand the complaint. Most politicians endorse like-minded candidates. That certainly happened during the presidential primary and so what? McGrath isn’t even an incumbent, so it’s not like they’re threatening a safe seat. It’s a primary, that’s where differences within the party get sorted out.

  22. 22.

    Marcopolo

    June 9, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Not a resident of KY but I do think it is interesting that the Lexington, KY newspaper also endorsed someone other than McGrath. As there were two progressive alternatives to McGrath I don’t know if this is the person AOC and BS endorsed.

    Kentucky is lucky to have a strong slate of candidates in the Democratic primary vying to take on the Senate Majority Leader in the November election. As they have shown in debates and in Zoom interviews with our editorial board, any one of them, state Rep. Charles Booker, Mike Broihier or Amy McGrath, is qualified and ready to serve. But because now is the time for bold and brave ideas, we endorse Charles Booker in the primary.

    Just because McGrath is the darling of a lot of folks who are online and has raised dump trucks full of cash doesn’t mean she’s the best candidate.  She’s had a number of missteps, including saying she would have voted for Kavanaugh’s SC nomination before retracting that opinion under massive criticism.

    All that being said, she is probably the favorite to win the primary & may be the most electable of the three in KY.

  23. 23.

    Jinchi

    June 9, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: 25% of the BS or bust voters …..

    Jesus, are we going to start the Sanders wars all over again.

  24. 24.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    The “Squad” is apparently going to vote against the Democrats Crime Reform Bill because it doesn’t “Defund the Police”.

    I’ve said it before.  I’ll say it again.

    Fucking children.

    Also, as Bob Cesca (and I’m sure others) has said – if you need to explain a slogan, it’s useless.

    Soooooo “Defund The Police” doesn’t actually mean destroy police departments around the country by not funding them?  It means “retrain the police” or “demilitarize the police”?  Interesting.  Your messaging is shit.

  25. 25.

    VeniceRiley

    June 9, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    I’m so glad California moved our primary to March.  Can you imagine what a disaster it would be if there were still that many outstanding delegates to be won?

  26. 26.

    germy

    June 9, 2020 at 2:37 pm

    BREAKING NEWS: Voters outraged because they can’t vote. @cbs46

    Voting machines are down & systems aren’t working all over #Atlanta

    Some people have left the polls because the line has NOT moved since 6 A.M. pic.twitter.com/QfJ8fxz5TQ

    — Barmel Lyons CBS46 (@BarmelLyonsTV) June 9, 2020

  27. 27.

    germy

    June 9, 2020 at 2:38 pm

    @Marcopolo:  Charles Booker is a good man.  But it’s up to the voters do decide if they want him.  I don’t live in that state.

  28. 28.

    germy

    June 9, 2020 at 2:39 pm

    @Betty Cracker:  Booker got an endorsement from the flight attendants’ union.

  29. 29.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    June 9, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    No. We moved here in July 2018 and since then, we’ve early voted but not by mail.

  30. 30.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 2:44 pm

    @Marcopolo: I think so.

  31. 31.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 2:45 pm

    @Catherine D.:

    I’ve got my absentee ballot for the NY primary. We have a ton of candidates for state assembly, and I’m still sifting through them ? 

    You can take your time. That’s the great thing about absentee ballots/vote by mail. :)

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: I have never done vote by mail in IL.  Are you saying that once you do that for one election, they AUTOMATICALLY mail you a vote by mail ballot for all future elections?

  33. 33.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 2:51 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Did you vote by mail in the 2018 general?

  34. 34.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 9, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    @LuciaMia: I heard the same, so went to my polling place with some trepidation, but it turned out to be as simple and problem-free as can be. I think it has a lot to do with the county. I’m in Gwinnett and have never had a problem, but in the past I’ve done poll-watching in Gwinnett, Fulton, and DeKalb. The latter two have always been a mess, and I assume they are again today.

  35. 35.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 2:53 pm

    • Biden is on track to win the nomination and lo and behold we get a story pushed by BS surrogates about a woman who has written paeans to Putin emerges to  say that Biden assaulted her
    • Amy McGrath is narrowly leading in the polls over the Senatortoise so of course next thing one hears is AOC and BS endorsing someone else.
    • Black Lives Matter gets unprecedented response so off we go on a tangent of a slogan that needs to be qualified and explained and which reduces a social justice issue to economics.

    But I am sure its all a coincidence, nothing to see here.

    BTW Putin helped the tribune of the masses this time around too.

  36. 36.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 2:56 pm

    Got my mail in the ballot for early voting and then hand delivered it to the Town clerk, practice for the fall primaries and November.

  37. 37.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 3:01 pm

    Amy McGrath will probably be like the second coming of Joe Manchin if she wins but she will be head and shoulders above Moscow Mitch.

  38. 38.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2020 at 3:01 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: How much do you want to bet that Pelosi has okayed their vote?  People on the right and left edges of the Party  and people in marginal seats get passes on all kinds of votes.  They need to be there when they need to be there.

  39. 39.

    Villago Delenda Est

    June 9, 2020 at 3:02 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: The key thing is she won’t be Moscow Mitch.

  40. 40.

    Barbara

    June 9, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    @germy: In other words, working exactly as planned.  No, John Roberts, there is no racism.  Of course, holding that view is helped immeasurably if you can’t actually see any black people.

  41. 41.

    Ruckus

    June 9, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    For now their plans have been foiled but vigilance is not unwarranted.

    Vigilance is never unwarranted. This is a country of citizens. It is supposed to be a country of citizens. Not obedient servants.

    Citizens are vigilant, it’s part of the program. Or it should be. Lack of vigilance is what always gets a democracy in trouble, because that democracy is made up of humans. And no human is perfect. Boy are  they not perfect. (myself absolutely included) Which is why vigilance is always required. Some of the humans are far, far less than perfect. As our political party now supposed to be in charge is proving on a minute by minute basis.

  42. 42.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    @WaterGirl: It’s been my experience that you’re automatically mailed a ballot.

    I’m fighting with a PDF on the IL SoS site to get a more concrete answer.

  43. 43.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    June 9, 2020 at 3:05 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    No. We went to a physical early voting location and voted there.

  44. 44.

    MisterForkbeard

    June 9, 2020 at 3:05 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Amy McGrath will win the primary, so I’m not too concerned about them pushing for a progressive there. That’s fine.

    I am more annoyed about saying they’ll vote against the crime reform bill. That’s not needed, and they should follow AOC’s own advice and listen to other people about it.

    ETA: I had not considered that Pelosi might have okayed this. That’s possible. And it’s helpful to have your own partisans pushing in order to not water down the bill too much. But if AOC actually said ‘this needs to defund the police’ then I’m extremely annoyed with her, because “defund” is a really dumb way to phrase that entirely reasonable approach.

  45. 45.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: Tlaib and Omar both have credible primary challengers IIRC.

  46. 46.

    debbie

    June 9, 2020 at 3:07 pm

    I just heard reporting about Trump’s tweet that the 75-year-old man shoved to the ground by Buffalo police was faking the fall (and the cracked-open head and the bleeding from his ear, I guess). There really is no bottom to this monster.

  47. 47.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 3:10 pm

    From the immigration lawyers I follow, they are hearing the following rumors

    1. Orange will stop people on long term temporary work visas to return to the United States (J, H1-B and O visas)

    2. The anti-immigration zealots that abound in this regime want to get rid of the F-1 OPT program which allows international students to work in the United States for 1-3 years.

    =============

    3. USCIS is not letting people who have completed all formalities for their citizenship application including the interview to become citizens by holding up the citizenship oath ceremony due to COVID concerns, supposedly.

  48. 48.

    germy

    June 9, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    @debbie:  He got the idea from reading (or probably watching) the OANN network.

  49. 49.

    MisterForkbeard

    June 9, 2020 at 3:12 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Oh? I’d heard that for Omar.

    Omar in particular probably justifies getting primaried. She’s been single-handedly responsible for numerous anti-Democratic news cycles and while the first few were explainable she just keeps doing it.

    Tlaib’s primary offense (to me anyway) is that she likes to piss inside the tent. That thing about leading boos of Hillary was not okay. But she’s been a generally fine rep, so far as I remember.

  50. 50.

    Ruckus

    June 9, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Two key things. She won’t be moscow mitch and she won’t have his seniority/position as majority leader.

  51. 51.

    MisterForkbeard

    June 9, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I suppose people aren’t leaving the US right now so there’s a fairly limited impact, but: I am extremely unsurprised by this.

    Biden has so much to fix in January.

  52. 52.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: Its a black council woman IIRC.

  53. 53.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 3:15 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: This will impact people who are traveling, sometimes you have to renew your visa. You have to go back to your country of origin. Prior to 9-11 you could go to Canada or Mexico to do it.

  54. 54.

    MisterForkbeard

    June 9, 2020 at 3:15 pm

    @Ruckus: Daily Kos used to have a motto of “More and better Democrats”, which I really enjoyed. When you look at our system, voting for a Democrat is a basic good.

    Replacing Mitch McConnell with ANY Democrat would be a huge step up. We can also primary bad democrats, but the Dems we have are almost all pretty good. And even the wankier ones like Sinema are reasonable people that usually vote for Dem priorities.

    @schrodingers_cat: Yeah. I’ve got some people like who are working for me, and they need to go back to Manila or India every so often. We carve out large vacations for them to do so.

    If they do this now, it’ll still be less of an impact than normal just due to the fact that very few people are travelling internationally, but it’ll still hurt. If it didn’t hurt, the Trump Admin wouldn’t do it. Hurting brown people is the point.

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    June 9, 2020 at 3:18 pm

    Also, at least temporally, I have internet access. The last couple of days it has been “spotty” at best. On the phone with the troubleshooter yesterday, I ran three separate speed tests and they varied by 400%. Plus anything of any size kills the signal. Fun times when you are stuck at home….

  56. 56.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 3:19 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: Hurting people is the bonus but undermining US credibility is the long term goal for Putin.

  57. 57.

    Gvg

    June 9, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    @WaterGirl: it varies by state. The law usually says specifically.

  58. 58.

    StringOnAStick

    June 9, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    Here in CO there are signature collectors in front of my local grocery store.  The first one she tried to get me to sign was a law to reduce income taxes, the next was an abortion ban at 22 weeks.  I told her no; she had 4 others and they were all right wing crap.

    this state already suffers from TABOR, the tax payers bill of rights championed by a libertarian loon who later went to prison for tax fraud.  It limits the %increase in annual taxes, based on the prior year’s amount collected, so post recession it absolutely hamstrings spending and has kept our school funding low and in a perpetual state of not being able to catch up with population growth.  It’s a huge thing I will not miss once we move out of this state next year, that and the garden flattening hail.

  59. 59.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 3:24 pm

    @WaterGirl: Well that PDF was useless!

    I can check if I’m still registered for vote-by-mail on August 5th.  (I have no reason to think I’m not.)

  60. 60.

    Feathers

    June 9, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    Meh on the not voting for the defund. Pelosi is listening to the Black Causus and doing what they want, which often diverges from what the left and black left want.

    It really means Pelosi gets it both ways. There is a reasonable crime bill which the Rs in the Senate won’t vote for. There is also a group of young Dems saying vote for more progressives because we need to do better.

  61. 61.

    Ruckus

    June 9, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    If it didn’t hurt, the Trump Admin wouldn’t do it. Hurting brown people is the point.

    At least they have an ethos. Shittiest ethos on the block, for the shittiest reasons, but there is no question that they own it. Real humans can use that to marginalize them for a long time. We will never get rid of bigotry in the world, once again that human thing, but we can marginalize it far better than really never has been done in this country before. The last 30-40 yrs has shown us that putting the hate out in the open, showing that it isn’t in any way true or useful to existence. That’s a step that was necessary. The next step is to take that to it’s end and that is what gave shitforbrains his “power,” he’s their last, and worst, example of their ignorance, and showing that has given democracy a pivot point to reclaim itself from those who want to rename slavery so they can profit from it. They wanted to rename it America and we are not letting them.

  62. 62.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    @debbie: Nope.  If he was asked if had no sense of decency, I would half expect a reply of “Are you a moron? Have you seen the shit I’ve done in the past 5 years?”

  63. 63.

    Sure Lurkalot

    June 9, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    Colorado instituted vote by mail in 2013.  You don’t even have to use postage as there are lock boxes all over town and other collection points. There’s also Ballot Trace, so you know when your ballot has been mailed and received for counting. Finally, I received a postcard last week verifying my active status as a registered voter for the upcoming primary election occurring at the end of the month.

    Our participation rate, while still sad, is better than a lot of the country.

    All this explains why fatass rails against unfettered access to the polls.

  64. 64.

    Villago Delenda Est

    June 9, 2020 at 3:33 pm

    @Ruckus: Prezactly.

  65. 65.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 3:33 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Daily Kos used to have a motto of “More and better Democrats”

    It’s kind of like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  Even a crappy Democrat is better than a Republican.  If crappy is the best we can do, then more is way better than nothing.  Obviously we want better Democrats, but you can’t always get what you want.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: I’m thinking we need to either FIND or build a list of all 50 states – what date can you first request mail in ballots, when’s the last date to request mail in ballots, etc.

  67. 67.

    jeffreyw

    June 9, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    @Ruckus:

    My DSL router suddenly lost the 2.4 Ghz radio and all my smart plugs and switches crapped out.  I pissed and moaned with tech support for new modem and they finally agreed to send me one.  While waiting for it we lost internet service for a day.  When it came back on the radio did, too.  So I got a new modem out of it but I do not want to redo all the logins and passwords so I’m just going to keep it as a spare.

  68. 68.

    Amir Khalid

    June 9, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I am surprised to ear that The Squad wants to defund local police departments. I also find it implausible. As I understand, local PDs are primarily funded by local governments; the US Federal Government provides them only supplemental support. The federal government cannot defund state and local agencies it does not fund in the first place. Nor, as far as I know, can Congress direct a city to defund its police.

  69. 69.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    @WaterGirl: Sounds like someone’s offering to visit 50 SoS website and whatever DC’s equivalent is. ?

  70. 70.

    hilts

    June 9, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    Christianity, Trump style: “Jesus was a loser. A failed carpenter. He’s a savior because he was crucified. I like people that weren’t crucified.”

    @JimCarrey

     

    https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/1011056459319336961/photo/1

    Via https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/jim-carrey-donald-trump-blasphemer-in-chief-170236769.html

     

     

     

  71. 71.

    Shalimar

    June 9, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    @Marcopolo: Booker is the candidate BS and AOC endorsed, and he’s a good candidate.  If I lived in Kentucky, I would vote for McGrath because I think she has a better chance of unseating McConnell, but there is nothing wrong with Booker, and primaries are the time to fight these ideological battles.  I will be stunned if BS and AOC don’t endorse McGrath for the general if/when she wins.

  72. 72.

    debbie

    June 9, 2020 at 3:48 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    I think there are approximately eleventy billion interpretations of “defunding the police.” And this doesn’t  include the one distorted interpretation being pimped around by Trump and the GOP.

  73. 73.

    Baud

    June 9, 2020 at 3:48 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Voting info: 50 states.

    Note:  I have not verified this website.

    ETA:

    Another website: https://www.vote.org/absentee-voting-rules/

  74. 74.

    Shalimar

    June 9, 2020 at 3:49 pm

    @hilts: “I watched that video.  Are we even sure he was crucified?  Maybe someone paid him to slip and fall onto the cross to frame the Romans.  I’m not saying that, but people told me it might be true.”

  75. 75.

    Ruckus

    June 9, 2020 at 3:51 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    Mine is hit or miss and about half the speed I’m paying for. It was spot on fast prior to the current mess and they sent me a new wireless which solved the problem for about 15 minutes, which means it wasn’t the problem in the first place. When they test from their end it shows full speed but that’s one test. I once had a computer system for programing machine tools, with specialized software. I even went to TX for software training and it worked. At my shop it was shit. They told me it was the power, so they put a recording power meter on it for a week. Guess what, the power was perfect, the software wasn’t. They took it back and refunded my money. They were bought out shortly afterwards. What a shame.

  76. 76.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    June 9, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    Question about Senate rules: If the Senate comes out 50/50, who becomes majority leader? Or leader, I guess, since there is no majority. Does it boil down to the VP’s tiebreaking vote?

  77. 77.

    MisterForkbeard

    June 9, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    @WaterGirl: Exactly. And realizing that when we say ‘crappy’, that’s a relative term.

    Even crappy Democrats typically support a right to choose, some union protections, environmental protections, taxing the rich, vote protection, etc. These are all good things.

    They could be a lot better. But they’ll still accomplish good things, even if just by existing to give Dems the majority. And most of the crappy ones are still reliable votes

    @Shalimar: Right. And they’re not out there saying “Amy McGrath is a corporate tool who will do nothing to help ordinary people.” They’re saying (AFAICT) “We think Booker is the best candidate for the job.”

    That’s legit during the primaries. Desirable, even.

  78. 78.

    James E Powell

    June 9, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    @Barbara:

    Regarding Amy McGrath, I have no idea why they would do this but I seriously doubt it matters.

    From the stuff I’ve been seeing on social media, the complaint is that she agrees with Trump too often.

    A poll I read today shows her up 41-40 over McConnell. Same poll had Trump 53-36 over Joe Biden. McConnell’s problems are evidently not Trump related.

    I could be totally wrong, but I doubt that KY will end up being competitive.

  79. 79.

    Baud

    June 9, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Schumer, if Biden wins, because of the Veep tiebreaker.

  80. 80.

    Baud

    June 9, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    That’s legit during the primaries. Desirable, even.

    Desirable, only if there’s no post-primary resentment.  Most times, there isn’t, and I have no reason to believe the Dem primary in KY is the exception.

  81. 81.

    James E Powell

    June 9, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Yes, the VP is the tie breaker. This happened in 2001.

  82. 82.

    Shalimar

    June 9, 2020 at 4:06 pm

    @James E Powell:  It would be a shock if Trump loses Kentucky to Biden.  On the other hand, McConnell/McGrath looks like a toss-up right now and McConnell isn’t going to do anything in the next 5 months to become more popular.

  83. 83.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 4:06 pm

    Meidas Touch – They Lie, You Die

    Holy moley is blonde Sean Spicer a lying shitstain.

  84. 84.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 9, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Also BS and AOC have endorsed a “progressive” instead of endorsing Amy McGrath for the Kentucky Senate primary.

    As much I tend to think AOC is a lot smarter than what some people give her credit for, this is a dumb move by her and Sanders. They don’t seem to understand the concept of “playing a role”. When running for office, you have to sometimes put on an act to get elected, while believing the opposite of what you campaign on. Contrary to popular wisdom, that’s not always a bad thing, because you have to get elected first before you can enact your agenda

    ETA:

    If that’s the case, then that’s fine in a primary. Just as long as they’re not trying to fatally kneecap her or anything and endorse if/when she becomes the nominee

  85. 85.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    June 9, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    @Baud:

    Hey, Baud, how are your COVID toes? Do they think you had the virus? That was weird.

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Sounds like someone’s offering to visit 50 SoS website and whatever DC’s equivalent is. ?

    Not exactly.  Someone is hoping to rope 49 people into researching the info for their state and sending me the URL for the best information they can find.  I found Illinois this afternoon.   :-)

  87. 87.

    catclub

    June 9, 2020 at 4:15 pm

    @Shalimar: McConnell/McGrath looks like a toss-up right now

     

    lots of races look like toss-ups 5 months out. Most come home to the expected result.  also, at some point polls switch from anybody, to registered voters, to likely voters.  and the number shift each change.

  88. 88.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    @Baud: Yeah, I found a couple of sites, too.  But for Illinois, they don’t tell you the date you can first request the absentee ballot, etc.  These didn’t, either.  :-(

  89. 89.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 9, 2020 at 4:17 pm

    @laura:

    How would Roberts defend what’s going on in Georgia in an opinion?

  90. 90.

    Baud

    June 9, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: The swelling is gone.  There’s some residual scabbiness that is taking a long time to go away.  I don’t know if actually I had COVID.  I tested negative for antibodies.

  91. 91.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    June 9, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    @Baud:

    I’m glad the swelling is down. I wish the antibody test was more reliable.

  92. 92.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 4:25 pm

    @WaterGirl: ?

    “Illinois Application for vote by mail ballot will be available for download on 8/5/2020.”

    Naked link!

  93. 93.

    Another Scott

    June 9, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    https://www.elections.il.gov/ElectionOperations/VotingByMail.aspx

    Information

    Voting by mail is an option for voters to cast their ballot prior to Election Day. Voters can request a vote by mail ballot through the mail or in person.

    The first day to file an application for a vote by mail ballot with the Election Authority is 8/5/2020.

    All requests by mail must be received by the Election Authority by 10/29/2020.

    All in-person early voting requests must be made by 11/2/2020.

    Additional provisions and requirements apply to
    Military and Overseas Citizens.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  94. 94.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): With a big shoulder shrug and a loud “Meh!”?

  95. 95.

    MisterForkbeard

    June 9, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    @Baud: Okay, but did your TOES test positive? I’m not sure how they give toes a nasal swab, but we have some smart scientists and I’m sure they can figure it out.

  96. 96.

    piratedan

    June 9, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): how would Roberts reply?

     

    Just look at all of those voters who weren’t disenfranchised!!!!

  97. 97.

    Shalimar

    June 9, 2020 at 4:29 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Read Shelby County.  Most likely he would quote some cherry-picked numbers showing more people vote in Georgia than ever, ignore the racial component completely, set a balancing test it would be impossible for Georgia to fail, and then declare State’s Rghts.  Roberts has done this before.  He has a long racist track record.

  98. 98.

    Baud

    June 9, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Me too. It sucks not knowing for sure.

  99. 99.

    catclub

    June 9, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    Did anyone else notice that the unemployment report that was so loudly touted by Trump – around 13%,

    was rapidly adjusted to around 16%, and that was not reported on at all?

  100. 100.

    Baud

    June 9, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    I’m not sure how they give toes a nasal swab

    You don’t want to know.  It’s not pretty.

  101. 101.

    catclub

    June 9, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    bad unemployment estimates: from Forbes, of all sources

    On Friday, I reported on the data released from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicating that 2.5 million jobs were added in May. This was followed by an enthusiastic take on how the United States may be turning the corner. Despite all of the negatives, it seemed the U.S. was seeing rays of hope. The stock market, which has shot up since the initial shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, bolted up after the report, gaining over 700 points and referred to other positive developments.

    Unfortunately, after delving into the footnotes of the numbers, it now looks like the jobs report has been inaccurate for the last two months. BLS has admitted that government household survey takers mistakenly counted about 4.9 million people as employed, although they were unemployed.

    Had the mistake been corrected, the unemployment rate would have risen to 16.1% in May. The corrected April figure would have been more than 19.5%—rather than 14.7%.

  102. 102.

    Betty Cracker

    June 9, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    When running for office, you have to sometimes put on an act to get elected, while believing the opposite of what you campaign on. Contrary to popular wisdom, that’s not always a bad thing, because you have to get elected first before you can enact your agenda

    Wait, what? I get that politicians tweak messaging for primary vs. general election audiences. They’ll frame their position on issues in different terms so as not to ruffle feathers or scare potential voters off. But if you “believe the opposite of what you campaign on,” basically, that makes you a liar who is running a fraudulent campaign.

  103. 103.

    mrmoshpotato

    June 9, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yeah Goku.  What you just described is called “lying like a rug.”

  104. 104.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    @Baud: Residual scabbiness?  How can you tell the difference?

  105. 105.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Another technique is to emphasize different issues during a primary and a general election.  It can all be there on your website; you just talk about somethings at one time and others at the other time.  Not dishonest.

  106. 106.

    Ben Cisco

    June 9, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    @WaterGirl: Here’s Alabama’s.

  107. 107.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 9, 2020 at 4:57 pm

    @catclub:

    Unfortunately, after delving into the footnotes of the numbers, it now looks like the jobs report has been inaccurate for the last two months.

    The last two months? Huh. That would be since April, right around the effects from the shutdowns would’ve been seen. What a coincidink, eh?

  108. 108.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    June 9, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Sorry that was worded poorly. That was what I meant. A candidate emphasizes other topics and tweaks the messaging to certain voters they need to win. They might appear to believe in the opposite to some

  109. 109.

    Geminid

    June 9, 2020 at 5:00 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Curious: did Ayanna Pressley say she would vote against the newly introduced policing reform bill? She has often voted differently than Omar, Tlaib, and Ocasio-Cortez.

  110. 110.

    Betty Cracker

    June 9, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    @Geminid: I was curious about that too and tried to Google it for more info. I found nothing. Maybe I just suck at Google, but you’d think a threat like that would get some media attention since the Beltway press loves a “Dems in Disarray” story. ?

  111. 111.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 5:15 pm

    @Geminid: No idea. This is a  developing story.

  112. 112.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:  @Another Scott:

    Thanks.  I apparently need to learn to speak english, though.  I have the info for illinois, but that’s how I’m judging the sites that say they have the voting info for all the states.

    If THOSE sites don’t tell me when I can request my paper ballot in IL, and other fine print, then I don’t trust them as a source for all the states.

  113. 113.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    @Ben Cisco: Two down!  Thank you.

  114. 114.

    rikyrah

    June 9, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

     

    Dorothy,

    Keep on checking. You probably will be able to apply for a Mail Ballot BEFORE August 5th, if what I’m hearing about this new voting bill is correct.

     

    Like, pretty darn soon.

  115. 115.

    Wolvesvalley

    June 9, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    Here is Pennsylvania‘s vote by mail information.

  116. 116.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    @Wolvesvalley: Three down!  thank you

  117. 117.

    tam1MI

    June 9, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: I have also heard that AOC has a well-funded primary challenger.

  118. 118.

    Betty Cracker

    June 9, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    @schrodingers_cat: Now I’m confused about the unambiguous and declarative statement you made at #8.

  119. 119.

    Mohagan

    June 9, 2020 at 6:41 pm

    @Shalimar: I saw Booker on MSNBC show last night and was impressed. I hadn’t known anyone but Amy McGrath was running as  Dem. Obviously I don’t live in KY, and whichever Dem wins will get $ from me.

  120. 120.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 8:22 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I don’t include Pressley  in the squad. She has gone her own way often enough compared to the other 3. She endorsed EW in the primaries not  BS.

  121. 121.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 9, 2020 at 8:27 pm

    @tam1MI: A woman called Caruso-Carbera. I don’t know how well she is doing in the polls.

  122. 122.

    J R in WV

    June 9, 2020 at 9:11 pm

    @Ruckus:

    Lack of vigilance is what always gets a democracy in trouble, because that democracy is made up of humans. And no human is perfect.

    Damm, boy, I thought you knew better than that!!

    I’m so perfect I voted straight Democratic in today’s Primary Election here in W Va!!!

    ;-)

    (Yes, I know, only Democrats run in the Dem primary~!!~)

    Actually, wife and I went to town last week to take care of a property tax receipt we needed for a vehicle registration renewal, and voted early on the machines at the courthouse.

    Actually across the street from the courthouse in the basement of a big church that apparently the county has taken over. I don’t live in the county seat so I’m not aware of the city events like a church being unable to maintain their building.

    Both in the courthouse and in the early voting office, everyone was required to wear masks, and lots of alcohol based hand sanitizer was available. I have plenty in the car as well. Was able to buy single-use masks at the Drug Emporium today as well.

  123. 123.

    opiejeanne

    June 9, 2020 at 9:44 pm

    @WaterGirl: Voting by mail is the way we vote in WA. You register to vote and that’s it, and there is no place to declare party affiliation.

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