posted
Well Mr. Helfner, in the spirit that "we're all Americans", I congratulate the candidate that both you and Mr. Harris apparently supported.
Should both Arizona and Nevada, which neither haven't been called at this writing, fall Mr. Trump's way, his victory can be considered a "landslide". Some media outlets, beyond Fox, Newsmax, and these various "new media" outlets of which I have no knowledge, are already calling it such. But let's leave the '20 Election behind, and hard as it may be for some of my friends who were anywhere from "let's not talk about it" to in tears, let's accept that Mr. Trump won anywhere between decisive and landslide.
The MMQB-ing and one more pollster blunder (makes one believe the George McGovern line "the only poll that counts is the one on November 7") will surely be under the microscope. Let us further be thankful that in virtual certainty, the transition will be orderly and peaceful.
addendum Nov 10: both Arizona and Nevada now called for Trump
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Well, for those who favor the popular vote (which would disenfranchise the majority of states if employed), Trump won that decisively.
I fully expect the left to regroup and continue their depredations on society out of spite. They will particularly renew their attacks on family and private property, per the Manifesto.
Posts: 869 | Registered: Mar 2002
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In all certainty, Mr. Helfner, Trump also won the popular vote. I must acknowledge his "fair and square" victory approaches a landslide.
For myself, I went "radio silent" at 6P CT Nov 5 with the phone set to Airplane mode with both the router and cable "box" unplugged. When I "went live" 7A CT Nov 6, and the first words I heard from the NBC "Today" anchor was "President-Elect Trump", I thought "how was this decided so quickly?" It was supposed to be "neck and neck".
Four days later, my Social Worker friends (gals; with their own families) in Indianapolis, still cannot bring themselves to talk about it without tears. As for myself, the popular vote is key. While it will never happen to have the Constitution amended to provide popular vote election of a President, that Trump plurality showed he was "the people's choice". I for one, accept that.
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Mr. Helfner, as of "Election Day + 10", there appears to be conjecture regarding the 20M votes from the '20 Election.
But what really counts is that this go-round, Trump won "fair and square" insofar as the Electoral Vote. If he wins the popular vote, and that presently remains undecided, all the greater confirmation that more voters wanted him rather than her.
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I think Joe is going to be in for "a big time dropping" considering how he mishandled the Election by not withdrawing early in '23, allowing a primary/caucus process to play out, which Kamala may or may not have won. I think the last time a candidate was chosen in "the smoke filled room" at a Convention was Ike over Taft during '52. This is essentially what happened with regards to Kamala.
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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I will probably have more to say later, but for now I will say this. I have been working the same poll for the last several years, and the turnout this time was surprisingly low, but also the time of the voters appearing was in a word, strange. In 2020 we had an 83% turnout of registered voters in my precinct. This time it was 66%. But the truly peculiar thing was when the voters arrived.
In 2020, it was nonstop throughout the day. When we opened at 7:00am there was about 200 people in line. By 7:00pm we had caught up with the line to the point that it was down to only 14 outside the door. (The law is that if you are in line at 7:00pm you get to vote, no matter how long thereafter it takes to get it done.)
This time, I counted at 6:45am and there were 198 people in line, realizing that number could be off around 3 to 5 but not much more. Between 7:00am and 12:00noon, we had 1020 votes dropped in the box. In the remaining 7 hours, there was only 763 more, and in the last hour only about 39 people. Why the difference, I am not certain, but have a suspicion. Given that this state was not considered to be in question, it could be that quite a few of the 2024 voters felt that there was no need to go vote particularly if they heard the horror stories of spending over an hour in line from those that went early. In addition, we had off and on light rain most of the day.
The proportions were about the same as in 2020, about 2/3 Trump to 1/3 Biden or Harris. In addition, there were 470 early votes in the precinct. These were counted in the 66%, but I have no idea how those went, as they were done at and held at the county courthouse. I can say the numbers for certain for the in-person voters because the ballots are machine readable and the drop box spits out a tape after the polls close that gives the totals for each candidate.
Posts: 2961 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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Interesting narrative, Mr. Harris; thanks for sharing.
Just speaking for myself, retired, and who votes on Election Day, because, to me, voting in the traditional manner of standing in line at the polling place is just part of "doing my duty as a citizen". I guess it is analogous to those who get up at 3A to be "Doorbusters" on Black Friday (something I'm not about to do).
I did vote early during '16 because I was out at the County Farm (the DuPage County government center that once was just that) on other business and there was this flashing sign saying "vote here". So I did, but something was missing from the experience.
'20, I voted by mail; one five letter term - COVID - should say it all.
But '24 and we are back to normal. At about 10A, I walked under "adequate" weather conditions the half mile to the polling place - Park District HQ - stood maybe five minutes in line chatting with neighbors, voted, picked up my I Voted badge, and walked home.
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Decided to wake this one up rather than start a new thread. I would suspect that most of the few of us that talk here have thought about how things are going so far. The DOGE I was totally not expecting, but it looks like it will be interesting to follow.
His use of a bunch of fairly young people I consider a good thing. They will truly be seeing things without preconceived notions. I recall my first foray into the Rapid Transit Engineering on Washington Metro. With a very few exceptions almost all of us were under 40 and many under 30. There were a few "old heads" scattered around that would sometimes deign to provide useful information, but did little real work. In my not quite five years with the General Engineering Consultant's Yards, Shops, and Track group, all except one of the two draftsmen, both female, by the way, had our 30th birthday during that time. Our section head was 33 when I started. Our main interface group, the traction power people were similar in age. In the pre-internet age, our go to for research was the Department of Transportation Library, which had the American Railway Engineering Association's annual publications back to about 1915, plus a lot of other useful documents. Here is where our group's "old head" proved his value. (He was probably in his 70's, which seemed truly ancient to us but doesn't seem so old to me now.) We would see things that sounded like good ideas and read about their performance over a few years, and then suddenly, thundering silence. Many times we could ask our old head and he would know how and why they failed, because that did not make it into the technical press. As has been said, "Success has a thousand fathers, but failure is an orphan."
Posts: 2961 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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It's difficult for me to see how Amtrak will escape DOGE. Let's consider these two beleaguered agencies' FY24 appropriations:
USAID $66B CFPB $800M
Now to compare
Amtrak $22B
If they are after an agency with an $800M appropriation, how can one with $22B escape?
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Both agencies you mentioned were effectively "black holes" where money disappeared for little to no benefit to anyone. At least Amtrak has a visible product. Yes, maybe they will go after some of the idiocy which may have some both positive and negative results. Two agencies that really need a good look: Social Security. I would love to know the difference between agency budget and actual payouts. In other words, what is their overhead? As to payments to the dead: I would like to find out how that is happening. When my wife passed away, the state sent a copy of her death certificate to Social Security, so I had to do nothing to notify them of her passing. Another where some large savings should be possible would be to go after DOD procurement. Their overpayment for materials is famous. Personal example: I was running around Vietnam in 1971 in a Jeep that had a plate on the dashboard giving the contract number and cost. The cost was $3,100 something. At that time I could walk into a Jeep dealer and get a better quality jeep for around $2,600. Why was the Army paying $500 more for a poorer product? And, that was over 50 years ago. I seriously doubt thing have improved since.
Posts: 2961 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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posted
Why "Trumusk" isn't after the Railroad Retirement Board escapes me. There are about 500K beneficiaries (one of which is me) who receive their benefits, annuity and Medicare, through this agency which reports directly to the President, as distinct from reporting, like Social Security with its 68M beneficiaries, to the Secretary of HHS.
It just is astounding this small agency continues to exist and that its activities (paying me) is not absorbed by the Social Security Administration.
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Perhaps RRB is not a bastion of waste? They certainly seem to have a better handle on how to handle waste; their fraud/waste hotline would be more manageable than an equivalent SS hotline.
Thus it is a good thing that no politician has thought to “absorb” RRB into SS.
Posts: 869 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: At least Amtrak has a visible product. Yes, maybe they will go after some of the idiocy which may have some both positive and negative results.
Quite true Mr. Harris; if you reside in the Northeast. Elsewhere, the various regional operations, even if operated by Amtrak, are identified with their regional sponsors - especially now that equipment is being liveried to the sponsor's specifications.
LD's? aren't they irrelevant enough to "everyman" as is?
Posts: 10841 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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A friend of mine at the IRS in Tampa (chases high rollers for fraud) thinks it might be time to ''get out of Do(d)ge''
Posts: 1580 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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WSJ is citing a CBS poll, FTR. Guess that ought to be expected from an outlet whose editorial board infamously called for open borders.
quote:Originally posted by Ocala Mike: Surprised we haven’t heard much about IRS from DOGE — gotta believe they’re next.
The media is currently talking about DOGE allegedly seeking people’s “personal data” at the IRS and how it must be protected from said new department. Always the red herrings.
Posts: 869 | Registered: Mar 2002
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