2008 was a big election, Obama vs McCain, and the voting turnout was the highest it had been in 40 years, why it was almost 60 percent. We know a healthy slice of that 60 percent is easily persuaded by the last thirty second smear commercial that they saw and only showed up because they were on their way to the Seven Eleven to pick up a pack of cigs and the polls were on the way, But what of that 40 percent that didn't even vote, what's up with them?
Elections are not decided by clear-eyed reasonable people such as ourselves, but by people who are barely motivated, and a small thing like the availability of straight voting can make a difference. I think Beagles is correct in surmising that the reasons the reps and dems muster to support or oppose this bill are specious, it's all about winning,
During this year's primary season I saw the CNN guys at some remote hilltop in rugged, crusty, New England, on a cold and blustery night, and there were headlights down the road for miles, folks in heavy winter clothes were packed into ramshackle shelters waiting their chance to file through a narrow little polling place that clearly had not expected this huge turnout, It was a Norman Rockwell scene and my heart beat proudly for the intrepid spirit of The American People, and then I realized that about half of them were there to vote for Trump.
A lot of these backward countries that are in some dispute, we recommend that they hold an election, and sometimes they do, but then it turns out that everybody votes for their tribe, and nothing is settled, and we sigh and say well, they are too primitive, they are just not ready for democracy, So here we are some two hundred years into democracy and are we ready?
Whenever either of the candidates is asked a question they twist it around, well Trump doesn't even bother to do the twist, to talk about their opponent. In last night's town hall, the moderator made a point of telling them not to talk about each other, which neither of them obeyed. The big girl did well enough for somebody who hasn't taken questions in months, she was stiff and stretched out her answers to eat up her time because the moderator, Matt Lauer was surprisingly tough. One criticism of her by the tweeters was that she did not smile. I thought that was an improvement, something about her smile, so phony. Nothing phony about the Soft Baked One, it was a virtual gobsmackorama, firing the generals, keeping the oil, his secret plan, they just kept coming out like a top 40 station rolling out the hits.
After the Vietnam war there was kind of a wait, what would be the definitive movie about that war? Some people thought it would be The Deer Hunter, but as I recall it was kind of goofy, especially with that Russian Roulette crapola. My vote would go for Apocalypse Now. Whenever I hear Susie Q I see those show girls in their cowgirl garb prancing on stage before the crazed soldiers before the helicopter pulls them away, and that leads me to the scene where they get to the base where everybody is shooting and the guy asks to be taken to their leader and one guy answers, I thought you were our leader, and then there is the scene with the tiger.
I think the rural black people are poorer than the rural white people. I don't know how many black people there are in West Virginia but I suspect they are poorer than the white people, The French are a peculiar people no? But I do love to hear their women talk. When Deborah Harry broke into French, she got my attention. By the way, internet research reveals that she doesn't actually speak French. I stand corrected on ellipsis. Something about the way an ellipse drifts from the center on the long part of its orbit reminds me of those trailing periods, or maybe I am just making that up to cover myself. Doonesbury had, and still has a Nguyen Phred.
Going to Missouri tomorrow morning. Won't be back till late Monday, so I won't be posting again until Tuesday at earliest. And the Friday night seminar is cancelled. Perhaps Old Dog can better impress the young grammarians without my presence.
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