Our Election Day PSA to Voters Everywhere

 

Our Election Day "PSA" to Voters Everywhere:

The role of the media should be to provide accurate and balanced news so that we can make informed decisions. That means the news media needs to be non-partisan in their reporting. At election time the media (particularly newspapers) like to make their endorsements and urge you---the voter---support their agenda. Their agendas don't necessarily represent our best interest best interest. Do your own research and vote your conscience. Don't vote to be "anti" anything. We don't need any more negativity in the world. Instead, make your vote count "for" something you truly believe in. Thank you, AnotherOpinionblog.com

What Happened to the Republican "Red Wave"?

The 2022 midterm elections are over. But the "red wave"  promised by Republicans and threatened by Democrats and the Left media never materialized. In fact, the "red wave" turned into more of a spritz. It's not because of a low turnout. Tuesday's voter turnout was heavy practically everywhere.

At least 94 million votes were cast on Tuesday. That number will likely climb higher as more late votes are tallied in the remaining close races. Lines were wrapped around buildings and parking lots, with average wait time to vote in some places was an hour. Tuesday's elections were in truth what every election turnout should be.

Many of the anticipated GOP wins never happened. Many of the Democrat loses fail to materialize despite President Biden's and Congress's pitiful approval ratings. For whatever the reason, voters in general didn't punish the Democrats for  the faltering economy,  out of control crime, the stock market losses, rising inflation and the resulting higher prices at the pump and grocery. 

The Democrats picked up one new seat in the Senate, while the Republicans lost one. Neither party managed to pick a majority. In fact, we have a near even split in the Senate with the Republicans holding 48 seats and the Democrats retaining 46 (51 is required for a majority).

In the House of Representatives (often simply referred to as the "Congress"), Republicans gained three new seats while Democrats lost six. But, as with the Senate, neither corporate owned party was able to seize a majority. Democrats have 176 seats compared to 204 by the GOP.  It takes 218 for a majority.

When it came to gubernatorial elections, Democrats picked up two seats, bringing their total to 22. Republicans lost two seats, leaving them with 24 (there was no elections for governor in the remaining states). 

The media did everything it could to blame former president, Donald Trump, rightly or wrongly, but mostly wrongly. They even used the specter of a possible second run by Trump should the GOP take control of either the House or Senate.  The media played up the defeat of every pro-Trump Republican or "election denier" candidate, as if that should have some bearing on the economy, crime, or foreign policy.

It's worth mentioning too that virtually all of the incumbents seeking reelection were successful, which shouldn't come to anyone's surprise. The U.S. has a incumbent retention rate of around 98%, which is higher than the old Soviet Russian Politburo or the Chinese Communist Party.

 I think that says more about us than it does about Russia or China. With all that is blatantly and critically wrong with the United States, the majority of us went to the polls and asked for more of the same. It's as if we've become a nation of political sadomasochist. There's an old saying (often misattributed to Albert Einstein) which says the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.   

The results of Tuesday's election makes me wonder if the American People are collectively insane or have we simply stopped caring about kind of society we live in?  We keep electing Democrats or Republicans (as if they're our only two choices) and expecting different results. We complain about the results and then claim that we were only picking the "lesser of two evils" as if that's somehow better or justifies their choices. Evil was still chosen.  

It sort of reminds me of that New Year's Eve "morning after" regret when we wake up after a night of partying hard and see who---or "what"---we brought home with us. That's where Americans are today or at least will be over the next few months when they're staring at gas pump prices or grocery bill. 

Maybe they're "morning after" choices will hit them when they're reading their latest tax bill or listening to the news talk about the latest murders or carjackings which keeps getting closer and closer to where they live. Perhaps then they'll take a moment to reflect on their choices when they voted or decided to skip the voting booth all together. Most will simply ignore their own personal responsibility and blame it all on whoever the media tells them is at fault. 

We'll wonder why the police, government, or "someone" doesn't do "something" about it? Well, "someone" did do "something" about it. You did. You voted for more of the same. You chose nothing to be done rather than to vote for actual change. This is what the lesser of two evils looks like.

Neither of party represents us. At some level we all know it, and yet we keep repeating the same mistakes like some "Pavlov dog" trained to bark or drool at some preconditioned sound. It's the type of mentality one reads about in dystopian novels like Orwell's "1984". We also see it in countries with a long history of repressive authoritarian governments (it's also common behavior in abusive relationships).

There's something we need to consider as will. Under our present "winner-take-all" system, those whose candidate or party lost, will spend the next two, four, or six years without being represented. That means having no say on issues and taxes. Those who claim that if elected they'll represent everyone in their district are either lying or de facto betraying their party, their principals, and their supporters.

Many of the Founding Fathers opposed political parties, in part because they thought they'd become special interest cliques which would eventually strip citizens of their political power and individual sovereignty. Today, the two political parties are literally owned by corporate interests. We exist as a "Republic" in name only, much as did Rome after the rise of the Caesars.

We've replaced the royal decrees our Founding Fathers opposed with corporate driven legislation, written by lobbyists in the pay of corporations. Taxes, rate and fee increases are imposed on us without our consent no matter who we voted for. "Taxation without representation" is the defacto rule. Not the exception. Instead of lucrative careers in the service of a king, they earn far greater wealth in the service of Wall Street.

There are things we can do. First, we need to stop voting for the status quo. There are usually more than just two choices, and those with a "D" or "R" behind their name aren't necessarily the best choices. Not the Independent or third party candidates.  We need to demand changes in legislation such as term limits, ending partisan gerrymandering, overturning Citizens United which allows near unlimited donations to politicians and political parties by corporations.

Citizens United erroneously equates "free speech" with money except we're capped in what we can give while corporations aren't. It also declares personhood on corporations, which are in fact fictious legal entities. Citizens United has all but eliminated ordinary citizens from the political process by making it too expensive to run for office.

We need to create a level political playing field that requires all political parties and Independents follow the same rules. This includes requiring the same number of signatures to get on the ballot (typically third parties and Independents need 3 or 4 times the number of signatures to get on the ballot than what the two corporate parties need), the right to serve as election officers (third parties and Independents can't serve as election officers), representation on the Board of Elections, and equal participation in all debates, and the ability to serve equally on boards and commissions.  

Every state should permit citizen initiatives or voter referendums. Right now, about half of all states "allow" its citizens to place an issue on the ballot. Other states require a petition be submitted to the legislature for consideration.  Aren't we as citizens suppose to be the boss? So, since when do "employees", elected or otherwise, dictate the rules?

Political offices shouldn't be partisan. Being partisan means being politically biased. Individuals are elected to represent everyone, not just one segment of their district. Anyone elected to office as a partisan should be required to resign from their party and, as part of their oath of office, swear to represent everyone in their district.

Along the same line, certain non-legislative offices shouldn't be partisan to begin with. For instance, why should the County Clerk's office be partisan? They just follow and enforce existing laws pertaining to vehicle or boat registration, drivers licenses, voter registration, and so forth. Same goes with a county sheriff or constable, a property tax administrator, County Attorney, or the Circuit Court Clerk's office.

Why should a Secretary of State's office be partisan?  Same goes for State Treasurer, Comptroller, State Auditor, State Attorney General, and the rest of a state's Constitutional offices.  They make no laws, They establish no policy. They simply enforce what the legislature has passed and the Governor has signed into law.  These are all offices which should be politically unbiased anyway.

Another great option is Rank Choice Voting (RCV). It puts all the candidates on ballot without any partisan indicators (via a random draw of names). You, the voter, rank them (one, two, three, etc) according to your preference. The top ranked candidate wins. No need for primaries.

Another way is to use RCV to create a run off of the top three candidates. A second election is held and the top ranked candidate wins! Rank Choice Voting is now used by over 11 million voters in over 50 cities, one county, and two states. It works and it's fair.

Speaking of primaries, taxpayers need to stop picking up the tab of partisan primaries. Oh, you didn't know? Yelp, your hard earned tax dollars pay the cost of the primaries for the two rich corporate owned political parties. It's their primary, so they should pay for it. Otherwise, third party members and Independents should be allowed to vote in the primary of their choice. After all, it's their tax dollars too!

If we're to restore our Republic, we're going to have to take action together. The above is just a few things we can do together. The nation's ruling oligarchy which has replaced our Republic with neo-fascist Corporatocracy. They need us divided, frustrated, and confused. It's the only way we can be controlled and manipulated. Together, we can bring back our democracy instead of giving lip service to it. Divided, we continue down the slippery slope into the abyss of a totalitarianism of which there is no return.  

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read AnotherOpinion.com. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you! 

 

Google: 2022 US elections

 

2022 Midterm Election Results

Takeaways from 2022 midterm elections

Why Are Sitting Members of Congress Almost Always Reelected?

 

 

Predicting the 2022 Election Results: Beating the Oddsmakers and Political Trends

The U.S. House of Representatives (more commonly referred to as "Congress", although that term actually relates to both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate) is comprised of 435 seats. This year's election is one of those rare ones where all 435 seats in the House are up for election. 

The Biden Administration is, naturally, boasting that House Democrat candidates are going to sweep the ballots across America on November 8th.  Of course, that's hogwash despite President Biden's unrealistic assessment of his popularity or that of his policies. Few political pundits agree with the president or those among the Left leaning media.

 In fact, Biden's disapproval rating is currently 55%, which is amusingly being heralded as a positive by Left leaning pundits! Democratic candidates are looking for presidential coattails, they might want to look elsewhere. With half of his term nearing completion, Biden has yet to sustain a majority approval rating.

As an aside, the Democratic controlled House has an approval rating of just 23% (it reached a high of 36% in March 2021). Broken down by party, the approval rating of House Democrats is roughly 39% while House Republicans only have a 6% approval rating.

However, there's a certain irony in these numbers. While the vast number of voters disapprove of Congress, Biden, the judicial system, and the overwhelming majority of U.S. institutions (the most notable exception being the armed forces), when asked if their representatives in Congress deserve to be reelected in November, 53% of those polled in June said yes!

So, I guess that means that while the majority of Americans disapprove of Congress's performance, they believe the problem is not their representatives but someone else's. A classic example of finger pointing and buck passing. I suppose this type of confusion goes to show that the mainstream media's propaganda apparatus is working as intended.

Until Americans realize that the corruption is systemic across the board, we will continue to see disapproval ratings in the mid 70% range (or higher) and incumbent reelection rates of 98%.  Of course, the mistake of Citizens United, partisan gerrymandering, and the absence of term limits has all but ensured that voters and potential challengers will have little say in either election outcomes or policy decisions.

 In fact, there's an actual term for it. It's called the "incumbent advantage" thanks to corporate financial backing, restricted debates, and media propaganda, not to mention use of taxpayer money to do defacto campaigning through manufactured public media events, mailers, "surveys", and self-promoting newsletters. The result being a near total stagnation of Congress. By the way, here's something to ponder as you go to the polls on Tuesday November 8th.

With all the historic demonization of the old Soviet Russian political system, did you know they had a higher rate of turnover in their Politburo (their "Congress") than we do? A 65% turnover rate wasn't uncommon. Even under Gorbachev, whose reforms essentially ended Communism in Russia, the turnover rate was still 31%. China's current rate of turnover in its Politburo is 54%! Within its controlling Central Committee, its turnover rate is 57%. Our average Congressional turnover rate is less than 2%. Makes you wonder who best represents its citizens doesn't it?

The election on November 8th marks one of the most important elections since Donald Trump's defeat in 2020. Both sides are vying for control of the House and Senate, not to mention that the outcome will set the stage for the 2024 Presidential race (which increasingly appears to be "Trump-less" thanks to bipartisan and media character assassination by innuendo). So, what's the most likely outcome?

Given that Wall Street is heavily invested in the control and outcome of elections (especially federal), what better place to look at the odds than Las Vegas?  According to "Sin City" oddsmakers, the Republicans will likely not just hold onto their seats, but will also pick up a few Democrat held seats.

In fact, the current betting odds appear to strongly favor Republicans. The site "FiveThirtyEight" is holding that 195 Republican seats are safe compared to 163 Democratic seats. The Republicans need 218 seats to have a majority, leaving 75 seats in contention.

According to "Gambling.com", the Democrats aren't fronting candidates in 23 districts, while the Republicans are giving up 14 seats. In looking at various gambling sites, "Gambling.com" states that Republican odds have gone from 2 to 5 to 2 to 7, and now have 1 to 8 chance of taking the House, which translates to a 89% likelihood. So, Republican control of the House isn't a sure thing, but it's damn close.

In the Senate, the Republican Party has a 60% chance of becoming the majority while the chances of the Democrats taking control of the Senate is just 47.6% according to bookmakers (the Senate is currently 50/50, with Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris being the deciding vote). The odds also favor the GOP taking the Senate seats in Ohio, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Democrats are favored with taking Senate seats in New Hampshire and Arizona.

The non-bookmaking site Politico, in conjunction with Steve Shepard who does predict elections, is giving a strong nod to Republican House candidates and even money on the Senate races. As for gubernatorial races, Shepard thinks that Democrats will likely hold the majority of governorships.

While the number of safe seats and competitive races differ slightly from site to site, they mostly show a strong Republican outcome with the GOP likely taking control of the Senate. House seats will be a bit more competitive with Republicans gaining a slight margin. Democrats will have the majority of gubernatorial seats  Relatively few incumbents will have much to worry about and will likely retain their seats as typical.

This then will set the stage for the 2024 Presidential race. At this point it's assumed that Biden will run for reelection with Kamala Harris as his running mate again despite polling some of the lowest approval ratings for a VP ever (other possible contenders absent Biden include his Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Governor Gavin Newsom (CA), and Senators Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Bernie Sanders (NY)). 

At this juncture, it's unlikely "The Donald" will run again despite saber rattling to that effect. Instead, look for Florida's Ron DeSantis as the most likely future GOP nominee, but don't discount Tom Cotton (R- Ark) or former Secretary of State and CIA director Mike Pompeo.  Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is a possibility too.

 Former Trump VP Mike Pence (R-IN) has made some noise, as has Ted Cruz (R-GA), but both are seen as retreads. Nikki Haley, former Governor of North Carolina and UN ambassador doesn't seem to have the necessary savvy to be president, though she'd be good prospective running mate as VP.

Personally, my pick for a Vice President running mate would be Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. The former Democrat is now a member of the nation's largest political bloc---the Independents. In addition she is conservative on the issues that count without being fanatical. She is the former Representative for Hawaii's 2nd District, retired military, well spoken, intelligent, and comes across well on television. She's also a pretty good debater.

In addition, she is a Pacific Islander. If she can remain an Independent, she'd be a boon on a Republican Presidential ticket by being a rallying point for the majority Independents and conservatives as well as conservative leaning moderates on both sides of the aisle.

So, there you have it. A little political history and a glimpse at the future, both near term and in two years (which in politics can be an eternity) based on current trends and polling results. Nevertheless, what ultimately matters is how you respond.

It's up to you---the voter---to direct the national discourse and determine the future of our country, not the professional political class, corporate money and power brokers which comprises the ruling Oligarchy.  Finally, please be sure to vote on Tuesday November 8th. We're depending on you.

 

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read AnotherOpinion.com. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you! 

 

Initiatives v. Oligarchy: Why Are Sitting Members ofCongress Almost Always Reelected?

 

Reuters: 55% of American disapprove of the president

 

Gallup: Recent Congressional Approval Trending Higher

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Turnover rate of the CCP Central Committee and Politburofrom 1973 to 2012

Midterm Betting Latest: Who Will Control the House andSenate in 2022

PoliticoForecast2022

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A Time for a (Voting) Change: Republicans, Latinos and Other Minorities

According a recent Marist poll, as posted on Yahoo! News, more Latinos are registering Republican than Democrat. The survey shows that Democrats have only a 39% support among Hispanics compared to Republican support is 52%.

The poll also indicates that few Hispanics support Joe Biden in 2020 than they did Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 8 percentage points (63% from 71%). Of course, Biden has done little to merit the support of Hispanics or anyone else for that matter. Biden's approval numbers has been among the worse of any U.S. President at this point in their presidency, and his Vice president, Kamala Harris, has polled the lowest of any VP.

So, what's going on? Why are Hispanics turning away from Democrats? Historically, Cubans have been predominately Republican (or more accurately, conservatives) in part, thanks to Republican support of Cuban immigrants fleeing Castro's Cuba. However, Hispanics from Latin America, have tended to lean Democrat because of their more lenient policy toward open borders and amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Polling responses seem to indicate that the Democrat Party's continuing shift further and further to the Left is the primary cause. Overall, Hispanics tend to be fairly conservative, or to rephrase it, more traditional. They tend to be very family centered and religiously oriented with the majority being Catholic. Hispanics also tend to hold traditional values when it comes to work and home life.

These tend to be conservative values as well. With the Democrat Party moving ever further to the political left, they are isolating Hispanics. Ironically, even the Left's use of the term "Latinx" which is aimed at being less sexist then "Latino" which generally refers to males, is largely rejected by the Hispanic community. 32% if registered Hispanic voters identify as Independent.

As an aside, the Hispanic community in general is seen as being male oriented ("macho") and in its extreme, very sexist in its portrayal of women. Homosexuals and "metro-males"  are also frowned upon and often ridiculed or used as a comedic prop in Hispanic television and cinema.

When we look at overall turnout, Hispanic voters, which make up roughly 11% of voters, have increasingly turned out since 2014 when only 20% voted to 2020 when just over 50% showed up at the polls.  This matches black voters who are turning out at about 65% and white voters, who make up a increasingly diminishing majority with about 67% of all voter, had a high in 2020 of 72%.

It's worth noting that whites represented 85% of voters in 1986 now represent roughly 67% in2020. Hispanics in general comprise about 23% of the overall population, reaching just over 60 million in number.

When we look at voter turnout by age as of 2020, seniors (60+) still represent the largest voting bloc with nearly 80% showing up to vote. Late middle age voters (45 -59) ranked second with just over 70% turnout. Both of these groups include both cohorts of Boomers with the later age bracket including the leading portion of Gen Xers.

Middle age voters (30 - 44), had a turnout about 65%. This group includes the bulk of Millennials and trailing Gen Xers. The lowest numbers belonged to the 18 - 29 age group (historically trailing edge Millennials with the bulk comprising mainly Gen Z). Their turnout in 2020 was barely over 50%. 

It should be noted that Millennials tend to be divided ideologically between socialist democrats and libertarians while Gen Z tends to favor socialist democracy. The later is also the most diverse demographic in U.S. history.

When we look at voter registration in general, we find that currently 40% of all voters are Independent. 30% are Democrat and 28% are Republican (Independents were as highly as 46% in January 2022. I January 2021 it was 50%). In fact, Independents have held a consistent majority of all voters since about 2008, and yet it's a little amusing and at the same time frustrating to see pollsters attempt to link Independents to either of the two corporate parties.

11 states now have Independent majorities, including most of the Northeast, Oregon, Arizona, Iowa, Alaska, Colorado, and Arkansas, while in several others they're the second largest voting bloc and growing. In the next ten years, an estimated half of all states will have an Independent majority.

They like to use leading questions like "do you lean Democrat or lean Republican" as if Independents are secret or closet partisan voters (I usually respond, "so you mean which of your two parties actually leans closer to the majority of Americans?"). Independents are just that...independent.

Most are ideological exiles (some willingly and some unwillingly) from both corporate parties. They hate dogma. I suspect most were the ones who, in school or church, would always raise their hand with a question to the consternation of their teacher or pastor!

Independents are natural moderates or centrists. They are conservative on some issues and more progressive or liberal on others. The one thing they aren't is predictable, which is what frustrates pollsters who like to put everyone in a box (hence the "lean towards" questions).

The only reason that even more voters aren't Independent is thanks to the partisan primary. Most elections are decided in the primary. That's where the party eliminates everyone but the one they want to represent them. Most primaries are financed by you---the taxpayer---where you either know it or not or want it or not.

However, Independents and third party members are prohibited from voting in most partisan primaries (what's known as "closed primaries").  That means they are forced to pay for a primary they aren't allowed to vote in. Talk about taxation without representation! That's why many Independents and third party members will temporarily switch to one of the corporate parties and then switch back; they want a say in the choice of candidates. 

Pollsters try to make a big deal of this (and often use the "lean toward" lie). One of the great frustrations (and fallacies) of our "winner-take-all" system is that it excludes everyone but the winner. If your choice loses, you're not going to be represented  for the next two, four, or six years. Consider that for a moment.

As an aside, when I say "you" here, I don't actually mean "you" the voter personally. The parties represent corporate cliques. They serve specific special interests groups which literally write the legislation which they then help turn into laws. You merely get to decide which of the two your interests most closely aligns. It's not like they care what you want or think. Wolves don't care about the opinions of sheep. 

The reason I mention this is that interestingly, Hispanics are increasingly showing up as Independents. Perhaps this just follows the trend of voters in general who are abandoning the inept and corrupt duopoly.  Independent and third party voters understand the political system is broken beyond repair and simply aren't willing to play along with the charade any longer.

Many of the recent immigrants coming to America are leaving behind broken political systems as well. They've not just "played the game", they've lived the game. 1/3 were born outside the U.S.. They know how rigged it can be. That's why they left in the first place! 

You can imagine their disappointment when arriving in America to find that they traded one corrupt system for another, except this one only gives you two choices. Maybe that's the reason growing numbers have opted to register Independent wherever its allowed.

When it comes to black voters, the nation's second largest racial voting bloc (Hispanics are the largest non-white voting bloc), they have a strong preference for the Democrats (when it comes to partisan registration, Democrats still hold a slight edge of the two corporate parties).

83% of black voters are registered as Democrats compared to 10% Republican, but again, the continual shift further Left, like with Hispanics, is starting to affect attitudes among black voters. As a population, many older black families tend to be socially conservative; holding similar "traditional family values" as Hispanics, Asians, and whites.

Two key issues affecting black voters are jobs and healthcare. Income levels had historically been much lower than whites, and more recently, even compared to Hispanics and Asians. This is often blamed on the high number of single adult households (mainly absentee fathers), tendency to live in high crime areas, have stable housing, and lower academic performance, especially in junior and senior high school (gangs, drug and alcohol abuse are also cited as key underlining factor).  

Blacks have long lead the list of having the highest numbers living in poverty.  In 2020 is was 19.5% for blacks.  For Hispanics, it was 17%, while for Asians it was 8.1% and 8.2% for whites. The overall poverty rate was 11%.

This makes black families particularly vulnerable to social program funding cuts. Republican policy has typically focused on reducing or even eliminating many social programs such as Head Start and after school activities, as well as job training programs or low interest home and business loans, whereas Democrats have generally tried to maintain, if not increase funding in the past (although in recent years that hasn't always been the case). 

Prior to Covid's appearance in 2019, one Pew survey found that 43% of black families claimed to have trouble paying their bills either on time or being able to make minimum payments on a regular basis. The same survey indicated that 33% depended on a food bank in order to regularly put food on the table. This percentage was higher than any other racial group.

Despite the trend of the Democrat Party toward the extreme Left, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, remain generally loyal, despite growing numbers of Hispanics abandoning the Democrats for the GOP and Independents. But that isn't to say the Republicans aren't moving just as fast to the extreme Right. The result is a further widening of the gulf between Americans.

Meanwhile, the growing public anger toward the overtly corrupt corporate duopoly and a political system which has long ceased to represent the people will continue to grow until it reaches a boiling point. If the protest of January 6th is anything, it's that the boiling point is a lot closer than some realize, especially within the Washington Beltway.  Both parties will continue to hemorrhage numbers while Independents, already a majority, will continue to grow along with third parties.

Both parties, in their desperation, will do whatever they must to maintain power. They already use tactics commonly found in third world petty dictatorships such as keeping out opposition through restriction of election laws, restricting free speech and assembly, increased surveillance, manipulation of the economy, voter suppression, and propaganda.

As already pointed out, they manipulate primaries. They also require an inordinate amount of signatures for Independents and third parties to get on the ballot while outright barring them from national debates. In some states, they prohibit referendums and ballot initiatives.

The corporate owned media treats third party and Independent candidates as circus sideshows if they're acknowledge at all. And, of course, both parties have deals with big money donors to keep any funding away, which all but assures them of being unable to get their message out. The end result is that voters get two pre-selected choices, which is to say, they get no choice at all.

They even denied Independents and third parties the opportunity to be appointed to boards and commissions, as well as even having separate election officers (currently they lumped into the smaller of the two parties and totally ignored afterwards). 

Nevertheless, the prospects for both parties are pretty dim, especially as America becomes more diverse. They can't realistically be everything to everybody and still serve their corporate paymasters. If we follow our current course, America will become a cold and grim neo-fascist corporate state like something out of some dystopian Sci-fi movie like Blade Runner, 1984, or The Running Man.  Americans, whether generational or recent, are independent oriented, innovative, and entrepreneurial. All they ask for is a fair shake; a equal opportunity. 

Power is never surrendered willingly. It will be up to the American People to take back their government and their country. It won't be through the system. It's hopelessly and intentionally broken. It won't come celebrity billionaires and global corporations. They are the holders of power. It won't come from so-called "political leaders". They serve and benefit from the broken system. The same goes for their political parties.  If it comes at all, it will be from those independent thinkers and doers.   

 If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read A/O. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you!  

 

Yahoo! News: Why the Latino vote is a growing problem forDemocrats

As Democrats go hard Left, Hispanics Head to the Center

United States Elections Project: Voter Turnout Demographics

 

Gallup: Party Affiliation

Gallup: U.S. Political Party Preferences Shifted Greatly During 2021 

 

Ballotpedia: Partisan Affiliations of Registered Voters

Pew: Key Factors About Black Eligible Voters in 2020Battleground States

Income and Poverty in the United States 2020

 

Election Special: The Consequences of Our Vote

As most people know I enjoy statistics and trends. There's something about using data to predict possible futures. Anyone who studies trends and statistics understands that nothing is an absolute. There are few guarantees in this life. Perhaps that's why I decided to major in economics when I was working on my undergraduate degree. 

Following politics as I do is an excellent way to put my interest in trends, surveys, and opinion polls together into something approaching an informed and hopefully subjective expectation of a likely outcome.  In other words, improving the odds that my guess will probably be right. 

I've looked at just over a dozen polls (some well known and others not so much so). Out of all of them, Joe Biden winning both the popular vote and the Electoral College. Not by a huge margin, but one that's just enough to avoid any doubt. 

According to the polls, Trump last held a one percent lead over Biden back during the week of September 16th, at least according to the Rasmussen while all the other polls shown a comfortable lead of around 5% for Biden.  But just how accurate are the numbers?

In the 2016 Presidential Race between Hillary Clinton and "The Donald", all the polls showed Clinton with a 10% lead (Biden has a 11% according to some polls). In fact, throughout the campaign, practically everyone from pollsters to the media's talking heads had Hillary Clinton winning easily.

Of course, we all know what happened on election night. The corporate media and all the political hacks were stunned into absolute silence (and it was a beautiful thing for that fact alone). Ever since, the media has been hell bent on impeding, discrediting, distorting, and manipulating everything President Trump did or said.

The Democratic Party, along with support from the media, has done their utmost to destroy Trump's character. They've tried to link him to the Russians (turned out that was a Hillary sham). They tried to impeach him (notice how that's not being talked about). They tried to link him to the Ukraine scandal (that turned out to be Biden's son, Hunter).

They tried to link the COVID-19 virus to him (that goes back to Obama exporting the research to China). They tried to claim that minorities have suffered in Trump. Turns out that unemployment numbers are at their lowest in years. So, pretty much everything they've tried to stick on Trump has failed. But, as I've written for years, the Oligarchy will not allow Trump to remain. The Status Quo will continue unimpeded. 

Meanwhile, we've seen the evolution of Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and other front groups dedicated to violence and blaming capitalism for all their ills. While many will blame the rioting, looting, and arson on the recent deaths of black individuals killed by the police, don't forget that it actually started the day Trump was sworn in as President. There were hundreds of individuals, upset that their candidate loss, throwing a giant temper tantrum by destroying property, committing vandalism, looting, and arson.

Now, we're being warned that if Biden doesn't win, they will do it again, but on a much larger scale, and with the possibility that people will be attacked, or worse. The police are already worn out by a summer of riots, protests, assaults, not to mentioned personal harassment including being spit on, having rocks, bottles, urine and feces being thrown at them. They are tired. They are frustrated. Many are quitting or going elsewhere.

In places like Louisville Kentucky, they've had to deal with inept leadership in-house and a absolutely useless mayor. Worse still is the internal "power politics" being played out behind the scenes involving the town's wealthy power brokers; all of which has left not just the police out to dry, but the residents and specifically black community as well.

In fact, if you look at all the cities and towns who've endured the worse civil strife this year, nearly   everyone of them has a Democrat majority government. It's not that the Republicans are any better at governing. It's that they seem to be less willing to see their community destroyed. They are less tolerant of allowing random violence, looting, vandalism, and arson.   

When those on the Right, be they Republicans or just conservatives, have shown up in support of the police or protect their property, the media typically refers to them "fascists", "neo-Nazis", "Alt-Right", or "white supremacists"  while at the same time labeling the rioters and looters as "peaceful protestors"; some have even tried to justify the looting as "reparations".

Ironic that many of those doing the arson, vandalism, and so forth aren't protesting for social justice, but are paid agitators; individuals hired to create chaos and anarchy. Why isn't that being widely reported?

When the leaders of BLM openly admit to being Marxists intent on overthrowing the government, the media gives us crickets, and yet they immediately label conservative groups like the "Proud Boys" as white supremacists despite being lead by a black man. What gives America?

The media seems to be quite smug that their four years of attacking Trump and his Administration has done the job while suppressing or downplaying the corruption and incompetence of the Left and its leadership. Again, what gives? Where is their impartiality?

The biggest differences in this election are that this time we have a virus which has surely keep many from voting, especially seniors who are more apt to for Trump;  a reliance on mail in ballots, boxes of which having been found in dumpsters and a postal union which has already endorsed Biden, not ot mentions ballots mysteriously appearing in close elections, all for Biden.

Lastly, there is the well funded and organized attack dogs, the likes of which we haven't seen since Hitler's Brownshirts, Mussolini's Blackshirts of the 1930's, or Mao's youth filled "Red Guard" in the late 1960's and early 1970's.  Even the AFL-CIO has threatened to go strike if Trump wins.

That leaves America---you and me---sitting under a sword of Damocles of sorts. If Trump wins, we can expect the Democrats to reject the results regardless of the margin, throwing the nation into a Constitutional crisis coupled with widespread social upheaval.

 If Biden wins, it's likely the Republicans will claim fraud and again throwing our nation into a Constitutional crisis. BLM, Antifa, and related groups will take to the streets demanding the GOP capitulate, destroying everything in their path.

Those on the Right, having exhausted their patience, will step forward to defend not just their family and property, but their communities. Either scenario could likely trigger martial law and the National Guard being called out to restore order. It won't be pretty.  The only winner will be the ruling Oligarchy, who get to implement the kind of control they've been itching to do for years.

Historically, what has set America apart from most countries is the peaceful transition of power from one party to the other.  The election in 2016 marked the end of that. While the Obama Administration was cordial (albeit stunned and barely holding back its contempt for the incoming administration), the protestors and rioters were unlike anything we've seen since 1860 and Lincoln's election.

This election portends to be much worse. Perhaps it's merely the implied threat of violence. I don't think so. I think the violence will occur either way the election goes, be it vengeance in case of a loss or revenge in case of a victory.  The people will demand law and order, and the ruling Oligarchs will be more than happy to comply, just as they were in Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia, China, Argentina, and everywhere else authoritarianism, be it Fascist or Communist, has been applied.

Sadly, this is what partisan politics has brought us to, especially when that partisanship has spread to the media which was supposed to be the arbiter of fair, honest, and unbiased reporting. This is what happens when we allow ourselves to be divided by the ruling elite.

They couldn't care less about racial or income equality any more than they care which of the two parties win since they literally own the White House, Congress, and judgeships. What they care about is a compliant population of worker bees. Individuals just smart enough to their jobs and passive enough not to ask to many questions.

As long as we are divided by the manufactured barriers they've created, we are powerless to do anything to stop them. Until we come realize this, we will continue to lose our freedoms bit by bit. We will continue to feel insecure. We will continue to live in fear. One thing is for sure. Regardless of who will occupy the Oval Office for the next four years, the only winners will the ruling Oligarchs and their Corporatocracy.

 

Real Clear Politics: Trump vs. Biden

2020 election polls--Live: Biden up in Iowa as pollsters says 'hidden' vote will deliver Trump second term

Why Biden's poll lead is different from Hillary Clinton's

The "Pile On" Circus Is Coming to Town/ The Trump Trip: A Documentary

I just saw a poll online which claimed that just over half of all Americans---52%--- would prefer to see Barack Obama back in office as President. The poll further claimed that, of their 725 participants, only 43% were glad to see Donald Trump occupying the Oval Office, while 5% "weren't sure". The poll, which showed up on AOL, was conducted by the Public Policy Polling ("PPP") in January of this year, so basically it allegedly reflected the opinion of a small number of registered voters , with Trump having served only a couple of weeks. The president of PPP, Dean Debnam, stated that despite Trump's rather brief time in office, that the President should be at "peak" popularity at this point in their term.

AOL ran the article as if this was some sort of major poll, when in fact, it was a rather small sample of voters. There was no mention as to the makeup of the chosen few, such as their party registration, frequency of voting, racial, gender or ethnic identifiers. So, as far we know, based on the article, all or most of the 725 individuals could have been registered Democrats, Hispanics, and/or women; all of whom were historically part of Obama's voter base. Of course, we can't and shouldn't forget that the corporate media has been on an all out campaign to discredit and besmirch Trump at every turn since this election began, and they've doubled down since Trump's inauguration. It's a 27/7 media "pile on" circus. Rumors are presumed to be true until repeatedly proven otherwise.

Naturally, a newly elected Obama never had to experience anything quite like this. The corporate media did nothing but try and sell the made up credentials of this man to the American People in spite of the fact that he, Obama, had no political experience, no business or foreign affairs expertise. His academic history was more than suspect; it barely existed. He wasn't even a "law professor" as claimed. He was an occasional part time lecturer on Constitutional Law. He was a community organizer for an organization which got in trouble with FBI and IRS for some---allegedly---shady dealings involving voter registration. The corporate media is trying to made a molehill into the proverbial mountain by claiming that Trump is maintaining a loose connection with his various business interests. I hate to break it to them, but there's nothing new or shocking about that. Every president has maintained some type of arms length involvement with their previous business interests, be it a law firm or a communications empire (like LBJ had), peanut farming (like Jimmy Carter's) or whatever.

Of late, we've had numerous (and well staged) protests, ranging from the somewhat vulgar "Women's March" with women protestors walking around topless or wearing vagina shaped hats and customs, to carrying signs with some rather sophomoric expressions on them. Then there's been all the protest which actually seem more like free-for-all riots than anything, complete with looting, destroying property, attacking people with bottles, rocks, fire bombs, and even physical assaults. All the while, they chant "tolerance", "freedom", "love Trumps hate", and "free speech". I guess they see themselves as worthy successors to my generation---the Babyboomers---but to us and the rest of the world, their deeds don't match their actions and they seem to be spoiled little brats who didn't get their way.

Well, sorry to violate your "safe place" but Bernie lost thanks to being screwed over by Hillary and the DNC in the Democratic Primary. Hillary lost because she was a lousy candidate and Americans didn't want a criminal in the Oval Office. The Establishment Republicans lost because we were tired of empty suits. Donald Trump won because he spoke to us as real people. Some of what he said we didn't agree with, or even necessarily like, but at least he didn't try to pander to us. So, put on your big boy underwear and your big girl panties (assuming you know the difference) and act like adults. Don't like Trump? Ok, great. Do something about it, and by that I mean don't act like a bunch of thugs and punks. I mean organize a new political party to challenge both of the corporate controlled parties; find a truly worthy candidate who isn't beholden to the corporate lobbyists and the Oligarchs who run this country. Do something constructive for a change. Work to change laws; get petitions signed have them introduce to the mayor or your State governor and legislator, or to your Congressman.

While I personally think Obama was all fluff, he was supposedly a successful community organizer, so if you really do idolized the ole sod that much, then follow in his footsteps and become a community organizer yourselves. Take control of your neighborhoods and learn to run them in such a way as to reduce localized crime and gang activity, or improve housing for the poor, helping the homeless, or by creating community vegetable gardens to keep feed the least among you. But I can assure you that protesting against someone who was invited to speak at a college campus, and then follow up it up by trashing local stores and assaulting people simply because you don't agree with them, is about as lame and excuse as it gets. The same goes for doing the same thing on order to try and prevent a comedian---a standup comic for crying out loud---from doing his routine because you're afraid of what he might say and you won't like it (or is it that you're afraid that you may like it?). One thing is for certain, if this keeps up, somebody somewhere is going to really mess up big time and you'll trigger the one thing you and everybody else doesn't want...martial law, be it local or national. The crackdown will be brutal, without mercy, and strictly enforced. All your temper tantrum behavior won't do a thing for you, and there aren't any "safe spaces" in jail.

So, why don't you all take a few moments to think about this? Don't you think there's a better way to get your point across than destroying the businesses of people who've done absolutely nothing to you or attacking people for speaking their mind...just like you're doing...just because you disagree with them? Granted, some of these protests are purely manufactured; bought and paid in order to create chaos and division. The only ones who benefit from this are the elites and they don't give a rat's patooy about people like you and me. They only want control because control means money and power, which they can get through martial law because they know martial law sometimes has a way of becoming permanent, especially when you already have a surveillance and police state in the making. Think about it people.

Poll: More than half of U.S. voters would rather have Obama as president



The Trump Trip: A Documentry
by The Sound Headquarters

As many of you know, I often do book reviews on behalf of several publishing companies and the occasional independent author. It's not often that I get to do a review of a documentary. About a week ago, I was contacted by Greg Raposa of The Sound Headquarters, who sent me a documentary, "The Trump Trip", to take a look it.

It's not very long, just over 37 minutes, which seems about right for program of this sort. The topic too caught my attention since it is a cross country search for individuals who for voted for Trump and why, especially among those who typically would not have supported someone like "The Donald" such as dyed-in-the-wool Democrats, Millennials, and Establishment Republicans. In addition, the team involved in this adventure are very liberal Democrat types, so they brought along their own preconceived ideas as well.

The results of their road trip are truly fascinating, especially to political types like me. But I think this documentary is also for anyone regardless of their political leanings who are interested in trying to come to terms with the results of our most divisive election since Lincoln vs. Douglas. Combine this was excellent production quality, and you've got something people should seriously take time to watch. So without further ado, here's the link to The Trump Trip. Let us know what you think.

The Illusion of Choice: Surveys and Polls

A few nights ago the AFL-CIO called me with one of those pre-recorded surveys designed to sound like a "real" person was on the other line. I'm fine with that. I actually don't mind answering their questions (at least some of them. They are certain questions that I

won't answer such as household income). Nevertheless, this survey centered on the upcoming Governor's race.

The survey started off by thanking me for my willingness to participate and added that I had been "chosen" because of my political participation in the past. While I didn't realize there were folks keeping track of my previous political involvement, I decided to play along. The first question asked me if I was aware that Republican Matt Bevin and Democrat Jack Conway were running for Governor of Kentucky. However, no mention was made of the Independent, Drew Curtis, which I found odd.

The next question asked me if I was Democrat or Republican or unsure. As everyone knows, I'm a Independent, so I guess that puts me in the "unsure" camp. Apparently whoever put the survey together doesn't consider Indies as a valid political philosophy or is aware that Independents are the largest voting bloc in America. The next question asked me if I leaned Republican or leaned Democrat. Well, like most Americans, I'm a Centrist. Is that Left leaning or Right leaning I wondered? Fortunately, there was a third choice----unsure, which was apparently inserted in case the respondent couldn't make up their mind whether they preferred to be accused of being a "Socialist" or a "Nazi". The reason I selected "unsure" is simply because I don't believe the political Left or the Right has got it right. Like most people, I support the Left on some issues, mostly social and the Right on other issues such as small government and tax overhaul.

I was then asked who I voted for in the last presidential election---Democrat Barack Obama or Republican Mitt Romney or the ubiquitous "some other candidate" as if there was really just two choices but if I had to be difficult, I could pick someone else. I really had a hard time trying to imagine who in their right mind would admit voting for Barack Obama these days but then again, who in their right mind would admit voting for Mitt Romney? It reminded me of being a kid and having to chose between chocolate or vanilla ice cream when all I really wanted was strawberry. So, I dutifully picked "some other candidate".

I guess they weren't satisfied with my answers, and so in another attempt to pin me down, I was asked who I voted for in the last race for governor---Democrat Steve Beshear or Republican David Williams, or (again) "some other candidate"? Well, once more, I opted for the latter just to maintain the consistency. After all, if I was going to buck the system, I wasn't going to be wishy washy about it. The survey closed with the usual questions "for statistical purposes" so they can attempt to identify their demographics (which is kind of interesting. If I was "selected" because of my past political activity as they said at the beginning of the survey, wouldn't they already know my demographic values?). I was asked to select an age range, which I did. The worse thing about that was that I was second from the last grouping ("65 or older"). That sure didn't help with my self-esteem. It made me feel as if I was slowing being ushered of the stage! Anyway, they asked my race (including "other" and "decline to say" which I thought was pretty cool). I was then asked to identify my gender. Apparently you still have to chose between male or female. (sorry Bruce...err...Caitlyn), and my zip code. I was a little surprised they didn't ask for my highest level of education completed, but maybe "skoolin" isn't considered an important value in determining potential voters for Governor.

This wasn't the only gubernatorial survey I've received recently. A few days before this survey, I received a "live" phone call from a somewhat husky sounding female who was calling on behalf of the UAW. I have to admit, this was a much more pleasant phone call. I guess that's because I was speaking with an honest to goodness human being, which made me like my opinion was a bit more important than the pre-recorded ones I get from an autodialer. I suppose that's also because I can ask questions back, which I consider important given my quizzical nature. The caller thanked me for taking the time to answer their questions, and volunteered that I was chosen because I was identified as "politically active", as well as "Democrat leaning" and a union official, which I found interesting on several levels.

I haven't been a registered Democrat since 2003 when I was forced to switch due to some unremitting harassment the local party refused to address for not actively supporting my 2001 Metro Council opponent (he had switched from Republican to Democrat at the behest of the State Democratic Party even though he had never been involved in politics or a consistent voter. In addition, I had been asked to run for Metro Council by the local Democratic Executive Committee and other local party leaders). I had been a long time mid level officer in the local Democratic Party organization and a prominent community activist, however, the state party leadership didn't think I could be controlled and wanted someone else. I had also been the state chairman of a national writers union for several years and served on the national steering committee as well as having served on the veterans and Victory Pac committees plus the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council (my wife is also a retired Teamster). After that, I was aggressively recruited to run as a Republican for State Representative in 2004 against a sentimentally popular but unproductive Democratic incumbent of some 30 years (though I lost the race, I came within 1500 votes of winning in a strongly conservative Democratic district, which resulted in him opting not to run again). However, I've been "clean and sober" from any political party since around 2008, though I've kept my contacts on both sides.

Nevertheless, the questions were much like the other survey I mentioned, however, I did get to ask a few questions of my own. Specifically, I asked what kind of responses they were getting. She said most people had indicated little interest in the race. Most were focusing on the presidential election, especially on Donald Trump. She added that "The Donald" seems to have tapped into an underlining current of distrust bordering on distain for the federal government and especially on Obama. She also mentioned that of those who were keeping up with the gubernatorial race, most of the respondents held negative opinions about both Jack Conway and Matt Bevin. I asked about their feedback regarding the Independent, Drew Curtis (I had noticed that no mention of the Independent was made in either survey). She said that a number of those familiar with the race mentioned that they supported or leaned toward the Curtis. A few who didn't recall Curtis' name also indicated they wanted to know more about the third candidate.

Obviously, there's a couple of factors going on here. First, neither Bevin or Conway are particularly strong candidates. Conway has run for just about everything but keeps losing. People just can't relate to him and Conway, no matter what office he's running for, comes across as a spoilt rich brat with a sense of entitlement. Matt Bevin seems to be popular with the Kentucky Tea Party set and the anti-Mitch McConnell and anti-GOP Establishment clique. However, Matt just seems to be unable to get his message out to a wider base, especially across party lines. Perhaps part of this is because people in general are sick and tired of "good ole party boys". They see both parties as inept, out of touch, corrupt, beholden to the corporate oligarchs and one percenters who are running America now. Of course, both parties continue to lose members while third parties and especially independents are growing. Indies are now the largest political segment of America, followed by Democrats and more distantly, Republicans. Within ten years, Indies are expected to outnumber Democrats and Republicans combined.

I guess the reason why neither survey (and I suspect this holds true for other surveys being conducted on the governor's race) mention the Independent's name or positions is because the race between Conway and Bevin is tight, and just perhaps, the sponsors of the surveys are trying to make voters think they only have two choices for governor. Perhaps too they are attempting to condition voters into choosing an "R" or a "D" as if that's all that matters when the reality is just the opposite. Even when it comes to debates, third party and independent candidates are rarely invited as if they candidacy is publicity stunt. Few people realize that the national Democratic and Republican parties have worked out a deal to keep everyone else out of the limelight and off the stage ever since they were grossly embarrassed by Ross Perot's performance. The corporate news media plays along and downplays, ignores, and makes fun of just about every third party or independent who comes along. It's like being onboard the Titanic and throwing ice cubes at the approaching iceberg! All the Indies and third parties are truly missing is charismatic candidates with a good campaign organization. Of course, they're going to need money, however, the corporate oligarchs who control the power in this country also control the money flow in politics (remember the Citizens United misruling by the not-so-Supreme Court?), but it can still be done.

I think it's time that the average voters takes third party and Independent candidates more seriously. Obviously, like most of us, they're are just as fed up, turned off, and discouraged by our broken political system as everyone else is, except they're willing to step forward to try and do something about the mess both parties and their benefactors have created. Most are closer to our ideals about common sense government than either party and let's face it, with more people leaving the other two parties and registering as Independent, the political tide is on their side. Besides, if the corporate news media and both political parties are so opposed to them, they almost have to be the better choice by definition! Finally, remember that the only endorsement which ultimately matters is your vote.


Drew Curtis for Governor
http://drewcurtis.nationbuilder.com/

Matt Bevin for Governor
http://www.mattbevin.com/

Conway Overly for Kentucky
https://conwayoverly.com/