Voting is compulsory in Australia. I would love to have that here in the United States.
When I lose faith in humanity (I live in Texas, where good intentions by ordinary people have led us to this precipice.), it is encouraging that despite the media slanting and playing with facts, there are still signs that enough reasonable voters will get out to the polls to make their voices heard.
My comment above reflects that so many Fox News viewing Texans absolutely believe the only issue that matters is abortion, and that Trump was sent by God. Having been so manipulated by fossil fuels funded misinformation, they are compelled to exercise their God-given right to exorcise the evil Democrats who make pizzas in a basement from aborted fetuses, and (I hear this too often from friends, relatives and neighbors who I thought were sane!) WE MUST TAKE BACK ‘MERICA!!
If you don’t reside in a Red state it might be difficult to decipher my rant.
The powers that be in Texas roll out the red carpet for those voters, and put out as many roadblocks as possible for the others.
There are no more polls on college campuses (except A &M!); running out of paper and ballots in blue voting districts seem to be frequent occurrences; and mail in ballots require blood and urine tests, DNA tests, and credit checks for eligibility. (JK!!)
You make so many great points in this essay. I think the primary system will be reformed so that a more diverse sampling of Americans get a say in picking presidential nominees. (Silly, optimistic me!)
More important, the likely GOP nominee this year is already hinting he will dispense with the 2028 elections and simply grant himself a third, perhaps indefinite, term in office. All your readers who care about a broad sampling of voters in the primaries better vote right in November, or their desires may become moot.
I'm not so sure Iowa doesn't represent a large portion of American voters, it does at least its rural ones. Our recent elections seem to support a rural vs urban dichotomy. The weather also dampened, not just trump's low turn out numbers, but all Iowan Republicans. However Iowa's vote is represented, we do know it gives trump another sunrise to crow about. And that scares the hell out of me.
Rural v. urban is a real thing but it is more acute in Texas than elsewhere. Iowa is largely a rural state so there's no escaping that dynamic's impact on the electorate. But you can't take a state full of rural white folks giving T a victory and extrapolate from that America is gonna restore TFG to the White House. That's just illogical. But anyone who thinks some earth-shattering thing occurred up there Monday night is sorely mistaken.
Extrapolating, yeah, fearfully a bit. And yes, the specifics could add up to an illogical conclusion, but herr trump has presented an avatar for illogical actions (if not completely irrational actions) for as long as he has been across my radar. My main point is, trump breaks through expectations in uncountable ways and most of them, at least to me, are earth-shattering. Of course, I accept and welcome your more learned criticism and hope for all get out it is true.
Had just seen the Lincoln Projects video last night, may be their best yet.
White on white, heartache on heartache. Let's get real.
Voting is compulsory in Australia. I would love to have that here in the United States.
When I lose faith in humanity (I live in Texas, where good intentions by ordinary people have led us to this precipice.), it is encouraging that despite the media slanting and playing with facts, there are still signs that enough reasonable voters will get out to the polls to make their voices heard.
My comment above reflects that so many Fox News viewing Texans absolutely believe the only issue that matters is abortion, and that Trump was sent by God. Having been so manipulated by fossil fuels funded misinformation, they are compelled to exercise their God-given right to exorcise the evil Democrats who make pizzas in a basement from aborted fetuses, and (I hear this too often from friends, relatives and neighbors who I thought were sane!) WE MUST TAKE BACK ‘MERICA!!
If you don’t reside in a Red state it might be difficult to decipher my rant.
The powers that be in Texas roll out the red carpet for those voters, and put out as many roadblocks as possible for the others.
There are no more polls on college campuses (except A &M!); running out of paper and ballots in blue voting districts seem to be frequent occurrences; and mail in ballots require blood and urine tests, DNA tests, and credit checks for eligibility. (JK!!)
Very good piece, Jim.
Thanks, amigo.
You make so many great points in this essay. I think the primary system will be reformed so that a more diverse sampling of Americans get a say in picking presidential nominees. (Silly, optimistic me!)
More important, the likely GOP nominee this year is already hinting he will dispense with the 2028 elections and simply grant himself a third, perhaps indefinite, term in office. All your readers who care about a broad sampling of voters in the primaries better vote right in November, or their desires may become moot.
Thanks for this wonderfully calm and measured perspective, Jim.
I'm not so sure Iowa doesn't represent a large portion of American voters, it does at least its rural ones. Our recent elections seem to support a rural vs urban dichotomy. The weather also dampened, not just trump's low turn out numbers, but all Iowan Republicans. However Iowa's vote is represented, we do know it gives trump another sunrise to crow about. And that scares the hell out of me.
Rural v. urban is a real thing but it is more acute in Texas than elsewhere. Iowa is largely a rural state so there's no escaping that dynamic's impact on the electorate. But you can't take a state full of rural white folks giving T a victory and extrapolate from that America is gonna restore TFG to the White House. That's just illogical. But anyone who thinks some earth-shattering thing occurred up there Monday night is sorely mistaken.
Extrapolating, yeah, fearfully a bit. And yes, the specifics could add up to an illogical conclusion, but herr trump has presented an avatar for illogical actions (if not completely irrational actions) for as long as he has been across my radar. My main point is, trump breaks through expectations in uncountable ways and most of them, at least to me, are earth-shattering. Of course, I accept and welcome your more learned criticism and hope for all get out it is true.