Tuco

Dropped off my ballot last night. Fuck Trump.

Columbia City here. One the craziest things when the state government has decided to get the public more power: “democracy vouchers”. I think it is $100 in vouchers they give to every voter that you can pledge for any campaign. (Maybe just local races.). It means anybody, regardless of their personal wealth or backing, can gather enough seed money to get a campaign rolling if they connect with enough voters. Trying to level the playing field.

I think it's likely just normal, everyday arrogance and incompetence endemic to the tech bro culture. Musk is outsourcing these efforts. I guarantee the winning presentations included the terms "disruptors", "data-driven", and "six sigma." The superPAC has previously fired In Field Strategies in Florida (Rolling Stone) and the September Group in Nevada/Arizona (The Guardian)". Not surprisingly, Musk's SuperPAC is poorly run and surrounds itself with poorly run vendors. It gives me some solace that the world's richest man throwing money at Trump's campaign is about as effective as throwing it at a literal dumpster fire. They don't understand regular people, which makes it impossible to manage canvassing, which is just regular people talking to regular people. Now compare Musk's / Trump's campaign against Harris's. It is supercharged by young people, who have known Trump since before high school. They are clever, undaunted, and fully committed. This isn't just about a paycheck for them. I have high hopes for this generation.

I assume the pubs have an app similar to VAN, which I’ve used previously. The canvasser has a list of houses they are assigned to, with the names, party registration, and ages of who you are to speak with. You then enter the result of the attempt in the app- not accessible, wrong address, no answer, no interest, wants a sign, is interested in volunteering, etc.. There is a ton of discretion for the canvasser. How long are you going to wait for an answer after ringing the doorbell? Are you going to ignore “no solicitation” signs? Are you going to try to get into controlled access areas like apartments or gated communities? I’ll admit I wasn’t terribly aggressive about it, but I bet I was a shit ton more aggressive than someone working hourly. I would set aside my natural introvertism because I wanted my candidate to win. It would have been a very easy job to milk.

to clarify, that's "to fuck with some volunteer."

I signed up for the Madison Square Garden thing, so I have been getting texts from the campaign. I figured maybe I would fuck some volunteer, waste their time and amuse myself. But keeping it low key. Pretending I don't understand how hyperlinks work from their regular barrage of texts. Asking what they wanted to know when they asked if I would take a survey. Congratulating them when they declare "I am Trump." Low key, but believable stupidity. But it's just a steady stream of automated texts. No text banking. They don't have volunteers, just robotexts. For someone they think is going to a Trump rally.

Jill Biden maybe?

Me too. But I'm more of a pessimist. I think it would more likely be "Sir, here is a 30-page report of Kyrgystan. It sounds like the Russians crossed the border 2 hours ago and we need to determine the response quickly."

The optics on appointing Smith would be pretty bad.

Love this. Clean jabs. So confident.

But to be fair, there is no reason for the Democrats to be pushing a different version. The perception of a close race not only increases the chances of beating Trump, it helps down ballot, builds a warchest, and brings new voters out for future elections. (Also, it lines the pockets of the political machine, but maybe that's a little more cynical than I want to focus on.) I have a legitimate fear that I may be misreading America and Trump really has a 50/50 shot of winning. I am sure the Harris campaign shares that uncertainty. They don't want to say anything that drives complacency. They aren't commissioning Dem friendly pollsters. They aren't releasing internal polling (except in races that no one thought the Dems had a shot.). They aren't working the media to drive confidence. I feel like it's the beginning of the pandemic when the CDC said not to worry about masks. It was bullshit, but it was necessary to get those masks to healthcare workers. I think Dems are complicit in pushing bullshit for the greater good. I'm okay with that, even if it wrecks my nerves. Or maybe the race really is close.

Yep. I have been a democrat my whole life. But I am not hoping for the death of the Republican Party. I am hoping for the return to sanity. Politics without competition between two, reasonable, competent people is not good for anyone. I may never vote for a Republican, but I want to have that choice.

"grover" isn't right, but something like that

Well, the ones that survive grade school.

"they couldn't get me, because I said 'peacefully and patriotically.'" Fucking knockoff mobster.

They do that every year. Maybe this year they have more resources and it has been more effective, but following up with AV and VBM is standard. I think they even get data on which ones have been returned.

They also were trying to spin up all new gear, using union shops, while hundreds of other candidates had earlier orders. Still frustrating.

If he wins, future donations. If he loses, it’s a loss. Also, there is a lot of fundraising that happens in the last 2-4 weeks that is difficult to effectively use. Loaning yourself the money helps utilize the expected funds. So, his loan may be less by Election Day.

I had a friend from Florida who said Nebraskan racism was worse than Deep South racism because Nebraskan racism had stealth technology.

I'm confirmed as well. See you there.

I'm betting he has one of those in his freezer.

I would have loved to see a pivot to crypto. He thinks that losing the dollar as a reserve currency is like losing a war, but he is going to push an alternative because he can make a buck off of it.

I also doubt he played tight end. It wasn't really a position until the 50s, and I doubt you would have seen it much at the high school level. It is also unlikely there were many players lifting weights. My stepdad played for the Cornhuskers in the early 50s and weightlifting was prohibited for fear of making the players "muscle bound." So yeah, all of that is just bullshit he invented on the spot based on what he understand about football today.

It would be so nice to see Fischer lose.

Cool. I am all about getting Trump unscripted on any neutral media available.