With people around the country. All they need to do is enter their address/zip. It really helps with the down-ballot choices, like judges, school board members, and ballot measures.
Nov 7, 2022·edited Nov 8, 2022Liked by JoAnn Chateau
There was an article in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram about why people don't vote. The reporter interviewed some people to find out. Here were the most telling explanations.
Lisa Sandlin, 61 and a long-time voter, is sitting this one out. She did the same in 2020 when the choice was Biden or Trump. "I did not vote because I didn't have anybody to vote for. I felt like it was worse for me to vote for somebody that I had zero faith in. It's horrible, but I have to weigh out what I'm personally comfortable with."
Awful choices force us perennially to choose not someone who we really want, but the person who is the least worst. This is the consequence of the two-party duopoly and no ranked choice voting.
Denys Guerrero, nineteen, can't find enough information about the candidates to make an informed decision. "I don't even know who I'm voting for because I'm not really sure how to check that kind of stuff. I tried looking for the resources, but it's very complicated. I was expecting a website where they give you the name . . . and what they want." She didn't find that information readily available.
So true. This is another instance where the mainstream media have failed the American people. Informative voter guides, like this one, are a rarity. Most voter guides are next to worthless. They don't give you an analysis of what the candidates think about the major issues. They never mention military spending, war, the two-party duopoly, foreign interventions by the U.S., multi-winner districts, ranked choice voting, and rarely universal healthcare. Why? Because these topics are outside the spectrum of opinion acceptable to our oligarchy. The oligarchy doesn't want us to discuss them and therefore denies us public forums for doing so.
I know Ralph Nader supported "campaign finance reform." What that entailed, exactly, I'm not sure. But would guess he included publicly-funded elections in that! (I love Raph, and listen to his "Ralph Nader Radio Hour" every week."
Checking the "2022 Noncorporate National Candidates Nationwide Directory," there are 5 with "publicly funded elections" in their platform. 33 candidates support "campaign finance reform." For many, that means overturning Citizens United.
I notice you didn't cover TX-12. I presume you don't waste your time on hopelessly gerrymandered districts. We will never have real change if we don't have multi-winner districts, ranked choice voting, and the national popular vote interstate compact. No politician I know supports all these reforms. A few give lip service to RCV.
For "Big Stormy Blue Waves" I tried to list candidates who are either noncorporate or in a close race. I just queried Hunt again re his stance on accepting corp money. Maybe I can add him to the "Noncorporate Directory." But anyone intent on Voting Blue will vote for him in TX-12. He seems a decent candidate.
My prediction for the Dems? I suspect they have more strength than polling reveals. I'm hopeful we'll keep the House and bolster the Senate. What's your take?
Nov 4, 2022·edited Nov 4, 2022Liked by JoAnn Chateau
A few days have passed. Now I don't feel very good about the outcome for Dems. As usual, the Republicans are playing to people's fears, and I think it's working. Fear of crime is at the top of the list. Here in Texas the incumbent Republican for Lt. Governor has proposed a ten year mandatory minimum for anyone using a gun in the commission of a crime. A Dem could have done that or better. Why not 20 years? Instead, the Dems are running a candidate for governor who is proposing a limited form of gun confiscation. Gun confiscation won't fly here.
The Dems are pushing no cash bail laws in a lot of, maybe all, states. Already, Republicans are running commercials showing recent instances of people being robbed, murdered and raped by people out of jail because there was no bail requirement. No bail is fine for people arrested for victimless crimes like pot possession, but no one wants real criminals out on the street. No cash bail laws should be for victimless crimes only. Otherwise, it's a losing issue.
I don't know how it will turn out nationwide. The Republicans will win most Texas races because they are allowed to flagrantly lie in their political ads. For example, they all say the Dem candidates want open borders. No one wants open borders. Lying in political ads should be illegal, but it's part of our "great democracy."
Gerrymandering has doomed the state, particularly TX-12. Hunt doesn't stand a chance. The MIC owns Granger.
Too bad about Hunt. I see he is well-endorsed, including Beto. Based on that, and your heads-up, I added him to "Stormy Blue Wave." Hunt got back to me last night and said, "I fully reject their dirty money!" He's now in the "Noncorporate Directory," too.
The Republicans have worked diligently for decades to set everything up in their favor, from gerrymandering & voter suppression to stacking the court & far-right radio. The Democratic Party let them do it, without a fight.
The Dems should have fought gerrymandering decades ago. The sad truth is they liked to gerrymander in the states they controlled. Neither party is interested in having a government that represents the will of the people. They both work for the oligarchy.
CNN is reporting this morning that voter enthusiasm is way down from the last election, and it's mostly on the Democratic side. Why would that be? Could it be that the ordinary citizen who votes for the "party of the people" feels like he/she has no voice whatsoever in the policies of the party and no influence whatsoever over his/her representatives? The Republicans don't have these expectations because they don't believe in democracy. They believe in oligarchy and are up front about it.
There was an article in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram about why people don't vote. The reporter interviewed some people to find out. Here were the most telling explanations.
Lisa Sandlin, 61 and a long-time voter, is sitting this one out. She did the same in 2020 when the choice was Biden or Trump. "I did not vote because I didn't have anybody to vote for. I felt like it was worse for me to vote for somebody that I had zero faith in. It's horrible, but I have to weigh out what I'm personally comfortable with."
Awful choices force us perennially to choose not someone who we really want, but the person who is the least worst. This is the consequence of the two-party duopoly and no ranked choice voting.
Denys Guerrero, nineteen, can't find enough information about the candidates to make an informed decision. "I don't even know who I'm voting for because I'm not really sure how to check that kind of stuff. I tried looking for the resources, but it's very complicated. I was expecting a website where they give you the name . . . and what they want." She didn't find that information readily available.
So true. This is another instance where the mainstream media have failed the American people. Informative voter guides, like this one, are a rarity. Most voter guides are next to worthless. They don't give you an analysis of what the candidates think about the major issues. They never mention military spending, war, the two-party duopoly, foreign interventions by the U.S., multi-winner districts, ranked choice voting, and rarely universal healthcare. Why? Because these topics are outside the spectrum of opinion acceptable to our oligarchy. The oligarchy doesn't want us to discuss them and therefore denies us public forums for doing so.
Very interesting. It would be easy to address these issues. The Establishment does not want to. The oligarchs do not like democracy.
Public-funded elections and Ranked Choice Voting would devastate the duopoly.
Yes, public financing of elections is vital, the first on the list for destroying the oligarchy. Thanks for pointing that out.
Who is the last politician who campaigned for publicly funded elections? Ralph Nader in 2000?
I know Ralph Nader supported "campaign finance reform." What that entailed, exactly, I'm not sure. But would guess he included publicly-funded elections in that! (I love Raph, and listen to his "Ralph Nader Radio Hour" every week."
Checking the "2022 Noncorporate National Candidates Nationwide Directory," there are 5 with "publicly funded elections" in their platform. 33 candidates support "campaign finance reform." For many, that means overturning Citizens United.
Great work!
Thanks. Stay strong.
What's your prediction for the Dems?
I notice you didn't cover TX-12. I presume you don't waste your time on hopelessly gerrymandered districts. We will never have real change if we don't have multi-winner districts, ranked choice voting, and the national popular vote interstate compact. No politician I know supports all these reforms. A few give lip service to RCV.
For "Big Stormy Blue Waves" I tried to list candidates who are either noncorporate or in a close race. I just queried Hunt again re his stance on accepting corp money. Maybe I can add him to the "Noncorporate Directory." But anyone intent on Voting Blue will vote for him in TX-12. He seems a decent candidate.
My prediction for the Dems? I suspect they have more strength than polling reveals. I'm hopeful we'll keep the House and bolster the Senate. What's your take?
A few days have passed. Now I don't feel very good about the outcome for Dems. As usual, the Republicans are playing to people's fears, and I think it's working. Fear of crime is at the top of the list. Here in Texas the incumbent Republican for Lt. Governor has proposed a ten year mandatory minimum for anyone using a gun in the commission of a crime. A Dem could have done that or better. Why not 20 years? Instead, the Dems are running a candidate for governor who is proposing a limited form of gun confiscation. Gun confiscation won't fly here.
The Dems are pushing no cash bail laws in a lot of, maybe all, states. Already, Republicans are running commercials showing recent instances of people being robbed, murdered and raped by people out of jail because there was no bail requirement. No bail is fine for people arrested for victimless crimes like pot possession, but no one wants real criminals out on the street. No cash bail laws should be for victimless crimes only. Otherwise, it's a losing issue.
Yes, some independent voters are bound to be influenced by Republican propaganda. I'm on tender hooks until election results.
Stay strong in Texas!
I don't know how it will turn out nationwide. The Republicans will win most Texas races because they are allowed to flagrantly lie in their political ads. For example, they all say the Dem candidates want open borders. No one wants open borders. Lying in political ads should be illegal, but it's part of our "great democracy."
Gerrymandering has doomed the state, particularly TX-12. Hunt doesn't stand a chance. The MIC owns Granger.
Too bad about Hunt. I see he is well-endorsed, including Beto. Based on that, and your heads-up, I added him to "Stormy Blue Wave." Hunt got back to me last night and said, "I fully reject their dirty money!" He's now in the "Noncorporate Directory," too.
The Republicans have worked diligently for decades to set everything up in their favor, from gerrymandering & voter suppression to stacking the court & far-right radio. The Democratic Party let them do it, without a fight.
The Dems should have fought gerrymandering decades ago. The sad truth is they liked to gerrymander in the states they controlled. Neither party is interested in having a government that represents the will of the people. They both work for the oligarchy.
Gerrymandering is the primary tool for dismantling democracy. It's an art form for the Republicans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81oyGkIfAmM
CNN is reporting this morning that voter enthusiasm is way down from the last election, and it's mostly on the Democratic side. Why would that be? Could it be that the ordinary citizen who votes for the "party of the people" feels like he/she has no voice whatsoever in the policies of the party and no influence whatsoever over his/her representatives? The Republicans don't have these expectations because they don't believe in democracy. They believe in oligarchy and are up front about it.