2024 Presidential Election Thread - Let's keep the party going.

[Brisketexan 106,898]

1 minute ago, Thatguy said:

The Alps......This fuckin guy!

[Bateshorn 9,991]

4 minutes ago, G650 said:

 

 

There are some gorgeous mountain towns, but one requirement I have is water access, either big lake or ocean. Which always circles me back to the Alps. There's like Coeur d'Alene, but it can't compete on the food and wine front.

Settle down there, Spendarella. 

 

[Pato del Muerto 53,500]

7 minutes ago, G650 said:

 

 

There are some gorgeous mountain towns, but one requirement I have is water access, either big lake or ocean. Which always circles me back to the Alps. There's like Coeur d'Alene, but it can't compete on the food and wine front.

The property I posted is 60-90 minutes from Seattle and the Pacific Ocean.  

[G650 14,437]

2 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Settle down there, Spendarella. 

 

I've always felt Scrooge was an underutilized gif.

 

I'm actually closing on a house and moving in town in a week and a half, so my ass isn't going anywhere for quite some time unfortunately.

1 minute ago, Pato del Muerto said:

The property I posted is 60-90 minutes from Seattle and the Pacific Ocean.  

I mean, on the water. With a dock and stuff.

[Chad Fuck 18,135]

3 hours ago, Js1 said:

Depends who is writing Constitution 2.0. If they win out and write it, everyone is going to be given an F-350 to drive. No bike lanes, no EVs, just gas guzzlers for life 

But that highway system...

[The Original Greaser Bob 2,888]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

And California is completely outside of my price range for anywhere I'd wave to live there. Just give me some place with a great view and a few acres that doesn't cost 2 million plus. Becuase that's the shit I see now anywhere else I'd want to live. And that's basically Texas Hill Country. 

I remember back when I first started working and I was up in Marin County I told a friend who lived there that as soon as I made some money I'd move there and he indicated it would never get better than then and I should just dive in.

I like the coastal area but with flooding and the fire hazard, doesn't seem like a great bet.  But I'm getting so old my risk horizon is pretty narrow. 

I do wish the Texas Hill Country had taken a page from Marin and created trails in the hills and limited development on the higher elevation of said hills. 

San Antonio and Austin and the Texas Hill Country?  Lot of land rape there.  It doesn't sting so bad here in Dallas because most of the area isn't very pretty.

 

[texasdago 7,770]

2 minutes ago, The Original Greaser Bob said:

I remember back when I first started working and I was up in Marin County I told a friend who lived there that as soon as I made some money I'd move there and he indicated it would never get better than then and I should just dive in.

I like the coastal area but with flooding and the fire hazard, doesn't seem like a great bet.  But I'm getting so old my risk horizon is pretty narrow. 

I do wish the Texas Hill Country had taken a page from Marin and created trails in the hills and limited development on the higher elevation of said hills. 

San Antonio and Austin and the Texas Hill Country?  Lot of land rape there.  It doesn't sting so bad here in Dallas because most of the area isn't very pretty.

 

I don't know about SA but it does seem like there is more activity in the Austin area to try to save land.  Glad to see bond money and the Nature Conservancy trying to save what they can.  

This is a derail

I really hope Donald says something so utterly absurd that the small % of undecided voters snap out of it.  What is that?  I don't know... it seems like it is different for each person.  All his craziness somehow is not a trigger point until ONE thing happens.  Like Arlington National Cemetery.  Or the "child care" answer and that one person who asked it.  May there be many ONE things tonight. 

[Js1 87,182]

4 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I don't know about SA but it does seem like there is more activity in the Austin area to try to save land.  Glad to see bond money and the Nature Conservancy trying to save what they can.  

This is a derail

I really hope Donald says something so utterly absurd that the small % of undecided voters snap out of it.  What is that?  I don't know... it seems like it is different for each person.  All his craziness somehow is not a trigger point until ONE thing happens.  Like Arlington National Cemetery.  Or the "child care" answer and that one person who asked it.  May there be many ONE things tonight. 

Re: the childhood care thing. That blew up on X but it’s such a small percentage of people even on X.  I would say most people have no idea that happened. 

A lot of people watch the debates. Way way more than who is following things on social media 

[chainsaw 10,291]

2 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Donald says something

There's nothing he can say that will actually matter. What needs to happen is a McConnell freeze up, or maybe a stumble, or a collapse. He needs to look frail, unfit, and decaying. That's the only way you get the narrative to shift to his fitness for office, because everything else (fascism, racism, idiocy) is no longer newsworthy. We already know and are numb to that.

[Thatguy 9,366]

11 minutes ago, G650 said:

Dude the property is crazy cheap. You could retire there easier than any of these places.

To be honest we've been looking abroad. There are a lot of places that will basically give you property if you base your business there. Italy is one of them. However, my daughter is a type 1 diabetic or we would be out of here. My wife loves the idea of moving abroad but is terrified to go that far away in case of complications. After the kid got a D1 scholly for vball the wife started looking in the area. Looks like we will be buying property in the NE. We may buy something and hang out for the 1st couple years. Then bounce when she is a Jr and leave her the house.

[Dnaguy 12,630]

1 hour ago, Aqua Buddha said:

WSJ had a great story some time back about the demographic collapse in the state of West Virginia, due to everyone moving away, low birth rate, and no one moving there.  The state is all olds at this point to the point they can't keep some businesses open five days a week because they don't have young workers.

However, their state ledge was obsessed with immigration at the border.  No ideas about how to get people to move to WV but just keep certain people out.  Meanwhile, the local restaurants can't stay open for dinner anymore.

As part of bringing in Puerto Rico into the US, have Virginia take back West Virginia.

We call it a cost saving measure so we don’t have to make any new flags.

[Js1 87,182]

Just now, Dnaguy said:

As part of bringing in Puerto Rico into the US, have Virginia take back West Virginia.

We call it a cost saving measure so we don’t have to make any new flags.

Then merge the Dakotas and add DC. 

[Dnaguy 12,630]

Just now, Js1 said:

Then merge the Dakotas and add DC. 

[G650 14,437]

2 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

To be honest we've been looking abroad. There are a lot of places that will basically give you property if you base your business there. Italy is one of them. However, my daughter is a type 1 diabetic or we would be out of here. My wife loves the idea of moving abroad but is terrified to go that far away in case of complications. After the kid got a D1 scholly for vball the wife started looking in the area. Looks like we will be buying property in the NE. We may buy something and hang out for the 1st couple years. Then bounce when she is a Jr and leave her the house.

Yeah, similar here, until my son is grown we are pretty anchored. Though I hope to start laying the groundwork for eventual emigration at some point.

[Foosters 18,280]

Dems should have an operative who cranks up the thermostat. Let America see that orange paint drip down his face.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

4 hours ago, Slacks said:

I'm lame. And I wish I was away wrong.

what about home wrong?

[texasdago 7,770]

13 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

There's nothing he can say that will actually matter. What needs to happen is a McConnell freeze up, or maybe a stumble, or a collapse. He needs to look frail, unfit, and decaying. That's the only way you get the narrative to shift to his fitness for office, because everything else (fascism, racism, idiocy) is no longer newsworthy. We already know and are numb to that.

Sadly true.  There is so much footage of him getting the craziest most insane stuff and the news will pick the one sane clip.  Baffling.  

Edited September 10 by texasdago

[Dnaguy 12,630]

Just now, Foosters said:

Dems should have an operative who cranks up the thermostat. Let America see that orange paint drip down his face.

[chainsaw 10,291]

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

Sadly true.  There is so much footage of him getting the crazier most insane stuff and the news will pick the one sane clip.  Baffling.  

Yup. They're calling it sanewashing and it's exactly what NYT and CNN have been doing for nearly 10 years.

[Dnaguy 12,630]

2 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

Yup. They're calling it sanewashing and it's exactly what NYT and CNN have been doing for nearly 10 years.

The horse race shit they pull to drive ratings is the part I hate the most

[chainsaw 10,291]

11 minutes ago, Dnaguy said:

have Virginia take back West Virginia.

Brush up on the 8th Amendment

[locodos 5,591]

23 minutes ago, G650 said:

I've always felt Scrooge was an underutilized gif.

 

I'm actually closing on a house and moving in town in a week and a half, so my ass isn't going anywhere for quite some time unfortunately.

I mean, on the water. With a dock and stuff.

Croatan? 

Or somewhere on Broad/Linkhorn bay?

[Pescado_Rojo 19,587]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

You know what WV actually NEEDS?  An influx of young, hardworking....brown people.  Ain't that a bitch?

 When the ex and I were first married (early 2000's), we went up to Hartley for Christmas to visit her grandparents. Her Aunt was the school secretary (K-12 in one building) and was lamenting that they would probably be closing down the school district soon, and all the remaining kids in Hartley would have to bus to Dalhart. She was upset because she and her husband were nowhere near ready for retirement, and she would have to find a new job in Dalhart. The grocery store and all the other mom & pop business were in the same boat. Just hanging on by a thread. Then "Big Dairy" moved in. (Farmers die and their kids sell out because they don't want to farm in a dying town) Fast forward 15 years, and the last time I saw her Aunt before my divorce, the school was busting at the seams and they were talking about adding portables. They couldn't hire teachers fast enough, and all the local businesses were doing well. There were even a few new restaurants in town. Was she happy about keeping her job and the town getting a new lease on life? Of course not. She was lamenting how it was "ruined" because she had to hear Spanish at the grocery store.

[Blotto 24,019]

15 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Sweet! Got my drinking game laid out...

Good luck with that. Go with the big bottle

12 hours ago, bluto said:

Winning for Kamala is as simple as during her opening remarks telling the viewers every time Trump lies I’ll touch my ear or some other tell. It’ll be so over the top and come Wednesday most of America will be using that tell among friends family and office mates when calling bullsh on something. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19,587]

59 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

 

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Route-1-Parsons-WV-26287/23108006_zpid/

goddamn

[Bookman 4,763]

Awhile back I saw a video that argued with the death of coal mining West Virginia had too many geographical limitations to ever recover economically. They basically said the entire state should be a national park.

[Thatguy 9,366]

6 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

 When the ex and I were first married (early 2000's), we went up to Hartley for Christmas to visit her grandparents. Her Aunt was the school secretary (K-12 in one building) and was lamenting that they would probably be closing down the school district soon, and all the remaining kids in Hartley would have to bus to Dalhart. She was upset because she and her husband were nowhere near ready for retirement, and she would have to find a new job in Dalhart. The grocery store and all the other mom & pop business were in the same boat. Just hanging on by a thread. Then "Big Dairy" moved in. (Farmers die and their kids sell out because they don't want to farm in a dying town) Fast forward 15 years, and the last time I saw her Aunt before my divorce, the school was busting at the seams and they were talking about adding portables. They couldn't hire teachers fast enough, and all the local businesses were doing well. There were even a few new restaurants in town. Was she happy about keeping her job and the town getting a new lease on life? Of course not. She was lamenting how it was "ruined" because she had to hear Spanish at the grocery store.

self interest and all that

[Hank Kingsley 21,784]

There were many glaring red flags before he entered the political scene, but Trump (with a HUGE assist from the age of social media) broke journalism.  They have never seen a brazen pathological liar like him before, and still revert to old habits of attempting "unbiased" reporting when it comes to the two major political parties. 

The GOP bent the knee to a con man and journalists never properly recalibrated to the treasonous behavior and actions from the Republican Party. 

 

 

 

Edited September 10 by Hank Kingsley

[G650 14,437]

4 minutes ago, locodos said:

Croatan? 

Or somewhere on Broad/Linkhorn bay?

Directly across the lake from Croatan, the street I grew up on from age 7 onward actually.

 

I honestly had gotten to the point where I am too old and crotchety to move, but I always told my wife that if we moved, it would be to this street because it's the only place in Virginia Beach you can get a sailboat. Everything else is blocked by bridges, either Rudee Bridge or Lesner. And a house came up. There's only 14 on the street, and with the Croatan lots, only like 37 total on the lake. So they never show up, and when they do they go instantly. I was still kinda torn for several reasons, I like our neighbors, our neighborhood (Shadowlawn) has more kids for my son to hang with, it was more working class but that shit has kinda gone out the window so not as much a factor as before. But the investment is way too good to pass up, and the wife and kid are pretty excited about it. I'm generally a small house person, but it will be nice to have more space as my son gets older, my house now is only 1900 SF.

[Snake Diggity 4,714]

Sadly, the election is close enough that tonight’s debate could be a determining factor.

Trump’s winning strategy: his advantage is that the bar for his performance is extremely low.  Winning for him means clearing that low bar (I.e. don’t pull a McConnell freeze moment and don’t say the n word) while hoping Kamala doesn’t clear her much high bar (or goading her into doing something that turns off moderates/never-Trumpers/swing voters, or quells her base’s energy).

Harris’ winning strategy: her advantage is that she is clearly the more qualified candidate and has all of the momentum.  She needs to use the opportunity to highlight that disparity between her and Trump while destroying any notion that she is an extremist.  Her message needs to be one of stability, moderation, and hope.  Any progressive ideas need to be presented as complete common sense and highlight that any objection to them is evil/wierd.  She must avoid misspeaking or losing her train of thought at any point.  A Rick Perry “oops” moment would be fucked.

[Sbbruin 22,143]

[Thatguy 9,366]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

 

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Route-1-Parsons-WV-26287/23108006_zpid/

There are some pretty places in WV where one could live high on the hog for the rest of my life with little effort.......but not my black ass! There ain't no way I am rolling the dice with the Hatfields being the people I have to lean on.

[Aqua Buddha 14,806]

6 minutes ago, Bookman said:

Awhile back I saw a video that argued with the death of coal mining West Virginia had too many geographical limitations to ever recover economically. They basically said the entire state should be a national park.

Yeah, you'll see towns that are 20 miles away but two hours apart.  It's all VERY rural except maybe Charleston but if you're a WFH type, need to be somewhat tethered to the NE, and you're outdoorsy, Charleston is a solid option.  Instead, those types all went to Asheville.

[Hank Kingsley 21,784]

I've come around to thinking this debate won't move the needle at all. Whatever mistakes Trump makes, it will need to be something DRASTIC like shitting his pants on stage or  shockingly racist or misogynistic comments that can't be ignored.

Even if Kamala pastes him, Fox will say Trump won. And so will all the far right personalities, "journalists", and podcasters. And all the people voting or leaning towards Trump will hold the rope.

 

[Hefeweizen 5,444]

2 hours ago, immamac said:

America outside of cities has mostly failed. It's wild. 

I can’t tell you how wrong you are, but I love living in a small town on the coast.  Yes small town in Texas or Midwest U.S. is pretty bad, but on either coast and in mountains they can be awesome.  

[Red Five 41,738]

4 minutes ago, Hank Kingsley said:

I've come around to thinking this debate won't move the needle at all. Whatever mistakes Trump makes, it will need to be something DRASTIC like shitting his pants on stage or  shockingly racist or misogynistic comments that can't be ignored.

Even if Kamala pastes him, Fox will say Trump won. And so will all the far right personalities, "journalists", and podcasters. And all the people voting or leaning towards Trump will hold the rope.

 

"Fiery Trump calls Harris a racial slur. Will she be able to fire back before November?" 

[G650 14,437]

Just now, Hefeweizen said:

I can’t tell you how wrong you are, but I love living in a small town on the coast.  Yes small town in Texas or Midwest U.S. is pretty bad, but on either coast and in mountains they can be awesome.  

This

[chainsaw 10,291]

9 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Yeah, you'll see towns that are 20 miles away but two hours apart.  It's all VERY rural except maybe Charleston but if you're a WFH type, need to be somewhat tethered to the NE, and you're outdoorsy, Charleston is a solid option.  Instead, those types all went to Asheville.

It's all fun and games until you realize you can't go to Target, Panera, or Whole Foods.

[Chuckie Finster 23,075]

I've come around to thinking this debate won't move the needle at all. Whatever mistakes Trump makes, it will need to be something DRASTIC like shitting his pants on stage or  shockingly racist or misogynistic comments that can't be ignored.
Even if Kamala pastes him, Fox will say Trump won. And so will all the far right personalities, "journalists", and podcasters. And all the people voting or leaning towards Trump will hold the rope.
 

Fuck everyone in your second paragraph. They’re lost, make no attempt to target them.

But there are a LOT of people who still don’t really know who Kamala is. People who would never in a million years think to tune into a political convention, people who have never heard of Tim Walz or JD Vance, but will make an effort to watch tonight and will be presented with their two voting options side-by-side for the first time. First impressions matter, and it will be Kamala’s one chance to convince the normies that she could be President.

Also, this will be the first time in 8 years that Trump will be debating against someone clearly mentally sharper than he is. None of us have any idea what that will look like, or what the ramifications in general perception might be.

I’d pretty passionately argue that tonight is the single most important night between now and November.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

1 minute ago, Hefeweizen said:

I can’t tell you how wrong you are, but I love living in a small town on the coast.  Yes small town in Texas or Midwest U.S. is pretty bad, but on either coast and in mountains they can be awesome.  

yeah, but that's probably not what he's talking about. there are countless little cities across america whose sole economy is welfare checks. once you leave urban areas and head interior the landscape is pretty bleak. even little towns like Lockhart and others like it cannot survive on their own - they rely on Austin and surrounding large metros to prop up their economy. we haven't done a good job of finding niche economies for those communities once the industry that founded them in the first place has left.

[TexEx15 17,948]

 

[Thatguy 9,366]

24 minutes ago, G650 said:

Yeah, similar here, until my son is grown we are pretty anchored. Though I hope to start laying the groundwork for eventual emigration at some point.

We were looking on zillow and you can buy a whole house in the town where my daughter is headed for school for under 100k and it isn't in terrible shape. Wild! Pay cash. Fix it up. Have her rent out a couple rooms to pay the utilities. She can rent it out through graduate school, sell, then use that as a DP for her real house. Generational wealth and all that. I am banking on 2 years of snow/cold and my wife will be ready to go.

[Hank Kingsley 21,784]

1 minute ago, Red Five said:

"Fiery Trump calls Harris a racial slur. Will she be able to fire back before November?" 

"Trump claims Kamala is a 'monkey'. She has 55 days to prove him wrong."

 

1 minute ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Fuck everyone in your second paragraph. They’re lost, make no attempt to target them.

But there are a LOT of people who still don’t really know who Kamala is. People who would never in a million years think to tune into a political convention, people who have never heard of Tim Walz or JD Vance, but will make an effort to watch tonight and will be presented with their two voting options side-by-side for the first time. First impressions matter, and it will be Kamala’s one chance to convince the normies that she could be President.

I’d pretty passionately argue that tonight is the single most important night between now and November.

Your head is in a better place than mine. I generally agree with you, with the assumption that undecideds that tune in will genuinely listen and form their opinion. I'm not holding my breath that these people still exist at a number that is significant enough. I hope you're right though. 

 

[G650 14,437]

1 minute ago, Thatguy said:

I am banking on 2 years of snow/cold and my wife will be ready to go.

[Chopper 17,432]

1 minute ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Fuck everyone in your second paragraph. They’re lost, make no attempt to target them.

But there are a LOT of people who still don’t really know who Kamala is. People who would never in a million years think to tune into a political convention, people who have never heard of Tim Walz or JD Vance, but will make an effort to watch tonight and will be presented with their two voting options side-by-side for the first time. First impressions matter, and it will be Kamala’s one chance to convince the normies that she could be President.

I’d pretty passionately argue that tonight is the single most important night between now and November.

I agree. For Harris the campaign is only 107 days. As Marcie Wheeler pointed out, we're only on Day 51. Only 48% of her total days to campaign have passed, and voters just now tuning in will have more than double the time we've already had to get to know her. Voters already know who the other guy is.

[Chuckie Finster 23,075]

Just now, Hank Kingsley said:

Your head is in a better place than mine. I generally agree with you, with the assumption that undecideds that tune in will genuinely listen and form their opinion. I'm not holding my breath that these people still exist at a number that is significant enough. I hope you're right though. 

 

And to be clear, my post isn't necessarily meant to be an optimistic one.  I think there is definitely a lot of downside to a not stellar performance by Kamala.  But as I said earlier, I think we will have a clearer view of where this is all headed after tonight... and the opportunity for good news is definitely there.

[G650 14,437]

4 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

there are countless little cities across america whose sole economy is welfare checks. once you leave urban areas and head interior the landscape is pretty bleak.

Oh, there's no doubt. If you head to western Virginia, on the west side of I-81 towards the WV state line, it's like the land that time forgot. Literally just unemployed people milling about the one Dollar General. It's freaky.

[Fudge Nuggets 19,455]

2 hours ago, chainsaw said:

If Trump lies, don't give it air by pointing it out or trying to debunk it. Let your surrogates handle that on TV afterwards.

No one pays attention to post debate discussions.  Most people won’t even make it through the entire debate.

[Longhorn_Fan68 34,106]

1 minute ago, G650 said:

Oh, there's no doubt. If you head to western Virginia, on the west side of I-81 towards the WV state line, it's like the land that time forgot. Literally just unemployed people milling about the one Dollar General. It's freaky.

but notice since the makeup of most of those towns is the right shade of pale no one bitches and moans about those loafers and moochers. I think this country could benefit a lot from universal basic income - we already have it in many other forms that are way, way more expensive and less efficient. I acknowledge there are simply people who have no bootstraps to pull up. we're better off as a society to provide a minimum for basic comforts. it's already the norm to large swaths of the country - let's remove the stigma and make it popular. hell, there's a new animated series that makes fun of that very idea.

[Thatguy 9,366]

19 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

Sadly, the election is close enough that tonight’s debate could be a determining factor.

Trump’s winning strategy: his advantage is that the bar for his performance is extremely low.  Winning for him means clearing that low bar (I.e. don’t pull a McConnell freeze moment and don’t say the n word) while hoping Kamala doesn’t clear her much high bar (or goading her into doing something that turns off moderates/never-Trumpers/swing voters, or quells her base’s energy).

Harris’ winning strategy: her advantage is that she is clearly the more qualified candidate and has all of the momentum.  She needs to use the opportunity to highlight that disparity between her and Trump while destroying any notion that she is an extremist.  Her message needs to be one of stability, moderation, and hope.  Any progressive ideas need to be presented as complete common sense and highlight that any objection to them is evil/wierd.  She must avoid misspeaking or losing her train of thought at any point.  A Rick Perry “oops” moment would be fucked.

Y'all have lost your minds. Have you seen Trump? Have you seen Trump in a room with people who he thinks are beneath him? There is no doubt in my mind he is going to lose his shit. Just go back to the black journalist interview. Trump insults black people 4 times in about 3 minutes. He cannot help himself, and when Harris doesn't bow to him it's coming out. I don't know what IT will be but he is going to say something that will be extremely off-putting to women and or ethnic people. His cult will love it but the rest of America will not. All Harris needs to do is not back down and Trump will do the rest. Harris seems to understand the assignment. Remember she is a legit lawyer. She has been trained for this. I think you guys are forgetting that. Triggering a response is something she spent years doing.