Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

This fight is for everything.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Bark louder, little dog.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

You are here: Home / Politics / Antidotes to Election Anxiety

Antidotes to Election Anxiety

by | 99 Comments

This post is in: ,

Love this!  Wish I could remember who sent this to me!

I bet they have taco trucks on every corner!

I had no patience for the 2-minute intro & entrance, so I skipped that part!

Only good news from election reporting on this thread, please.

Plenty of other threads to share your worries.

Reader Interactions

99Comments

  1. 1.

    Melancholy Jaques

    I bet they have taco trucks on every corner!

    One among many of the negatives that flowed from the Disaster of 2016.

  2. 2.

    Mousebumples

    Had a massage today to try to work through it all, and I probably need to work on meditation.

    We’ll see if it works.

    In other news, we’re going to the Twin Cities this weekend for a long weekend. Any suggested activities for my littles? I think we’re staying near the Mall, though that might be too crazy. We’ll see…

  3. 3.

    Jeffro

    I have some good news: we’re going to win this fucking thing, by even bigger margins/EVs/whatever than 2020.

    (and I’m not just saying that because my 300 Postcards to Swing States are going to flip NC blue)

    (but yeah that is part of it ;)

  5. 5.

    WaterGirl

    Four Directions was amazed, and appreciative, when they saw that we hit $5k before bedtime the first day we put the new thermometer up.

    In other good news, there are a few people are heading to Nebraska next week to be put to work by the Osborn peeps!  I’ll let you out yourself if you want.

  7. 7.

    SpaceUnit

    Allow me to interrupt the Big Freakout party just long enough to point out that absolutely nothing is trending positively for the trump campaign.  Nothing.

    Young people have been registering to vote in record numbers.  Early voting is breaking records.  Shit-for-brains has been cancelling interviews and appearances.  He’s more incoherent than ever.  Women are fired up and pissed off.  The Swifties are marching.  Dems have been outperforming the polls at the ballot box for the last three election cycles, and the scores of Republican endorsements for Harris are a BFD.  Not because people are swayed much by endorsements but because they represent the tip of an iceberg.  I think a sizable number of traditional Republicans are beginning to turn away from this shitshow.

     

    I’m feeling pretty good.

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    In case anyone missed my update in this morning’s thread, there are still some Angel matches available.

    Okay, I am all caught up.  All donations are in the spreadsheet.

    PA Matt Cartwright $800 (matching up to $50 per person)
    $225 matching funds remaining

    PA State Races $1k (matching up to $50 per person)
    $265 matching funds remaining

    WI Rebecca Cooke $1k (matching up to $100 per person)
    $105 matching funds remaining

    OHIO Landsman $1k (matching up to $100 per person)
    $665 matching funds remaining

    OHIO State Races $600 (matching up to $100 per person)
    $165 matching funds remaining

  9. 9.

    Ridnik Chrome

    @WaterGirl: I’ve been on vacation the past week, and have been sleeping late and purposely not looking at the news. It’s done wonders for my mental health.

  10. 10.

    Ishiyama

    After watching our candidates on their separate trails, I’m quite hopeful; chanting old high school cheers to myself to release my excess energy. America is made of sterner stuff than they think.

  11. 11.

    hueyplong

    @Jeffro: Voted today in NC.  It took 40 minutes, the first time in our 18 years here that we’ve had to wait.  We actually received a postcard (but it likely wasn’t from anyone here because it was about a school board candidate for whom we voted).

    During the wait, The Spouse talked the woman in front of us into voting against a pair of horrible amendments (one state and one local).  Her husband wasn’t with her and we have no doubt that if he’d been there he would have directed her voting and would done so in a way not to our liking.

    I’m not as confident as you are about Harris in NC, but I’m confident about her overall.  I do think the execrable Mark Robinson will lose.

    If Harris wins NC I kind of think we don’t have to know anything else to know who won the election.

  18. 18.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @SpaceUnit:

    Allow me to interrupt the Big Freakout party just long enough to point out that absolutely nothing is trending positively for the trump campaign.  Nothing.

    Agree completely. Everything coming out of him and his campaign is shrill and not taking hold outside of his cult.

    Similarly, none of the various negative narratives they have pushed have attracted the media or taken on a life of their own. The list of bullshit claims includes Harris sleeping her way to the top, Walz’s stolen valor, Harris being dumb, and so on. When I consider how the media handled similar bullshit claims like the Swiftboat bullshit or emails, I am kinda sorta surprised.

    The only thing I wish I had a better gauge of is the enthusiasm in the Democratic electorate in the swing states. I’m in southern California and have no contacts in those places.

  19. 19.

    Anoniminous

    We don’t have Taco Trucks (note capital letters) on every corner in my little back-of-beyond New Mexician high desert but the 2024 Burrito (note capital letter) harvest is in full swing and it looks like a bumper and excellent crop due to the high amount of rainfall. The concern now is to get them in and under protection before the hard freeze comes along.

  20. 20.

    Jeffro

    @hueyplong: I hear you!  It’s not the end of the world if she doesn’t win NC – she only needs the blessed ‘blue wall’ trio to win the EC – but it will be epic when she and her team pull it off.

    I think it’s winnable.  trumpov is squealing about allowing all kinds of mail-in ballots, drop-off ballots, ANY ballots from western NC and I know that’s a good sign!

  23. 23.

    jackmac

    REPOSTING FROM DOWNSTAIRS:

    I just had conversations with a couple of sweet older ladies at a rare Monday garage sale near my house. One of the women had a Harris/Walz sign in her yard and we started chatting. Her friend seemed a little hesitant, suggested that her circle of family and friends were rather GOP/Trump oriented, reflecting sentiments of longtime residents in an area that has turned from ruby red to light blue in recent years as explosive growth brought in many newcomers.

    But as she warmed up, she expressed disdain for Trump and finally said she was voting early for Harris. “But if anyone asks,” she said, “I voted for Trump.”

    I told her I suspect there might be a lot of stealth Harris voters like her out there.

  25. 25.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I cast my ballot in Oregon today.  Walked it to Lane County Elections and slipped it in the slot.  Another vote for Kamala and Tim!  Hey, spell check…get your act together and stop telling me “Kamala” isn’t a real name.

  26. 26.

    BR

    @Jeffro:

    NC would be a great get and I hope folks are putting in their volunteering time to NC. I have relatives and friends in NC who are phone banking and such, and I’m hopeful about it. I think it’s a better target in these last two weeks for volunteering than GA because NC would seal the deal on election night and has a Dem governor and AG so there’s less likely to be any trickery that the GOP can get away with.

  29. 29.

    Scout211

    Kamala Harris’s campaign is breaking records.

    Kamala Harris’ Record Campaign Money Haul Laps Donald Trump In Final Weeks

    Harris has lapped Trump in fundraising after pulling in a record $1.6 billion across various campaign committees compared to $700 million for Trump.

    In total, Harris has raised $928 million for her official campaign, $364 million for the Democratic National Committee and another $307 million for a joint fundraising committee after accounting for transfers made to her official campaign and other party committees, according to FEC filings running through Sept. 30. That total, which includes funds raised when President Joe Biden was the party’s candidate, is a record sum for a presidential candidate.

    I’m sure that Donny can make it up with his McDonald’s gig.

     

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    When the Republicans are blatantly and repeatedly filing lawsuits to keep votes from the Americans living abroad from being counted, that is not a sign of confidence.

  34. 34.

    Scout211

    WaPo via RawStory

    Meanwhile, a political action committee (PAC) that has been largely funding Donald Trump’s legal woes has run out of money — and owes more than it is bringing in.

    “Save America, the leadership PAC that Trump has used to pay his legal bills and those of some of his associates, raised $1.4 million in September and spent $4 million, most of it on lawyers, demonstrating how the former president’s legal problems have continued to strain campaign resources,” said the report.

    Again Donnie, flip those burgers and fry those fries.

  37. 37.

    pabadger

    @Melancholy Jaques: I don’t know about the electorate in general but the volunteering base of the party here in central PA is fired up and ready to go! The campaign office is humming!

  38. 38.

    Mousebumples

    I mentioned downstairs that I actually answered a poll today.

    They asked who I thought would win. I said KAMALA HARRIS. (fuck yeah)

    I’m optimistic about our chances. Trying to not be too anxious…

  40. 40.

    SpaceUnit

    So anyway, here in Colorado everyone gets a ballot in the mail.  Mine didn’t arrive.  I received an email back on October 11th stating that it had been sent, but as of today it still hadn’t come.  So I went to the county clerk and recorder’s office website where I was instructed to submit a request for assistance online.

    Which I did, but I was thinking even as I did so that this was going to turn into big old clusterfuck pain in the ass.  Just three minutes later I got an email from an actual person requesting that I confirm some basic information – name, address, date of birth.  Half an hour later everything was resolved (hopefully).  The guy told me that I’d be mailed a new ballot and the old one would be nullified in case someone else received it and attempted to fraudulently submit it.

    Damn it’s nice to live in a blue state that has all its shit together.

  41. 41.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl: Tomorrow is Oct 22, so not Election Day…

    I think some folks in Montana are going to get an ass-whipping tomorrow, but that’s all I’ll say.

    What?! Now I’m supposed to sleep tonight??? ONE hint?

  43. 43.

    Origuy

    Has the California propositions post gone up and I missed it? I was out of town last week and didn’t keep up with the blog. I need to fill out my ballot.

    Thanks.

  44. 44.

    Juju

    @hueyplong: I’m in the process of getting my mother’s absentee ballot ready. I ran out of printer ink so I couldn’t make a copy of her last drivers license and I have ink now. I just need one more person to sign the stuff that goes along with the ballot.  It takes three signatures now, my mother’s, mine and a third person. I plan on taking her ballot when I early vote. I hope NC flips. That’s all I can say. I sent Josh Stein $15 more dollars.

  45. 45.

    cain

    @Melancholy Jaques:

    The difference is the Democratic electorate. This is a way different strain of democrats. We’re pissed off. Swift Boating kind of worked because of milquetoast attitudes of Dems, wringing their hands etc. Now of course, the Democratic politician is still does that, but the younger ones are not here to play.

  47. 47.

    Regnad Kcin

    @WaterGirl: cued up and ready to go… pro-tip, it’s only a 3hr drive from KC to Omaha, so playing O’Hare Roulette doesn’t have to be part of the itinerary.

    Both electoral-vote.com and Sam Wang have ID’d Omaha’s potential to be the epicenter of 2024’s seismics.

    Join us!

  49. 49.

    cain

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Not the NYT and Washington Post. Swimming upstream naked.

    Hell even Fox News was fact checking Trump.

    Everyone but the Trumpers are sick of Trump and sick of his fans. Sick of the stupid shit they do, harassing people, creating a ruckus. They need to mind their own business ™

  50. 50.

    Jackie

    @Scout211: To contrast with your great news:

    …a political action committee (PAC) that has been largely funding Donald Trump’s legal woes has run out of money — and owes more than it is bringing in.

    “Save America, the leadership PAC that Trump has used to pay his legal bills and those of some of his associates, raised $1.4 million in September and spent $4 million, most of it on lawyers, demonstrating how the former president’s legal problems  have continued to strain campaign resources,” said the report.

    It has less than $2 million cash on hand with nearly $5 million in legal bills, the Post reported.

    A March report showed that Trump was shelling out $90,000 a day in legal fees, but none of it was his own personal money. Instead, it came from donors and supporters.

    https://www.rawstory.com/trump-legal-fees-super-pac/

    Now, how is DonOLD going to pay his attorneys after he loses the election?

  56. 56.

    RevRick

    According to Target Smart 14.5 million Americans have already early voted in 41 states. The partisan breakdown is 46% Democratic, 36% Republican, and 18% independent or other. According to a Suffolk poll of these early voters, 63% voted for Harris, 34% for Trump… and if you do the math, it’s looking good for us.

  58. 58.

    Jackie

    @WaterGirl:

    When the Republicans are blatantly and repeatedly filing lawsuits to keep votes from the Americans living abroad from being counted, that is not a sign of confidence.

    How many of our overseas military would have been effected? I don’t think the GQP thought that issue through. In spite of TCFG’s insults about our military being losers and suckers, the majority vote R.

  59. 59.

    JCJ

    Kamala is (or was) about 1½ miles from my house tonight.  I had heard she was going to be in Waukesha County today with Liz Cheney.   Apparently she is at a nearby performing arts center.  The report was that she is going to Republican strongholds to campaign.  Coming to Brookfield with Liz Cheney is a good strategy.

  60. 60.

    Scout211

    @RevRick: and if you do the math, it’s looking good for us.

    Do the math?!  Nooooooo! Math is too hard for me.  May I borrow yours?  It does look good.  😊

  61. 61.

    Tinare

    My 200 NC postcards get mailed at the end of this week.  I am optimistic. I spend a lot of time in a Pittsburgh outer suburb that is generally red and in the past cycles had tons of Trump signs.  There are still some there, but anecdotally I’ve seen a good deal of Harris/Waltz yard signs. I hope I’m not wrong or overly optimistic, but I think we’ve got this. We know they will wail and try to overturn it, but I really think the polls are not adjusted to post Dobbs reality.  I do still suffer from post 2016 PTSD and I’m not immune to panic attack thoughts given my total disbelief that he won then.

  63. 63.

    Mousebumples

    @JCJ: agreed. I think Waukesha and Ozaukee counties both have a lot of traditional GOP supporters who would be persuaded by Cheney’s Country First message.

  65. 65.

    RaflW

    @Mousebumples: “In other news, we’re going to the Twin Cities this weekend for a long weekend. Any suggested activities for my littles? I think we’re staying near the Mall, though that might be too crazy.”

    How old are the littles? I’m not that great at suggesting kid-age things, but I can see what I can think up.

    Como zoo in St. Paul is inexpensive and small-scale so it’s not a huge commitment, but they have some good stuff (other enclosures are very dated and can be a bit sad feeling for those who know it can be done better, but it’s a small civic zoo on a small footprint and tight budget).

    The Como park conservatory nearby there, could be interesting, but that really depends on the kids. I think St. Paul Riverboat rides might be over for the year (sadly, as it’s warm as heck right now).

    If you’re at the Mall, would any of the kids find giant airplanes taking off interesting, or boring? The official viewing place is here (mintues from the MOA), and has a big poster that explains most of the common aircraft types. Other avgeeks will likely be there. But for short attention spans, I recommend here because it’s easier to get to and no one will care. Choice two can have less viewing chances if the airport isn’t using RW 30L.

    eta! Oh! The Science Museum on the riverfront in St. Paul. Very kid oriented, but satisfying for the adults who go along.

  66. 66.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Jackie: How many of our overseas military would have been effected? I don’t think the GQP thought that issue through. In spite of TCFG’s insults about our military being losers and suckers, the majority…

    …might be talking to each other about all of this.

  67. 67.

    Geoduck

    @hueyplong: The Shaitigibbon is now claiming to know nothing about Robinson. Could be tossing him under the bus, could be advancing brainworms. Either way I guess that’s good news.

  68. 68.

    Regnad Kcin

    @Mousebumples: meh, it’s just so i can sleep at night afterward (NB: this is round 3, following NC 2020 & GA 2022 — we may not have changed the world, but it’s better than casting my measly Mass. vote worth just 1/100th of a Nevadan’s vote, and then trusting to hope…)

    NPVIC now!

  69. 69.

    RaflW

    @Jackie: From what I understand, in recent cycles it might not even be much of a majority who vote R in the military. Of course there’s MAGAs. But it’s a diverse force and I do not doubt that they see how crappy Donold has been to service members and fallen soldiers.

  71. 71.

    Jackie

    @cain: Hopefully Musk doesn’t financially support LOSERS!

    After TCFG loses the election, I hope he and Elon disappear – together

  72. 72.

    Mousebumples

    @RaflW: we’re going with my sister and her family too so the kids will be 2, 3, 5, and 5. Mr. Mouse and I went to the Science Museum in St. Paul last fall when we were in town to see Queen.

    Thanks for all the suggestions!

  73. 73.

    Harrison Wesley

    I hope tomorrow and Wednesday plus Tuesday/Wednesday of next week of voter greeting are as easy-going as the times I was there during the primaries.  Sit around, make nice with people, help if there’s anything rudimentary we can do – shoot, I never smile, and I actually acted civil.  Be better if I had money to contribute, but that, alas, is not the case.

  74. 74.

    Almost Retired

    Setting aside Dana Carvey’s appalling Biden impression, the SNL cold open mostly mocked Trump with very little both sides. Seems like a big shift and very heartening.  But fuck Dana Carvey.  Not funny, not topical and thoroughly offensive.  But it seems like Trump mockery is the current zeitgeist.

  75. 75.

    FDRLincoln

    The only indicator that isn’t trending Harris’s direction are GOP-leaning polls produced to game the averages. Non-partisan polls maintain a smallish but very steady lead for KH that’s lasted almost 2 months now.

    This isn’t 2016, KH isn’t Hillary, and the Harris-Walz ticket maintains positive favorability in every survey, while Dump-Couch is into double-digit negatives.

    It isn’t won yet, but we are winning. Forward!

  76. 76.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Mousebumples: Minnesota Zoo or Como Zoo, walk or bike around some of the lakes or Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis, Science Museum of Minnesota if you go to St. Paul, and eat at Cossetta’s if you go to the Science Museum. I miss my home town but it’s unlikely that I will ever move back there.

  78. 78.

    piratedan

    I’ve heard all of the conversations about the flooding of the field with trash GOP polls, but the method is gaming the system that the MSM uses to translate vibes.  I’ve kind of stopped paying attention to them because of the fact that we’re aware of the bullshit tactic, but everyone treats it as if its significant or worthy of analysis, which seemingly falls apart under scrutiny.  It’s the same modus operandi about Trump himself, there’s so much crap, new crap every day, that it just has a deadening affect for the press.

    I’ve steeled myself by looking at the trend in actual elections that involve ballots and voters to guide me.  In every election that has taken place post Dobbs, abortion rights have won.  Red state, blue states, it wins.  Petitions filed with excessive signatures.  Red state legislative overreach keeps it in the minds of the voters going after IVF, birth control, tracking menstruation, limiting travel, etc etc etc  PEOPLE DO NOT WANT THIS SHIT.   There’s a reason why the GOP wants to run on immigration, it’s so they don’t have to take ownership of Dobbs.

    Keep the faith.

  80. 80.

    Princess

    A straw in the wind? There was an election in the Canadian province of New Brunswick tonight. The polls were close between the incumbent Tories and the Liberals — a dead heat (sound familiar?). The Tories staked out a hard anti-trans position, which was a major campaign issue.  They were beaten tonight handily and easily by the Liberals, and the Tory leader even lost his own seat.

  86. 86.

    Emily B.

    I’ll be mailing 200 postcards and 50-odd letters to voters this week. Did a shift of door knocking in Bucks County, PA on Saturday and hope to head to Allentown for more of the same next weekend. Getting up to speed on textbanking.

    It helps!

  89. 89.

    Chet Murthy

    @HumboldtBlue: What she says is so true: they really do think we can be bought, and they really do look down on working-class people.  I was especially enraged by TCFG’s words about fast food work: I did that job at a Jack-in-the-Box for 2.5yr during and after high school, for most of that time full-time+overtime.  It was hard, hard, hard work.  Hard,hot,dirty,greasy, and dangerous.  I saw a guy who slipped while cleaning the vent-a-hood, fell, his hand went into the fryer, and …. well, it wasn’t very nice.  All for minimum fucking wage.  I saw shift managers and other managers who had kids, and looking back, I can’t imagine how they did the job.  And this dirtbag has the balls to belittle that work.

    What a fucker.

  92. 92.

    Soprano2

    I saw a story on the local news about a resident here who put an air tag on her Harris/Walz sign. Someone stole it, she she followed the tag to a house in Nixa (hometown of the fictional character Jason Bourne 😁). She filmed the woman saying nasty things while giving her the sign back. Turns out the woman stole more than 60 of those signs! The woman whose sign was stolen has filed charges. It’s such a petty thing to steal those signs.

  94. 94.

    Situation Normal

    @Villago Delenda Est: re #25 — Oregon voting, just so! Didn’t see you at the dropbox at 10th & Lincoln but we were there, too, would have walked but driving to Roseburg for grandson’s 17th, other high milage/hybrid cars in leaving as we arrived. Strong proud Democrats. Parents of grandson are science teachers. My first comment on this site.

  98. 98.

    Starfish

    @SpaceUnit: Colorado is so good at having its election shit together. Most of the problems you have with ballots, they have seen before, and they know how to handle them.

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