Election 2016

Schleiermacher · Post by **Schleiermacher** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 12:13 pm

"More likely"? You haven't made up your mind yet?

sendaz · Post by **sendaz** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 1:53 pm

MGuy wrote:It has illuminated for me that my cousin thinks that Hillary is an Illuminati Witch (something I'd never heard of before him talking to me about it).

Almost wish she was, because than she could maybe introduce a weaponized version of the Nimbus 2000 to replace the joke that is the F35 stealth jet, which is still suffering numerous problems and it's own pilots are questioning how effective it will be if caught up in a dog fight.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:17 pm

I'm more likely to vote for Clinton, because I did so less than two hours ago.

MGuy · Post by **MGuy** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:56 pm

OgreBattle wrote:
MGuy wrote:It has illuminated for me that my cousin thinks that Hillary is an Illuminati Witch (something I'd never heard of before him talking to me about it). It's shown me that there is a lot of crazy among people I know to varying degrees.
Worshipper of Moloch specifically.

Does your cousin follow a Syrian girl with big lips.

I do not know. The conversation didn't really go anywhere because I couldn't get past him believing in magic, much less Illuminati Witch magic, and I decided to end the conversation after he just started calling me names to 'put me in my place'. It was a very enlightening conversation but honestly he is not the only person to reveal how crazy they actually are to me during this election. Last week a coworker insisted that blacks weren't a minority and if we were, by law, we wouldn't have to work.

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:03 pm

MGuy wrote:I do not know. The conversation didn't really go anywhere because I couldn't get past him believing in magic, much less Illuminati Witch magic,

It's nice to see Jack Chick is still around if only in spirit.

Last week a coworker insisted that blacks weren't a minority and if we were, by law, we wouldn't have to work.

How in the fuck does that even work? Those don't have a thing to do with each other.

Whipstitch · Post by **Whipstitch** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:12 pm

My old roommate was into Illuminati shit and thought we really should just get with the program and appease them. Anyway, he got diagnosed with schizophrenia and we haven't talked for years..

MGuy · Post by **MGuy** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:30 pm

Leress wrote:
MGuy wrote:I do not know. The conversation didn't really go anywhere because I couldn't get past him believing in magic, much less Illuminati Witch magic,

It's nice to see Jack Chick is still around if only in spirit.

Last week a coworker insisted that blacks weren't a minority and if we were, by law, we wouldn't have to work.

How in the fuck does that even work? Those don't have a thing to do with each other.

I don't know why or how it works in his brain but he believes I'm crazy for not believing him.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:59 pm

But there can only ever be one non-minority in any given group. It's impossible for both black people and white people to not be a minority in any group, like the American population, that contains both of them. If minorities don't have to work, and your (presumably white?) friend does, that means every race he is not a member of must be a minority.

MGuy · Post by **MGuy** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:17 pm

He's black. I tried bringing up other minorities to him but he just dismissed it out of hand. I don't really know how it works out in his mind. I really don't know who he's listened to to believe what he does because the crazy pro black speaker he had me listen to contradicted him. He of course didn't believe we're 13% of the population because that number is clearly a lie and even though he knows he doesn't have an alternative count he feels that we aren't and have never been, a minority. Since this election started I've increasingly found out that some people, friends, acquaintances, and family believe some radical shit.

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:34 pm

So, I had fun voting for the first time in... quite a while. But since I'm in a start that matters this time (PA) rather than an automagically aligned state, I figured I was obliged, because strangely I don't want an irrational ball of crazy knocking down fundamental pillars of stability and sanity.

Fun part is, I'm out deep in the rural red area of the state. So the polling station is out of the way, on a road partially closed due to construction (so people on the other side of the construction have a good 20 minute drive to work around the detour... I'm sure that will have zero effect on voter turnout).

And what greets me at the polling station: a man in a Trump hat handing out a voting cheat sheet (unsurprisingly, it just listed all the republicans... which seems odd since PA has a 'vote party' box on the ballot*), standing slightly away from the sign outlining that it was in fact illegal to do any sort of electioneering within 10 feet of the polling place. It turns out he does this every year, and there have 'been complaints.' Fucking Pennsylvania.

On the way out he asked what my voter number was. I cheerfully told him that I had no idea... as I folded up the ballot stub with the voter number on it and shoved it in my pocket.

*but only for blue and red. Green party doesn't get a 'vote party' box, and no idea what happens if you tick the Democrat box and it gets to the state races where a Republican is running unopposed.

Josh_Kablack · Post by **Josh_Kablack** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 6:54 pm

Voss wrote: *but only for blue and red. Green party doesn't get a 'vote party' box, and no idea what happens if you tick the Democrat box and it gets to the state races where a Republican is running unopposed.

Neither do the Libertarian nor Constitution Party candidates.....but I didn't even know that the Constitution Party had any slots on this year's PA ballot until I got to my polling place.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:01 pm

I voted at 8 this morning. Quick, quiet, and no hassle.

Now nothing to do but go to work and wait on things to settle out.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:10 pm

Voss wrote: And what greets me at the polling station: a man in a Trump hat handing out a voting cheat sheet (unsurprisingly, it just listed all the republicans... which seems odd since PA has a 'vote party' box on the ballot*), standing slightly away from the sign outlining that it was in fact illegal to do any sort of electioneering within 10 feet of the polling place. It turns out he does this every year, and there have 'been complaints.' Fucking Pennsylvania.

I saw a voter wearing a Trump hat in the polls. I'm pretty sure you can't, at least in Michigan.

On the way out he asked what my voter number was. I cheerfully told him that I had no idea... as I folded up the ballot stub with the voter number on it and shoved it in my pocket.

Was he trying to figure out who you voted for, or something?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:24 pm

Wtf is with all those people on the ballot in Colorado?

Occluded Sun · Post by **Occluded Sun** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:24 pm

RobbyPants wrote:I'm more likely to vote for Clinton, because I did so less than two hours ago.

Vote Early! Vote Often!

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:05 pm

RobbyPants wrote:
Voss wrote: On the way out he asked what my voter number was. I cheerfully told him that I had no idea... as I folded up the ballot stub with the voter number on it and shoved it in my pocket.
Was he trying to figure out who you voted for, or something?

Not really sure. The 'township' only has about 800 registered voters, so he might have been keeping track of what percentage of folks voted*, but I was moderately offended by anyone (let alone a declared partisan) asking me anything about my voting habits, even if the number doesn't tie me to the ballot but just the log book.

*about 30% before noon, which is pretty high for hicksville, which suggests a high Republican turnout in these parts.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:21 pm

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... courtroom/

swing-and-a-miss

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Tue Nov 08, 2016 11:06 pm

Did you catch the update (on the bottom of the page)?

Trump Campaign Declares [case] a Victory!

'they totally told us to fuck off, but we got what we wanted (holding the ballots, because laws) and Donald will change all this anyway, so victory!'

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 12:20 am

The first votes for 2016 have been counted

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:33 am

There's also been a shooting near a California polling place. I hope that's just part of the general shootiness we put up with every day and not political loons.

erik · Post by **erik** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:56 am

Indiana is going hard Republican. Every race that looked like it was close, possibly with a slight edge to democrats as of last week (Senator, Governor, 9th district) is going the other way by +10 pts. Ugh.

Covent · Post by **Covent** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:02 am

I really wish I had a shirt with clintons face photoshopped on to trump with the slogan "Make America Clinton again!"

Could have worn it to vote...

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:07 am

Doesn't look like Dems are gonna pick up the senate. Presidential race is on track to be the nailbiter we all dreaded, decided by razor-thin margins in like half a dozen states.

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:12 am

DSMatticus wrote:Doesn't look like Dems are gonna pick up the senate. Presidential race is on track to be the nailbiter we all dreaded, decided by razor-thin margins in like half a dozen states.

Eh. With the rural counties in they look bad, but once the urban areas start rolling in, I don't think it will be that close (in the places that matter). Check back in two hours.

On the bigger picture...
The electoral votes just dramatically shifted on BBC America (97-129), but when they switched to the map it was just a line from Texas to the Dakotas. So, whatever, no news- those were a given.

Oh, holy shit, they're letting campaign people rattle through their patter of bullshit again. Shut up, fuckers. We don't need your lines again.
Got to love irritable British journalists, though:
"I find it fascinating that this is the point that we finally have a debate about policy"

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:28 am

Well, the senate ship has probably already sailed. Dems failed to grab one of the seats favoring them, which bodes... poorly. Now they need to pull off an upset on one of the more entrenched Republicans. The senate is probably going to go 49-51.

As for Florida, it's not clear there are enough votes left to be counted to erase Trump's advantage there, plus some exit polling shows Clinton's lead among women and latinos is smaller in Florida than it is nationally. So it could plausibly come down to Clinton's firewall, and some of those are going to be pretty goddamn close. Though a lot of states everyone expected to be red are also kind of close, so there are bizarro outcomes in which Clinton's firewall cracks and she wins by stealing Georgia or some shit. I don't think there are going to be any surprise knockout blows. It's just going to be a slow grinding tally that mildly favors Clinton. Mildly.