Tag: Biden

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WARNING! VOTER RAGE IS DANGEROUS

The contested election of 2020 between Biden and Trump  has reached the boiling point.  And it couldn’t come at a worse time. People are already feeling that they’ve lost control  during this Covid-19  pandemic.  And now, all of a sudden, many fear that their vote has been compromised by a rigged election.   It’s like being caught in a tornado following a hurricane.  That helpless feeling that our lives are veering out of control.  Warning! Voter rage is dangerous.

Warning: Voter Rage is Dangerous
Warning! Voter Rage is Dangerous. Kennedy beat NIxon, in 1960, but it was considered a rigged election.

Most people can’t remember another supposedly rigged  election, but I do. The Kennedy-Nixon election in 1960 was so close that it only took the votes in the states of Illinois  and Texas to throw it to Kennedy.  Historians believe that John’s wealthy father,  Joe Kennedy,  had the money and political power to somehow rig the votes.  I was living in Chicago at that time, in a northern suburb that was strongly Republican.  People were furious, but they didn’t contest the election.  I’m not sure why.  They say Nixon thought about it, but in the end, he decided to concede.  He was young enough to know he could run again. And he did.

Kennedy’s election was fraught with controversy, and it didn’t get any better after the Bay of Pigs fiasco when 98 Cuban American’s lost their lives. But  John redeemed himself with the triumph of the Cuban Missile crisis.  For awhile, the Kennedy era was like Camelot.  These young beautiful people were America’s version of  royalty. And then it all went South.   Kennedy’s assassination was soon followed by the killing of his brother, Bobby.  Vice President  Lyndon Johnson, who  many  thought had helped rigged the election in Texas,  then took over. But that didn’t end well, either.  The Vietnam War caused him to resign from politics, and not run for re-election.

So that’s why this contested election has me worried.  Whether it’s Biden or Trump, the winner won’t  have won in a landslide,  like other popular presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson.   Voter rage will always be simmering beneath  the surface of the political landscape.  It won’t take much to make it erupt into something very ominous.  In contrast to Kennedy and Nixon, we now have two old men with nothing to lose but the election. Warning! Voter rage is dangerous.

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YOU CAN’T BET ON BIDEN OR TRUMP

Are you a gambling man—or woman?  Most of us don’t take a whole lot of chances with our money. In fact, only 15% of people in the world gamble on a regular basis.  On the other hand, 85% of us have gambled on something or other in the past year.  Bought a lottery ticket, or played some slot machines in a casino.  In election years, there’s a lot of bets being placed on who’s going to win. But here in the United States, you can’t bet on Biden or Trump.

Political betting is illegal in this country.  That means you’re breaking the law if you even place a bet with your cousin or next door neighbor..  Obviously, there’s lots of people breaking the law.  And I’m not sure what the penalty might be if someone reported you to the police for betting on the election.

You can't bet on Biden or Trump. Political gambling is illegal in the USA.
You can’t bet on Biden or Trump. Political Betting is illegal in the USA.

People from other countries can go online and place all the bets they want to, but we Yanks aren’t supposed to bet on our own elections. Why is that? The theory is that if you bet on a massive longshot, you would be less likely to vote—ensuring that your candidate will lose.  Nevertheless, most seasoned politicians follow the sports betting 2020 election odds very closely. And right now, the odds are favoring Biden.

According to Reuter’s World News,

“Bettors on British exchange markets give Democratic challenger Joe Biden a 66% chance of winning the Nov. 3 election, down from 68% before the the debate. Trump’s chances improved to 34% from 32%.

….The odds have narrowed since mid-October, but betting trends on gambling websites still predict a win for Biden. The former vice president has a substantial lead in national opinion polls, although the contest is closer in battleground states likely to decide the race.

…The majority of big-money political betting occurs outside America as betting on politics is illegal in the United States.”

Although we can’t legally  place a bet, we can to go online and see the betting odds for the 2020 election.

But  seasoned gamblers often bet against the odds .  It turns out that as of October 20th,  62% of world gamblers were betting on Trump to win, and only 35% were betting on Biden.  Why bet against public opinion?

According to the website  Odds Shark.  “ One of the most popular sports betting systems is the “contrarian method” of going against whatever side the public is backing,” because “the public can be easily brainwashed by the media, and tends to be wrong more often than not.”

Are the contrarians right or wrong?  It remains to be seen.

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Will Election 2020 End The Troubles?

Remember “the troubles” in Northern Ireland that went on for about forty years ?  We visited Belfast soon after the peace agreement was signed in 1998, but there was still plenty of tension .  In fact, as our tour bus entered the city, armed militia stopped us, and walked through the bus, checking for whatever?  Maybe to see if anyone had a gun?  Clearly the peace agreement between, British Loyalists and Irish Nationalists  hadn’t ended the troubles.  Will the 2020 election end the troubles in the USA?

People in America were lined up for hours on the first day of early voting yesterday.   Early voters are not undecided. Those who were  interviewed expressed strong feelings for their  candidate of choice..  While I applaud all the interest in voting, it makes you wonder what will happen,  no matter who wins.

If Trump wins, will women stop having abortions or go underground? Will the Black Lives Matter movement grow stronger?   Will rioting and protesting escalate out of control?

Will troubles end on election day?Or will they escalate no matter who wins.
Will Election 2020 End Troubles for America? It seems likely that it won’t.

If Biden wins, will Trump supporters  turn in their guns?  Will they  welcome immigrants flooding into  the country receiving free medical care? Will they meekly agree to another lockdown and shut down their businesses?  If none of the above, look for trouble.

There was another contentious election day back in 1960. A lot of people opposed  having a Catholic president, but he won, anyway.  The troubles didn’t end when John F. Kennedy was elected, then assassinated two years later.  In fact, what followed was an escalation of our involvement  in Vietnam– the longest war in American History.

Both Biden and Trump say they want to unite the country. That seems like wishful thinking. America’s troubles will not end on election day.

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COPING WITH POST DEBATE DEPRESSION

Even though I’ve tried to stop watching so much news, it seemed un American not to watch the first presidential debates.  But it wasn’t long before the two candidates–Biden and Trump–  began trading insults and yelling at each other, and my husband wanted to turn off the TV.  I owe him an apology.  Because I kept hoping things would get better, but they didn’t. Consequently, we stayed up way too late, compensated for our frustration by eating too much popcorn, and today, I’m coping with post debate depression.

In my freshman year of college, I was on a debate team.  If any student had behaved the way Trump and Biden did during the lst presidential debate, they would have been kicked out of the class, or if it was too late for that, received a resounding F on their report card.  You don’t interrupt.  You show respect for your opponent.  And hopefully, you bring some new research or an intelligent argument to the debate.  None of that happened last night.  We didn’t hear anything we hadn’t heard before.  Yes, we know all about Hunter Biden, and we know how Trump handled COVID-19.  There was absolutely no surprise, nothing at all to be learned. Except that we have a poor choice of whom to vote for come November.  Because neither candidate showed the slightest bit of class.

Only a masochist would want to watch the next debates.  If you like having nightmares and feeling like the world is a dreary place, that’s what you should do.  I don’t.  I want to feel cheerful and optimistic about the world my grandchildren will inherit.   Before that happens, I have  to get back that hopeful feeling.  Here’s how I’m planning to do that today.

First, a great big shopping trip wearing my pretty new cloth mask, sent to me by Humana. It’s soft, and has three layers, so I think it will give me good protection against covid-19.   If you don’t like shopping, this won’t help you one single bit.  But I do like to shop.  I’ll spend some time in my favorite supermarket, splurge on some gourmet food items,  and try a new recipe tonight.

 

a walk in the woods will help cope with post debate depression.
Coping with post debate depression: . A walk through the woods may help.

After lunch, I’ll close the shades and take a nap.  It’s going to be a sunny day, so when I awaken  I’ll probably drive down  to the river. When things go wrong in my life, I always head for  water.  I’ll sit on a bench and admire the bend in the river.  There’s going to be a good strong wind today, so I’ll dress warm enough to enjoy the cool cleansing breeze .  I’ll take a short walk in the woods.  And then, I’ll go home and start thinking about my new recipe..

And in a couple of days, I’m going to feel much better.

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CAMPAIGN YARD SIGNS ARE A FUTILE EFFORT

It’s that time of year again.  The campaign yard signs began to appear a few weeks ago, but now, they’re all over the place.  Some people are enthusiastic yard signers.  Their lawns are littered with numerous signs, all of which usually means they’re pretty active in some political party.  I imagine the signs are  expensive. I don’t know, because I’ve never been a political activist.  But I do know that a yard sign will never persuade me to vote for a particular candidate.  Campaign yard signs are a futile effort. 

Do campaign yard signs work? they annoy many, and may not change voters minds.
Are campaign yard signs a futile effort? Although they annoy many people, they increase name recognition.

 The question has been posed to various political experts:  Do yard signs really work?  The consensus seems to be that they raise awareness about coming elections.  Campaign yard signs  may motivate people to  get out and vote.  Other than that, they don’t actually influence voters one way or another.  

 Why do some people litter their lawns with numerous yard signs?  It’s speculated that it may be to simply annoy the opposing party.  Sort of an in-your-face type thing.  See here you liberal/conservative fools.  This is who I’m voting for, not your stupid candidates. If that’s the motivation, it  works. Many people  are annoyed by yard signs.  Why would that be? Obviously, because they may not agree with your politics. But also  because they’re ugly.  There is nothing artistic or  aesthetically pleasing about a yard sign. 

 We’ve been asked once or twice to let some friend or acquaintance to post campaign signs in our yard. Reluctantly, we agreed, just because we liked the person, and didn’t want to hurt their feelings.  But six or seven signs?  Never. Just as I dislike talking politics with strangers, I don’t want to advertise my political leanings to the entire town.  How I vote is my own business.  And sometimes,  I change my mind right before I go to the polls.  I’d hate to have a yard sign for a candidate who gets arrested for drunk driving right before election day. 

 The one advantage I can see for yard signs is their predictive value.  During the 2016 election, there were Trump signs all over town, even though the polls predicted he would lose.  So far, I’m seeing an equal number of Trump/ Biden signs.  But the Trump ones were out earlier.  I guess they were left over from the last election.  But it’s early yet.  Yard signs may be an  exercise  in futility.  But they could be an important bellwether.  

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QUITTING THE NEWS COLD TURKEY

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I’ve turned into a news junkie since the pandemic hit.  Forced to stay home, I’ve read and listened to more news than ever before. It usually peaked out Friday night, what with Washington Week in Review, Indiana Week in Review,  in addition to cable news. But last night was the last straw.  When they started talking about Trump calling war heroes losers, I just could not take it any more. I have no idea if this was fake or real news.  But after  a summer of protests, riots, federal executions,  covid-19, and politics, everything you see and hear in the media  has become very depressing. Too much news can affect your mental health.  This morning, I decided to empty my brain.  I’m quitting the news cold turkey over Labor Day.  

Here’s how it’s going this Saturday morning:   

I've stopped being a news junkie. Going cold turnkey from the news over labor day.
Has the pandemic turned you into a news junkie?  It may be time to quit the news cold turkey..

 8: 30 a.m. Starting with the newspapers.  We subscribe to two: local, and Indy Star. Before taking my first sip of coffee, I resolve not to read any story about the election, Trump, Biden, or any politician.  Same for riots and protests. None of which I can control.   What is left?  Start with the comics.  Typically, I skim over them, pausing to read one or two favorites.  Today, I read most every cartoon and comic.  They actually are somewhat entertaining .  We usually don’t read the sports section. But now, I’m surprised to find some interesting stories. One about some parents whose son plays for Purdue.  Another about a rookie who signed a four year deal with the Colts.  I might even watch a Colts game to see him play. The virus statistics still merit my attention,  since our city’s positivity rate is so alarming.  

9: 45 a.m.  My daughter arranged for me to watch my grandson’s cross country meet , live streamed on Facebook.  Seeing all those fine young people running their hearts out gave me so much hope.  I think of him when I  see other youngsters running in the park.  When that generation comes of age, I believe America is going to be just fine.  

11:15.    Since I can’t swim during the pandemic my, arthritis has gotten worse.  Now, I’ll take some time to go back and do some of the exercises I learned to do in therapy.  Yes, they’re a pain, and boring too.  But they are much needed if I want to keep  walking in the park.  

Walking in the park ,i phone in my pocket.  Every time it dings, I’m tempted.  All those apps—NY Times, Drudge, Reuters, Yahoo, CNN.  I’m fighting the urge to sit down and read  the depressing news of the day.  But I made it home without giving in.   

12:30. I’ve made it to lunch time without checking “Breaking News” .  Not even those alarming emails that flash across my iphone all day long.  Our snail  mail came, with forms to request absentee ballots, sent by the Democratic party.  Tossed them in the wastebasket.  If I decide to vote, it will be in person. 

This afternoon I’ll go to  the library.  Here’s hoping I’m off to a good start.   Just for this Labor Day weekend, I’m quitting the news cold turkey.   I need a little break before I can face it all again and find some balance between being informed and overwhelmed. .  And who knows?  Maybe there’s some good news on the horizon. 

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POLLSTERS: DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL ME

Do you believe in polls?  Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t.  Like most people, I believe what I want to.  If I see a poll favoring my candidate of choice, I’ll hope it’s right.   On the other hand, if a poll favors a disliked candidate, I’ll doubt its accuracy.  When I am asked to take part in surveys and polls,  I always decline.  Pollsters: don’t ask my opinion, don’t tell me  your skewed results.

Pollsters: Don't Ask, Don't Tell Me which candidate I favor
Pollsters use landlines, phones & the internet to invade our privacy.  Pollsters: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell me

Most  polls are conducted  via cell phone or landline.  Those are possibly the most irritating calls one could receive.  Anyone with common sense refuses to answer calls from an unfamiliar phone number.   Consequently,  A  poll  based on the opinions of those who do answer doesn’t really tell me anything.

Many polls are taken over the internet.  Poll takers and politicians invade my Facebook, Twitter, and Email accounts.  If I log onto various online  news reports, I’m often  interrupted by a question about   Donald  Trump or Joe Biden.

The bad part about answering a survey or poll is that you’re now on someone’s sucker list.  First, you will be inundated with requests for contributions.  Next, you’ll  receive numerous newsletters and e mails meant to alarm and enlighten you .

How do these people get access to my social media?  I’m  tired of spending so much time deleting them.  I click on unsubscribe, and beg them to leave me alone, to no avail..  No, I don’t want to hear from their relatives, either.

Back to the accuracy of polls.    A poll is just a picture of what people are saying or thinking on a particular day. Voters are fickle. They can easily change their minds the next week or month, depending on current events. For example,  the coronavirus pandemic. Or the protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis..

Every day, the polls tell us which candidate is favored,  disliked, or disapproved of . But you know what?  I’d just as soon believe the odds coming out of Vegas.

Pollsters:   Stop calling  me during dinner,  or any time at all.  Discontinue invading my social media online.   Don’t ask what I think or tell me how I feel..