I try not to write really long posts because I know that for most of you, your eyes glaze over if a post is too long. But I hope you will forgive me, just this once, and actually read the whole thing. I want everyone to know what we’re up against.
It’s a Tragic Sign of Our Times That Any Secretary of State Is Now Forced to Use War Preparation Tactics to Ensure Ballot Access
Guess which state? Three guesses, and the first two don’t count.
The Guardian recently published a deep dive into the evil machinations of the Arizona Republican party in its efforts to retake power by any means necessary. It’s not pretty, and their strategy is a roadmap for the authoritarian ascendency. Here’s a link to the full article (it’s quite lengthy):
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/16/arizona-election-denial-consequences
The article’s subheading summarizes it best:
“The state Republican party is undaunted by electoral defeats of those claiming voting is rigged – and election officials are bearing the brunt of their fury.”
The opening paragraphs set the scene:
“On a glorious spring day in Phoenix, in an atrium beneath the majestic cupola of the old state capitol, the secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, is celebrating Arizona’s 112th birthday…..
There is only one discordant note on this otherwise joyous day: who is that person standing silently and alert behind Fontes? Why is Arizona’s chief election administrator, responsible for the smooth operation of November’s presidential election, in need of a bodyguard?
“It’s very sad,” Fontes said. “It’s a sad state of affairs that in a civil society, in one of the most advanced civilizations that anybody could have imagined, we have to worry about physical violence.”
The Guardian outlines the MAGA strategy.
Double-down on election denialism:
All the big names in Arizona Republican politics continue to trade in election denialism, including failed 2022 candidates Kari Lake (Governor), Mark Finchem (Secretary of State) and Abe Hamadeh (Attorney General). Finchem founded an election denial grift called the “Election Fairness Institute” and is braying about monitoring “phantom voters.” Hamadeh has twice sued Attorney General Kris Mayes over his loss.
Further, the Arizona MAGAts are purging the state party of “RINOs” and election realists. Remember former speaker of Arizona house Rusty Bowers- who was censured by the party in 2021 for refusing to overturn the election – was subsequently swatted and harassed. Two of the four Republicans are not running for reelection; one citing “PTSD” from MAGA harassment. It’s the “fewer, but better, Republicans” strategy.
Abuse their narrow majority (two seats in both chambers) to enact draconian voter suppression measures:
According to Public Wise, a voting rights organization, 12 of the 16 Republicans in the state Senate are election deniers or participated in other acts designed to undermine confidence in democracy. Together with the House, almost half of Republicans serving in the Legislature have introduced anti-democratic legislation; 84% of them have voted for it.
Recent bills proposed by far-right lawmakers include:
- Make it easier to challenge election results in court (goodbye being dismissed for lack of evidence)
- Promote hand count of all ballots
- Strip AZ voters from the voter list whenever they fail to vote in any election
- Require all vote counting equipment to be made exclusively out of US manufactured parts.
As the Governor noted in her veto statement, no such machines exist!
More recently, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1014 would allow Arizona politicians to determine how electoral college votes are divvied up, stipulating that “the Legislature, and no other official, shall appoint presidential electors in accordance with the United States Constitution.” This is the attempted codification of the “Independent State Legislature Theory.”
Intimidate election officials and poll watchers and undermine confidence in machine counting.
The MAGA hordes are going out full force on intimidating voters and election workers. Last cycle, armed vigilantes stalked drop boxes to look for “mules” with fraudulent ballots. Election officials received death threats and bomb threats.
“Arizona is suffering one of the severest brain drains of electoral know how in the country. Of its 15 counties, 12 have lost a top election administrator since the last presidential cycle, prised out by a constant barrage of bile.
Most of those quitting are women, a reflection of the predominance of female election officials and the often sexually charged nature of the threats.”
But there’s hope and action and the Democrats are fighting back!
It all seems rather grim at first glance, but there’s plenty of reason for hope and plenty of action to take.
Election denial is a losing strategy in Arizona. According to the Guardian, although opinion polls show that 70% of Republicans nationally believe in the Big Lie, Republicans are only 34% of Arizona’s electorate. Democrats (30%) and unaffiliated independents (35 percent) are far, far less susceptible to lies about the election. And outside the party, it’s a losing strategy.
Mike Nobel, an Arizona-based pollster, described the 2022 cycle as a perfect case study in the effects of election denialism in Arizona: “All the election deniers standing in statewide races lost, while everything else down-ticket went to the Republicans.” Please proceed MAGAts.
The Democrats elected statewide (with Balloon-Juice’s help) have a strategy and are putting it into action.
Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed over 143 election-related bills. She’s dismissed them with remarks like “it’s time to move on” and “the 2020 election is settled.” Further, the independent state legislature initiative referenced above (SCR1014) has little chance of passage. It would require a majority of Arizonan to essentially disenfranchise themselves via a ballot initiative. Although that’s no reason for complacency.
Attorney General Kris Mayes is aggressively going after violations of election laws.
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is preparing for the election like the Marine veteran that he is:
“The secretary of state is staging tabletop exercises in which officials wargame how to react to worst-case scenarios. What would they do if a fire broke out at the ballot-printing warehouse, or if a cargo train spilled its toxic load on to the facility storing voting equipment?
“Tiger teams” have been assembled to be quickly dispatched across the state to fix software or other voting problems….
Specialists from the Department of Homeland Security have been deployed to advise counties on physical and cyber security. Active-shooter drills have been rehearsed at polling stations.
As the Washington Post reported, kits containing tourniquets to staunch bleeding, hammers for breaking glass windows and door-blocking devices have been distributed to county election offices. “These are not things we would ever want to train anybody on,” Fontes said. “But given the environment … ”
It’s a tragic sign of our times that any Secretary of State – in ordinary times, a wonky bureaucratic position – is now forced to use war preparation tactics to ensure ballot access.
This is why Arizona is in the Balloon Juice crosshairs for this cycle. It’s critical to saving democracy.
ARIZONA
NEVADA
WaterGirl
I started writing this nearly a month ago, but it seems to me that it’s still as germane as ever.
WaterGirl
Oh, and we have NEW angel matches for AZ and NV, so donations up to $50 end up 4x the donation amount.
The external donor for Four Directions asked that her $40,000 donation be matched by 4/25.
That’s just shy of $15,000 that still needs to be raised.
I know it’s asking a lot, but I’m really hoping we can get his done within the next week!
Update:
Okay, gonna try something new since we’re on an external donors deadline.
At this same time as this angel match, we will have A SEPARATE angel match up to $10, and the first 25 $10 donations with be double-angel matched. So up to $10 will be 6x the donation amount.
lowtechcyclist
Just tossed in another $50 for each state.
SiubhanDuinne
I am deliberately not going to read the article right now, as I have a class starting in < 25 minutes and I don’t want to rush — but I will do so once class is over.
I’ll also take a look at the exchequer and see if I can put a few more dollars into the AZ Four Directions fund before the end of the month.
Thanks for both the link and the nudge.
Kay
“hand count of all ballots” is the dumbest, most superstitious nonsense. Hand counts are less reliable than machine counts, which anyone with a lick of common sense would know. They’re also much more expensive. Less reliable, more expensive but in some woo woo mindframe “hand count” has some special meaning. No one should be suprised that these people are also the biggest customers of miracle cure woo woo and investment woo woo. They are born suckers.
I did hand counts at the precinct level back in the day as a poll worker. We regularly got it wrong and had to find the error and start over. Machine count is much, much better.
Jackie
More promising news for Arizona Democrats:
And Kari Lake has “wonderful news” for those seeking or needing an abortion in Arizona!
Yes, an emergency life saving abortion is only “three hours away!”🤦🏼♀️😡
rikyrah
Thank you for this post. Education is key. Knowledge is key.
The thought that those muthaphuckas have run off good people from their good government jobs is enraging to me.
I’m going to stay put in my blue city in my blue county in my blue state.
I respect those of you who deal with the crazies, but, I don’t have the time, patience or inclination for muthaphuckas who want to hurt little-d democracy.
rikyrah
@Jackie:
Yeah, ain’t that some shyt to say.
Baud
@rikyrah:
I on the other hand would love to force them to have to deal with you. :-)
Chief Oshkosh
@Jackie: Gee, Kari, if the law isn’t going to be enforced, maybe you and your fellow travelers shouldn’t have worked so hard to make it the law of the land.
BenInNM
Put in $25 for each state. Thanks again for organizing this and thanks to the angel matching donations!
Old School
I put $50 into the Nevada fund.
Trollhattan
Glazed eyeballs coincidentally very popular item in many French restaurants.
Jharp
And Kari Lake is encouraging them to strap on glocks.
That should be a crime.
WaterGirl
Okay, gonna try something new since we’re on an external donors deadline.
At this same time as this angel match, we will have A SEPARATE angel match up to $10, and the $10 donations with be double-angel matched. So up to $10 will be 6x the donation amount.
Since these will be separate angel matches, people are eligible for both. But the $10 donation needs to be listed separately in the comment so I know what’s what for the spreadsheet.
Jackie
@Chief Oshkosh: In 2022, Kari said it was a beautiful law.
Things sure look different now, in this election year!
We need to hang flip flops around her neck – along with every flip flopping AZ candidate running for office this year.
WaterGirl
@Trollhattan: hahahahaha
Is that really true?
topclimber
General Grant is ready to send Sherman with $25 and Sheridan with $25 to each of the thermometers. If this maximizes funds from the angels, I will do so once you give the word. If not, please advise.
Thanks for all you do!
WaterGirl
@topclimber: Yes, those would be matched! 4x the donation amount.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
You can never really tell with the French.
Brachiator
Great post. And much appreciated. I think that other red states should be watched. The GOP will be committed to a strategy to:
Suppress the vote
Steal the vote
Lie about the results
And Trump will cheer these efforts on.
He’s still going to lose.
WaterGirl
If anyone wants to share the links on social media or in other blogs (blogs that don’t do their own fundraising) here they are:
Four Directions – Arizona
Four Directions – Nevada
They wouldn’t get the matches unless they sent me email, but they could definitely donate to the cause of so inclined.
piratedan
@Jackie: and what Lake doesn’t say is that the ONLY reason it won’t be enforced is because the State AG has said so, publicly. So in this instance, Lake is relying on the Dems to give her ass cover, because if Hamadan was the AG, sure as fuck they would try and enforce it.
Hungry Joe
Tossed in 25 smackeroos +tip to Arizona.
RaflW
“All the election deniers standing in statewide races lost, while everything else down-ticket went to the Republicans.”
I posted a few days ago about Democratic voter roll-off. Apparently it’s less of a problem for Republican voters, and this result in AZ could be a clue to the impacts.
What to do? I think it’s essential for Democrats, in AZ and everywhere, to emphasize voting the ‘party line’ down the ticket if possible. I know ‘straight party’ voting (just tick the DEM box at the top) is basically gone. A nationwide Democratic education campaign on how to read and move through a ballot so that Democrats can effectively (re)gain our margins not just for President is so important.
RaflW
Oh, also: Just plinked in $50 each for AZ & NV. Match as one will – not sure I grocked the $10 part, but I definitely understood the desired 4/25 cutoff. LFG.
eta: Really only $12,706 to go on the 40K. A lot, but we’ve done it before!
piratedan
https://www.alternet.org/msn/arizona-gop-austin-smith/
yeah, this is their self-proclaimed election integrity guy……
Jackie
@piratedan: Funny, that. TIFG has also said “he expects the Dems to fix this ‘abortion law that’s gone too far’,” to assist AZ GQPers running for office.
It’s not about life and death for the GQP; it’s about winning elections – and now they expect Democrats to save their asses from themselves. 😡
Cheryl from Maryland
Donated $25.00 to Nevada and $25.00 to Arizona.
SuzieC
Very scary article. Inspired me to throw in another $25.00 to each state.
schrodingers_cat
OT: How is this helping the Palestinian cause
ETA: It is harming Ds seeking elected office that’s for sure.
Harrison Wesley
@schrodingers_cat: Beats me. I’m not sure what cause it would help, and I’m very pro-Palestinian.
topclimber
@WaterGirl: Deed is done–$25 to each.
PAM Dirac
$75 to each. At least I’m pretty sure it was to each, the receipts both just say Four Directions.
Nora
$25 to each fund — keep up the good work, Watertiger!
Baud
Via reddit
WaterGirl
@PAM Dirac: You did it right!
JeanneT
I’m in for $25 more dollars for each fund.
Harrison Wesley
@Baud: Hopefully the Pudding Strangler will disappear off the political stage here when his term is up. I’m sure the Madison Institute or a like organization can find a home for him.
Baud
@Harrison Wesley:
God bless Chaz.
Geminid
@Baud:
Chaz: Chad, or Chud? You decide.
Fake Irishman
@Kay:
The GOP in a small Hill Country county in Texas made a big deal about going to a hand count for their primary in March.
It was bad. Really, really bad. They were the last to report in the whole state and were finding errors the next day and the day after….
Another Scott
ICYMI, Fritschner has pointers to the Israel, Ukraine, and Far East supplemental bills.
A quick skim of the Ukraine one looks decent to me (though I wonder how some of the buckets of money is going to be spent by 9/30/2024 (some of the funds have longer dates).
I found this interesting:
There are almost always such (b) sections, but if it passes it makes clear the House’s views and that’s a good thing.
Cheers,
Scott.
Cacti
Leaving Arizona forever was one of the happiest days of my life.
CTlurker
I gave 10.00 for each state.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Jackie: In fact, why do you need any retail at all in Arizona? You want a restaurant? A coffee? Groceries? Clothing? Go three hours this way, three hours that way, and there ya go! Easy-peasy!
Harrison Wesley
@Baud: And the response to Chaz was typical wingnut: “Turnabout is fair play.” “See – just like you libtards, trying to normalize deviant sex!”
UncleEbeneezer
Ryan Goodman on Xitter:
randy khan
It looks like the November ballot in Arizona will be a doozy – President, Senate, abortion rights initiative, two of the State Supreme Court justices up for retention, and a potential statewide vote on giving state Supreme Court justices life tenure (that is, locking in Ducey’s picks for the rest of their lives).
Soprano2
@schrodingers_cat: But it gets them a lot of attention and on the news, which is what they are aiming for. The thing is that if they want to actually cause change they should be working with people behind the scenes to do that, but then all the angry young people say they actually aren’t doing anything. I understand why they pull stunts like blocking the Golden Gate bridge traffic, but what I think they don’t understand is that while most people agree with what they’re trying to do, tactics like that might actually turn some of those people against them. If I had to sit on the bridge for two or three hours and missed something important because of it (plus I’ve gotta pee pretty badly!) I might start looking askance at these people and their true aims.
Old Man Shadow
We need to be overprepared for violence, threats of violence, and chaos.
Because all of that works in their favor since they have the Supreme Court which would be looking for any excuse to throw the election to Republicans.
My fears are disruption of polling places that prevent people from voting or turning in ballots. A bomb threat that shuts a place down for five or ten hours. All those people would be disenfranchised by at least four SCOTUS judges, if not six.
Soprano2
@Kay: You know that’s based on their fervent belief that the machines change all the votes to be for Democrats, even though verifying hand counts show no such thing happening. They’ve made such a production out of not trusting voting machines that they’ve painted themselves into this stupid corner where they have to say hand counts are better because that way the machines can’t cheat the Republican out of winning. When the Republican still doesn’t win, they’ll come up with yet another theory about why that happened that doesn’t involve the fact that they got fewer votes than their Democratic opponent.
Geminid
@randy khan: Also, Republican Reps. Schweikart and Ciscomani face tough reelections. Both men barely squeaked by in 2022.
kitfoxer
I put 50 bucks each to AZ and NV. Invest in democracy! Thank you BJ angels.
rikyrah
This is called fumbling your own bag.
THOMAS (@TommyInPA) posted at 10:20 AM on Wed, Apr 17, 2024:
Anti-Israel Google worker protesters refusing to leave Google NYC offices for several hours on Tuesday were arrested and put on administrative leave.
https://t.co/vm86fOaL4U
(https://x.com/TommyInPA/status/1780617291778162830?t=DUZUKT2EyoO1hRPxKWTAig&s=03)
piratedan
@Geminid: I personally think Ciscomani is toast. He has a record to run against now after portraying himself as a concerned non-MAGA politician. How Schweikert stays in office appears to be inertia more than anything else. Will have to see who the Dems put up against him this time.
Jesse
This is insane. And depressing. I agree that these bananas tactics are losing strategies.
Chipped in $10 to each thermometer.
RaflW
A little national good news: the Orange Hantavirus falls $75 million behind Biden-Harris in fundraising, and has 270,000 fewer unique donors now than at the same stage of his run for the White House four years ago.
I think we can see why his bulk emails to smaller donors (which get referenced on Bsky, etc) are increasingly frenzied and deranged. If each of those missing
giversmarks was good for $25/mo, that’s close to seven million bucks a month he’s lost out on.WaterGirl
We are halfway to $1,000 for both matches (AZ and NV).
No takers yet for the 6x match for $5 and $10 peeps.
Marcopolo
@piratedan: Ciscomani is in AZ 6. Crystal Ball, the group that just moved the AZ Sen race from tossup to lean D also moved AZ 6 from lean R to tossup.
WaterGirl
@CTlurker: Our first $10 double-angel match that turns into $60!
WaterGirl
@Geminid: So sad!
marcopolo
Just dropped in $25.00 for both AZ & NV. Still recovering from paying my taxes but I can afford that. Btw, did anyone else see Mark Cuban announce he paid $288,000,000 to the IRS. Boggles the mind, but good on him.
WaterGirl
@marcopolo: I can’t imagine how much money you must have to have to pay that much in taxes
Good on him for doing the right thing.
Now we just need to change the rules so that “doing the right thing with your taxes” is no longer optional for the ultra-rich.
Soprano2
Just put in $25 for both AZ and NV. These states are so important this year.
Soprano2
@marcopolo: Me too, not like Mark Cuban but I had to swallow hard because there was a significant capital gain from the sale of the land I owned with my mom and had to sell. I might get some of it back, because I had to pay an estimate, I guess I’ll find out later.
louc
What’s deal with some Arizona democratic state legislators? One didn’t collect enough signatures to qualify in an ultra blue district so they’re having to resort to a write-in. Two other two-timers announced they weren’t running again.
Also, RIP Bob Graham, a wonderful governor and even better senator. If Al Gore had chosen him for Veep, we wouldn’t be dealing with some of the nonsense we are today.
thruppence
I get paid tomorrow. I can chip in then, hope the matches will be ongoing.
Sister Golden Bear
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: More like, need a ruptured appendix removed? Hey it’s only a three-hour drive to the nearest surgeon.
marcopolo
So I’m gonna out myself as someone who opposes organized sports betting. First, it’s a great way for folks to vaporize their hard earned money, as is all gambling. But, if that’s what they want to do, fine. More seriously, because sports are played by humans, I don’t see any way that having opened the flood gates to sports betting, it doesn’t lead to stuff like this happening. And maybe it’s the player, maybe it’s the coach, maybe it’s the ref, or maybe it’s just a spouse or locker-room attendant or who knows who but folks are going to do stupid stuff all because of a few dollars. I’d also point out (though I can’t locate it atm) that I read a piece during the NCAA men’s playoffs where they reported on college basketball players getting hate texts from folks because the player ruined someone’s betting line. Sorry, that shit is messed up. As is the on screen betting crap before, during, and after games. I just want to enjoy the sport for the sport.
/end rant
Baud
@marcopolo:
Laxer rules that baseball. Ask Pete Rose.
Sister Golden Bear
I put in $10 for each state.
marcopolo
@WaterGirl: According to the intertubes, Cuban is worth ~5.5 billion so thats around 1/20 his net worth–but it’s income taxes not net worth taxes. Guessing he had a good year with stocks or something.
WaterGirl
@thruppence: Yes, there will be matches tomorrow!
WaterGirl
@marcopolo: What exactly did they think would happen when they allowed betting on sports?
WaterGirl
@marcopolo: Sounds like it!
marcopolo
@Baud: Apparently Rose was just ahead of the rest of society. I realize the toxic effect that our worship of $$ has had on so much of our culture and society but the total flip flop on gambling is eye opening. I mean you used to have to go to Vegas or Atlantic City or the horse track to place bets (though some folks used illegal bookies :)). Now just open your phone and it’s off to the races. Various religions/churches used to push a pretty hard line on this too–what happened to that?
Baud
@marcopolo:
Yes. I hate all the gambling stuff nowadays, and especially how it has infected watching sports.
Fair Economist
@Kay: Hand counts raise confidence in the election, which is an important part of democracy. Many countries do fine with hand counts, like the UK.
And as usual, every Republican accusation is a confession. Republicans almost certainly used electronic voting machines to steal the 2002 Alabama gubernatorial election.
Geminid
@Fair Economist: I’m plenty confident with a paper, scanned ballot. A hand count wouldn’t make me any more confident.
WaterGirl
@Geminid: You would have to trust the humans counting.
marcopolo
About to head back into real world stuff but first in other news:
May have been exacerbated by cloud seeding. Saw some video from inside a hotel (think it was someone who was there for a crypto conference) where water was just pouring down the walls & through the ceiling.
Have a lovely day everyone.
Baud
@marcopolo:
It’s like when it snows in the South. They don’t know what to do.
WaterGirl
Speaking of Arizona, the vote to consider repeal of the awful 1800s abortion law fails with a result of 30-30.
CarolPW
$100 each.
VFX Lurker
I’ve donated to these thermometers before for other matches, so I don’t know if the donations I made just now will “count” for the new match.
That said, I just donated the following:
I hope both donations might count for the new match. If the match only exists for new donors, no worries.
Thank you for making it easy for us to help.
Geminid
@WaterGirl: Some ballots are long, too. I don’t know how people count those many different lines accurately. I’d go cross-eyed trying.
Hey, I just checked out Laura Rozen’s account and saw there’s some action on Ukraine funding. Johnson’s people finally put out a hard copy of a Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific military aid bill. It must be ok, because the White House issued a statement calling for its passage while Heritage Action told Republicans not to vote for it.
Baud
@Geminid:
Whoa. 🤞
ETA: One bill or three?
Geminid
@Baud: Not sure. One or more of Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman, Heather Caygle or John Bresnahan probably have posted details. Jaime Dupree might have also.
WaterGirl
@VFX Lurker: These two matches are basically new matches (just 3 donations from several days ago) so I am counting all donations as eligible for this match.
So those definitely count toward the matches!
Omnes Omnibus
@Baud: If it is three, the Ukraine bill needs to be voted first.
WaterGirl
@Geminid:
LOL.
It’s like trying to figure out who to vote for in some local races, where good info is hard to find. They’re for it? Then I’m against it!
rikyrah
Great piece on unions, the byproduct of Biden ‘s Bills and Tennessee
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLPhjtfT/
Baud
@Omnes Omnibus:
Not sure how much leverage the House Dems have on the order. Hopefully if Ukraine doesn’t pass, Senate Dems won’t take up the other bills.
lowtechcyclist
@WaterGirl:
Those AZ Republicans are willing to do anything to diss that 1864 law short of voting against it.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: YES!
(Please consider that a Header 1, All CAPS, bold and in red, flashing.)
WaterGirl
@lowtechcyclist: Just one more person with balls and integrity, and repealing the law could have at least gotten a vote.
FastEdD
Some idiot on my street corner is selling tRump flags and other garbage. I thought of yelling at him and holding an insulting sign of my own, but I decided to do something better with my time. I’m visiting 100 Dem households this afternoon and handing out handwritten cards thanking them for voting in the primary and encouraging them to vote in November. Don’t boo, vote.
Baud
@FastEdD:
👍
WaterGirl
Can you translate this for me?
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Case moves to California, which is friendlier for the good guys than Texas.
lowtechcyclist
I’m unclear about how the $10 match works. I gave $50 to AZ and $50 to NV up top, before the $10 match was mentioned. So did the first $10 of each match get a 6x rather than a 4x match? If not, if I chip in another $10 to each state, will each of those $10s get the 6x match?
Melancholy Jaques
@Kay:
This excludes a supermajority of Republicans.
Old School
@marcopolo:
They deny that.
VFX Lurker
Hooray!!!!
You rock.
Manyakitty
@Omnes Omnibus: absolutely. No Democratic support without a vote for Ukraine before all the rest.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Thank you!
Things like this sometimes boggle my mind.
Losing (negative)
Attempt (positive)
Prevent (trying to stop)
Challenge
to Proceeding
Timill
@Baud: Sure we do. We make french toast…
WaterGirl
@lowtechcyclist: The $10 double-angel match is to give an extra boost to smaller donations.
Depending on what’s going on, 10 bucks can be more of a sacrifice than a hundred bucks is for someone else, or maybe even a hundred bucks was for them a month ago, or would be a month from now.
So a better match for someone with less disposable income this week.
Does that make sense?
Maxim
$25 to each state.
Tony Jay
You people are dead to me.
Baud
@Tony Jay:
See, that I read.
Mousebumples
I’ll toss in $10 to both shortly. Thanks to our double plus bonus angels! 😇
Eta – done!
WaterGirl
@Tony Jay: Maybe if my writing were as good as yours, I might feel differently. :-)
WaterGirl
As of this moment:
$165 left on this match for NV
$190 left on this match for AZ
When we get there, the angels will each add their $1,000 to the proper thermometer and we’ll be above $15,000 for each one.
Tony Jay
@Baud:
To paraphrase my Catholic school music teacher, short and sweet is the treat you can’t beat …wonder if he ever got parole?
Tony Jay
@WaterGirl:
Touché
lowtechcyclist
@WaterGirl:
That makes total sense about the motivation. Sounds like I should hold off and let others take advantage of it.
lashonharangue
$50 for AZ
$50 for NV
a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)
My mother raised me to be a Democrat and to love a bargain.
So I’ve donated $10 to each fund, and I might just do it again before bedtime. And maybe a couple of times tomorrow, and who knows what I’ll get into on Friday.
WaterGirl
@lowtechcyclist: Yeah, but there are still the 4x matches up to $50 per person to each state.
it’s just the 6x match for uptown $10 that i’d like to keep for the folks who aren’t in a position to more at the moment.
Edit: And not just motivation, but also increasing their tangible contribution!
WaterGirl
Thanks to everyone who is contributing to these matches!
JAFD
Was working for the Board of Elections at the Newark school board elections yesterday. Was 5 people in crew at my precinct – I let the folks who wanted to do the work do it, while I sat back and observed most of day. Ended up counting unused provisional ballots at closing time – having been up since 3:30 AM – took me three tries, finally more-alert co-worker said ‘there’s an extra spoiled _envelope and Affirmation_, but no spoiled _ballots_’
We’ve got an election system with ten thousand* sites, staffed with us amateurs doing this for a few bucks / chance to meet people / get out of house for day / ‘done civic duty’ warmfuzzies. If we get scared of violence, or that a mistake may land us in criminal court, or with our name blackened on Faux News for teh next three weeks – What The Hell Are The MAGAts Going To Replace It With ???
Plan to be there for the NJ primary in June, Ghod willin’ and the Passaic don’t rise. Will sign up if there’s refresher training beforehand, want to make sure every ‘I’s’ dotted and ‘T’s’ crossed.
*figure pulled out of hat
WaterGirl
Our AZ Angel has faith that the remaining $140 on her match will arrive soon, so she just added her $1,000 to the thermometer.
So AZ is at $15,452! (But we still need the $140 for the match!)
We have $115 left on the current match for NV.
RaflW
BTW, on Arizona: Sabato’s Crystal Ball just changed the rating of Democrat Kirsten Engel’s race for AZ-06 from Leans Republican to Toss-up. Would love to see this seat flip!
WaterGirl
I don’t have the time or energy to dig out all the dandelions in my yard, so my compromise is to cut off (or pull off) the yellow flowers before they turn to see and spread some more.
Heading out to cut down the dandelions in another 1/5 of my yard. Just got the big gaggle of dandelions around the huge silver maple. Just the 1/5 on the side to go. (Later.)
Jackie
@WaterGirl: Won’t your lawnmower do that job for you?
Or maybe you don’t use a catcher; if that’s the case, snip away!
rikyrah
Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) posted at 11:24 AM on Wed, Apr 17, 2024:
You’ve got to see this. The man who wrote the 1864 Arizona law banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest, was a kidnapper and a rapist. He wrote the law to force his victims to bear his children.
Anyone defending this law, is defending that! https://t.co/oHPYjGkqbM
(https://x.com/cwebbonline/status/1780633473096745214?t=DMjnBMbhx1zwQMZCdUA9MA&s=03)
Sandia Blanca
I just chipped in $50 for each state. Thanks WG!
WaterGirl
@Jackie: Exactly! The lawnmower just spreads all the seeds everywhere. And my mower guy mows tomorrow, so I need to get this done today.
Just one more section on the side, heading out in a minute to complete that.
WaterGirl
@Sandia Blanca: Thank you!
The two angels have already added their matches, so we are above $15,000 in both thermometers!
Even though they added their matches:
We have $90 left on the current angel match for AZ.
And $65 left on the current angel match for NV.
Asparagus Aspersions
Just kicked in $50 for AZ
StringOnAStick
I just gave $25 each for NV and AZ
bookdragon
@WaterGirl: $25 more for AZ
WaterGirl
@Asparagus Aspersions: @StringOnAStick: @bookdragon:
Thank you!
We have met the match for AZ!
Just $30 left on this match for NV!
sab
@WaterGirl: Dandelions. Bright yellow flowers with flat green leaves. We love them, and we live a block from the metropark so no shame about weeds (perennial native species) here. I know dandelions are not native, but they sure are bright yelliw.
WaterGirl
@sab: I have my share of violets, which are weeds, but I don’t hate violets in the way that I hate dandelions.
I’m glad you like yours! But I am not a fan.
My grass is there to offset the garden, and gaudy yellow (to me) is not a nice backdrop for happy flowers.
WaterGirl
Okay, Just $30 left on the current NV angel match.
We will start a new angel match now for AZ and another new angel match now for NV. So there will be 4x matching for all donations after this point – into the evening, overnight, and tomorrow.
This thread is pretty much dead, but I will check back tonight and tomorrow in case there are more donations listed.
sab
@WaterGirl: Violets are out also. I love them. Forgetmenots have crowded out every other weed.
Spring has Sprung
I really love tiny strawberries. Flat, low, leafy and green. With occassional tiny strawberries. A great almost lawnlike groundcover. Also too, probably a weed.
WaterGirl
@sab: I do strawberries in hanging pots.
We don’t have strawberries as weeds here. I would take that over creeping charlie any day.
Geminid
@sab: People here call those little strawberries “snake berries.” Maybe snakes eat them for the water, or because they taste good. I read that wild strawberries are a sign of acid soil.
Sallycat
@WaterGirl: I donated 25 to Arizona. I also make a recurring donation=does that count?
edit-I see I missed the match. Oh well, still a good cause.
Miss Bianca
@WaterGirl: ooh, tomorrow too? I may have some more $ at my disposal now that I’ve paid my taxes…I will check tomorrow.
artem1s
@marcopolo:
This is why I’m glad MLB hasn’t moved an inch on the Pete Rose ban from the Hall of Fame. It should be the norm in every ML sport – lifetime (and deathtime) ban and, if I had my way, scrub all their records from the books too.
WaterGirl
@Sallycat: No, you didn’t miss the match. We had 2 more angels waiting in the wings! :-)
WaterGirl
@Miss Bianca: Thank you!
Temp Decloaked Lurker
WaterGirl: $100 kicked in to each.
Jesse
Just chipped in another $10, to NV only this time.
WaterGirl
@Temp Decloaked Lurker: @Jesse: Thank you. They have been matched.