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You are here: Home / Open Threads / The olds are alright…

The olds are alright…

by Betty Cracker|  October 9, 202011:05 am| 200 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity

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I’m not counting chickens because 2016. But if the shift in senior voters’ allegiance from Trump to Biden that shows up in poll after poll is real, it could be devastating not only for Trump but for the Republican Party across the board. Here’s an excerpt from a recent Axios piece on the topic:

Something wild and unexpected unfolded in the second half of President Trump’s term, and now is accelerating: Elderly Americans, who helped elect him, have swung sharply against him… National and state polls show a total Trump collapse among Americans 65 and older. If this chasm remains, it could help bring the whole Republican power structure down with Trump.

In what has been a 50-50ish nation, it’s stunning to see polling gaps this wide:

  • In a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll out Sunday, Joe Biden led Trump by 27 points among seniors (62% to 35%).
  • In a CNN/SSRS poll out yesterday, similar story — 21 points (60% to 39%).

This is a group Trump won by seven points in 2016. The same gap shows up in state polling, including the critical battlegrounds of Florida and Pennsylvania.

The conventional wisdom is that Republicans’ “let grandma die to save the economy” policy turned off seniors. That’s got to be part of it. But as the Axios article notes, Biden was up 11 points with seniors pre-COVID. Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic accelerated an existing trend.

My sense is that part of it is just Trump’s horrible personality. He’s an asshole, and he behaves inappropriately. That offends a lot of people, but maybe older voters more than most.

The Daily Beast has a report from Trump’s Florida stronghold, The Villages, where Democrats who sat back and let their wingnut peers hog the spotlight have recently started speaking out and staging their own events. Pence is scheduled to hold a rally in The Villages tomorrow, but the reception may not be as enthusiastic as it was in pre-COVID days, especially since infections are spiking in the community:

Over the past week, Sumter County has experienced some of the highest daily positivity rates in the state. On Sept. 30, the daily positivity rate was 21.86 percent. Then it dropped below 10 percent for six consecutive days. But on Oct. 7, the daily positivity rate sprang up to 15.3 percent. The daily case count jumped from just 14 on Tuesday to 98 on Wednesday.

Even Republicans are spooked:

John Calandro, who recently served as president of the Sumter County Republican Executive Committee, said the Pence visit would take place with adequate precautions—even as he nodded to the anxiety in the area.

“I know things will be fairly socially distant,” he told The Daily Beast on Thursday, adding that he was on his way to examine the event setup. The Trump campaign was taking the lead in planning the event, he said.

“I certainly don’t think any of us will get real close to him,” he added of Pence, laughing.

Democrats in The Villages are more adamant:

On Wednesday, ahead of the VP debate, face-covered Villagers in 400 golf carts decked out in Biden-Harris signs participated in a caravan to deliver mail-in ballots to the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections, Stanley, the Democratic club president, recalled. “People are revved up, man,” she said. “They are excited.”

But Robin Viger, a volunteer with the Villages Democratic Club who knows a family of three who came down with the disease, was more focused on the immediate danger of the vice president coming to town than electoral prospects.

“I’m opposed,” she said. “I don’t want him here. I don’t want the virus.”

Trump is aware of the danger, which is why he posted a bizarre video yesterday in which he copped to being a senior himself while coquettishly adding that “nobody knows that.” He called seniors “MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD” and ranted for two and a half minutes about all the good FREE drugs coming their way — the exact same drugs he received at Walter Reed. He looked and sounded like a shady, spray-tanned used car salesman. I don’t think anyone who’s not already in the cult will be fooled.

Anyway, let’s hope this shift is for real. Open thread.

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Reader Interactions

200Comments

  1. 1.

    debbie

    October 9, 2020 at 11:08 am

    I hate to be sucker-punched again, but I have to say early in-person voting turnout here has totally surprised everyone. I am taking that as a hopeful sign.

  2. 2.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 11:09 am

    I think the shift is real.  I just hope it’s permanent, especially as the Dem majority starts trying to deal with the complexities of actual governance.

  3. 3.

    Belafon

    October 9, 2020 at 11:12 am

    Because I’m at work, I can’t get to the embed information for this tweet, but it fits here:

    Inbox, and this is real: Biden for President to Host Boomers for Biden Rock n’ Doo-Wop Party

    https://twitter.com/sarahmucha/status/1314576692640321536

  4. 4.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 11:13 am

    Trump is aware of the danger, which is why he posted a bizarre video yesterday in which he copped to being a senior himself while coquettishly adding that “nobody knows that.”

    Didn’t he also say he recovered from COVID because he was young? Not that I don’t expect him to speak from both sides of his ugly mouth.

  5. 5.

    Dopey-o

    October 9, 2020 at 11:13 am

    The best boss I ever had retired to The Villages. I have no idea if he is safe.
    Curious that pence cut short a trip to arizona to save the red senate seat there. Coincides with Pelosi’s commission to discuss Amendment 25.

  6. 6.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 11:14 am

    FWIW, as much as I welcome news like this, it along brings to mind the bullshit of 2016 that landed us here in the first place. I know we can only move forward. At the same time, never forget.

  7. 7.

    tokyokie

    October 9, 2020 at 11:20 am

    I think my best friend’s mom may live at the Villages. But I can assure you that she’s been voting against Republicans since long before she was 65. And as a Holocaust survivor, I’m sure she especially loathes fatass.

  8. 8.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 11:20 am

    There’s nothing like having a president whose incompetence could directly lead to your death from COVID-19 to focus the mind, though I’m glad many were on board with Biden before the pandemic.

    I posted on a dead thread last night that I now have a publisher for my first book, a linked short story collection.  It’s been a long process (many years) with twists and turns: finding an agent, having that agent drop me abruptly because she wasn’t sure my book would sell, finding another agent, writing more stories at her request, going on submission to publishers and now I have a book deal.  It will be published by Amistad, an imprint of Harper Collins, hopefully next year, maybe Spring 2022 (depends on the edits requested, etc.).  I am so excited.  I found out yesterday morning and I could barely sit through my work meetings.  I did get it together to teach my evening class.

  9. 9.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 11:21 am

    He called seniors “MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD” and ranted for two and a half minutes about all the good FREE drugs coming their way — the exact same drugs he received at Walter Reed. He looked and sounded like a shady, spray-tanned used car salesman. I don’t think anyone who’s not already in the cult will be fooled.

    REGENERON! pic.twitter.com/x3PZt0onIr— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 8, 2020

  10. 10.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 11:22 am

    @Felanius Kootea:

    Congratulations!  From what I understand, a short story collection is the hardest thing to sell.  I don’t know why, because often I’d rather read a collection of short fiction rather than an entire novel.

  11. 11.

    leeleeFL

    October 9, 2020 at 11:24 am

    @Baud: Wrong area of anatomy.  He has only talked out his butt for years.  Just sayin’!

  12. 12.

    Betty Cracker

    October 9, 2020 at 11:25 am

    @germy: Haha! That’s a good one from LP. Amazing that it’s not a front page story that Trump is hawking an experimental (and unavailable) drug as a cure-all to millions of people, but after the bleach, oleander, hydroxy, etc., it’s dog bites man, I guess.

  13. 13.

    DCrefugee

    October 9, 2020 at 11:25 am

    The shift seems to be real, and is helping put Florida into play. But some people are missing an obvious reason:

    Seniors see Biden as they want to see themselves: “Powerful, still very active, an attractive wife, a Corvette, well-liked by most people who aren’t nihilistic assholes and about to become president. If he can do that at *his* age, I can too. I’m not ready for the rocking chair, and neither is he.”

  14. 14.

    rk

    October 9, 2020 at 11:25 am

    Fuck these people and all republicans. Useless idiots. They always vote for the idiot white man. They’re happy when their guy kills everyone non white and screws up the young and poor. Then, when the idiot harms them, suddenly they want the democrat to save them. Biden will come in, try fix the devastation, but in two years they’ll vote for the same republicans. If the pandemic were only effecting non whites, they’d be cheering for Trump. May all republican voters and every single person who uttered the phrase “I hate both Hillary and Trump” rot in hell.

  15. 15.

    p.a.

    October 9, 2020 at 11:27 am

    Maybe the shift is due to the Fox/tRumpists ignoring the medical advice and shuffling off this mortal coil already.  Sad part is they take others along too.  “You win one funeral at a time…”

  16. 16.

    cope

    October 9, 2020 at 11:29 am

    As a card-carrying old, I quit drinking over two years ago and I love drinking what with my Scots/Irish heritage and all.  I quit in part to make sure I lived long enough to 1) vote in this coming election and 2) see certain people whom I cannot stand die.  I just want to outlive them, I don’t wish violence or tragedy on anyone (well, maybe a little), I just want to still be alive when they are mouldering in the grave.  And I consider myself a good person.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 11:29 am

    @DCrefugee:

    Seniors see Biden as they want to see themselves: “Powerful, still very active, an attractive wife, a Corvette, well-liked by most people who aren’t nihilistic assholes and about to become president.

    And cognitively sharp!

  18. 18.

    Hungry Joe

    October 9, 2020 at 11:29 am

    I, too, remain spooked by 2016 (remember “After this election the GOP will be a rump party”?), but we can power through the cognitive dissonance of being both badly spooked and wildly optimistic. When I drove with some friends to Las Vegas (from San Diego) in 2008 to canvass for Obama, we all agreed that we’d never seen anything like the political enthusiasm we were witnessing … and experiencing.

    Well, boys & girls, what’s happening now is about an order of magnitude greater. When Ms. H. Joe and I organized a flash Zoom group we call “Ex-Journos Save Democracy” with the idea of recruiting some of our former newspaper colleagues to write post cards and, later, phone bank, we were hoping to snag ten; about 30 responded, and at least 20 have participated. We’ve generated thousands of post cards, and people are on board to do more, more, MORE!

    We’re going to win. We’re going to win big.

    We can make this happen. We’re making it happen. We will have made it happen.

  19. 19.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 11:30 am

    @germy: 
    Whoever did that REGENERON ad is a freaking genius. Captures the Commodore 64/Waterbed Warehouse Columbus Day sale vibe perfectly.

  20. 20.

    Another Scott

    October 9, 2020 at 11:30 am

    Repost:

    Off all the bad polling numbers for Trump his fall among seniors is the most important. They move slowly in polling and are not real swingy once they make their mind up. Without seniors going GOP the Congressional losses could be historic downballot. Everything is in play.

    — Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) June 16, 2020

    The national press is just catching up to where Ben was in June. ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  21. 21.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 11:31 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    A nice touch was the typo in the chyron.

    Really captured the Trump team’s attention to detail.

  22. 22.

    Nicole

    October 9, 2020 at 11:32 am

    Tiger Beat on the Hudson, as Charlie Pierce refers to Politico, had an article about Trump’s collapsing support, and it went into how some of it is also related to our changing perceptions on what being older is, and how the GOP seems to still view 65+ Americans through a lens that is several decades old (which is hilarious, considering how old a lot of the GOP bigwigs are).  One thing that stuck out to me is how we all think of Archie Bunker from All in the Family as “old,” but the character was supposed to be around 46 or 47 at the start of the series. (!)

    I hope it’s a genuine sea change for the elderly, because we Gen-Xers do not seem to be helping the shift much.  Too many of us came of age during the rah-rah Reagan 80s, I think.  I never could stand him, but I grew up in a conservative area and still know a lot of peers who revere his memory. It’s weird.

    Today is my birthday (YAY!) and I am a few years older than Archie Bunker was supposed to be at the start of his show.  And I’m planning on going for a 6 mile run on this lovely day.  I hope our understanding of what aging is continues to evolve.  Getting older isn’t the most fun thing ever,  but it sure beats the alternative.  Seniors know this, and I think are realizing the GOP is not interested in helping them beat the alternative.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 9, 2020 at 11:32 am

    @Felanius Kootea:

    I’m so excited for you! Please keep us posted on all the steps from now until publication, and do let us know the minute you have a pre-order/release date. Is there a title yet, or is it still known as “Work in Progress”? Very much looking forward to reading your linked-stories novel.

  24. 24.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 11:33 am

    @trollhattan:  I wonder if Trump saw it, if he would even get the joke?

     

    “Looks like a great ad!” He’d say.  “Why can’t we do something like that?”

  25. 25.

    L85NJGT

    October 9, 2020 at 11:34 am

    There are a over a million more women than men in the age 65-69 cohort.

  26. 26.

    O. Felix Culpa

    October 9, 2020 at 11:34 am

    @Felanius Kootea: Congratulations! I am very happy for you. Please let us know when the book is published and how we can get it.

  27. 27.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 11:35 am

    @DCrefugee:

    Yeah, I’m not convinced anybody else from the Dem field of…30? would have pulled this off. Joe offers a safe bridge to a crapton of now-dissatisfied Trump voters and 2016 stay-at-homes that frankly, none of my favorite candidates would have. If it takes him to pry them away from the Republicans we can deal with the next step–making it permanent–later. We do need to mind the young and first-time voters because many of those are skeptical.

  28. 28.

    ...now I try to be amused

    October 9, 2020 at 11:35 am

    @rk: I’ve come to fear that America is too stupid to survive.

    Robert Heinlein wrote that the beginning of the end of a democracy is when the plebs figure out they can vote themselves bread and circuses — but in America they only voted for the circuses.

  29. 29.

    sherparick

    October 9, 2020 at 11:36 am

    @Baud: Trump says he recovered so fast because he is a perfect physical speciman, great genes, etc.

  30. 30.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 11:36 am

    @germy:

    Heh, maybe he’ll see it and assume his team did it. :-)

    “I want more of these!”

  31. 31.

    Betty Cracker

    October 9, 2020 at 11:37 am

    @DCrefugee: Great point. I’d never considered that angle.

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 9, 2020 at 11:38 am

    @germy:

    A nice touch was the typo in the chyron.

    Yes. That made me laugh out loud when I saw it. Well done, LP!

  33. 33.

    catclub

    October 9, 2020 at 11:39 am

    @Baud: I just hope it’s permanent,

     

    haha, in two years the  outrage on all the media will be about liberal over-reach and returning the adults to control congress. also complaints that Biden has not fixed everything, yet.

  34. 34.

    The Dangerman

    October 9, 2020 at 11:41 am

    @Baud: I thought he recovered from Covid because he’s in perfect physical shape? A total stud? More a Dud and always a Dudley DoWrong. What an asshole.

    For the curious, I survived isolation, my test this past Tuesday came back negative, and I’m part of the population that never showed obvious symptoms (other than tired, but that could easily be the heart medication)

  35. 35.

    different-church-lady

    October 9, 2020 at 11:42 am

    “But I never thought he’d try to kill my age group!” says 2016 voter for the “Kill All Age Groups Party” candidate…

  36. 36.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 11:42 am

    @Nicole: Happy birthday!

  37. 37.

    catclub

    October 9, 2020 at 11:42 am

    @Nicole: Getting older isn’t the most fun thing ever, but it sure beats the alternative.

     

    How do you know? paradise could be … paradise.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    October 9, 2020 at 11:42 am

    @Dopey-o:

    A gentleman that I know and used to work for lives in the Villages as well. Having known him for decades, and liking the fact that he has two vocal ranges, professional speaker and swearing profusely, and since retirement has worked on Alzheimers/dementia issues in a great way, I’d say the Villages do not comprise a single range of only conservative. Take Ed McGinty as well. Now it may be high percentage conservative but it’s not all.

  39. 39.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 9, 2020 at 11:43 am

    @Nicole:

    Happy birthday! Enjoy your run, your day, and your year to come!

  40. 40.

    Geo Wilcox

    October 9, 2020 at 11:43 am

    @L85NJGT: And every single one of them at some point in time was talked over by a man like Kamala Harris was the other night. Pence did his party ZERO favors being such a boorish asshole.

  41. 41.

    Salty Sam

    October 9, 2020 at 11:44 am

    @Baud: I think the shift is real.  I just hope it’s permanent

    It’s real. Permanent?… maybe not so much.  My mid-80’s mom&stepdad, who were all-in for the shytegibbon last year have turned.  Pandemic fail headed them in that direction, and the debate shitshow sealed the deal. They will most likely sit out this election, they would NEVER vote for a Dem, and if they’re still around in ‘24, would certainly vote for whatever asshole the R’s cough up.

    I’m feeling better and better about the outcome of the election (although complacency has no part in my life for the foreseeable future).   It will be a multi-generational effort to undo the damage, both in policy AND in attitudes, that right wing conservatives have wrought over the last four decades.

    Much will depend on how Dems govern, and what immediate gains we make (assuming, as I am, we get the trifecta in November).  We should plan to keep the pressure on wimpy, old-school Dems to push for good policy just as ruthlessly as Repubs work for the 1%.

  42. 42.

    Arm The Homeless

    October 9, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Anecdata: I work in an extremely affluent zip code in SW Floriduh. We are they type of community that is ground-zero for dorky dentists who have recently retired from the Midwest who would like to spend their last 25 years getting skin cancer on their $80K boats.

    While there is obviously a large contingent of Trump cultists, I have noticed that there is a large minority of Biden signs and flags where I didn’t see Clinton paraphernalia in ’16. These tend to be the full-time residents and from the few I have spoken to who are willing to talk politics with a stranger, they’re embarrassed about the rhetoric and are very scared that the apathy they’ve witnessed from the GOP and their base about COVID and their health will mean not only on-going risk until we have a vaccine, but that they are losing precious time with their families out of fear of infection.

  43. 43.

    MattF

    October 9, 2020 at 11:45 am

    @Baud:

    Didn’t he also say he recovered from COVID because he was young? Not that I don’t expect him to speak from both sides of his ugly mouth.

     
    That struck me as the prize-winning lie. Yes, everyone says he acts like a three-year-old, but, Jesus on a PBJ, that’s just special in the annals of denial.

  44. 44.

    Ken

    October 9, 2020 at 11:46 am

    @Hungry Joe: remember “After this election the GOP will be a rump party”?

    Seems to be coming true, just with a four-year delay.  If I were feeling much more charitable than I ever feel, I would even say that the “heighten the differences” folks had a point – electing Trump with a Republican congress has opened a lot of people’s eyes.

  45. 45.

    Nicole

    October 9, 2020 at 11:46 am

    @catclub:

    How do you know? paradise could be … paradise.

    Suffice to say I’m not in a hurry to find out. :)

  46. 46.

    different-church-lady

    October 9, 2020 at 11:46 am

    @rk:

    …but in two years they’ll vote for the same republicans.

    You’re very close, but it’ll take longer than that for the dems to fix everything. Only after a year or two of repairing the economy will they return to the GOP. Luxury breeds idiocy.

  47. 47.

    different-church-lady

    October 9, 2020 at 11:49 am

    @MattF: Based solely on my own experience with my supposedly-not-COVID-but-maybe-was-COVID, I have no idea how the hell he’s going to get through an entire rally without having a very obvious coughing fit.

  48. 48.

    A Ghost to Most

    October 9, 2020 at 11:49 am

    Hell is The Villages. Apologies to JPS.

  49. 49.

    FelonyGovt

    October 9, 2020 at 11:49 am

    deleted- duplicate

  50. 50.

    db11

    October 9, 2020 at 11:50 am

    @Felanius Kootea: Congrats! That’s a huge accomplishment.

    …and nice to hear that someone has some good news in the midst of all this chaos.

  51. 51.

    JAFD

    October 9, 2020 at 11:50 am

    Some respite and good news for Philadelphians, present, past and future.

    A local band gets recognition

    https://www.gramophone.co.uk/awards/gramophone-classical-music-awards-2020/orchestra-of-the-year

    https://youtu.be/WrJjNZG5sIw

     

    And a bike ride along the Schulykill

    https://youtu.be/hXxY2jUYUJY

    Have great weekend and keep healthy, jackals !

  52. 52.

    Nicole

    October 9, 2020 at 11:51 am

    @Baud:

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Thanks!  I spent the night before my birthday doing a Zoom reading with friends of Green Grow the Lilacs, the play that was the basis for Oklahoma!, playing Aunt Eller, who clearly thinks of herself as old, is treated as old, and is described in the notes as being around…. age 50.   Although I guess maybe that would have been old for turn-of-the-century Oklahoma.

    Kind of a dark play- closer to August Osage County in many ways than to Rodgers and Hammerstein.  But was a surprisingly fun read and if we can’t have live theater right now, this was the next best thing.

  53. 53.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 11:51 am

    @different-church-lady: I have no idea how the hell he’s going to get through an entire rally without having a very obvious coughing fit.

    Someone needs to tell this man the story of William Henry Harrison.

    Edited for oops.

  54. 54.

    SFBayAreaGal

    October 9, 2020 at 11:51 am

    @Felanius Kootea: Wooho. Congratulations. I’m looking forward to reading your shirt stories.

  55. 55.

    FelonyGovt

    October 9, 2020 at 11:52 am

    @Felanius Kootea: congratulations! I’m so pleased for you. I hope you will let us know when your book comes out.

    @Nicole: Happy birthday! Getting old(er) isn’t THAT bad and it’s so true that the concept of what’s “old” has changed a great deal.

  56. 56.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 9, 2020 at 11:54 am

    @Kropacetic:  Henry.

  57. 57.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 11:55 am

    @SFBayAreaGal: I’m looking forward to reading your shirt stories.

    Socks that we have to wait.  But a tip of the hat to FK.

  58. 58.

    catclub

    October 9, 2020 at 11:55 am

    @JAFD: nobody can spell skookill right. I am not even trying

  59. 59.

    WaterGirl

    October 9, 2020 at 11:55 am

    @Betty Cracker:  And no one is mentioning that the FREE drug he got would have cost eight million fucking dollars!  Just for the dosage he got!  For one person.

  60. 60.

    SFBayAreaGal

    October 9, 2020 at 11:55 am

    @Nicole: Happy birthday. May your day be full of love, laughter, and fun.

  61. 61.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 9, 2020 at 11:56 am

    @MattF: Eric (the dumb one, right) says that he was cured by a vaccine.

  62. 62.

    catclub

    October 9, 2020 at 11:56 am

    @SFBayAreaGal: I’m looking forward to reading your shirt stories.

     

    more bodice rippers?

  63. 63.

    The Thin Black Duke

    October 9, 2020 at 11:56 am

    @different-church-lady: Let’s make voting easier for non-whites so we won’t have that problem again.

  64. 64.

    Eunicecycle

    October 9, 2020 at 11:57 am

    @Nicole: I just saw that Broadway is staying dark until at least May 2021 and I’m sure local theater will follow suit. I know Cleveland Playhouse Square has held out hopes of opening “soon.”

    Also, the Golden Girls were supposed to be in their 50s when the show first started!

    Oh and ETA happy birthday!

  65. 65.

    debbie

    October 9, 2020 at 11:57 am

    @germy:

    He certainly won’t be believed after all the lies he’s already told them.

  66. 66.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 11:58 am

    @A Ghost to Most:

    Mom’s fun sister moved to some posh Florida retirement community after her husband died. Mom would visit her and on returning vowed she would never surround herself with all old people, not willingly anyway. And after dad died and she wanted to downsize, she bought a condo in a regular neighborhood and lived there happily until we reluctantly moved her into a care facility, which must have been a hard pill to swallow but she resisted in-home care so it was the only move.

    My takeaway is there’s a danger from surrounding yourself with just people who look like you, because the spice of life around you becomes bland and you risk disengaging. Science tells us old people spend most of their time complaining.

  67. 67.

    debbie

    October 9, 2020 at 11:59 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    Who knew he could love fetal stem cells so hard? //

  68. 68.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 11:59 am

    @Eunicecycle: Also, the Golden Girls were supposed to be in their 50s when the show first started!

    Except for Sophia, who was younger than Bea Arthur who played her daughter.

  69. 69.

    brantl

    October 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    @…now I try to be amused: You may not know this, but Heinlein was a libertarian.

  70. 70.

    Kay

    October 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    I went to get a flu shot with my youngest son at Walgreens. There was a wait and there was a (truly) elderly woman there waiting too- just tiny and fragile-looking. He’s gregarious – a friendly person- and he gradually got too close to her chatting with her and I looked over and realized she was scared. We were all masked but my sense was she didn’t want him any closer so I called him toward me because I didn’t want to embarrass him with “too close!” but I was struck by how vulnerable she must feel.

  71. 71.

    Elizabelle

    October 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    @germy:   That Lincoln Project ad is perfect.  Doesn’t even need a ginsu knife.

  72. 72.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 12:00 pm

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    I do not know whether the Voting Right Act can be restored following Shelby County so if not, VRA II needs to be on the front burner.

  73. 73.

    debbie

    October 9, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    @cope:

    LOL, I can relate. I have many fantasies about ripping peoples’ faces off.

  74. 74.

    brantl

    October 9, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    @The Dangerman: Good to have you back.

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    October 9, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    Trump’s video:

    “Did you know you only need one kidney to live? And that’s not all! At Heartland Organ Bankers, we believe in making your organs work for you by working for others. Just call our toll-free number at 1-800-LIVRPLS to speak with one of our associates.”
    pic.twitter.com/XNc3jgLGjc

    — Peter Wolf (@peterawolf) October 8, 2020

  76. 76.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    @debbie:

    Can you imagine trying to ‘splain to Donny what that even means?

  77. 77.

    Steeplejack

    October 9, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    My sense is that part of it is just Trump’s horrible personality. He’s an asshole, and he behaves inappropriately. That offends a lot of people, but maybe older voters more than most.

    My impression is that perhaps young(er) people think, “Eh, he’s old, what do you expect?” Whereas “seniors”—of which I am one—are more likely to think: “He’s our age. Yes, he’s an asshole, but no one has to be an asshole.” (Optional “Fuck that guy” at the end.)

  78. 78.

    Ken

    October 9, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    @Kropacetic: Someone needs to tell this man the story of William Henry Harrison.

    Why?

  79. 79.

    SFBayAreaGal

    October 9, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    @Kropacetic: Lol. Should have said short.

  80. 80.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    “On Thursday, in a conference call with a group of lobbyists, Mr. McConnell vented that the party’s Senate candidates are being financially overwhelmed because of small-dollar contributions to ActBlue, the online liberal fund-raising hub.” https://t.co/kEteg1UK8h

    — Mara Gay (@MaraGay) October 9, 2020

  81. 81.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    @Baud: 

    Didn’t he also say he recovered from COVID because he was young?

    I had assumed he was making a non-dickish joke, perhaps for the first time in his life. Of course, I would not be surprised to find I was wrong.

  82. 82.

    SFBayAreaGal

    October 9, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    @catclub: Hmmm, could be sub conscious talking. ;)

  83. 83.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    @Kay:

    I went to get my car inspected.  Mine was the first appointment, so I got there in time to see none of the mechanics or counter people with masks.  One guy behind the counter waved me over, and then put his mask on as I approached.

    They don’t understand that the virus hangs in the air.  They think they’re good.

    Eventually, as the place filled with customers, their masks went on.

    I think it’s more theater than anything else.  As soon as the customers were gone, I’m certain the masks came off again.

  84. 84.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 9, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: That is fabulous! Congratulations!

  85. 85.

    Calouste

    October 9, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    Apparently no rally for the shitgibbon this weekend, “he’ll be back on the campaign trail on Monday”.

    I guess they have trouble fine tuning the meds.

  86. 86.

    Elizabelle

    October 9, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    @Nicole:   Happy Birthday, Nicole.  Happy whole birthday weekend!

  87. 87.

    VeniceRiley

    October 9, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    @WaterGirl: I believe that Regeneron is, if approved under EUA, giving the first 50k doses out to hospitals gratis. From there, I would think there should be a federal purchase agreement. I mean, didn’t they get the BARDA big bux?

  88. 88.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    @germy:

    “On Thursday, in a conference call with a group of lobbyists, Mr. McConnell vented that the party’s Senate candidates are being financially overwhelmed because of small-dollar contributions to ActBlue, the online liberal fund-raising hub.”

    He went on to say “Why can’t they just leave the campaign funding to patriotic Joo .. er, I mean real Americans, like Sheldon Adelstein? Um, Adelwitz? Look, you know who I mean.”

  89. 89.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    @SFAW: Who knows with him? “It was a joke” is his go to excuse whenever he receives any criticism.

  90. 90.

    Tom Levenson

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: great news. Congratulations!

  91. 91.

    Gozer

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    Saw something earlier on twitter I think? Anyway, it posited that senior voters who reached the age of majority prior to Nixon’s admin tend to be more GOP leaning by a few points, while the average Boomer who became 18 during Nixon’s presidency tend to be ever so slightly more liberal (in polling at least).

    Before COVID the voting population was already losing those voters at a fair rate. This has only increased since March.

  92. 92.

    Elizabelle

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    @Felanius Kootea:   Fabulous news!  We should do a virtual book launch for you here, once it’s out/about to be published.

    Yea you.

  93. 93.

    Ken

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    @debbie: Who knew he could love fetal stem cells so hard?

    Now, now. The drug wasn’t fetal stem cells.  It was a synthetic antibody secreted by an immortalized line of stem cells derived from an aborted fetus.  Completely different thing.

  94. 94.

    WereBear

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: All the congratulations! That’s sweeeeeet.

  95. 95.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    @SFAW:

    They don’t like democracy.

    I mean, didn’t they tell us money = free speech?

    Well…  we’re talking now.

  96. 96.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    @Ken: Died in office from illness attributed to ill-advised actions he took to project strength.

  97. 97.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    @Arm The Homeless:

    on their $80K boats

    I thought you said they were “extremely affluent.” Boats for thems peoples run a bit more than $80K, I believe. Unless the boat is used, and advertised as “for parts or resto.”

  98. 98.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    @germy:

    Well…  we’re talking now.

    But Ur not sayin it rite.

  99. 99.

    waspuppet

    October 9, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    The conventional wisdom is that Republicans’ “let grandma die to save the economy” policy turned off seniors.

    Well, when you put it THAT way …

  100. 100.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    He at least had the decency to do it in the first 30 days.

  101. 101.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    @germy:

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    @db11:

    @SFBayAreaGal:

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Thank you all!  Will let you know when it’s published.  The working title for now is “Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions.”

  102. 102.

    Ken

    October 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    @Calouste: Apparently no rally for the shitgibbon this weekend, “he’ll be back on the campaign trail on Monday”. I guess they have trouble fine tuning the meds.

    Or he hacked up a lung last night after the Hannity call.  ToMAYto, toMAHto.

  103. 103.

    Gin & Tonic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Science tells us old people spend most of their time complaining.

    Explains a lot about this blog.

  104. 104.

    Elizabelle

    October 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    My next door neighbor, whose adorable dog I walk sometimes, just for fun, just announced she is quarantining and will take a COVID test tomorrow; will let me know asap her results.

    She and her boyfriend are 20-somethings; they attended a wedding in coastal North Carolina last weekend (I was thinking, whoa there, but maybe they are invincible.)  Were just notified the bride has tested positive.

    I am not always in a mask around them, and not following the 6 to 10 foot rule either (albeit, we are often outdoors), so she was kind enough to alert me to the situation.  To hear.

  105. 105.

    Brachiator

    October 9, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    I’m not counting chickens because 2016. But if the shift in senior voters’ allegiance from Trump to Biden that shows up in poll after poll is real, it could be devastating not only for Trump but for the Republican Party across the board.

    I am seeing a slew of the standard news stories about the white working class and seniors, emphasizing those who are “ride or die” for Trump. There is also an insistence that there is a wide informal agreement among Trump supporters not to participate in polls, and so keep the evil media fooled.

    I tend to think that the pro Biden polls are accurate. And I am more concerned about voter suppression efforts, especially attempts to spoil mail in ballots.

    Voter turnout looks as though it might be high. So I say get out the vote and support efforts to get a big turnout.

    ETA. I don’t know if it is targeting, but I notice a lot of GOP ads on YouTube and a smaller number of Democratic Party ads. The Democratic Party ads are not nearly as slick, or creepy as the GOP stuff. I’m curious to know if ads targeted to a younger demographic are any different. But this may be the future. I don’t watch much TV and so would miss most tv ads.

  106. 106.

    L85NJGT

    October 9, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    FOX News watching Jerry is no longer around to dictate voting preferences, and the fiscal & actuarial reality for many 65+ women is outliving the nest egg and being reliant on Social Security.

  107. 107.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    @Nicole: Happy birthday!

  108. 108.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    Someone needs to tell this man the story of William Henry Harrison.

    Trivia: John Tyler’s grandson recently died.

  109. 109.

    Elizabelle

    October 9, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:   LOL.

  110. 110.

    Ken

    October 9, 2020 at 12:16 pm

    @Kropacetic: Yes, I know.  I meant why bother telling Trump?

  111. 111.

    L85NJGT

    October 9, 2020 at 12:16 pm

    @Ken:

    “Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead……’

  112. 112.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    @Nicole:

    Happy Birthday, young lady. Enjoy your run, I hope the weather stays beautiful.

  113. 113.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 9, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    @…now I try to be amused: Heinlein had the late 20th century conservative/libertarian fear of democracy, that it would lead to the little people “voting themselves the treasury” through a ruinous welfare state. But as you say, we haven’t done that. We’ve done pretty much the opposite.

    Heinlein thought the Gilded Age was awesome and wanted the US to return to that kind of economy. Well, we’ve been going at it.

  114. 114.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    @SFAW:

    Oh man. Not Tyler too.

  115. 115.

    Aleta

    October 9, 2020 at 12:18 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: That’s wonderful.  I’ll want to buy a copy, just announce when please.

  116. 116.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    @Tom Levenson:

    Thank you!

    @Elizabelle:

    Ooh – a virtual book launch would be nice. That’s a great idea, now that COVID has made it the new norm. I’ve attended three Crowdcast/Zoom book readings since June.

    @WereBear:

    Thank you!

  117. 117.

    SFAW

    October 9, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    @Baud:

    Oh man. Not Tyler too.

    Apparently it was a boating accident, something about a canoe tipping.

  118. 118.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 9, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    Trump was a train wreck at the last debate, rather than further expose himself as a fraud and a liar on a national stage he's choosing to back out. #Debates2020 https://t.co/1dLheAj1p8— Georgia Democrats (@GeorgiaDemocrat) October 9, 2020

  119. 119.

    Aleta

    October 9, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    @Nicole: Very Happy Birthday to you!!

  120. 120.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    @Baud:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFaRklAYanY

  121. 121.

    Nicole

    October 9, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: Please do let us know!  And post a link to Amazon, or the small independent book seller of your choice. :)

  122. 122.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    @Aleta: Thank you, will do.

  123. 123.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    @Baud:He at least had the decency to do it in the first 30 days

    Alas, it took him a whole 31.

    @SFAW:Trivia: John Tyler’s grandson just died.

    Wow, you just blew my mind.

  124. 124.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    @Felanius Kootea:

    I don’t think I’ve congratulated you yet so you can thank me too now.

  125. 125.

    Matt McIrvin

    October 9, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    @Brachiator:

    There is also an insistence that there is a wide informal agreement among Trump supporters not to participate in polls, and so keep the evil media fooled.

    I’ve seen liberals echoing these stories to keep people from getting complacent. I think the intent of them is to prepare the ground for trying to nullify the election result after Trump loses (or support it if he wins a narrow, contested victory).

  126. 126.

    L85NJGT

    October 9, 2020 at 12:22 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    voting themselves the treasury

     

    File under: Every accusation, an admission

  127. 127.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 12:22 pm

    @Nicole: Thank you. Good idea – I’m rooting for the Vromans and Skylight Books of the world – they’ve been hit hard by the pandemic and I hope they make it through.

  128. 128.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    @Ken: Yes, I know.  I meant why bother telling Trump?

    To cause fear and anxiety.

  129. 129.

    NetheadJay

    October 9, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    @Baud: I see what you did there…

  130. 130.

    Patricia Kayden

    October 9, 2020 at 12:24 pm

    @Baud: He’s young. He’s old. I’m surprised he hasn’t claimed that he’s White and Black and Asian too.

  131. 131.

    Nicole

    October 9, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    Thanks for the birthday wishes, all!  We’ll be taking advantage of NYC’s Open Streets continuing into October to have a drink with a few friends outside this evening.

    Pandemic birthdays can be a bummer, except that 2 years ago, I was in Georgia on my birthday and had to spend it alone with my 8-year-old, outside a Tanger Mall Outlet, eating at quite possible the WORST Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to.  So this one, masks and social distancing and all, is still very much a step up. ;)  Off to run!

  132. 132.

    cain

    October 9, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    @Nicole:

    I hope it’s a genuine sea change for the elderly, because we Gen-Xers do not seem to be helping the shift much.  Too many of us came of age during the rah-rah Reagan 80s, I think.  I never could stand him, but I grew up in a conservative area and still know a lot of peers who revere his memory. It’s weird.

    First off, Happy Birthday!!

    Yeah, as a Gen Xer who was in high school when Raygun became president. I never liked him. I could never understand what was so exciting about this man – I saw a man full of flaws.

    That said, there was nothing interesting about who the Democratic party put out there. Mondale? Meh. But I did like Jimmy Carter and I’m sad that he couldn’t get re-elected.

  133. 133.

    mad citizen

    October 9, 2020 at 12:25 pm

    But if William Henry Harrison had had REGENERON he’d still be alive today.

    From upthread, yes, I hate how these campaigns are so “of the moment”.  I’d like to hear Dems everywhere talk about how the R’s have fucked things up for at least 20 years and people need to vote Blue for a sustained period for our nation to rebound.

    I guess the reality will be: Does the Republican wither away as a white party, or do some of the other kinds of americans join it and change it for the better.

  134. 134.

    James E Powell

    October 9, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    My sense is that part of it is just Trump’s horrible personality. He’s an asshole, and he behaves inappropriately. That offends a lot of people, but maybe older voters more than most.

    My sense is that this is true, that older white people are offended and repulsed by Trump. And it’s not like Trump is any different than the last time. It’s just that in 2016 it didn’t offend and repulse them as much as the idea of a woman president.

  135. 135.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    @Nicole:

    Wow, you share birthdays with John Lennon (his 80th today). Have a happy!

  136. 136.

    WaterGirl

    October 9, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    @sherparick: So if you don’t recover right away, it’s YOUR fault.

    Don’t worry about the fact that you didn’t get 8-fucking-million dollars worth of one experimental drug and the other experimental drug for god-only-knows-how-much.

    Losers.  Trump thinks that the 220,000 people who have died from COVID are LOSERS.

    Fuck him.

  137. 137.

    cain

    October 9, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Yeah, I’m not convinced anybody else from the Dem field of…30? would have pulled this off. Joe offers a safe bridge to a crapton of now-dissatisfied Trump voters and 2016 stay-at-homes that frankly, none of my favorite candidates would have. If it takes him to pry them away from the Republicans we can deal with the next step–making it permanent–later. We do need to mind the young and first-time voters because many of those are skeptical.

    Once in office we really need to show momentum and deliver on what we promised. This means keeping those damn blue dogs in check and remind them that every blue dog didn’t get re-elected for being more conservative.

  138. 138.

    JPL

    October 9, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    @germy: I’m surprised that popehat didn’t change his hat to vulnerable/not vulnerable

  139. 139.

    WaterGirl

    October 9, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    @The Dangerman: I’m so glad to hear that.  I have been thinking of you every day.  I’m not crying, you’re crying!

  140. 140.

    Steeplejack

    October 9, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    Getty's last image of Jared was on September 30th. Does anyone have a public sighting with a later timestamp? #WhereIsJared https://t.co/gtHP2Os3gm
    pic.twitter.com/pUD5filu8f

    — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 9, 2020

  141. 141.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    @James E Powell:

    Some may well be, but I see too damn many proud Trump supporters around for my own comfort and general sense of well-being. The more belligerent and shouty he is, the better.

  142. 142.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    October 9, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    @Nicole: Happy birthday! Eat cake

  143. 143.

    JPL

    October 9, 2020 at 12:29 pm

    @Nicole: Happy, happy day!   Enjoy your run.

  144. 144.

    Steeplejack

    October 9, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    @Felanius Kootea:

    Congratulations! Good news. ?

  145. 145.

    germy

    October 9, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    Jared and Ivanka went for a jog in their masks 4 days ago https://t.co/0XIJzuj6cK— ? Katy ? VOTE BLUE TO STOP THE MADNESS (@katybuggy) October 9, 2020

  146. 146.

    Brachiator

    October 9, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    @DCrefugee:

    Seniors see Biden as they want to see themselves: “Powerful, still very active, an attractive wife, a Corvette, well-liked by most people who aren’t nihilistic assholes and about to become president.

    Very interesting. Very interesting. Would Biden’s apparently good relationship with his wife add to that?

    The alternative fantasy would be that of an angry rich fat man with a sullen wife and snotty adult children.

  147. 147.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    @mad citizen I guess the reality will be: Does the Republican wither away as a white party, or do some of the other kinds of americans join it and change it for the better.

    Or do other kinds of Americans join it and allow it to continue being awful?

  148. 148.

    cain

    October 9, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    @trollhattan:

    My takeaway is there’s a danger from surrounding yourself with just people who look like you, because the spice of life around you becomes bland and you risk disengaging. Science tells us old people spend most of their time complaining.

     

    Absolutely, I couldn’t live with a bunch of olds. I don’t have much to contribute anyways – I can’t remember anything from my past anyways. No cute stories, nothing to reminiscence about .. I live in the moment.

    But I love hanging around younger people – their energy drives me and as a person with ADHD, I’m already hyperactive and the same energy.

  149. 149.

    Felanius Kootea

    October 9, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    @Baud:

    Not thanking you until you fix your candidacy and get a proper campaign manager ;-).

    @Steeplejack:

    Thank you!

  150. 150.

    narya

    October 9, 2020 at 12:37 pm

    Downstairs Neighbor had a birthday this week, and she and Friend have both been super careful, and she has a vehicle, so . . . we’re getting takeout tonight to celebrate. It will be the only meal I haven’t cooked–with the exception of pizza on my birthday in July–since early March. I love to cook, am good at it, etc., but am still looking forward to this in an inordinate fashion.

    Happy birthday and congrats for the book to commenters above!

  151. 151.

    Steeplejack

    October 9, 2020 at 12:38 pm

    @germy:

    Thanks. Sunday, so five days ago now.

    [Adjusts the yarn on the conspiracy board.]

  152. 152.

    Kay

    October 9, 2020 at 12:39 pm

    Judge Amy Coney Barrett failed to disclose two talks she gave in 2013 hosted by two anti-abortion student groups on paperwork provided to the Senate ahead of her confirmation hearing to become the next Supreme Court justice.
    Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, gave the talks — a lecture and a seminar — in 2013 in her capacity as a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. The seminar was co-sponsored by the school’s Right to Life club and constitutional studies minor, and the lecture was held by the law school’s Jus Vitae club. CNN’s KFile found advertisements for two lectures on social media and in a weekly Notre Dame faculty newsletter.
    It is not known what was said in the two events, though both centered on abortion court cases. In a separate instance, CNN’s KFile found a publicized talk that Barrett gave to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade — a seminar Barrett disclosed in her Senate paperwork — was removed by the university from YouTube in 2014. A school spokesman told CNN the video is now lost.

    Notre Dame lost the video Notre Dame removed. The plan is to overturn Roe but not tell anyone, because overturning Roe is really unpopular.
    So the deal is Democrats must accept the political downside of supporting Roe, which they do, but Republicans should be insulated from the political downside of opposing Roe, and they will secure that advantage by lying about it. Sounds fair.

  153. 153.

    Kent

    October 9, 2020 at 12:40 pm

    @DCrefugee:

    The shift seems to be real, and is helping put Florida into play. But some people are missing an obvious reason:

    Seniors see Biden as they want to see themselves: “Powerful, still very active, an attractive wife, a Corvette, well-liked by most people who aren’t nihilistic assholes and about to become president. If he can do that at *his* age, I can too. I’m not ready for the rocking chair, and neither is he.”

    I think this is a big part of it.   Biden with his common working man schtick and somewhat deliberately un-hip and garbled language “no malarky?” just resonates with the older crowd who see him as one of them in a way that Trump can never be with his uber wealthy NYC pretenses and 3rd mail-order model bride.  And Clinton wasn’t either frankly with the way she ran her campaign.  “I’m With Her” made the campaign about Clinton’s personal barrier shattering.  Biden’s campaign is more studiously about us not him.

    I’m not sure we would see the same swing if a younger and edgier candidate (and less white/male) were on the top of the ticket.  Remember, the older the population cohort in this country the whiter it gets.  It would be interesting to know what percent of this swing is ideological party preference in general, and what percent is owed to Biden specifically.

    I think in a way, both Trump AND Biden are representative of the last gasp of the Boomer (and earlier) generation.  By say 2028 it will truly be a different electorate.

  154. 154.

    trollhattan

    October 9, 2020 at 12:41 pm

    @cain:

    It has really hit hard since the kid went off to college how much I miss her friends showing up at the house, the soccer games, the school events, all of it. I get a lot of energy from that crew. And COVID has for the moment stymied volunteering at the high school, but that at least will eventually pass.

  155. 155.

    p.a.

    October 9, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    @Steeplejack: Maybe he’s off preparing the dacha…

  156. 156.

    Bill Arnold

    October 9, 2020 at 12:44 pm

    @germy:

    They don’t understand that the virus hangs in the air. They think they’re good.

    We should be better about informing the storekeepers/employees who “pull up their mask” that they are not good.
    I walked out of a store yesterday because when I walked in the storekeeper put on a mask. Didn’t say why, ’cause I’m shy. One town over in the county is a haven for some Hasidic sect (it would take a paragraph to accurately describe the hats on the males) with a rampant COVID-19 outbreak.

  157. 157.

    Arm The Homeless

    October 9, 2020 at 12:44 pm

    @SFAW: Boehner lives down here, so maybe my perspective of “extreme affluence” is skewed. Definitely more affluent than 99% of the South-east

  158. 158.

    Kent

    October 9, 2020 at 12:45 pm

    @Kay:Notre Dame lost the video Notre Dame removed. The plan is to overturn Roe but not tell anyone, because overturning Roe is really unpopular.
    So the deal is Democrats must accept the political downside of supporting Roe, which they do, but Republicans should be insulated from the political downside of opposing Roe, and they will secure that advantage by lying about it. Sounds fair.

    Honestly, I’m just fucking tired of hearing about Roe.  Democrats could have put it to rest in 2008 and with unified control in 2021 they could do so again by simply guaranteeing reproductive rights in federal statute.  They have been letting Roe carry way too much weight over all these years.  I suppose a conservative SCOTUS could find a way to overturn that too, but the arguments would be completely different from whether or not a right to privacy can be found in the constitution.

    In any event, old videos of Barrett aren’t going to make any difference.  There is nothing short of videos of her conducting satanic child sacrifice rituals that will derail her nomination.  Republicans simply do not give a shit and are beyond persuasion.  The fact that she is an extremist asshole is a plus, not a mark against her.

  159. 159.

    jonas

    October 9, 2020 at 12:46 pm

    @Arm The Homeless:they are losing precious time with their families out of fear of infection.

    That’s really been the kicker for my parents and in-laws. Trump and the GOP talk as if the only thing that matters here is getting the stock market back up and running and well if some folks die off in the meantime, wev. Meanwhile, millions of seniors who *don’t* wish to ride the special Covid Carousel of Renewal are basically barricaded in their houses while infection continues to spread in schools, colleges, and in towns and cities throughout the US, particularly in the upper Midwest now. It will have almost been a year in December since my kids last saw their grandparents in person — all because selfish rightwing assholes, egged on by Trump, refuse to do shit-all to stem the spread of the virus. Let me tell you, they, and many like them, are PISSED.

  160. 160.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    @Kay: So the deal is Democrats must accept the political downside of supporting Roe, which they do, but Republicans should be insulated from the political downside of opposing Roe, and they will secure that advantage by lying about it. Sounds fair.

    This holds true with more or less any political issue.

    Democrats must also be judged by their wackiest activist, while Republicans must never be judged and always assumed to be acting in good faith.

  161. 161.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 12:49 pm

    @Bill Arnold: I walked out of a store yesterday because when I walked in the storekeeper put on a mask.

    It sucks but at some point people need to eat.

  162. 162.

    catclub

    October 9, 2020 at 12:51 pm

    that it would lead to the little people “voting themselves the treasury” through a ruinous welfare state. But as you say, we haven’t done that. We’ve done pretty much the opposite.

     

    The GOP does that voting themselves the treasury.

  163. 163.

    WaterGirl

    October 9, 2020 at 12:53 pm

    @Elizabelle: @Felanius Kootea:

    That would definitely fit in the Celebrating Jackals series!

  164. 164.

    cain

    October 9, 2020 at 12:53 pm

    @trollhattan:

    It has really hit hard since the kid went off to college how much I miss her friends showing up at the house, the soccer games, the school events, all of it. I get a lot of energy from that crew. And COVID has for the moment stymied volunteering at the high school, but that at least will eventually pass.

    it really does and you are in tune of what is happening now vs what was in the past – sharing what’s hip today and what hip when you were younger.

    For instance, I always get a chuckle out of the above waist jeans that was in style in the 80s and is suddenly back. I really disliked the look when I was in high school.. but also hated bell bottoms. Stuff like that. That young girls are wearing “mom jeans” is kinda funny :D

  165. 165.

    mad citizen

    October 9, 2020 at 12:54 pm

    @Kent: Hillary of course was the victim of a 20 year propaganda program.  I recall “I’m With Her” but also recall reading  on CNN the announcement about her slogan “Stronger Together”, and so that’s the one I remember.  Maybe one was for the primaries and one for the general?  I don’t think “Build Back Better” has any effect on Biden’s standing.

  166. 166.

    rk

    October 9, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    I saw a truck yesterday in New Jersey with at least 6 flags, 5 Trump flags and one blue lives matter weird looking flag. I work with a lot of  older white people and they’re all (except maybe one or two) trump supporters. One day CNN was on in the break room and one of the women cursed at the anchor, grabbed the remote and changed the channel. If my work place is any indicator, Trump would win by a landslide.

  167. 167.

    MisterForkbeard

    October 9, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    @Kay: Isn’t this the 4th or 5th time we’ve found something important she just happened to leave out? And that coincidentally ‘hides’ her true feelings on what she wants to do on the court?

    That seems like a real pattern. Or maybe just a giant incredibly unlikely series of coincidences that all happen to just favor her enormously. I wonder which it is?

  168. 168.

    chopper

    October 9, 2020 at 1:05 pm

    @cope:

    to make sure I lived long enough to … see certain people whom I cannot stand die.

    that’s scots/irish all right.

  169. 169.

    Kent

    October 9, 2020 at 1:06 pm

    @mad citizen:@Kent: Hillary of course was the victim of a 20 year propaganda program.  I recall “I’m With Her” but also recall reading  on CNN the announcement about her slogan “Stronger Together”, and so that’s the one I remember.  Maybe one was for the primaries and one for the general?  I don’t think “Build Back Better” has any effect on Biden’s standing.

    I’m not saying that what happened to Clinton was fair.  I was a very big Clinton supporter.  I just know that my own elderly parents who were Clinton voters are just more enthused with Biden.  He resonates more with them than Clinton ever did.  They just find him a lot more down to earth and less polished. Which they like.

  170. 170.

    LuciaMia

    October 9, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    @Ken: Is that Tucker Carlson interview still on?

  171. 171.

    Baud

    October 9, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    @Kent: Biden is definitely more folksy (than Hillary or Obama). We can debate whether he can get away with that because he’s a white guy, but my only concern is that it keeps resonating for one more month (at least).

  172. 172.

    Eunicecycle

    October 9, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    @Bill Arnold: I was in a car dealership service area where only about half of the employees were wearing masks and neither of the people I spoke close to were. Despite the sign saying masks required. I stewed angrily but stayed. About 4 days later I felt sick with a cough and a fever. Eventually I got a Covid test that was negative, but boy was the dealership going to get a sternly worded letter and maybe a negative Yelp review if I were positive. I may still do the Yelp review.

  173. 173.

    Brachiator

    October 9, 2020 at 1:11 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    I walked out of a store yesterday because when I walked in the storekeeper put on a mask.

    It sucks but at some point people need to eat.

    The owner of a coffee shop I frequently visit complains about pandemic related regulations, but is scrupulous in following them.

    At a nearby restaurant, the outdoor tables are too close together and staff are very sloppy about wearing masks. For this and other reasons I would never eat there.

    But I also notice that fatigue is setting in and people are getting irritated about having to follow the rules.

  174. 174.

    KSinMA

    October 9, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: That’s fantastic! Congratulations!!!

  175. 175.

    Kay

    October 9, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    Why won’t Joe Biden tell us about his hypothetical additional judges? That’s my concern.

    Also- stop attacking her religion.

  176. 176.

    Salty Sam

    October 9, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    @SFAW: ISWYDT

  177. 177.

    Ajabu

    October 9, 2020 at 1:18 pm

    @catclub:

    How do you know? paradise could be … paradise

    Or it could be Lay down in a hole in the ground and hold your breath forever. YMMV…

  178. 178.

    montanareddog

    October 9, 2020 at 1:26 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Science tells us old people spend most of their time complaining.

    Explains a lot about this blog.

    It would have been fun to see the reaction if it Goku had said that.

  179. 179.

    Kropacetic

    October 9, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    @Brachiator: But I also notice that fatigue is setting in and people are getting irritated about having to follow the rules.

    Staffing levels play a role.  If you can’t take a proper break during your shift, you’re more likely to try to find somewhere in your workspace you can discreetly sip some water and pick at your lunch.

  180. 180.

    ballerat

    October 9, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    @germy: The KIA dealership near where I live is like that too. No masks except for the guy right at the service counter. I see 10 feet behind him in the same room, 6 or 7 of their guys having a meeting, gathered around a table, no masks.

    It’s a joke to them. Until one of them super-spreads and it isn’t.

  181. 181.

    Uncle Jeffy

    October 9, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Didn’t help with his case of terminal stupidity, did it?

  182. 182.

    gvg

    October 9, 2020 at 2:04 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: I disagree…he didn’t write flattery of big tycoons owning everything. The moon was a harsh mistress was pretty blunt about unsupervised corporations. He was a mixed bag on a lot of issues but he was a more complete libertarian than the current crop of Christian Ayn Rand con people. Heinlein was a sexual liberal, and wouldn’t fit with them at all. I can’t actually think of any group he would quite fit in.  Different books had different bad guy themes.

  183. 183.

    errg

    October 9, 2020 at 2:12 pm

    @cain:

    Yes, we need to deliver. Which means that if we take back the senate we need to kill the filibuster, add DC as a state, add Puerto Rico as a state if they approve it in their referendum, and expand the Supreme Court. And they need to do all this quickly and with no tears, no year of negotiating with the Republicans (a la the ACA), which just ends up making things look sleazy.

    Just do it.

  184. 184.

    Mel

    October 9, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    @Felanius Kootea: Congratulations!! Keep us posted on publication dates. I’m looking forward to reading your work!

  185. 185.

    Brachiator

    October 9, 2020 at 2:24 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Heinlein thought the Gilded Age was awesome and wanted the US to return to that kind of economy. Well, we’ve been going at it.

    I was never a huge Heinlein fan. Enjoyed some of his stuff, immensely, but it was always pick and choose. However I didn’t know much about his personal political beliefs and didn’t much care.

  186. 186.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 9, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    @catclub: Close friend who grew up in the Philthy metro region refers to it as the Surekill. He claims that in those days (1960s-70s) participants in regattas held on the river were issued cyanide pills in case they fell in…. :^D

  187. 187.

    Mel

    October 9, 2020 at 2:28 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    So glad to hear that you are doing well! Just get as much rest as you can over the next few weeks, and take extra good care of yourself.

    Thank for the update – have been thinking of you and hoping that things were on a good trajectory.

  188. 188.

    Kosh III

    October 9, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    My sister-in-law is a die hard Republican as in she’d vote for Castro if he had an R after his name, she voted for Trump in 16 but says she is disgusted with him and has a Biden sign in her yard.

  189. 189.

    JaneE

    October 9, 2020 at 2:43 pm

    I don’t know how many seniors are all that aware of how Social Security and Medicare are funded, but Trump’s promise threat to make his payroll tax deferral permanent if he were re-elected ought to put a big dent in his support all by itself.  No more income for the Social Security Administration equals no more social security checks – not smaller checks as when the trust fund is exhausted, but no checks at all – and not ten but more like two years from now.  I expect the social security funding will be replaced by general revenue funds right after the replacement for the ACA is enacted – that is never.   Even seniors who won’t starve without their social security check will most likely have to make some changes to their lifestyle, and we all know how old people hate change. (/s)

  190. 190.

    cope

    October 9, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    @chopper: A Scottish coworker of mine once told me this about her fellow Scots:  “you must either agree with a Scotsman or kill him.”  And she told me in the nicest, sweetest way possible.

  191. 191.

    Bill Arnold

    October 9, 2020 at 2:55 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    It sucks but at some point people need to eat.

    Point, thanks.
    I don’t recall that he was eating but he might have been.
    I have occasionally seen this behavior in other stores too; customer walks in, mask goes on at least one employee. This is NY State, with near 100 percent mask discipline in stores.

  192. 192.

    Betty

    October 9, 2020 at 3:02 pm

    @Belafon: I was waiting for him to bring out the golden oldies. I wonder f he and Jill have worked out a dance routine.

  193. 193.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 9, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    @chopper:

    Irish Alzheimer’s: When you forget everything but your grudges.

    (Having spent a fair chunk of my mid-years hanging around Irisn-Americans, I will testify to the veracity of this as an impartial observer.)

  194. 194.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 9, 2020 at 3:22 pm

    @LuciaMia: I hope so – I want to see Needy Amin giver Fucker Churlson this shit. And then have him infect the rest of Faux Noise.

  195. 195.

    Ruckus

    October 9, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    @JaneE:

    As an old on SS who has paid in my entire life and who has also been an employer and paid the other half of employee’s bit, I understood then and understand now that without SS people will die, and a lot sooner than normal. I’d bet a lot more old farts like myself understand SS better than shitforbrains and his cohorts, many of whom never actually lived off wages or maybe did so long ago that they have long forgotten about it. All they see is that 7+% that goes with every paycheck their companies write, which they think they are entitled to as masters of the universe. Fucking knobs. They seem to be able to do all the maths that show money coming in but none of the maths of what it takes for that to happen.

    Also as an old, as many of us here are, we now spend far less of our time worrying about living and far more worrying about staying alive so we can live. shitforbrains thinks he’s going to live forever because he’s so great. Wouldn’t it be nice that there were gates after the body bag, just so we’d know that he ends up in the place without air conditioning, or comforts of any kind whatsoever.

  196. 196.

    Uncle Cosmo

    October 9, 2020 at 3:33 pm

    @gvg: Heinlein catches a lot of flak for The Man Who Sold The Moon, whose protagonist is bazillionaire Delos D. Harriman. But it’s a bad rap. DD is not above a bit of chicanery (stuff that allegedly has been to the Moon, to be sold off to help fund the trip, being sneaked onboard after landing because it weighed too much to take) or even reckless endangerment (the downrange path of the Moon Rocket’s early stages’ descent is over populated territory)…but basically he just wants to get to the Moon. The real heavies in the book are his fellow corporate board members (and his wife) who don’t share his passion & are constantly scheming to stop him.

  197. 197.

    Chris Johnson

    October 9, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    @rk: Yeah, but you’re a troll, doesn’t count :)

  198. 198.

    J R in WV

    October 9, 2020 at 4:10 pm

    @Nicole:

    Happy Birthday, you young sprout! I wish I could run, let alone multiple miles… oh well.

  199. 199.

    Brachiator

    October 9, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    @Kropacetic:

    Staffing levels play a role.  If you can’t take a proper break during your shift, you’re more likely to try to find somewhere in your workspace you can discreetly sip some water and pick at your lunch.

    D’oh! I missed the obvious point the first time around. Absolutely people need a break. But I am seeing more instances of owners and patrons trying to get around wearing masks at all.

  200. 200.

    J R in WV

    October 9, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    @Bill Arnold:

    One town over in the county is a haven for some Hasidic sect (it would take a paragraph to accurately describe the hats on the males)…

    We were flying out of JFK to Europe some years ago, and there was a guy wearing what appeared to me to be a ritual set of garb, with a hat that was flat on top, with a rigid flat brim, quite round, with tiny balls, dozens of them, dangling from the edge of the hat brim. Hat was dark brown rigid felt, little dangles and balls were white, or perhaps a very pale tan.

    Would that hat be close to the hats your local ultra-orthodox community males wear? I know there are a ton of different orthodox sects, so I’m sure there are a whole slew of very rigidly adhered to garmets and hats.

    I have trouble keeping my tee shirts and jeans in order — I would have been excommunicated from any religious sect with rigid clothing rules at least 50 years ago…

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