As in astrology, so in polls and politics. One would think that counting votes would be a simple matter. 1,000 votes for candidate A, 2,000 for candidate B, 3,000 for candidate C. But no, political pollsters and pundits then segregate voters and their mode of voting in various ways. Male/female, blue collar male/"educated" male (- cheek!! Why are blue collar people considered uneducated?) White males/black males. White "educated"/white blue collar. Black "educated"/ black blue collar. Same for Hispanic male/female, and for all females. Age groups: under 25, over 40, over 50, over 60, and on... along with any possible permutation of all of the above factors. Religion also has to be added to these exercises in the USA: Roman Catholic, Baptist, Evangelist, Black Churches, and other denominations. They don't bother categorising votes of atheists and agnostics.
Will there ever come a time, in the USA, when most of that categorising will no longer be useful, when the "melting pot" this nation was always trumpeted (small 't'!) to be will truly have completed the envisioned fusion?
From our neighbours to the north:
Vote Canada for President!
Hhmmmmm...Canada for president...hadn't considered that one! Excellent, funny video, but oh so very sad, too. American dysfunction has always had peaks and valleys, but those seem minuscule now, with only our American Civil War of greater size, but a repeat may be in our near future.
ReplyDeleteThe statistics of voters and polling has gone WAY beyond what you provide as examples. It is now finely honed to each of us, personally, using data collected on us from myriad sources. The mass collective is continually monitored and evaluated in real-time using digital media. Any entity collecting our personal data will typically sell or share this information. Most of the personal data is voluntarily submitted by us via voter records, county tax assessor records, utility records, door-to-door election solicitations, organizations we belong, credit bureaus, warranty applications, on-line internet tracking by Google, Facebook, et al, cell phone apps, etc.
It's a brave new world on this animal farm...LOL.
mike ~ Surely enough lessons were learned in your Civil War for it never to happen again? Continuing dysfunction and another financial collapse is likely though if cool heads and good sense don't prevail.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, yes, if they have a mind to it (they probably do)the could analyse us, our voting, our worth to any group, our likely attitudes to certain events....etc etc etc to the nth degree.
Am not impressed by many writers today falling back under the assumption that just because Hillary Clinton is going to win South Carolina, that's the end for Bernie. What rot! The sad thing is the more that kind of thing goes on, the more it depresses the vote, depresses his supporters. DANG! This is only the 4th contest, and he has done a great job in the first 3. These people simply don't want Bernie to do well, otherwise they would bot carry on "assuming", writing as though it's a done deal.
Even some of the best of 'em write such things as "I've voted for Bernie but don't expect him to be the nominee". That's good, BUT why add the "don't expect"? Covering their asses so they don't look stooopid if Bernie did pull off a stunning win or two later on, enough to hold Clinton to a tie, or better.
As someone commenting somewhere (a John H I think) wrote earlier:
"He's serious about the revolution; you don't stop a revolution because everything doesn't go your way immediately. Indeed, you expect a hard slog."
It doesn't bother me that someone voted for Bernie, but with a (dis)qualifier. At least they voted for Bernie. I can't imagine being limp-minded enough to be dissuaded by such a (dis)qualifier, but those voters do exist. There is apparently an entire battalion out there in every state that hasn't yet decided. I'll have to trust that for every voter that didn't vote for Bernie due to that type of (dis)qualifier, there is another that didn't vote for Hillary due to some (dis)qualifier.
ReplyDeleteU.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday will travel to Oklahoma.
ReplyDeleteThe Democratic Party presidential candidate will host a rally in Oklahoma City.
Sanders will discuss a wide range of issues, including getting big money out of politics, his plan to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, combating climate change and ensuring universal health care.
WHAT: A Future to Believe in Oklahoma City Rally
WHERE: Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 28. Doors open at 11 a.m.
My post on another site:
Even with my charts favoring Hillary I am going to vote for Bernie as I want to give him every chance to win and to help him have as strong a showing at the convention as possible if he does not get the nomination. But if Hillary is the nominee I will vote for her come election time and hope she will deliver the goods for the 99%.
And another of my posts.
ReplyDeleteThrough June 5th 44 states will have held their primaries or caucuses. The possible commited delegate count will be at 3909.
If Hillary wins about 60% of the states that would be around 28 for her, 16 for Bernie at that time.
If she has won 60% of the delegates she will have about 2345 to 1564 for Bernie. That would leave her short of the 2383 needed to gain the party nomination meaning the decision would not come until the June 7th contests.
Not likely, but possible, Bernie wins enough delegates to deny Hillary the nomination but even if he won all contests on June 7th he would not have enough delegates (if the above counts are close to being correct) to gain the nomination either.
I think Hillary will finally gain the nomination on June 7th but because Bernie’s delegate count will be so high he will have power to have a say in setting the party platform. I do not believe that will make Hillary happy.
From Politico:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/02/bernie-sanders-2016-delegates-nomination-convention-213622
“The stronger the Sanders minority, the more plausible it would be to force, and possibly win, floor votes on stricter Wall Street rules, rejecting corporate campaign cash and single-payer health care. Relitigating disagreements from the primary would complicate efforts to present a united front at the convention but would serve Sanders’ long-term goal of transforming the party, as Humphrey once did.”
Brave new world indeed Mike. Trying to pigeon hole the feminine mystique! Unlike males who con be counted on to have a firm grip on the remote control. ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/hs5n345
ReplyDeleteAnd to calm you down.
http://hotpenguin.net/29-surreal-places-america-need-visit/
mike ~ I'm reading too much online - gotta stop! :-/
ReplyDeleteBob ~ Yes, I received e-mail notification of the Sunday OKC rally. Thought about going - but decided against it (100 miles from here, difficult parking in OKC central, no guarantee we'd get in, and in any case I've heard his speech lots of times already on TV) Best to donate again - that'd be better use of the money. :-) He was in Tulsa last week too, giving it a good go in Oklahoma. Real Politics had him 2 points behind Clinton last time I looked.
ReplyDeleteI agree that, as long as Bernie does well and stays in the race up to the convention, the worst way would be that he'd be in a position to get some of his policies on the Dem platform. Maybe in a position to negotiate a good position in HC's cabinet, or VP ...or something. There's more to it that just winning - the political revolution has to continue, one way or another.
anyway, there's a long way to go yet, and a likely nasty few months for the winning Dem candidate facing Trump/Rubio/Cruz or A.N.Other to come later on; as well as a chance of something unexpected or calamitous happening in the meantime, which could change the scene completely.
Best that no chickens are counted, by any candidate, on either side.
THIS is encouraging:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UM8F4EuUbw
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/02/28/dnc-vice-chair-resigns-throws-support-behind-bernie-sanders
"DNC Vice-Chair Resigns, Throws Support Behind Bernie Sanders"
Wowzers!! That is quite an announcement and endorsement! Tulsi Gabbard must have the DNC and Hillary camps' underwear in a bunch today. This announcement seems to be under wraps...it wasn't a headline for any online news sources...I just checked The Guardian and NY Times, but not there. It's Sunday, so maybe a delay? Glad you caught it while at your command center and posted or I'd not have known.
ReplyDeletemike (again) ~ With her d.o.b. from Wiki I've looked at her natal chart (can't find the exact location in American Samoa but it'll be near enough) - she has 4 personal planets in Aries - 3 close together, Moon probably in Leo, Uranus 29 Scorpio, Saturn and Jupiter conjunct in Libra opposing Mercury in Aries. An energetic chart! she'll be good for Bernie. VP? Could do worse!
ReplyDeleteOkies feeling the Bern today in OKC
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reddirtreport.com/election-central/i-heart-bern-throngs-sanders-supporters-fill-convention-center-hear-progressive
I've just watched Bernie's rally in OKC streamed online - very good crowd there in a big arena. Good long speech, and two good introductory speeches by local Democratic pols. - both African American! :-)
ReplyDeleteTulsi's DNC defection and stand for Bernie has finally made the headlines. Good to see his enthusiastic reception in OKC.
ReplyDeleteWe are just entering the astrological Twilight Zone where anything can and probably will happen. Solar eclipse March 8th, Jupiter sq Saturn later in March, with Neptune within several degrees of T-sq. Lunar eclipse later in March. Another Jupiter sq Saturn, with Neptune very close in late May...then June brings Saturn sq Neptune, with Jupiter a few degrees from T-sq, plus transiting Sun & Venus forming grand-sq.
mike (again) ~ We shall see - it sounds like all that's exaggerated (everything in the media in the USA) being challenged by the real, feet on the ground stuff.
ReplyDelete