Tuesday Election Day Links

by | Nov 5, 2024 | Daily Links | 433 comments

Good morning one and all to another exhilarating day!

Democrats Spend over $2.1 Billion Trying to Stop Donald Trump

Hundreds of NY Times Staffers Go on Strike As Election Day Looms

Washington, DC Businesses Barricade Windows Ahead Of Election Day

Joe Rogan Endorses Trump

David Axelrod Looks Spooked as He Admits Support May Not Materialize For Harris on Election day

No matter the final vote, this election’s biggest loser may be the legacy news media

Dixville Notch Midnight Vote Kicks Off Election Day With Trump-Harris Tie

French Journalist Claims Medical Report Proves Olympic Boxer Who Took Gold In Women’s Division A Man

First-time homebuyers are older than ever before

With that being all I got for today, I’m going to throw out my election day predictions. Barring anything crazy like a nuclear attack or a targeted version of Maricopa County 2022, Trump will win the popular vote, over 300 electoral college votes, and will win at least one surprise state (most likely NH or Minnesota, maybe even Maine). You can mock me mercilessly if I am wrong, but the numbers have not materialized for Kamala and everything not only still sucks, but is getting worse. 2 billion dollars and free media propaganda has not overcome everything sucking and Trump building a solid coalition that appeals to most of America. But, regardless of what is to come, enjoy the ride.

About The Author

Banjos

Banjos

Wife of sloopy, mother to three bright, curious, and highly active young girls. Perpetually exhausted.

433 Comments

  1. Banjos

    PSA: ignore exit polls. They are notoriously shit.

    • Rat on a train

      I voted for exit 126.

      • db

        Fool! Exit 13!

      • Swiss Servator

        I cannot believe what I am seeing here… Exit 42 was on the ballot people!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        And, once again, Swiss is full of holes.

      • Gustave Lytton

        As long as y’all aren’t voting for Final Exit.

  2. Pat

    Democrats Spend over $2.1 Billion Trying to Stop Donald Trump

    They should have contracted it out to the Russians. They swung an election with only $150,000 worth of Facebook ads.

    • SDF-7

      True — I was thinking of it more like “Democrats spend over $2.1 billion to control slush funds of over $8 trillion a year”. Looking at it that way — that’s one hell of a return.

      Morning all.

      • Tonio

        That’s a good way of looking at it.

        FYI, Glibs email isn’t working this morning. Was going to send you writer submission guidelines but can’t do that at the moment. I’ll continue trying throughout the morning. But definitely work on your article. Thanks.

      • SDF-7

        Will do, thanks. (Barring work I actually get paid for, of course).

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        This is how I’ve always thought about it.

        Obviously only so much of that is really up for grabs, but I’ve always been amazed that MORE money isn’t being funneled into politics.

    • Ownbestenemy

      dArk MONeyz!$@!!!!

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        It’s Money of Color, shitlord!

      • Ted S.

        I always think of that phrase set to the tune of Cher’s “Dark Lady”.

      • sloopyinca

        I still can’t understand how she got away with “Half Breed” and “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves.”

      • Bobarian LMD

        She’s half Armenian and half European.

        :. Half Breed.

    • SDF-7

      We would also accept the “Oh no…. anyway…” meme picture.

  3. Pat

    Dixville

    Heh heh, Dixville, heh heh.

  4. UnCivilServant

    First-time homebuyers are older than ever before

    Until I looked at the numbers, I was going to say I was skewing the number up, but apparently I bought young.

    • Ownbestenemy

      We were first time home buyers at 38ish but we were also in different places, coming off previous relationships, so it made sense to save and make sure we were in a stable place to purchase.

      • slumbrew

        I was 38, albeit in a HCOL area.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        36 for me, but my wife was a homeowner at 25 or so.

        We joke that she had a condo and I had a kiddo, same cost.

      • LCDR_Fish

        I was 39 but that was coming off a long military period with a lot of moves, etc.

      • Fourscore

        Same, 38 but a young 38.

        I had to wait until the divorce was finally finalized for the final time.

      • The Last American Hero

        30 in 2003, and most of the people I worked with were in much younger than that.

      • CatchTheCarp

        My wife and I were 28 when we bought our first starter house in the late 80’s. Paid $55K for a 3 bdrm, 2 bath slab home with radiant heat. Today they call these homes mid-century modern’s. My son bought his first house last year at age 28. He got royally porked on the price along with a high intest rate. I tried telling him to wait but he was tired of apartment living.

    • Pat

      I would have assumed I was substantially older than the average having purchased this place at 36. I guess I’m less of a piece of shit loser than I thought. Or everybody else is a bigger piece of shit loser than I thought. The numbers may be skewed by the number of millennials living at home longer, and eschewing ownership for renting because they were all going to be digital nomad influencers, until their 40s starting creeping up.

      • UnCivilServant

        I was 34. I figured that was at the upper end of the curve for first time.

      • Nephilium

        I was also 36 when I bought my first home. Not married, no kids, no rush to get out of a rental.

      • UnCivilServant

        My rent was getting stupid high.

        My required mortgage payment was half of what the rent was going to be, for a house I owned with an additional bedroom.

      • R.J.

        Heh. My thoughts exactly. How is a bum like me ahead of the game?

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        ” I guess I’m less of a piece of shit loser than I thought. Or everybody else is a bigger piece of shit loser than I thought.”

        Why not both?

    • Banjos

      I was 28. But it was at the bottom of the housing collapse in Arizona. Starter homes were going for $80k.

      • R C Dean

        I think I was 29. Paid around $90K (I think, it was a long time ago) in Richmond VA.

      • Evan from Evansville

        Ba doom kkksssh!

      • trshmnstr

        I was 25. Dallas hadn’t started getting hot yet. Sadly, if I wanted to buy that house again, it would be almost as much of a stretch financially now as it was back then. The house has increased 2.5x since we bought it in 2013. Our income has grown about the same amount.

      • Fourscore

        28.9K, 4 BR, 2 BA, brand new, brick (1975), outside the city

      • dbleagle

        I was 30 and paid $66k for 4 Bd/2 Ba in a nice Tucson neighborhood.

    • kinnath

      We were 48 when we bought our first and only house.

  5. Evan from Evansville

    Another glorious Election Day I get to ‘ignore’ at work. They will not have anything political on TV. Not even sports. Last place it was always a channel with folk flippin’ homes. I’ll be around later to snuff out what’s goin’ and what’s good. The NYT workers going on strike, “over a hundred” of like-minded tech folk, may realize their jobs aren’t too important.

    Peace y’all and hope you can take it in without any added ruckus, other than the internal sort we all have building up inside.

    • R C Dean

      “I’ll be around later to snuff out what’s goin’”

      I thought they already had a guy come in for that last week.

  6. Ownbestenemy

    Word is Elon wants to dump a large portion of FedGov workers. 2 year severance package…Ill be first in line.

    • SDF-7

      At this point, I’d happily say give out an 8 year severance package — as long as we actually cull Departments and pare back those that remain, it’d be a bargain in the long run. Just keeping the existing crowd from gaming overtime for maxing out their pension in the last year or two might be significant savings.

      • Bobarian LMD

        gaming overtime for maxing out their pension

        Federal retirement doesn’t get that sweet deal opportunity to fuck over the tax payers. Not that FERS isn’t wasteful, but it ain’t near as good/awful as some state plans.

        Looking at you, CALPERS.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yeah ours is based on top-three so a lot of FedGov migrate to DC, Cali and Houston in their last years to pad that.

    • Pat

      See the thing is, in the highly improbably event Trump wins, survives to be inaugurated, creates a cabinet position for Musk, and isn’t tied up in court with challenges to the appointment until his term is over, Musk is going to come in just like Trump did during his first term thinking that his private sector experience translates over into government, and is going to find himself sorely disappointed. If they did manage to pull it off though, I’d like to think things like ATC would be low on the agenda. “Firefighters first” is the ploy they use when they want to scare people into thinking any cut in the rate of growth of the federal budget is going to result in a loss of services. An actual reformer looking to pare down the bureaucracy is going to be looking at non-essential shit first.

      • R.J.

        Possibly. Elon would not fall into the trap of accepting managers from existing staff, or taking recommendations for staff. That was a massive blunder on Trump’s part.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        One of the things I have always thought, and it was brought into bright relief with Trump’s first term, was that the only thing separating a “successful” early term vs. someone like his, was how much positive media coverage they get.

        In other words, Obama was just as incompetent in his first 90 days as Trump, only the media was spending that whole time sucking him off as opposed to being the Resistance (r) and making shit up.

      • rhywun

        A lot of shit they say they want to be accomplished just needs to be run in front of SCOTUS asap.

        Most of the deep state is unconstitutional AF and now is the time to get an official say so.

      • Tonio

        I’ve heard speculation that the DOGE could be privately funded. Keeping it non-official, or semi-official (ie, commission, not dept) would insulate them from a lot of lawsuits, etc. Nothing to stop a private think-tank from making recommendations, or a president from implementing those recommendations.

        The nightmare scenario is that they manage to pare down the government during Trump’s term, then a blue wave where the dems control congress and re-establish bureaus, positions, etc. That way we’re stuck supporting early-out former bureaucrats, as well as paying for newly-created ones.

      • LCDR_Fish

        The left wants to play that game with CFPB, NLRB, etc.

        Sure…we’ll play along.

      • The Last American Hero

        The Clinton transition team was self-admittedly a bunch of children that didn’t know what they were doing. But they bravely stepped up and figured it out, according to those same people.

      • The Last American Hero

        Start with mandatory in office, 5 days a week. Then revert the dress code to 1985 standards. Make the fuckers punch an actual time clock. Sea of cubes in a giant warehouse, shitty internet connection. Call it the Pasture.

        Productive folks get work from home, good internet in the office, flexible dress code. Less productive are put out to Pasture.

    • Drake

      Same with illegals on welfare. “Enjoy your last check and last month of free rent. Call this number for a free ride home.”

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Operation Wetback II, illegal boogaloo (boyz)

    • Fourscore

      Make it voluntary until such and such a date. After that, terminations, no severance pay

  7. SDF-7

    No matter the final vote, this election’s biggest loser may be the legacy news media

    See Pat’s reply above… it is just as applicable here.

    Like a PG&E transmission line — we’re overdue for some culling of dead wood in several industries (no, NSA – I mean the companies/orgs, not the people from this mortal coil… stand down you little weasels…)

    • R.J.

      I said it once and I will say it again: Money gets funneled to CNN and major newspapers from the federal government to keep them afloat. Pull the damn plug!

  8. PieInTheSky

    I have an election related question: will Kamala be the first whore-American president, or do others count as such?

    • Ownbestenemy

      We have a long line of whore presidents Pie.

    • Pat

      or do others count as such

      All politicians are whores.

    • cavalier973

      You mean, when Biden resigns next week, elevating her to the Presidency until January?

      • Tonio

        Interesting speculation. I don’t think he will. I think that his (Dr Jill’s) anger over being forced off the ticket will prevent that happening. If she tries to force him out this late in the game it will look like a coup, and raise questions about why she didn’t do that before.

      • SDF-7

        I thought that was more of a general issue.

      • Gender Traitor

        That’s insulting to hookers.

      • OBJ FRANKELSON

        Hooking is thier admirable side.

      • Rat on a train

        I thought that was more of a general issue.
        I’ll grant you that.

    • The Last American Hero

      I think Edith Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt have already held that title.

  9. Pat

    French Journalist Claims Medical Report Proves Olympic Boxer Who Took Gold In Women’s Division A Man

    It’s too bad we don’t yet have the technology to examine the chromosomal composition of the human genome, or we could just find out if there’s an XX, XY or 1 in 10,000 mutation in there.

      • R C Dean

        The journalist claims he’s a regular old XY with the standard equipment.

        Since I don’t think they have released actual records/test results, I’m assuming that’s why.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Brave and stunning punches.

    • rhywun

      Pretty sure we knew about his condition months ago. Or maybe it was just speculation at the time but yeah the Olympics don’t give a shit.

      • The Last American Hero

        They did, and if it wasn’t a dude, a real quick 23 and me would shut up the haters real quick.

        Instead, they hid behind “doctors” from Algeria.

  10. SDF-7

    Dixville Notch Midnight Vote Kicks Off Election Day With Trump-Harris Tie

    At this point given the obvious manifestation of “Vote Blue, no matter who!” I really want them to just anoint a literal Turd Sandwich next cycle. See how far the programming goes.

    • Rat on a train

      No need for a candidate. They can appoint someone after the election.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Isn’t that what they did with Whorris?

  11. PieInTheSky

    Some people think that if their candidate loses it is going to be really bad. Some say it is going to be fine either way. I think there are insufficient black pilled people these days: it will be really bad regardless.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        ^this.

        I don’t think there are going to be any wins for libertarian folks this election either way, but it also(hopefully) won’t be as important an election as the black pillers think.

      • PieInTheSky

        I don’t think black pillers belive the election to be important. If doom is inevitable, no election is important.

      • R.J.

        What are you trying to say?

      • PieInTheSky

        whom are you asking?

      • The Last American Hero

        Harris vowed to shut down Twitter, that’s pretty bad.

    • Drake

      I do miss the days of elections not mattering much. Bush v. Gore – who cares?

      • R C Dean

        Since our actual rulers are the faceless agency bureaucrats, I think those days are here (again?).

      • Certified Public Asshat

        Obama/Romney was the real what’s the difference?

      • Drake

        When McCain debated Obama I could not tell their policy positions apart.

        With Harris, she has no policies she’ll admit to, just horrifying things she’s said in the past.

      • rhywun

        OMG Gore would have been so f%@%$#@ insufferable.

        And the Green New Deal horseshit would have been kickstarted years earlier.

      • Ted S.

        Obama put black people in chains, unlike Romney.

      • DrOtto

        Because Romney was busy putting women in binders.

      • Drake

        Sure Gore would have been terrible. Worse than Bush who doubled spending and started 2 forever wars?

        Bush also planted the seeds for the Ukraine war when he announced the Ukraine would be joining NATO – much to the surprise of everyone including the Ukrainians. The Uke leadership back then was sane and said “hell no”. That’s why we had to color revolution them 6 years later.

      • Bobarian LMD

        NO PRICE GOUGING is the only apparent thing she has supported of late.

        And OMB.

  12. The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

    The Rogan endorsement is pretty crazy… I think the left’s free speech stuff and going after political opponents must have spooked him.

    “his show with more than 18 million listeners,”

    I mean, maybe, but he also got like 60 million views for Trump in YouTube alone.

    • The Last American Hero

      Rogan is pretty upset about YouTube not showing his interview with Trump in the search results.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        Yeah, ten videos popped up ahead of his when you search for ‘Trump Rogan’.

        I listened to most of it via YouTube. Trump comes off as very normal in the interview. Almost likable.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      Is it crazy? I listened to the Musk podcast already and he doesn’t make the endorsement on his show, only on X.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        Crazy=I’m surprised he didn’t want to be seen as not politically aligned, especially with someone who will result in him being put even more in the crosshairs. Rogan also had lots of not right wing sensibilities (but so does Trump), so it was surprising to me to see him endorse a Republican.

  13. PieInTheSky

    Joe Rogan Endorses Trump – I blame Elon Musk. Anyway both should go to jail if Kami wins.

    • rhywun

      She will absolutely get that rolling on Day One.

      The honest Dems say it openly.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Herself even has openly said she will set upon the government to destroy X under the guise of ‘misinformation’

      • Drake

        I look forward to watching Russians walking on Mars and Titan after they chase Elon there.

      • The Last American Hero

        You misspelled Argentinians.

  14. PieInTheSky

    Washington, DC Businesses Barricade Windows Ahead Of Election Day – why? Smashing windows seems like a good way to stimulate the economy.

    • slumbrew

      I seen what you did there.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Was it kind of a phalluscy?

  15. SDF-7

    First-time homebuyers are older than ever before

    Can’t possibly imagine why…. Such a lovely slope there — and I’m sure there’s a similar one for cars and other big ticket items. Just keep bumping up the population, ever-increasing the regulations and what “must be included” like $40k of solar panels and letting your investor friends with direct lines to the money printers going brrrrrr buy up real estate for investment.

    This is fine.

    • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

      I wish they included average home size of the houses sold.

      Everyone leaves that variable out. It’s almost conspicuous. At the same time home have increased in size, family size has reduced.

      • Nephilium

        I’d be curious about that as well. As a counterpoint, you have the rise of the tiny houses movement, and (locally) quite a few smaller townhouses and condos being put into areas that used to be commercial/apartment buildings.

      • Pat

        2 beds, 1 bath, 750 square feet here. My opulence is almost vulgar.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        What, you don’t need 6k square feet to raise one autist?

      • rhywun

        I’ve noticed browsing around Google Maps that newer housing developments really pack ’em in. Especially in the south and west. You don’t see that here in the NE much.

        I wonder what is up with that.

      • DrOtto

        @ZWAK – and a Suburban to shuttle him around in.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        The best I could find is this:

        https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEDSQUFEEYYUS

        But it only has the past 5 years which show a reduction in size. I know new construction homes have more than doubled in size since 1950, but hard to translate that into an average size sold.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        @rhywun

        ‘Especially in the south and west. You don’t see that here in the NE much.’

        There are a couple of factors. There are just way more people to pack in than when most housing was built in the North East and mid West.

        But! Developers need to for more stuff in than older developments had to. In Florida we need to preserve wetlands, build storm water ponds, parks, schools, etc. when building new developments. This squeezes margins and so the remaining land needs to be put to it’s highest use, which is housing. You also see in Florida that all new homes are multistory. The old ones are all ranches.

        Developable land near to where people want to live is more dear than ever as the state and feds are protecting more and more acres every year and the easy to build sites were developed long ago. This all drives prices up and the need to fit more units on smaller acreages up.

      • Pat

        I’ve noticed browsing around Google Maps that newer housing developments really pack ’em in.

        When I was first leaving NV in 2008, they were just in the process of amending the building regs in Vegas so they could build new SFH closer together. IIRC, they were reducing the space between buildings from 8 to 5 feet. At that point it’s a fucking condo/rowhouse by any other name. By the time I returned in 2013, they were building developments under the new standard out on the very outskirts of the city. By the time I left again last year, the new developments had sprawled out so far that Pahrump was a good 15 minutes closer to “the city.” I don’t understand how that appeals to anyone. Especially since every new development there comes with a pretty hefty HOA fee. You’re effectively living in a condo, effectively paying condominium fee, but having to also shoulder all of the costs of single family homeownership on top of it.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Rhy: In my area of the south the packed in neighborhoods seem driven by retirees from up north who don’t want much yard. There are a lot of them though, I’d rather live in a singlewide on five acres than in a house in a neighborhood like that.

      • Drake

        Towns in the Northeast and in my neck of the woods in SC resist the developers by not putting in sewer and water lines. If you have to have a well and septic on the same property, that’s at least an acre.

      • trshmnstr

        I’d rather live in a singlewide on five acres than in a house in a neighborhood like that.

        You and me both. My dad retired onto 2.5 acres in the smoky mountains. The only problem is that he’s 5 hours away from the nearest family, which will be a pain as he ages. We’re trying to convince him to move closer to us.

      • The Last American Hero

        Part of it is that the home value needs to be 4x the value of the lot. As land has shot through the roof in my area, there are only so many ways to make the home more valuable. Either put in solid gold toilets or have the home consume more and more of the lot. Guess which one appeals to buyers?

      • Pat

        You can do an aerobic system with a smaller field, but it’s still going to require a bigger lot than most developers are wanting to target, and costs a lot more.

        One of the places I made an offer on over in the Tyler turned out to have had conventional septic on a lot undersized for it. The field wasn’t draining properly, and the municipality required aerobic as a replacement. Would have run about 20% of the asking price to fix. Even if a crappy home inspection is money well spent.

      • rhywun

        @Lack – Yeah, more people & less available land due to regs is what I figured.

        There is a right-ish planning pundit who claims that all those packed in houses are evidence of some sort of “high density” advantage. He frequently cites the example that the LA area is “higher-density” than the NYC area. Completely ignores the uses that the land is actually put to. Outer LA is oceans of packed in houses with not much else. Outer NYC is mostly older towns with established downtows and such. Anyway that guy is an idiot. I forget his name.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        I’ll probably be booed, but density is the answer (or more specifically reduced red tape). Spreading everyone out so that they can have a patch of grass in front of and behind their house that they rarely use increases costs now and maintenance costs down the line.

      • Pat

        There is no “solution,” per se. In a natural market, developers would target the dominant preferences of the local population and build accordingly. “Density” is a solution to a made up problem; namely, an artificial shortage of housing due to regulatory burdens, and an artificial surplus of money due to central bank policy, with the result of more dollars chasing a fixed supply of housing stock. Curing the illness would be preferable to treating the symptoms.

      • rhywun

        I don’t think a true market solution can be arrived at until all the regulation is dropped – which will never, ever happen.

      • LCDR_Fish

        Comment *

        Part of it is that the home value needs to be 4x the value of the lot. As land has shot through the roof in my area, there are only so many ways to make the home more valuable.

        Is that a general rule? I’ve never seen anything along that listing anywhere I’ve looked…

        In terms of buying land out west, I’ve only seen “no mobile homes” not that the house has to be worth XX% of the land price.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        That’s true. I think denser housing/living would be the outcome in a freer market, but I am wrong a lot. More accurate to say we have no idea what would be built if we have been unburdened by what has been.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        If a single–family house, try to find one old enough (’70s?) not to have communal mailboxes.

      • Gustave Lytton

        don’t understand how that appeals to anyone.

        No other choice. “At least you’ll be building equity by owning your townhouse instead of just renting”

        The most ridiculous I saw recently was 3+ story houses that were garage width (the first floor) shotgun shack with almost no separation between the houses. Basically row houses with enough air gap to not require actual fireproofing.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        @fish

        “Is that a general rule? I’ve never seen anything along that listing anywhere I’ve looked…

        In terms of buying land out west, I’ve only seen “no mobile homes” not that the house has to be worth XX% of the land price.”

        For the developer to be profitable, that’s what they target. I’ve never heard that rule of thumb, but anecdotally seems to be true. An empty single lot here is around 50-100k and homes are typically around 3-400k.

      • LCDR_Fish

        I guess that might make sense for a development. I was thinking more about random plots of empty land that might have “covenants” with the surrounding acreage.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        “…density is the answer (or more specifically reduced red tape). Spreading everyone out so that they can have a patch of grass in front of and behind their house that they rarely use increases costs now and maintenance costs down the line.”

        Why? What people “want” is very different than what they “need”, especially when need is determined by someone else. Many people here in these very comments want more acreage than home, while only a few want less. When you look at traditional development of cities, you have packed inner areas, and more spread out suburbs, which is a result of people aging and having additional kids. It is only recently where you see large tracts of houses packed together in distant suburbs, which is more of a factor of the cost of development/land than anything else, and still people would rather have a large house than an apartment. Look at cities and towns with low regulations for building such as Phoenix and Reno, and you see that people would rather drive an hour to work than live in a cramped home.

  16. The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

    “French Journalist Claims Medical Report Proves Olympic Boxer Who Took Gold In Women’s Division A Man”

    Revealing that a Muslim man likes to beat women isn’t exactly big news.

    • PieInTheSky

      move on it was totally months ago

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      I don’t really blame the guy that much, he has chromosomal and resulting physical abnormalities that led to him being raised as a female so I can cut him a bit of slack. Those supposedly sober-minded but morally weak individuals who allowed it and encouraged it, the various rules commissions and whatnot, deserve the blame.

      • R C Dean

        “he has chromosomal and resulting physical abnormalities”

        Does he? I haven’t seen anything verifiable to back up that claim.

    • rhywun

      Revealing that a Muslim man likes to beat women isn’t exactly big news.

      lolsnort

  17. PieInTheSky

    No matter the final vote, this election’s biggest loser may be the legacy news media – unless podcasts and twitter are banned post election.

  18. Suthenboy

    First time homebuyers? I was in way-mart yesterday and noticed that every single employee was over 40, most were over 50. My guess is they are coming out of retirement so they can keep the lights on and feed themselves.
    What the Dems have done is turn every single policy into disaster. Their economic policies are disasters committed deliberately and with malice.
    What kind of fucked up person votes for that?

    • Ownbestenemy

      What kind of fucked up person votes for that?

      The person that is getting dollars shoved into their pockets by said policies

    • rhywun

      I see that at the supermarket. I’d guess over half the workers are retirement age. Old folks stocking shelves. WTF?

      Scares the shit out of me.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        They’re all immigrants and kids here. It was very refreshing to see that your average person is doing well enough that they don’t need to work at the grocery store in their dotage OR prime working years.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Or they’re reliable and essentially lock out young idiots with facial carvings from getting openings.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        I wasn’t going to bring up all the native born hobos…

  19. Not Adahn

    Good morning!

    I cannot wait until Thursday when we get to kick off the 2028 election season!

  20. cavalier973

    So, continuing the interesting (to me) discussion started by Suthen on the dedthred, another book I recommend is Entrepreneurs of the Old West, which has another example similar to my “crotchety hermit who owns the mountain pass”. A group of merchants managed to negotiate passage through the lands of the notoriously difficult to work with Black Feet Tribe, who owned land through with the shortest route to New Mexico ran.
    Not government agents; merchants who were looking to make a profit.
    Unfortunately, one of the members of the convoy was part of a rival tribe, and he attacked (and possibly killed; I don’t remember) one or more of the Black Feet Tribe.

    • Suthenboy

      In the vein of ‘only a moral people’ culture certainly plays a large part in this. The primitive mentality of honor cultures and its collective guilt aspect is at the root of a lot of these problems that we, or many people, seem to be blind to.

      Also, keeping separate the notions of heredity property ownership and hereditary rule over others is a good example of midwits being unable to distinguish between superficially similar but substantially different concepts. It is possible to have private ownership and freedom of movement co-exist.

      In other words – people are stupid.

    • Mojeaux

      Thanks for the wild Laura Ingalls Wilder sighting!

      Do you remember when Pa went to Royal and Almanzo’s store and pulled a cork and got wheat out of their false wall? He also paid them.

      • slumbrew

        That’s exactly what I was thinking of.

  21. Not Adahn

    Also, I look forward to writing this week’s column in which I prove the superiority of cold* SCICNCE!

    *It is awfully cold… in space.

    • PieInTheSky

      I do not think anyone honest can believe election like in the US are secure. Here there is no early voting, no mail votes, id needed for voting, and the results are generally known next day in most if not all European countries.

      • PieInTheSky

        also stop using the color red for the Republicans, and blue for the Democrats. In Europe, red means left-wing.

      • Pat

        In Europe, red means left-wing.

        It did here as well for a long time, particularly during the Cold War, and the red/blue divide for partisan vote maps on television was actually reversed, with Democrats being red and Republicans being blue. The modern red = Republican, blue = Democrat standard wasn’t solidified until Bush/Gore in 2000.

      • PieInTheSky

        but why?

      • Suthenboy

        The Dems have always been closet commies/slavers. That was becoming too obvious circa Bush vs Gore so the MSM flipped the colors.
        And. your take on the voting is correct. Our ‘democracy’ is a farce. The Dems are a hair’s breadth away from outright getting rid of voting because it is too dangerous.

      • Not Adahn

        Dems were butthurt about being called commies, so the networks would alternate each election. Dunno why Reagan changed their minds.

      • DrOtto

        The red/blue wasn’t consistent back in my yoot.

      • rhywun

        the results are generally known next day

        It was like that in the US up until around 2000 when the Dems’ control of all the institutions was nearing completion.

      • R C Dean

        It was customary to switch the red/blue between the parties every election until 2000, when the prolonged Bush v Gore dispute kept the color codes pretty high-profile for months instead of a few days and made them part of the party ID. Before then, nobody used them to refer to the parties outside of the election season. I don’t really recall seeing them at all except right around Election Day.

      • The Last American Hero

        ^^this.

    • Drake

      Recurring theme for Scott Adams. Our election system is designed to be rigged and too confusing to identify all the fraud.

      If Republicans win, clean elections has to be a legislative priority. No mail-ins, no early voting – tough shit if you can’t make it. And paper ballots only.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Sorta like our tax code isn’t?

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        I’m not a big fan but he’s right on that, if easily addressed issues that’d ensure a transparent and fair system aren’t addressed there’s a reason.

      • Gustave Lytton

        No exceptions for absentee ballots of any kind.

    • rhywun

      hundreds of signatures in the same handwriting

      They absolutely need to stop pretending that signatures mean anything whatsoever.

      My signature depends on which hand I feel like using that day. (I grew up left-handed, went right-handed).

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yeah and I believe any marking made by your hand as intended to authenticate a document is considered your signature anyway. Scribbling “X” is perfectly legal.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Correct. So are signature stamps.

  22. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    As a middle-aged lady, I believe having to run my air conditioning on Nov 5 just to not sweat like a hog at the fair is unacceptable and I will be voting accordingly.

    • Drake

      Isn’t is in the 50s and raining in Franklin now?

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        No clue. I woke up sweating, set my thermostat to 63, and the AC kicked on. RVs can get stuffy, but dayum.

      • KK, Plump & Unfiltered

        Just checked my weather app. It’s 60 degrees, and the overnight low was…60 degrees.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Today it appears is the last throughs of warm temps for us and the steady downward trend to winter will march on. Luckily we just finished with the new seals around all the doors and new windows over the summer. We’ve noticed a significant regulation of temps in the house and have had AC and/or heater not running now for weeks.

      • Drake

        We are in the open-windows in the morning, closed the rest of day phase of autumn. Soon to be followed by open in the afternoon, closed rest of the day. Eventually we’ll have to turn on the heat or fire up the stove.

    • R.J.

      We got walloped here last night and the temperature went down by 15 degrees. It’s not wonderfully chill, but I’ll take it.

      • Pat

        Dipped to the low 50s here, which is the first sub-60 temp we’ve seen all year. Might be able to sleep without having to put the AC on today if it stays overcast. If it clears up, my bedroom has a nice eastern exposure with side-by-side windows, so even though it’ll likely only be in the 70s outside, I’ll have to have the AC on to sleep.

    • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

      Vote out Gaia, Father Christmas for dictator.

  23. Stinky Wizzleteats

    Alright, in and out of the polling place in six minutes and that includes taking a whiz on the way out. Not bad.

    • SDF-7

      I doubt the poor volunteer trying to hand you the sticker appreciated the whiz, though…

    • R C Dean

      I mean, c’mon. Put a little effort into these euphemisms.

    • R.J.

      *Sung to “Pass the Duchy”

      No pee pee poo poo in the voting booth
      No pee pee poo poo in the voting booth
      That is so wrong!

      • LCDR_Fish

        Reminds me of Singapore….signs for “Please don’t urinate here” in the elevators.

    • DrOtto

      Was the whiz taken in the voting booth?

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        Directly onto the ballot.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Huh, I though Whiz would have driven there, not be voided out.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      My old school was my former polling place (now one of many countywide “voting centers”). It was amusing to go into the girls’ again.

      • Rat on a train

        My favorite for amusement was a residential garage. My favorite for convenience was a library that was 750 feet from my house.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Yes for the garage! Some time (20C) ago. Très intime.

  24. Ownbestenemy

    My wish list: First day in office, Trump calls joint Congress and demands a declaration of war for every shithole country we have our troops in that isn’t on a NATO base. Force Congress to play by the rules. Second day in office, refuse to spend any money until Congress delivers a budget, within individual bills for each and every agency.

    This fucking acid I am on right now is the shit!

    • Drake

      Stop paying NGOs. All of them.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        NGOs are just end runs around the constitution and other legal restrictions on government. They must be smashed.

      • R C Dean

        Stinky gets it. They are an insultingly obvious cut-out so the government can do indirectly what it is prohibited from doing directly.

        And, of course, many simple-minded libertarians go along because “muh private organization!”

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        I see them as somewhat analogous to the Five Eyes spying system and the information sharing between the members, a brazen workaround that ensures abuse.

      • dbleagle

        Yes Stinky!

        NGO means non-governmental organization. So NO governmental money.

    • KSuellington

      One of my favorite Dead tunes there, solid choice for Erection Day.

    • PieInTheSky

      suicide pods is totes evidence we are living in Sci-Fi times

    • Pat

      Sounds more like “dude strangles woman, uses suicide pod as alibi.” Nitrogen asphyxiation damn sure doesn’t cause strangulation marks.

      • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

        Sounds like they had to go into backup mode, and use the manual system.

    • rhywun

      ? It reads like she was strangled.

      • Nephilium

        “Suicide booth tech support, what seems to be the problem?”

        “Well, I pushed the button a while ago, but I’m still alive.”

        “We’ll get a tech down there shortly to take care of that.”

  25. Rebel Scum

    I agree with Banjos, assuming the powers that be give up and let him have it. Part of me thinks they will steal it openly and dare anyone to question it. I guess we will see.

    • Pat

      I’ll be the asshole and say I think you’re both thoroughly delusional. No Republican has won the popular vote since GWB in 2004 (thank you for that correction the other day, whoever that was), and prior to that it was Reagan. Even if Trump ekes out a win in PA, MI and/or WI, it’s going to be the same razor thin margins as in 2016 when he lost the popular vote by ~2%, and it’ll give him about the same electoral margin as 2016, even if he gets NV.

      Then again, I do stand to pocket a couple hundred bucks if Harris wins the popular vote by the same margin as every Democratic candidate for the last 20 years, so I’m not entirely neutral.

  26. PieInTheSky

    It is very in poor taste of you people to schedule elections on a Tuesday as election days are drinking days but one should not drink on Tuesdays

    • Pat

      but one should not drink on Tuesdays

      We cast off the shackles of the British empire so that we could drink on any day we damn well feel like it.

    • Suthenboy

      I think around here today is a unofficial day off so….drinking day.
      We have a few of those. Opening of hunting seasons…voting days….

  27. Cowboy

    Today’s the daaaaaaaay!

    Well. Today’s the beginning of the next 3 months of arguing and lawfare. No matter who wins, we lose.

    • Suthenboy

      3 months? We are still squabbling about 2020

      • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

        More like 2016.

    • rhywun

      That’s the spirit!

  28. The Late P Brooks

    I agree with Banjos, assuming the powers that be give up and let him have it. Part of me thinks they will steal it openly and dare anyone to question it. I guess we will see.

    The headlines are full of “Trump is preparing to steal the election” which will allow them to say “See, we told you so” if he wins.

    • LCDR_Fish

      A clear popular vote win would be a nice combo (kinda like 2004).

      • DrOtto

        Yep

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      And if the shenanigans are obvious and people raise hell they lay the ground for branding them election deniers. It’s all about introducing ambiguity and muddying the waters.

  29. SarumanTheGreat

    Voted at 8:45 AM. Straight (R). Half an hour wait in line, but an hour earlier it was an hour long line. Surprised, as I think PA already had about 50% early voting.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Maybe those low propensity voters that Trump’s counting on are showing up.

    • PieInTheSky

      That was first voting. What about second voting? And elevenses ?

      • Rat on a train

        Some people are waiting to vote later this week.

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      Only 50%? I would have thought Penn would be at 213% by now.

  30. PieInTheSky

    “the NY Times tech staff Guild proposed a ban on scented products in break rooms, unlimited break time, and accommodations for pet bereavement, as well as mandatory trigger warnings in company meetings discussing events in the news.”

    At least they are focusing on the important stuff

  31. Old Man With Candy

    You can mock me mercilessly if I am wrong

    Even better, I’ll take cash from your husband. That’s like a Jewish orgasm.

  32. Old Man With Candy

    Went to the polls at about 0630. Eight election workers, two voters (including me). Zero wait, obviously. Machines worked fine, took and tabulated my ballot with no issue.

    Got chatted up by our former mayor who offered me several extra “I voted” stickers since she thought my crack about The Chicago Way was actually pretty funny.

    • LCDR_Fish

      Do you still have classes to make up after this?

      Never managed to make my early voting in VA – still stuck on base in Norfolk…hopefully not for too much longer…turned in my rental yesterday so no way to get back to my county even if I cared enough.

      • Old Man With Candy

        First class of the day is at 0820. And it’s a bit warmer today so the girls were in short shorts.

    • PieInTheSky

      I thought voting in New York does not matter.

      • Old Man With Candy

        Local elections do.

      • PieInTheSky

        what are the stakes?

      • Old Man With Candy

        Property taxes and several different layers of regulation.

      • PieInTheSky

        Property taxes – if it is for a good cause like education those should definitely be increased

    • PieInTheSky

      Went to the polls at about 0630. Eight election workers, two voters (including me). Zero wait, obviously. – all the students were busy revising before class

  33. The Late P Brooks

    Lecture on democracy

    The last two presidential elections have raised serious questions about the strength of American democracy and, unfortunately, Tuesday’s election may deepen these concerns. Central to this issue is the electoral college, which allows Americans to elect their president indirectly through state-appointed electors. Though the electoral college has stirred controversy for more than 200 years, Donald Trump’s 2016 victory – despite losing the popular vote by 3 million – intensified the sense that the system undermines democratic principles. It would be gut-wrenching to see the unhinged, vengeful and power-hungry Mr Trump win because of the electoral college’s antidemocratic result.

    Yet that might happen. Post-civil war, four presidents – all Republicans – have lost the popular vote yet won the White House via the electoral college. Mr Trump’s 2024 campaign has seemed intent on repeating this feat or creating enough chaos to push the election to the House of Representatives, where Republican delegations are likely to prevail. His strategy relies on divisive rhetoric, marked by inflammatory and often discriminatory themes. Rather than bridging divides, he aims to deepen them – seeking an electoral college win by rallying his most fervent supporters.

    Fascinating. What does your king say?

    • Ownbestenemy

      seeking an electoral college win

      Uh..that is the only way to win. I know they know that, but FFS.

    • slumbrew

      “the electoral college has stirred controversy for more than 200 years”

      Has it? I don’t recall whining about it until the left started reliably winning the popular vote.

      • Ted S.

        There was that pesky election back in 1800.

    • B.P.

      “His strategy relies on divisive rhetoric, marked by inflammatory and often discriminatory themes.”

      How is this a strategy for winning the electoral college?

  34. Semi-Spartan Dad

    Since watching the electronic count decrease for Trump by 100k votes on live tv in VA for 2020, I’ve thought voting is just theater. The counts will be manipulated either electronically or by pausing counting to manufacture enough ballots. No such thing as margin of fraud when you can delete or add a hundred thousand votes with a button.

    SSD prediction: Kamala will be declared the winner… after several days of “counting” if needed.

    • trshmnstr

      Since watching the electronic count decrease for Trump by 100k votes on live tv in VA for 2020, I’ve thought voting is just theater.

      I’m inclined to agree, but I don’t feel that there are any other non-violent avenues left to express my displeasure at the left’s dismantling of our society.

  35. slumbrew

    I have done my shameful business and voted, in and out in ~ 5 minutes.

    Mostly “write-in: None of the above” and “No” to the state ballot questions.

    I waffled but finally went Trump/Vance – my vote doesn’t matter in MA but the outside chance of a popular vote win is too delicious to pass up on – it would (hopefully) shut everyone up about eliminating the Electoral College for a while.

    The old biddie was take aback when I waved off the sticker – “You’re the first refusal today”. I passed on sharing my thoughts (“That’s depressing”) or giving her my best Bill Burr (“What am I, 6? ‘Ohhh, a sticker!'”).

    • ZWAK, doktor of BRAIN SCIENCE!

      I used to refer to going #2 as evacuating, but from now on whenever I go to the toilet I shall refer to it as Voting.

      • Fourscore

        In that case I voted X2 this morning without ever leaving home

      • R.J.

        Agreed. Also way too many roast potatoes.

  36. KK, Plump & Unfiltered

    Totally forgot today is Guy Fawkes Day

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Penny for the guy!

      • Pat

        let’s pretend the movie doesn’t exist

        The movie was necessary to prove that Natalie Portman is a smokeshow even with a buzz cut.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Seconded

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      “Remember, remember…”?

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      Oh, and 🎇 🎆 .

    • The Gunslinger

      Meh, I think Larry at AMMONYC can that buffed out.

  37. The Gunslinger

    I took the sticker from the nice election worker. My granddaughter likes stickers and she can’t read yet anyway.

    • Pat

      My granddaughter likes stickers and she can’t read yet anyway.

      Much like the poll worker who handed it out.

    • trshmnstr

      I took mine, too. No need to unnecessarily aggravate one of my neighbors over a sticker. It’s currently stuck to one of my daughter’s barbies.

      She’s doing an election in barbie land, complete with each person getting to vote up to 10 times. I havent asked how the dead barbies voted yet, but there was some mild controversy when one of the teenaged female dolls “accidentally” voted yes on the abortion amendment.

    • PieInTheSky

      In Romania they put the sticker on the ID card, they don’t even ask. You can peel it off after.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      I snuck past the sticker table when the old lady wasn’t looking.

      • Fourscore

        Put the sticker on the toilet on the way out

  38. Pat

    The great American realignment

    What connects a former vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a scion of the Kennedy family turned prominent anti-vaxxer, a Big Tech billionaire and a large chunk of rank-and-file trade-union members? Until recently, all were solid Democrats. But they have decided to jump on the Trump train in 2024.
    _
    In the run-up to today’s election, the Democrats and their media allies have made much of the political diversity of Kamala Harris’s endorsements. Her ‘improbable coalition’, as the Atlantic describes it, spans from popstar Taylor Swift to ‘democratic socialist’ Bernie Sanders to neoconservative Republicans Dick and Liz Cheney. ‘Fiscal conservatives, social conservatives and foreign-policy hawks’, notes Politico, are firmly in the Harris campaign’s sights. According to the New York Times, in the Democrats’ courting of ‘moderate’, anti-Trump Republicans, lies the ‘seeds of American renewal’. But Trump is also building a support base that stretches far beyond traditional Republicans. A major realignment of US politics is happening in plain sight.

    [insert the shopworn Heinlein quotation]

    • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

      ‘social conservatives’ for after birth abortions and men in the women’s room?

      What exactly are they fighting anymore then?

  39. UnCivilServant

    ARRRGGGG!!!!

    I figured I’d use some of my accumulating audible credits to get something to fill the silence working remote, but I forgot that the software I use to download and convert my audiobooks to a usable format (OpenAudible) has its repository on my NAS – which is still out of service until the replacement RAM arrives!

    I could reconfigure it to use some other spot, but then I’d have to swap it back once I fix everything. Which should be this evening if the tracking is correct.

    • Pat

      How big is the repo? If it’s not ridiculous you could just clone it from the source to your local computer in the meantime. Or just download the binary.

      • UnCivilServant

        The backup of the local repository is 135GB.

        It’s not the executable, it’s the .aac and .aax files.

      • UnCivilServant

        I am an idiot.

        I have the complete repository in the backup. I can just change the path. It’s not like I can’t synch the backup of the repository back to the NAS when that’s back online.

  40. slumbrew

    Unrelated to the election (I think?) I woke up in pissed-off mood, which is out of character.

    Trying not to snap at anyone at work.

  41. Mojeaux

    I guess Brittney Mahomes’s liking-a-Trump-post was not an accident. Mama Mahomes was showing off her MAGA hat. Of all the people in the freaking world I thought would be Trumpsters, it would NOT have been the Mahomes.

    I’mma go take a shower, go vote, and then bury my head until tomorrow. Months ago, I was determind not to bother, but we’ve got Josh Hawley and transing kids* (under the banner of abortion) on the ballot, so here I go. *Thanks, Trashy for pointing out that it was a transing kids bill as much as/more than an abortion bill.

    • trshmnstr

      Josh Hawley

      That was the race I was most tempted to vote libertarian on. I find both the candidates insufferable.

      • Mojeaux

        You weren’t here for Claire McCaskill. Trust me, it’s an upgrade.

    • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

      “I’mma go take a shower, go vote,”

      I usually shower after I vote.

  42. The Late P Brooks

    Speaking of bizarre authoritarian fantasies

    Her message has been consistent, but Kamala Harris has in the closing days of the presidential race dropped two notable words from her stump speech: Donald Trump.

    The former president’s name was again absent from the vice president’s speeches on Monday night in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where she promised voters a clean break from the discord of the Trump era in American politics.

    “We have an opportunity in this election to finally turn the page on a decade of politics that has been driven by fear and division,” Harris said in her campaign finale. “We are done with that. We’re done. We’re exhausted with it.”

    ——-

    In the final speeches of her short but dramatic, 107-day campaign, Harris again offered voters the promise of a kinder, more compassionate country. Trump’s “enemies list,” she insisted, was poised to be supplanted by her “to-do list.” Speaking from the “Rocky” steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, she ticked off policy proposals, headlined by an ambitious plan to expand home health care for seniors, and gave a neatly polished review of her biography, but mostly focused on vibes.

    Bad ones, in particular, that she promised to excise.

    “America is ready for a fresh start,” Harris said. “Ready for a new way forward where we see our fellow American, not as an enemy, but as a neighbor.”

    Or else.

    Is she planning to disappear Donald Trump and put his supporters to the sword as a sign of her devotion to a new, more inclusive and open American dream?

    • slumbrew

      We have an opportunity in this election to finally turn the page

      said the sitting vice president.

      The fact the de facto incumbent is running on “change” and everyone is going along with it is wild.

    • Suthenboy

      There has been a lot of noise about Trump being disqualified, a convicted felon etc.
      There have also been rumblings to that effect aboutTrump supporters.
      Many on the left fantasize about getting rid of Trump and his supporters. If it weren’t for the 2A I have a sneaking suspicion we would be full-on with the purges.

  43. Drake

    I voted, busy already but not a big line.

    Proudly wearing my “I voted sticker”. Just kidding. I didn’t have the heart to decline it from the nice church lady so I tossed it when I got home.

    • Drake

      Voted “yes” on the amendment only allowing U.S. citizens to vote in SC elections. “No” on the higher sales tax to fix roads – fuck you cut spending.

      • R C Dean

        I was thinking that if I get really bored, I may try to get a ballot initiative going for the next election. Four words:

        “Fuck you. Cut spending.”

        I bet I could get enough signatures to qualify.

    • Suthenboy

      Our sticker has a cartoon crawfish on it so I am keeping it, not wearing it.

  44. Suthenboy

    Just voted. showed ID, signed my name, voted. Workers were about half and half black and white, wife and I were the only white people voting at that moment.

    Noticed that the Socialist Worker’s Party candidate is named Fruit. You cant make this stuff up. What’s with that? There seems to be an inordinate number of public figures whose names are…what do you call that? Like a Mr. Malaprop name…a character whose name hints at their character? There is a word for that.

    • PieInTheSky

      There is a word for that. – I think it is multiple words. “nominative determinism” is two words and sort of fits.

      • Suthenboy

        Thank you.

    • slumbrew

      “Workers were about half and half black and white…”

      Like so?

      • Suthenboy

        You were there?! Dude, you aren’t supposed to bring phones in the polling place and definitely not taking photos.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      Well we’ve had a vegetable in the White House for four years.

    • R C Dean

      “Workers were about half and half black and white”

      Mulatto poll workers in Louisiana sounds . . . about right.

  45. Not Adahn

    I drove past my purported voting place on my way into work. The only sign was for a dance and bingo night. There were sufficiently many cars in the parking lot to let me know it’s the right place.

  46. PieInTheSky

    Robert A. Heinlein’s Crazy Years.

    https://orangeraisin.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/robert-a-heinleins-crazy-years/

    ” So many casual killings in public streets and public parks and public transports that most lawful citizens avoided going out after dark…

    Public school teachers and state university professors who taught that patriotism was an obsolete concept, that marriage was an obsolete concept, that sin was an obsolete concept, that politeness was an obsolete concept – that the United States itself was an obsolete concept…

    Cocaine and heroin called “recreational drugs”, felony theft called “joyriding” … felonious assault by gangs called “muggings”, and the reaction to all these crimes was “boys will be boys”, so scold them and put them on probation but don’t ruin their lives by treating them as criminals…

    Millions of women who found it more rewarding to have babies out of wedlock than it would be to get married or to go to work…”

    I think the boys will be boys only works for non-white boys

    • Suthenboy

      There is a term for that also – demoralization.

    • rhywun

      The problem was that their already aimless plots were now broken up by lengthy scenes of characters bathing each other, trying on sexy clothes, and arranging who was to bed down with whom tonight.

      lol True.

      I can accept “the reformation in sexual morals that progressives are now working to lock in: open homosexuality, gender fluidity, ‘sex work’ as a respected career” – except when the “progressives” target all that stuff at children. I wonder what Heinlein would say about that.

      • PieInTheSky

        I wonder what Heinlein would say about that. – likely “ephebophilia is not pedophilia”

  47. Not Adahn

    Ugh. my FWB just texted me to ask if I voted for Kammy.

    Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      “It’s a SECRET ballot!”

    • PieInTheSky

      You are an engineer. Engineers don’t get FWB.

      • Not Adahn

        She was planning to stop by tomorrow while her kid is in Hebrew school. We’ll see if that happens.

      • The Artist Formerly Known as Lackadaisical

        Did you let her know you’re in New York, so it doesn’t actually matter who you voted for?

    • Pat

      With apologies for the source:

      Bitch, I voted for Gary Johnson

      For lack of a better descriptor that would be easily understood by anyone who isn’t a navel gazing would-be political philosopher, I identified myself as a libertarian to the young lady I was seeing off and on until recently. She asked me if I leaned more Republican or Democrat. Being sure to note the false dichotomy, I said I’d more often than not vote Republican if I had to select from only those two choices. She responded with “Ugh. I don’t really care, I just hate Donald Trump.” I said “I honestly have no idea how he inspires such strong feelings from people, either for or against.”

      • Suthenboy

        Two things people hate most: Truth and responsibility. Even evil people want to think they are good people. That gut reaction of fear and loathing people show for trump is actually evidence that the guy is genuinely who he appears to be and believes that what he says is true. He generally is right. Thus the hatred.

        Virtue signaller: “I beleive in positive rights!”
        Truth guy: “That is the bs rationalization of a criminal.”
        Virtue signaller: “I fucking hate you”

      • KSuellington

        My favorite line for the I hate Donald Trump crowd is, “like the song says, there is a thin line between love and hate. There are many things shared between Trump lovers and haters. I am fairly ambivalent about him, but highly dislike the general direction of the Dem party.”

    • Certified Public Asshat

      “I thought this arrangement meant I could fuck without having to listen to you.”

    • Ted S.

      Team Blue is running ads implying that husbands are trying to control wives’ votes while at the same time saying it’s OK for women to hector their male partner to vote a certain way and dump them if they don’t.

      • Pat

        Everyone is entitled to my opinion.

      • trshmnstr

        And these people try to claim the moral high ground. The whole movement is demonic.

    • JaimeRoberto (carnitas/spicy salsa)

      That must be some of that voter intimidation we’ve heard about.

  48. tarran

    I’m not voting. Not only is MA set up so that one office in the state government has the power to arbitrarily decide who or what initiative ‘won’ an election, but the ballot was a shit show of evil bastards or stupid initiatives.

    I’m going about my normal Tuesday routine with a clear conscience.

    • Pat

      Having moved to a small town last year, I declined to register so as to minimize my chances of being called for jury duty. I’ve never voted for a winning presidential candidate anyway, and only one winning representative. I’m confident the erstwhile republic of Texas will get along OK without my civic contribution. I’m sure Harris/Walz can count on my vote in Nevada, though.

    • Fourscore

      “Did you vote?

      “No”

      “Why not, you should, you know”

      “It would just cancel out your vote and you’re my friend. I didn’t want to do that”

  49. The Late P Brooks

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker also addressed a crowd that watched Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee, follow Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Detroit, where he delivered a pointed message to male voters.

    “I want you to think about the women in your life that you love,” he said. “Their lives are at stake in this election.”

    Winfrey, in Philadelphia, described a similarly dire outcome if Trump prevailed on Tuesday.

    “If we don’t show up tomorrow,” she said, “it is entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to ever cast a ballot again.”

    Party of hope love and reconciliation.

  50. Mojeaux

    Wearing an “I voted” sticker is harmless. Like getting a sucker at the bank.

    • Suthenboy

      I did ask for a lollypop instead of a sticker. It got a chuckle out of the poll lady.

    • The Other Kevin

      We had our choice of two. I got one with an eagle on it.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        I should ask for the one in Vietnamese.

    • rhywun

      I am not confrontational so I just take the sticker and walk out. Toss it when I get home.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Civic duty, my foot. Stay home rather than just guess. This isn’t the SATs.

  51. Rat on a train

    I was issued a new credit card due to bureaucracy. It appears to have cleared my history for fraud protection resulting in alerts for long running activities. What did it flag? Not groceries, gas, or retail. It was my recurring charitable donations to Pacific Legal Foundation and St Jude. I’m expecting IJ to hit next.

  52. Sensei

    NYT remains true to form:

    How the Death of a Celebrity Squirrel Became a Republican Rallying Cry

    • UnCivilServant

      It’s not about the squirrel, you stupid bint. It’s about people kicking down the door, holding the occupants hostage, and destroying their property – and not being punished for it.

      • Rat on a train

        You don’t understand what an unlicensed squirrel could do to a city.

    • Pat

      Republican squirrels pounce?

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        I suspect my kitten is Republican too.

    • Suthenboy

      Want to know how to piss away your self-ownership? One seatbelt law, one environmental regulation, one sin tax, one euthanized squirrel at a time. That’s how.

      In England they want everyone to register their chickens with the government. Every individual chicken and re-register every year.

      There is no rule, regulation, law no matter how minute or intrusive for which someone cant make some kind of justification. There is no way to rule innocent men.

      • Pat

        One seatbelt law, one environmental regulation, one sin tax, one euthanized squirrel at a time. That’s how.

        “Gradually, then suddenly.”

  53. Ownbestenemy

    Don’t let the early results on Election Night fool you. Delayed absentee ballot counts in key swing states could tilt how the presidential race ultimately shakes out.

    2020 script has been pulled forward. *sigh*

  54. The Late P Brooks

    Come from behind victory

    Early vote returns in U.S. battleground states may not be a good indicator of whether Democratic candidate Kamala Harris or Republican rival Donald Trump will win, experts say, thanks to vote counting rules and quirks in several key states.
    In the 2020 election, some states showed a “red mirage,” in which Trump was leading on election night, before a “blue shift” saw Democrat Joe Biden overtake him as mail-in ballots favored by more Democratic voters were counted.
    Experts had accurately predicted it would happen but Trump still used the shift to amplify his false claims that the election was stolen.

    The hand is quicker than the eye.

    • Suthenboy

      “false claims”

      If only Joe had been able to outright institute a ministry of truth.

    • Grummun

      “Blue Shift” has been a thing since before the 2020 election, and I’m convinced it is a sign that fraud on a smaller scale has been going on for some time now. The Dems have been playing a long game, establishing “blue shift” as an expected and reasonable thing, preparing the ground for a point when they can plausibly commit massive fraud. Like today.

  55. The Late P Brooks

    She was planning to stop by tomorrow while her kid is in Hebrew school. We’ll see if that happens.

    Murmur “I voted for Trump’ in her ear, and let her buck.

  56. Dr. Fronkensteen

    Prediction if Trump wins. The House will immediately file articles of impeachment based on the felony conviction and other lawfare cases against Trump. Possibly, he will be in jail during the time between the election and his inauguration.

    • Pat

      In the unlikely event the tally is in his favor in 3-4 weeks after the counting, re-counting, and court cases are resolved, my prediction is the IC finally sacks up and puts a pro on the job, plugs Trump, Vance is charged with conspiracy under some legal construction even more whimsical than Bragg’s, alternate electors suddenly become a necessary salve for our wounded democracy instead of insurrectionist totalitarianism, Kammy gets installed, and nothing else happens.

      But that’s all highly improbable compared to PA spending the next 2-3 weeks curing ballots until they get Harris over the line.

    • rhywun

      Harder to assassinate him in a jail cell. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      • Sensei

        + 1 Epstein

      • Rat on a train

        Trump would be suicided during a camera malfunction.

  57. The Other Kevin

    Got our voting done. Mrs. TOK had an hour wait, mine was about 40 minutes. I had a moment of silence for Peanut the Squirrel before I filled out my ballot.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Since I have a throw-away-vote, P’Nut might just be my write in instead of Goldwater.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        They aren’t counted if they’re not official write-in candidates; id est, no one is listening.

        Ron Paul ’08, le purr, le sigh.

      • The Other Kevin

        I checked Indiana law because a friend wrote me in for school board. Here, local and state elections require a person to file as a write-in candidate. That is not required for federal elections.

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Good to know, Kevin.

  58. KSuellington

    Like Banjos, I have been predicting a Trump win for a while (since the day they got their precious mugshot). I think he may even squeak the popular vote, which I am very much rooting for as I want the “end the EC” idiocy to stop. I’m hoping for a Trump win as I may get a bit more of what I want to see, and I am very much hoping for a knock out drag down inter party fight in the Dems over the proggies leading them astray. Yes, I know it’s more likely they look elsewhere for blame, but the bigwigs that donate all the cash might have other things to say. Let’s see.

  59. Tundra

    Lots of local stuff to vote on. The usual douchebags are trying to ban mountain lion hunting. Apparently the state euthanizing them when the population explodes is preferable to these nitwits than hunters taking a few. There is also a question regarding ranked choice voting and some fund the cops virtue signalling. And once again, the State is trying to end around the property tax rules.

    I get that it’s cool not to vote, but some of this down ballot stuff affects me directly, so defensive voting makes sense to me anyway.

    My question if Kammy wins: what’s the illegals tipping point? Can we really absorb millions more?

    • PieInTheSky

      Can we really absorb millions more? – define absorb

      • Tundra

        Food, housing, medical, benefits, employment.

        I know what the answer is, I’m just wondering what the ultimate number that speeds the collapse.

      • PieInTheSky

        I say aim for an even hunnert mill

    • Pat

      Can we really absorb millions more?

      That depends on a lot on who you mean by “we.” If by “we” you mean NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Arlington, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, then certainly not. If, on the other hand, by “we” you mean the entire states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, then “we” can handle it no problem.

      • rhywun

        Either way expect the cost of housing to shoot up even more.

      • Tundra

        How does that follow? It’s not the space, it’s the tax base. Who the fuck should pay?

    • KSuellington

      California is of course way ahead of Rocky Mountain California in this issue, mountain lion hunting has been banned here for fifteen years or more. As easily was predicted the population has soared and they have been losing their fear of humans. A teenager was killed last year in the Sierras by one. But it makes the Sierra Club and other enviros happy so it will never be rescinded. Always forward comrade, always forward.

      • Tundra

        Tedious, isn’t it? The wolves that the dipshits “reintroduced” are loving the all-youcan-eat buffet that is the CO ranching industry.

        I’d like to think that when the apex predators start chewing up family pets or children that these shitheads will see the light.

        But I know better.

      • R C Dean

        Cops have been shooting dogs and flashbanging babies for years now.

        Oh, you were referring to wolves and mountain lions.

  60. Ownbestenemy

    MSNBC trying its best to make this a thing:

    “Women, you can disagree with us. We’ve actually learned to take it for our whole careers all the time in every forum. But you call us trash? Oh, oh, oh J.D. Vance, you just effed up in a way I’ve never seen in my political life, and I worked for Sarah Palin,” Wallace added.

    “I mean, what just happened?”

    While rallying supporters in Atlanta earlier Monday, Vance said that “in two days, we are gonna take out the trash in Washington, D.C., and the trash’s name is Kamala Harris.”

    All while finding hidden apostrophes.

    • Tundra

      342 miles if it’s being towed, maybe.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      All gripe?

      ¿El Chevy que no va?

  61. Sean

    Hour and half wait to vote this morning and I was in line just before the polls opened.

    Big turn out.

    *affixes I voted sticker to dealer license plate surround*

      • Sean

        I added their side loading one and some anti theft screws to my Amazon shopping list after Trashy shamed me yesterday.

        The dealer one is starting to show it’s age anyway.

      • Pat

        My plates are bolted directly to the front bumper and trunk lid at the designated threaded points in the high quality ballistic ABS plastic. The hell do you need a plate surround for?

      • Sensei

        Pat – On wife’s white car they look better and I wanted something there so the plate didn’t directly contact the paint and rub through.

        Tesla before they cheaped out gave me a nice stainless steel frame for the rear. It’s the only place on the car that says “Model 3”. I kept it as I considered it “part” of the intended design of the car.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Do you have any two screw only mountings? My rear one is that way and wondering if it would flop. Otherwise you’ve sold me.

      • Tundra

        Gustave, you can get a 2 screw bracket that provides a four screw mount for the plate. That’s what I did on the front bumper of my daughter’s Outback.

      • Timeloose

        I kinda like when a used car has the old dealer sticker on it. Especially if the deal is half way across the country.

        My Ranger has a sticker from some dealership in AR, I left it on. Right next to “my other ride is your mom” sticker

      • Pat

        In the interest of full disclosure I drive a 2006 Hyundai Elantra whose paint I wouldn’t have cared about even before the topcoat failed well over a decade ago (it was peeling and starting to go when I bought the thing; needs repainting presently).

    • Timeloose

      I made the dealer remove all of their stickers, plates, and surrounds before picking up my wife’s car. They put a dealer plate surround on it after the first “free” service and my wife ripped the service manager a new asshole.

      • Sensei

        1. Chutzpah on dealer service department
        2. Kudos on your wife noticing. No way my wife would notice until I came home and said WTF?

      • Gustave Lytton

        Reading on a local Reddit where the service dept trashed their current frames (vintage from a former dealership that belonged to the driver’s family). Apparently some dealerships think it’s perfectly ok to do that shit.

      • Timeloose

        She is the service manager’s worst nightmare. She still holds a grudge against Mazda for a infotainment system update issue. The service manager told her her issues were not real problems and she must have been unfamiliar with using it. “it’s fine we when check it”

        She called the service manger every day the issue happened and documented it via video. They eventually discovered that they fuxxed up the system update and then provided free oil change service for 5 years.

  62. PieInTheSky

    Palantir Technologies Inc is up 20%. Does this mean Kami wins and moar war, or that Trump wins cause Thiel is a Trup guy ?

  63. PieInTheSky

    Just to be clear: it is Kami not Kammy, because she is a goddess.

      • UnCivilServant

        Kali is my NAS.

        Hopefully it reincarnates.

      • Pat

        I use Open Media Vault. I would have taken you for a TrueNAS man.

      • UnCivilServant

        It’s an ubuntu server which runs PiHole and Samba, it manages the RAID array in software. (Gasp! Shock!)

    • Sensei

      They use only the highest quality Chinese made flash memory!

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      Cum se spune “kibitz” (idiș) in romana?

      • PieInTheSky

        well I dunno pălăvrăgi probably… talking unimportant random things…

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Come se dice “autistic”?

      • PieInTheSky

        you got it in one

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        Come se dice “frequent and unsolicited commentary from an unimportant country”?

  64. The Late P Brooks

    Here to help

    Constellation Energy stock (CEG) fell 12.5% Monday amid a broader decline in nuclear power stocks following the US government’s rejection of another Big Tech nuclear power agreement late Friday.

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected a proposal from a grid operator, PJM, to ramp up the amount of power supplied through the grid from Talen Energy (TLN) to an Amazon (AMZN) artificial intelligence data center. Talen said in a statement on Sunday it believes the FERC “erred” in its ruling, adding the company is “evaluating our options, with a focus on commercial solutions.”

    ——-

    Still, red tape plagues the industry. Nuclear projects have been subject to stringent regulations in response to high-profile global nuclear meltdowns at Three Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986, and Fukushima in 2011.

    On average, it takes the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission 80 months to approve nuclear plant construction in the US, according to research cited by Canaccord Genuity.

    The FERC said in its filing Friday that it rejected the Amazon nuclear power agreement due in part to concerns that it could threaten the reliability of the power grid and raise energy costs for the public.

    Yeah, that must be it.

    • Pat

      The FERC said in its filing Friday that it rejected the Amazon nuclear power agreement due in part to concerns that it could threaten the reliability of the power grid and raise energy costs for the public.

      Makes good sense. Additional supply tends to drive up prices and reduce reliability in every other industry, after all.

  65. DEG

    will win at least one surprise state (most likely NH or Minnesota, maybe even Maine).

    I can go either way on NH.

    No idea on MN.

    Maine allocates electoral college votes by congressional district with two for statewide. Every prediction I’ve seen has said Trump will get one from Maine for the more Republican congressional district, CD-2. There is exactly zero chance he gets the statewide two votes or the CD-1 vote.

  66. sloopyinca

    Adding my thoughts to the questions about the security of “our election system” upthread:

    We do not have an “election system.” We have fifty different election systems, and several subsystems inside those 50, based on geography and the demographics of the people who live there. That will always cause people to question the integrity of elections. And no, I’m not calling for a national system, with the fedgov being able to dictate how states handle their elections.* I’m just pointing out that we are set up different than most places. Also, I think many of the problems we have are caused by the partisan management of our state systems, with many state SoS positions being elected. I’m not sure that’s a way to ensure election integrity. It’s akin to thew people in city councils being the ones who sit across the negotiating table from the pubsec unions who donated a ton of money to their campaigns the year before. It’s flawed when partisans have the ability to set up/manage the electoral systems in ways that are designed to help their party gain more control rather than ensure a fee and fair election that can be monitored by anybody who wants to.

    *What I am calling for is for people who engage in electoral malfeasance to be charged, prosecuted, convicted, then strung up on lampposts outside poling locations for all to see.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Individual states yet somehow we all eventually adopted the Australian ballot. It’s possible to move the herd.

    • Suthenboy

      Well, that cinches it. Kamala cant beat that.

  67. Gustave Lytton

    My prediction of Trump wins (and maybe if he doesn’t): Joe issues pardons for Trump, Hunter, Kamala and Nancy.

  68. PieInTheSky

    Several new bacteria have been discovered with the smallest known genomes to date – just 359 genes!

    Their genomes are so small they can’t even metabolise carbohydrates, instead relying on breaking down arginine, which provides a tiny amount of energy.

    https://x.com/Paracelsus1092/status/1853731312286257442

    • Sensei

      I posted that up thread for a bit of levity needed today.

      Who could have seen it coming?

      • Gustave Lytton

        Dammit, I missed that.

        Was wondering what was going to happen. Then bam.

  69. The Late P Brooks

    Job one

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday it has closed a probe into 411,000 Ford (F.N), opens new tab SUVs and pickup trucks over a potentially defective engine that could lose power without warning.
    In July 2022, the U.S. auto safety regulator opened its investigation into Ford Bronco vehicles equipped with 2.7L EcoBoost engines over concerns of a faulty valvetrain.
    The probe was expanded later to include other models including the Ford Edge, F-150, Explorer and Lincoln Aviator and Nautilus vehicles with 2.7L or 3.0L EcoBoost engines from the 2021 and 2022 model years.
    Under normal driving conditions and without warning, vehicles may lose power and be unable to restart due to a faulty valve. NHTSA said it had 1,066 unique vehicle reports of the issue.
    In August, Ford recalled 90,000 vehicles after the automaker determined not all valves produced were defective, and that most failures occurred in vehicles that had been in use for a short time.
    Ford’s recall fix includes a dealer inspection and a test to determine if the vehicle has not met a minimum usage level to identify if it was equipped with defective valves.

    “If it hasn’t failed by now, it’s probably okay.”

    Presumably that’s a variable valve timing issue.

  70. The Other Kevin

    We were watching free TV on the Roku channel yesterday, and there was a commercial with an elderly gentleman talking about immigration. Turns out immigrants are a net plus for the economy, and that includes illegal immigrants! And anyone who says otherwise is lying.

    Try as we might, we can’t seem to get a relaxing night of mindless TV.

  71. The Other Kevin

    I have to say, Kamala is a lot more talented than we give her credit for. She’s somehow losing votes of Jews AND Muslims. She might have also finally opened the eyes of minorities, who to some degree have realized the Dems have been taking advantage of them this whole time.

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