34 days left until the election (#4260)

      No post debate analysis here from me because I know what trump is and would never watch him speak. But I did get some of the highlights of Biden's quips and for what it is worth I am glad he is running for president instead of me. Though Joe cut through to get a couple of one liners in I would have done something criminal instead. Nevertheless trump did himself no favors from what I gathered from American coverage and what I read from some European press. Whether there will be another form of a "debate" at this point is questionable so leaving that alone for now is wise. Instead I will talk this morning about policies.
     No doubt there was little talk of policy last night as trump had something different in mind like blowing up the format he had agreed upon. But health care and employment are too important to be relegated to below the fold so to speak while the trump tantrum is all the rage. We are 34 days out from the election and in that time another 10 to 30 thousand at least folks will die from Covid-19. With still no national plan to combat the virus and republican governors itching to reopen despite the infection rate being too high in their states. The deaths and long term illnesses from Covid will keep piling up. With great fear of returning to work with no other option given from the republicans in the senate for another Covid-19 stimulus, our working populace will increase in infections even where the level of infections are low.
     Our health care system is under assault as well from republicans and the majority conservative Supreme Court. So as we are being put under terrible choices to keep our families, homes, and vehicles, our own lives are at increasing risk. 34 days until the election and we know that Biden is on the way with help but it will be another 78 days left in trumps lame duck session for him to make matters worse for those of us who are the most vulnerable. Something has to break and all we have is the election as a salve. Hopefully the coward republicans up for election will lose and our nation, as it survives the last throes of trump and his accomplices, will find the inner fortitude to stay alive long enough to get better.

35 days left until the election (#4259)

      There are now 5 weeks left until the election. 5 weeks until we are at the polls voting on election day. Every national election day falls on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even numbered years. Like in the infamous year of 2016 when the first Monday of That November fell on the 7th and we voted the next day on the 8th. This year in 2020 the first Monday in November falls on the 2nd which is why we are voting on the 3rd. We have a quirky electoral system and if anything this cycle we have learned that it is also vulnerable to those who have nefarious intentions. Specifically regarding our majority vote rule and the antiquated electoral college.
     When we are through this election and Joe Biden is our President we can then begin to fix not only all the problems associated with the disaster trump and his republican lackeys but of the systematic problems we have within our society not limited to election processes. There are many like systematic racism and poverty that have to have our attentions. Surely though the Citizens United case needs to be reversed or re legislated to make dark money and private financing of elections illegal and punishable as criminal acts. There is also a problem with gerrymandering that needs fair and equitable guidance through law.
     The list of things that need to be done on day one extending out to the first 4 years of the Biden presidency is long and difficult but we democrats are the party for the job. We are if anything relentless in our pursuit of equality, fairness, justice and happiness. We will get a lot of things done if, and the if is that all our voters come out and vote. There cannot be any excuse to the duty we all have to our democracy. If so then the sun on that next November 4th morning will be bright and welcoming as the tally shows that we democrats have prevailed all over the country and put an end to the disgrace that republicans have wrought upon us.

36 days left until the election (#4258)

      The news that broke last night of trumps tax returns is dominating the airwaves. Not in a good way either. He is in full denial right now so I wouldn't expect much to happen for the next day or so but the accumulation of controversy that is within those tax returns will quickly come to a head. Meanwhile trump is going into his debate tomorrow night with that hanging over his head. By tomorrow night much more will be known and he will surely have to answer for his actions. This is not going away regardless of how much he calls it fake or a hoax. He really is getting tiresome with his same old fake or hoax excuses as answers by the way.
     For some reason the polls are tightening a bit but I expected that regardless of the sense of it. I do see Joe Biden winning the election by about 5 to 6 percentage points but my hope is that it is more like 10 or more percentage points. The larger the victory the less chance trump can pull a coup out of nowhere. So let's keep working our words and actions to focus on the good that Biden will bring and the bad that will continue under trump. Many states are already voting and in 7 days we here in California will add our 10's of millions of votes. We need to get our votes in as soon as possible so that the tabulating of them begins before election day. The numbers are going to be important on election day to ease our path without trump claiming foul.
     He, trump, will claim foul no matter what the count is on election day but the greater the gap between him and Joe Biden the less serious we need to take him. We will see how the debate goes tomorrow night especially with his personal tax returns in the open now. I doubt that trump will do well as long as Joe stays strong and rebuts the many lies that trump will spill from his mouth. There will be no fact checking at the debate so how we watch the debate will help with that. I will be watching on MSNBC so that I get Rachel, Joy, and Nicole with their own fact checking. Anyway, we are all in now so if you haven't registered to vote yet here is a link to do so, https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote.

37 days left until the election (#4257)

      We democrats have got to be on our toes this last bit of time as the disinformation is coming in at overwhelming speed. We cannot just post things that look correct but are not. the appearance of something being positive needs to be verified as often I am finding that it is more negative once into the posting. There are no shortcuts to passing along good information. It has to be verified by at least 2 reputable sources before it can be trusted. Then the headline to these stories has to conform to reality and not some fantasy of the author that negates the actual message.
     So much going on out there with all the attempts by foreign and domestic infiltrators to unsettle our voting choices. but when it all comes down to it I know that no matter what, every democrat on my ballot will get my mark. That is my plan going forward no matter what passes for information across my awareness. The last almost 4 years has already convinced me of who trump is and why he needs to go so any late breaking information that is dubious at best will not sway my calculations. If we all are prepared to follow our instincts and the facts we will not be in trouble as to false and down right malicious information that the republican party and the russian government throw our way.
     There are many distractions going on out there but my focus has been on my voting plan. Yesterday I stated that I was going to vote in person here in California but upon further examination, I found that my mail in ballot will begin to be tabulated as soon as it is in the custody of the elections office. So now I will go back to being a mail in voter because my vote will be counted on election day or very soon thereafter. Here in California it is going to be a wipeout of republicans not only nationally but in our cities and counties. Some republicans will survive but they are increasingly becoming more and more irrelevant. I can't say that for other states so each of us has to decide whether to mail in a ballot or just go to an early or election day polling station.

38 days left until the election (#4256)

      The momentum from the last 3 plus years to oust trump is still riding high. We have our nominee and although he is not a perfect fit for many he is perfect for bringing down trump. He was also not the candidate we thought he would be when our nominating process started. He has shifted left to counteract the horribleness of trump and the need to repair our society. Yes, not just our economy but our whole society in every facet of it. This will be a transformational election and when Joe Biden wins we will be able to once again breathe without fear. The Covid-19 will still be with us but the remedy will be a comprehensive one instead of the piecemeal one we are going through with trump.
     In 38 days the counting will begin and if we democrats are wise we will vote in person as much as possible everywhere. I know the ease of mail in ballots but the dire nature of having our votes counted on election day is crucial to what happens the next day on November 4th. I have been voting by mail in ballot for 2 decades but this year I am going to locate my early person polling station and go there instead. Even though I am in California where Joe is going to win regardless of what I do the need to have the largest percentage of voters casting ballots for election day counting is an imperative. If we who can will vote in person everywhere the likelihood of trump claiming foul is diminished.
     It looks as though trump will get his pick put on the high court in time to adjudicate any supreme court challenge he may bring. Which leaves us with the option to vote in person by such overwhelming numbers that the high court cannot rationally find for any of trumps whines and whimpers. If the high court does find for trump in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, then the revolution that is required when our government refuses to accept the will of the people will need to be organized. The beauty of our democratic republic is that we are malleable to protecting our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our blue wave tsunami must arrive on election day as much as humanly possible.

39 days left until the election (#4255)

      39 days left. Yay! I am seeing though that many of us are frayed at the edges of our emotions and it takes very little in the way of anything to trigger us to lash out. Which is fine if the lashing out is directed at republicans but not back at ourselves for some perceived slight. I know I have a hair trigger at the moment and it is because of the constant upheaval trump is piling on top of his already huge pile of disgust. But I can still reel myself in before I explode and that is good but not an ideal living of life. Back to 39 days left until the election. We are seeing the momentum of our democratic party begin to take off in all the polls and in the enthusiasm quotient.
     It seems that just trump being trump is plenty enough to supply enough new fuel to our already burning passions to keep our blue wave tsunami rolling along. A great silver lining to trump and his flame throwing mouth is that all those petty republican boot licking Congress people are being drug down by the trump undertow. They gambled with trump and are now getting their return for their gamble. Not a smart move on their part but then again they are democracy killing republicans so no love lost there. They will also be swept away from public office and for that our nation is well appreciative. The new incoming administration with majorities in Congress will be able to effect positive governmental changes that have been long clamored for.
     The end of the republican party as a balance in government is long overdue and it has been my intention to have the Green Party ascend to replace it. Mainly because if there was anything good about the republican party in the past, that has already been incorporated into our Democratic party. So the best counter party is the left Green party. Our world will be much better if going forward we are working to constrain the hard left idealism of the Green party, much of which I agree with but not at the pace they are hoping for. Taking more time to fold in their best ideas is agreeable to blowing up what we have and starting over. But I am not grounded into anything solidly before a real debate about the pros and cons is placed before the American people.

40 days left until the election (#4254)

      The believable happened yesterday. The infamous trump has declared that he will nullify many ballots in order to declare himself reappointed. Believable because we know who he is. A carnival barker who specializes in being a snake oil huckster. His plan to have battleground state legislatures declare him the victor without counting the mail in votes has been exposed by he himself. There is no second hand confirmation needed, no need, because we are getting it first hand straight from the liar's mouth. The blowback is already seething in it's contempt of him, and the alertness it has instilled in those of us against him.
     If trump was trying to get votes by making this statement he has utterly failed. Instead this idea of his to steal the election has more than galvanized the rest of us, it has added many undecided's to our cause to end his reign. The blue wave tsunami is not just a concept anymore it will be a reality. There are 40 days left until election day so those who are not now registered to vote may still do so and be part of the historic denunciation of trump and his ilk. I keep saying trump is an idiot and once again he proves me correct. His arrogance will not let him be strategic about his coup, no, it instead loosens any inhibitions he should have concerning his diabolical plan.
     All of this has just come to light so the remedies we will have have yet to be articulated. Yet we the people will keep the House and that is where I do believe our remedies exist. Keeping trump from installing anyone in Ruth's still warm chair is our number one priority and hopefully that means another impeachment charge to keep him from nominating anyone as it is not lawful for a president to nominate to the supreme court when under impeachment proceedings. We democrats have got to fight a torch with a flame thrower as the devious only understand one thing, power! What power we democrats have needs to be on full alert for utility from now until when Joe Biden is sworn in.

41 days left until the election (#4253)

      Can you feel it? Not just the daily crap trump does to us but the coming of the day, November 3rd. when we dump trump and all his cohorts in the White House. An added bonus is the retaking of the Senate so that we can build back better from which trump destroyed. Now I know it is still not time yet for calling the winners and losers here but I will suggest that the blue wave tsunami election we democrats are expecting is not disappointing so far given the signs from early voting and mail in ballot requests. Much like the transformational election of Barack Obama in 2008, the voting turnout is going to be equivalent. I know that republicans will be turning out in droves but their droves are not as numerous as our droves.
     You can see by how badly trump screws things up with dishonesty and criminal acts and yet his base does not bat an eye over any of it. So they will be showing up at the voting booths with as much vigor as we will. Yet we democrats have the side of the independents this cycle and also those who didn't vote in 2016 have awakened and are ready to rock the vote for Joe Biden. I feel it deep within me that the best of who we Americans are will come out in force intent upon putting a smack down on the trumps. It will be necessary this election as well since trump/putin are employing every devious trick in the book to keep trump in his appointed position.
     But it won't matter if we show up like I expect we will. The sheer volume of votes by democrats both in person and mail in will leave no doubt as to the veracity of this election. The trumps will still whine and cry foul about non existent harms but we who are the mature ones now will just smile at them and say no good bye. The era of trump is over even now with 41 days left until the beginning of the count is exposed. He should be making plans to steal away to some non jurisdictional boundary that keeps him safe from the charges of criminality that will soon follow after he leaves office. What will be inspiring at that time is that surely he will bungle that as well and be brought back to face the justice he so richly deserves.

42 days left until the election (#4252)

      6 weeks we have left until the count begins. In the next 6 weeks the impetus is on us who want to see the back side of trump for the last time. I have little to no doubt that the enthusiasm to get to early voting in every state is on our democratic side. The smug republicans know they are getting what they want no matter who is elected so the only ones who are rabid about voting for them are his sociopathic core base. The rest of them will just sit back and enjoy the ride to a larger supreme court conservative base. They may enjoy it now but the time is almost here where the reality of what is won't be. I also have little to no doubt that we democrats will employ nuclear options on a variety of solutions.
     Best to keep those decisions to ourselves for now and just focus on getting our vote out and recorded. The civility it takes to be an enlightened society has waned because of the diseased republican condescension that they are the only ones to lead and their strategy of the means always justifies the end. Well we democrats in the past have displayed honor in the face of cruelty and deviousness and that did not work. So, although we are slow to change, change we must and this change coming is not something that will be denied. The reality of the past will now dictate the reality of the future and no more shall the minority republican party dictate the destruction of our democracy.
     I saw this very real possibility on election day in 2016. In my scenario we the many democrats were not going to survive the trumps and their obscene reign. Yet we did and for that I am grateful so anything that republicans do to us now is still chump change to we not being alive at all. So bring on what trumps have left and then when the voting makes clear that we democrats have blue wave "tsunamied" the republican party we will go about reversing and correcting the impact of the last devastating four years. All options are on the table and that table will be filled with angry aggressive liberal/progressive proponents of change!

43 days left until the election (#4251)

      Well it looks like we democrats are going to go through one really hard last time with trump. Nost likely he is going to get his supreme court nominee installed before November 10th so that he has a 6-3 majority on the court when the case against Obamacare comes before them. With that 6-3 margin Obamacare will most probably be invalidated and we will be back in the days where insurance companies decided who got covered and for how much. Yet for the time being after November 10th, when the supremes rule on the case, until January 20th is all we will have to endure this latest corruption from republicans.
     Because we democrats will take the Senate, hold the House and be in the White House. Getting the legislative filibuster removed will be one of our first moves and then reestablishing some form of universal health care will immediately follow. Then changing the makeup of the Supreme Court by adding at least 4 to 6 new justices and also increasing the federal districts with more judges. That will solve what the republican party is planning on doing November 10th. but there is more. We need to bring at least the District of Colombia and Puerto Rico, if they choose, into statehood. Which we will be able to do without any obstruction from republicans.
     So this current time, 43 days left until the election and the 78 days after that, before we inaugurate Joe Biden as our new President we will have to endure. But the future of our American democracy will be our vision and that light at the end of the tunnel will be upon us in short order. The gut punched feeling we are experiencing now should be the catalyst we all need to make sure all who will are registered and then vote like there is nothing more important in life. In the final analysis the republican party is getting it's wish to eliminate Obamacare but what their minority will never understand is that we majority democrats will build it back better than it was before despite the vindictiveness and hatred republicans so deeply obey.

44 days left until the election (#4250)

      8 states are already doing their early voting with more to follow in the weeks to come. This election is underway and if trump hasn't made his argument yet for his reappointment to the presidency he likely won't return. As the polls have been consistently favoring Joe Biden by about double digits nationally it appears that trump has not made his argument successfully. With now the supreme court seat open due to RGB's untimely death we democrats have another explosive reason to vote against the wanna be tyrant trump. As well his sycophants in the senate who are trying to dishonor RGB's legacy by filling her seat with a contrarian to her ideals.
     So if it wasn't bad enough for trump going into these early days of voting it just got worse. He will likely shove his pick through his bootlicking republican senators. But there will be a price to pay for that. We democrats are not always fast to anger but on the subject of RBG we are poised and beyond percolated. If there was a chance that if we Democrats got the White House and the Senate back this election we would have been closed to expanding the Supreme Court that chance has been nullified. The republican party in their repulsive greed have awakened our party's ire and for that there will be a heavy political cost extracted from them.
     The early voting everywhere is on par with our blue wave tsunami that was already expected but the degree to which it is being laser focused foretells of a swamping of the republican party and any damage they do to our democracy and our civil society will be dealt with in extraordinary terms. Eliminating the filibuster for legislation. Expanding the Supreme Court. Passing legislation that will end any further collusion like we are seeing in the Executive branch. Adding two states, DC and Puerto Rico. Readjusting our society to end the influence of private political donations that are unchecked and making voting a valued thing that is universal and unobstructed. There is so much we are going to do after January 20, 2021 as the hellscape of the trump reign is about to end.

45 days left until the election (RIP Ruth) (#4249)

      Not much to say about how numb I feel right now. With Ruth Bader Ginsburg passing suddenly so close to the election has all of us in a quandary. I know for me her death changes nothing as to how I feel about trump but the politics of it all is a wild card yet to be determined. I know that emotions are high on both sides of the political spectrum and what happens next may well change the dynamics that had pretty much settled in. The voting has started though and those who are serious about who they are voting for and are in a state of prioritizing getting their ballots filled out and counted will carry on.
     If anything this may have an effect on undecided republicans who now are encouraged by the opening on the supreme court and trump's move to replace Ruth. This may well help trump at the polls. Yet the flip side is that we democrats who were already motivated to remove trump are now super motivated to remove him for even considering nominating someone before the inauguration. This may well help Joe Biden. Yet the gut punch of it all is deflating for the many of us who loved Ruth and wished that she could retire once Biden was nominated. How this plays out is still uncertain but make no mistake about this, mcconnell and republicans have the upper hand in replacing our irreplaceable Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
     It will take some creative politicking to stop mcconnell and trump from filling this seat but if there is a way we will find it. Because nothing in this moment is more important that keeping this seat available for Joe to fill. There are more states starting today who will be early voting and for that we have the distraction of making sure trump is at least no longer our president. I cannot tell you nor should I have to how the Ginsburg death has knocked all of us reeling who have a heart and soul for democracy. It is a real hard deep wound that will be with us going forward and for Ruth's family I say I am heartbroken over your loss. The time to heal from this is not available in a vacuum so we have to move forward with our plans to keep the enemy in the form of tyranny from also taking a bite out of our soul.

Minnesota and South Dakota days left until the election (46) (#4248)

      Okay, today is the day that 2 more states begin their early voting. Meanwhile trump has yet to mount a charge from behind mainly because he has been an awful president and wouldn't know how to be respected and admired. As each state begins their early voting and with the electorate on edge about getting their votes in early as possible the less time trump has for convincing voters he needs to stay in his appointed office. 5 more state begin early voting tomorrow with one of them the critical state of Michigan. I have been surprised over these last 8 months at how bad trump is at running a reelection campaign. It is as if he doesn't care whether he wins or not.
      However I know he cares but he doesn't know how to not look like he cares. He keeps coming out with things that only hurt his campaign, much like shooting himself in the foot. Each day gets us closer to the counting and he is still trying to figure out how to run against Biden/Harris. For that I am grateful and will keep my fingers crossed that he never figures it out. Just so you know this disdain for trump is not just about politics, it is also about what a horrible human being he is. If he was a democrat and did the things he has done I would be fighting like hell to get rid of him just as much. No, this is personal with me as I cannot abide a traitor who spends his time figuring out ways to steal our election while harming our citizenry.
      46 days is now about a month and a half from the count and I cannot tell you how fortunate I am to actually still be alive in trump's hijacked America. I thought for sure the many of us who have railed against him since day 1 would all have had our polonium tea by now. Comrade trump is no less capable in theory but luckily not in practice. I wish I could say I am joking but the many of you know I am not. The door is being shut on trump and percentage wise the likelihood of Biden winning the presidency is nearly assured. I will hold off for a few more weeks before I officially pronounce Biden the winner. I can do this because of my constant attention to the reality around us and the enthusiasm of those who like me want the end of the trump era.

47 days left until the election (#4247)

      The informal last day before the early voting kicks off is today. I didn't say normal because to my surprise North Carolina started early voting last week. But tomorrow it begins to tick off multiple states. Minnesota and South Dakota tomorrow and then Michigan, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming the very next day. After that there are many who follow just days between them. We are in it now and although the election day is still 47 days off we are getting our votes in place for counting. This election has been like an lifeboat for the many of us who know trump is trying to become king of America. Our democracy is on the ballot and so is our soul as a nation.
     The interest in voting this time is no less than intense. The many of us have but one thing left to do on this planet should we go soon and that is to vote for democracy and all that it stands for. We democrats are duty bound and determined as well to see the trumps voted out of our politics along with all the republican enablers that can be ousted. We won't get them all but we will get enough of them to shake the republican party to it's core. That core may well have rotted but it still does feel and the feeling it will have after November 3rd. will be downright gut punched. The deserve of it is well documented and due to them as a true reflection of any cost/benefit analysis.
     I have no sympathy for those who would take our democracy and treat it thus like a worn out rag ready to be thrown in the garbage. The caring emotions I usually feel for those who are wrongly accused or convicted are not available to those who willfully threaten the greatest form of free government known to our species. I will not tolerate a split second of forgiveness for them until they have found remorse and apology. Still though they will need a deterrence for their rehabilitation and that will be an applicable punishment. We as a nation cannot move forward without addressing the ill that is currently being exposed by those who have free will under our democracy to do so.

48 days left until the election (#4246)

      In 2 days Minnesota and South Dakota begin their early voting. Then the next day 5 other states start their early voting. The cusp of the downfall of trump is upon us and for that we the many are relieved. Of course we are not totally really relived until the votes are counted but we the many are determined that it be so. Not like in 2016 when the expectation was low as well as the turnout. Not the same this time as record numbers of people who didn't vote last time are requesting mail in ballots. Also the momentum we are experiencing started in 2017 and has not let up since. We the many are on a mission and regardless of what trump and his acolytes do before the final vote is cast, we will see them removed from office!
     The time for real leadership in Washington is about to begin again and we the many are needing it badly. we are exhausted from all the bad trump and his cabal have thrust upon us. We are about to keel over from the sheer exhaustive pressure he puts on us daily. Yet we are not done yet until he is no more in power or in our way. The rest of the world is counting on us the many, who are rational and principled to honorable ideals, to finish off the worst era in American politics since the battles of the Civil war. There is nothing that trump can offer us now that would wipe away the devastation he has caused over the last 4 years.
     We the many are ready for what comes next in our politics and in our society and for the first time in my lifetime we are mostly all here to help make it so. I expect the turnout to be at least 70% which would help both candidates but democrats more so, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/06/2020-election-voter-turnout-could-be-record-breaking/591607/. It will be must watch on election night as the numbers start to come is with republicans more than likely to have leads because of in person voting. Yet many democrats are going to forego mail in voting because of the difficulties in the postal service trump is creating. So many democrats will also vote in person and may well at least negate any advantage in the count that republicans expect to have early on. When it is all said and done though we democrats will have a large majority of the overall vote and that is what is needed to move forward in our nation!

49 days left until the election (#4245)

      I am foregoing counting down the blocks of 10 days of which 5 happened yesterday because we are down to just a few weeks and that will suffice. 7 weeks out from election day and we are already into early voting. When this next week comes to an end it will put us well into early voting. We are here and now is the time to do what we should have done 4 years ago and that is elect a democratic to the presidency and fill Congress with a democratic majority. Because with democrats in control the people of the United states will come first, not the wealthy, and now it seems our enemies to democracy both without and within.
     I must admit that as I am a bit happy for the vote to be here in a few states I am as angry as all get out about the damage that trumps continue to do. I have zero tolerance these days for any appeasement of republicans or their policies of hate and division. In the final analysis we get what we deserve and those who fight against intelligence and common sense need to have their worlds blown up. They blow other people's worlds up because of their ignorance, so richly they deserve to have theirs blown up. I don't take pleasure in it but I accept it as the end result of cause and effect. I will not tolerate anyone who still rolls over to the madmen out of some mannered decorum or sense of civility.
     The ship of civility has sailed long ago and the time is now for bare knuckle fighting. I have tried to debate and argue logic, reason, and compassion to them but it was thrown down and spit on. That was the gauntlet thrown and I accept the challenge. I have to clench my fists and will defend our democracy with my blood need be. There is nothing more sacred on Earth than our democracy and there is no way in any kind of imaginary hell I will ever let traitors both American and russian try to steal what our nation has so costly fought to keep. So don''t bring no mamby pamby concessions to my world and expect me to agree. When the fighting is done after we seat our new president then I will calm down and help settle the aftermath of the battle.

50 days left until the election (#4244)

      Today ballots go out in Pennsylvania so their early voting is beginning. I love early voting in that we don't have to wait for the very last day to register our opinion on who should lead our country. Those who don't take advantage of early voting are playing with fire the way I see it. Because the dynamics of this current era there is no given tradition that is safe from upheaval. If anything the earlier we get our ballots in to the vote recording agency in our districts the better we will be going forward. I have already come to the conclusion as solidly as possible that there is nothing trump can say do to change my mind about voting for Biden and Harris. The decision is made so the sooner I get my ballot and sent back in the better for our democracy.
     We here in California will have our early voting start 29 days before the election which on the calendar is October 4th. By then we should know more about how the postal service is operating although here in my district I have seen no slow down in postal service yet. Regardless though, however the reality is at that time I am prepared to walk my ballot to the election commission offices in Sacramento and hand deliver it if needed. Because there is nothing more important in life at this time than getting my filled out ballot recorded for the general election on November 3rd. Nothing in life is more important. I cannot stress that enough! The very ideal of democracy is being decided. Will we remain a democracy or will we become trump's country?
     He wants it all and he wants to punish any of us who do not bow down to him and pledge our allegiance to him instead of to America. His insatiable thirst to reshape our nation into one like putins is obvious to all now, well maybe not so obvious to his rabid base. But for the rest of us we see what will become of us if we do not end the reign of trump in 50 days. We do that by voting with such a force and abundance that there will be no mistaking the outcome of the election. Because trump will always fall back on some plan B if he loses the election. But his plan B will not be successful either if we stand tall and push back against his bullying cries of injustice. He deserves our wrath and the form of that wrath should be an overwhelming defeat that even he cannot easily deny!

51 days left until the election (#4243)

     We saw yesterday the intent of the trumps. The infamous roger stone has declared it with his traitorous incitement of resurrection if trump doesn't win the election this coming November 3rd. No longer is this just a conspiracy on the fringes we are hearing it now from the inner working of the trump cabal. Make no mistake about stone, he is still close to his boss trump and his pardon from his trump initiated crimes is the proof. I hope all the generals who have found out that trump called them pussies are listening and do something to prevent trump from pulling a coup with their neutral acquiescence.
     I believe that when putin shows up on our shores to confer with trump I believe next month this is what they will be talking about. We will be having a foreign agent advising our appointed president in how to stage a coup against our democracy. Make no mistake about it either, trump has followers who would commit treason right along with him. Our democracy is not sacred with them and we must watch them closely to make sure that, after trump is removed from office, when the criminal tribunal of trump is impaneled it will include those who enabled him and followed blindly with him. The nonsense of these folks was tolerated but not anymore. They are more than nonsensical. They are traitors to the very ideals of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and justice for all!
     So with 51 days left until the election there is still time to get people who are not registered to vote, registered to vote. Every one of us is needed in this fight. I have seen prognostications about turnout that put it at about 65% which is good but not great. We need at least 70 percent or more to absolutely end the traitorous republican agenda. I know that the republicans in office now will likely back trump if he tries to enact the Insurrection Act. So it will take the rest of us and the military to the quell and put down the uprising of vicious and debased republicans. This is no drill! This is the real deal folks and if you still think like this is just a dream or a conspiracy then you and your ignorance are about to find out the hard way.

52 days left until the election (#4242)

      I have been thinking about what trump might do for an October surprise and I have hopefully hit upon something that would actually help him and us. More us than him and how much it would help him to me would be little. However the way they are thinking in the White House this may well be something they think will really help them. Forcing mcconnell to give the $1200 stimulus again with of course his signature on it. He may well think that we can be bought but at this point I think that we would gladly take the money and call him a sucker while we are doing it. For him to think he could buy our votes seems natural when thinking like him. Since life is all about getting something for nothing in his mind.
     I hope he does it as we the American electorate are hurting financially because of the trump/republican negligence. So hopefully he will fall into that trap of helping us out of some duty he thinks we may owe him. However I don't hold much hope for this because he is, if not one major thing, a stingy asshole with our money. Sure he will give all to wall street to keep that economic indicator running smoothly for the wealthy but as the many of us know wall street rarely helps main street. If he could imagine though how main street helps wall street he would surely consider helping along the lines of the Heroes Act that mcconnell is sitting on in the senate. Just to be clear, if mcconnell put the Heroes act up for a vote, even though we democrats are the minority, it would still pass.
     I can't for the life of me understand how republicans think that making life miserable for the majority of us will help them this close to the election but here we are. The only other alternative for the many of us is to vote all republicans out of office and replace them with democratic politicians who will help us and ease our burdens mainly through no fault of our own. This whole thing is simple when put into perspective. The republican party allowed for the trump virus to spread and bring our economy to a standstill yet will not give us the necessary tools to overcome it both economically and logically. We the American electorate, democrats, republicans, greens, libertarians, and those of us uncommitted to any party need to end the oppressive unprofessional reign of the conservative republican party and vote for every democrat on the ballot.

53 days left until the election (#4241)

      Strange day today. the anniversary commemoration of the Twin Tower bombings and the other airplanes used as missiles. Much like with Pearl Harbor this day isn't easy to reflect upon. Yet for the last 7 months we have had 67 times the deaths of each one of those earlier infamous events. So living with approximately 1000 deaths a day from the trump virus, Covid-19, has inured us to the shock and horror of it all. So as I sit here at my desk I wonder if I will ever be back in a world where even the slightest injustice will again be outrageous instead of just another day under trump. My mind tells me that I cannot fathom the cruelty and inhumanity that republicans and trump try to instill in us. Yet my heart beats so heavily as to shake the foundations of my soul.
     We are all worse off because of trump. What he has accomplished to do is to bring us down from our better and best natures to a place where depravity and injustice are common place. I have been posting about how many days are left for us to vote and change the course of not only our political lives but our moral and ethical ones as well. Before trump was able to become our appointed president I had a real sense of duty and a desire to be as helpful a person as I have ever been. Yet when trump were put in office I began a years long deterioration from a vision of growth and knowledge to a place where idiocy, greed, and harm conjure the future.
     Today should be spent in reverence to those who were taken away because of the worst of what a human can do but instead I am also filled the daily depressing thought that more will die today that didn't have to die. The trumps own this time and place in history as the worst of what humans can be. I am bone weary from their endless assault but I am still alive therefore ready and able to stand up to them. This time will soon come to an end with November 3rd. just around the corner but in the meantime we must keep our sense of humanity intact and remember that the worst of who we are is not what gets us to being the best of who we are. Only our care for each other can do that and until trumps are gone the care will not become reality.

54 days left until the election (#4240)

      The revelations from Bob Woodward's interviews with trump are damning to say the least for trump but they are not enough to make him resign. Because short of a smoking gun lethal felony he is staying where he is to keep from his life getting much worse quickly. He is a cad for sure and the many of us tried to let everyone know that 4 years ago but the message was lost on too many. But now the message is ringing clear with all those who didn't take the time to vet him last time. This election is now on par with being a lopsided democratic victory that will flow down ballot to other democrats. Which is what is needed to make the complicit republican party pay for their attempt to game our elections, among other underhanded things.
     The deal with the type of person trump is, is real simple. He has no empathy for those who are not him. His children, his close associates are just props in the daily life of his existence. The clinical term for his type of being is somewhere between narcissist and sociopath. I am no psychology major nor an amateur medical prognosticator, yet my eyes and ears tell me that he is not within the bounds of normalcy and his affliction is always aimed at what is better for him regardless of the cost to others. So when he is given deference on subjects well beyond his scope of understanding we are feeding his ego to a much more elevated irrational state.
     The election is now only 54 days from the count. That is how we will remove trump from office. He will never self remove because like I said he knows the law will be after him without his protected immunity. As the drip drip drip of information that is damning to him continues it helps we the opposition to trump keep our message out there that he is not worthy of continuing to be the appointed president. With many states beginning early voting over the next 9 days the cost of his arrogance and self admiration is coming due. We will make him leave after January 20, 2021 regardless of his coup attempt to disown and denigrate our voting him out on November 3, 2020.
     

55 days left until the election (#4239)

      Now only 9 days until Minnesota and South Dakota get to early vote. It is happening folks and I know we are all anxious to get our own ballots. We have been enduring this time of trump, whom we confirmed with michael cohen last night on Rachel's show, that trump didn't even care to become president, it was all for marketing his brand with the russian oligarchs and putin. That he was appointed was not in his meager imaginings so that is why we are living under the most cruel and brutish of a conman thug. His per chance appointment has been our blame and deserve for letting it happen.
     I don't blame trump for being appointed but I do blame him for not stepping down immediately. He colluded with putin to make our society unjust and unfair. The time will come for both of them to feel the sharp edge of justice but in the meantime we have work to do so that our society makes the necessary correction. I would vote for a balloon if it were running against trump but instead we are fortunate to have 2 candidates for president and vice president who will do admirably in those 2 positions. Our society will be in good hands once the deceiving manipulative trump is put out to his justly earned deserves.
     In 10 days the states of Michigan, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming start their early voting processes. We are here folks and the most important decision we have is not just to vote but how to vote to make sure our votes are counted. Many states have trackers on their mail in ballots so if you do vote early with a mail in ballot, keep track of your ballot until it is in the hands of your local election official. It is amazing just how stark the contrast is between the nonchalance of the 2016 election and the imperative of this one. I feel the strength of our voters ready to do all that we can to make sure we vote and that our vote is counted.

56 days left until the election (#4238)

      8 weeks now left until the election. Just 8 weeks out of the the 208 we were originally starting out with. So 200 weeks are now behind us. Historically we know a lot can happen in the final 8 weeks to change our minds on the direction of the country and the candidates that promise that direction. Yet we have had 200 weeks of knowing who trump is and since the republican convention we also know that republicans have no policies they are fighting for except those that benefit the wealthy. As a group I have little against the wealthy except that they have too much wealth. But for the republican party to dismiss we the working middle poor class as non existent is unforgivable.
     No amount of time left will resurrect any hope for trump to sway enough voters to keep him in his appointed presidency. We have all the evidence necessary to vote him out and any last minute gambit on his part will not change the years of neglect and harm he has put on our heads. So these last 8 weeks are we just marking time and for some already early voting. The die has been cast as it were and there is nothing to do about it. To many Americans trump was an unknown quantity and that plus some nefarious election interference from within and without trump was able to sneak into the presidency. That is no longer the case as we all know who he is and he has been found wanting!
     In about 11 days early voting kicks off in Minnesota and South Dakota who will join the already voting North Carolina. Then a slew of states follow immediately after. So it isn't just 8 weeks left until the election it is actually much shorter for the voting to begin. I remember how I felt going into election day in 2016 it was with some apprehension because I saw some signs that troubled me but never did I expect the weak turnout from we democrats that helped to usher in trump. I do not feel that this time. If anything I feel such a resolve from our democratic party to vote at all costs that the turnout may well be record setting. Yet time will be the arbiter and all we can do now is our best and make sure all of us can get our ballots counted.

57 days left until the election (#4237)

      Well the time is shortly arriving although in North Carolina the time has begun as people are already returning their mail in ballots. Soon the other states will be kicking in their early voting processes. We are here and the time is now for us to make sure we are voting straight democratic ticket. No exceptions at all because regardless of how nice a republican may appear it is all an act given first they choose to be republicans and second the republican agenda is one of hate and division especially aimed at the American working middle poor class. No time for any republican getting a vote for any position from a democrat or independent at this juncture.
     I have seen consistent reporting that more than 90% of the electorate is already locked in on their candidate. I expect that the debates will be the last opportunity for voters who are a bit uncertain to make their choice certain. I also expect that both democrats running, Joe and Kamala, will do well against their individual opponents. The right wing conservative movement is only focused on the wealthy and everything else they do is to favor those wealthy. That leaves the working middle class with the champions Joe and Kamala. The stark difference in approach by both parties will bode well for we democrats as our party has policies and the vision to back them up for the betterment of the American working middle poor class.
     What may well have been a comfortable lead will by election time most likely become a huge lead that foretells our blue wave tsunami. I am not much for predicting given the outcome last time in 2016, but this isn't 2016 and the lying conman who slithered his way into the White House has shown us who he really is over these last four years. Not much at all to like about him so I do expect as a normal that Joe will beat the orange buffoon by close to 15% of the vote. I do expect it now. I had been uncertain 4 months ago when I thought trump would pivot toward the working middle poor class in order to pick off a large percentage of us. but he didn't and now with less than two months left and the voting beginning he has left himself with little to no chance of winning on November 3rd.

58 days left until the election (#4236)

      The drip drip drip of nefarious acts and behaviors of trump for every day of the last nearly 4 years is plenty enough for the many of us to have decided we won't have trumps back in control of our government. Furthermore with Joe Biden we are seeing a real statesman who not only will take the necessary steps to bring our society and cultures back into resonance but as well he will ally himself with our traditional world partners again. On his first day in the office as President Joe will bring us back into international agreements that protect our planet and make us safe from our enemies. The overwhelming sense of urgency and anxiety the many of us feel will immediately be lifted with the Biden/Harris administration.
     The unequal news coverage of both parties given the cruel and brutal nature of the republican party keeps this race to the White House closer than it should be and that is what media is good at these days. They are much more interested in the bottom line than they are in protecting the dearness of our Democracy. Not all but enough to create an appearance of normalcy when the exact opposite is true. Nothing about these last 4 years has been normal except the media trying its best to smooth the rough edges of everything trump. The very nature of the necessity of truth and facts is on the ballot this time as we as a nation must and should stop the disinformation channels from existing as alternative facts.
     In 58 days we get that opportunity, the many of us, and although the media and trumps will do everything within and without reason to stop the inevitable the blue tsunami will arrive. The many of us, especially the working middle poor class, have had enough of the privilege and advantage of the republican party carpetbaggers who live like they are owed all of the deserves with none left over for us. Well that is not how Democracy works and in these next last few weeks the trumps will get the message as the voting will put dread and astonishment on their faces when the totals come in. I for one have been ready for the end of the republican party because decades ago they ended any real representation of us the many.

59 days left until the election (#4235)

      Well today folks in North Carolina will be receiving their vote by mail ballots. North Carolina kind of snuck up on me as I have been trying to update on who votes early first. I knew that Pennsylvania in the past had started it's early voting 50 days before the election but could not ascertain whether they were going to do the same this year. But North Carolina was completely off my radar up until a couple of days ago and then I just decided to wait to see if they would actually go through with it. They did as ballots went out in the mail on the 4th. So actually some ballots could have been received yesterday.
     All this to say that it is beginning now and many folks are filling out and mailing back their general election ballots today, at least in North Carolina, https://www.npr.org/2020/09/04/909597279/voting-season-begins-north-carolina-mails-out-first-ballots. There are a record number of voters asking for mail in ballots all over the country and the majority of them are coming from democratic voters. It makes sense since the control republicans have had the last decade over denying voting to the working middle poor class has kept many democrats frustrated at getting absentee ballots. Yet with the pandemic a new dynamic has emerged and republicans have relented in many places to allow for virus free voting.
     We still have to watch what is happening with our post offices because the trumps are not quitting on trying to slow down and impede mail delivery as much as possible. But early voting is a cure even if we feel the need to drop off our ballots at state election offices or collection boxes. What vote by mail has also done for us is make the 46.9% of voters who didn't vote last time in 2016 more available for voting. Which in the big picture should be a net gain for we democrats. Since before the obstacles to voting were at polling booths the obstacles are now not visible. Voting from our homes makes the act much more likely since we don't have to travel long distances and wait in wasteful and enduring long lines. This election is a foreboding to republicans and for that we the many are well pleased.

60 days left until the election (#4234)

      Okay, another block of 10 days put behind us. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to see these days behind us and the voting day that much closer. 6 more blocks of 10 days and we are all eligible to vote, those of us who have registered to vote and haven't already voted via mail in or early voting, on election day. Many corporations and large companies are actually giving people paid time off to vote or allowing them the day off as a incentive to vote. Voting, what does it mean? It means everything in a Democracy. It is the lifeblood of how our system of government functions, or in the current case, how it doesn't function when we the all of us don't vote.
     People like trump, who can sneak into the office of the president because 46.9% of eligible voters didn't vote in 2016, is the example of what happens when we take our Democracy for granted. The Russian leader putin had much to do with it and when trump is gone and a fierce defender of Democracy is back in our White House the payment for his meddling will come due to putin. The greatest form of government ever devised cannot be undermined if we don't let it and the clarion call for this election is that very same concern. That trump didn't complete his takeover of our democracy in his first term is due to the fight we still have in us and yet if he gets another 4 years he will likely complete his coup of our sacred American Democracy.
     In 60 days though we have the bettering of him in our sights. The angst we the many have felt these last 4 years has come to its crescendo and the noise we make on November 3rd will not soon be unheard! The early voting time is coming and so are we who have fought hard against the chaos and division trump has instigated into our lives. Some think that this contest for the will of America is going to be close. I am not one of those, instead I am of the stance that we the blue wave tsunami will swamp the pit of trumps with such force that not only will trump lose his election but many of his republican allies in the senate, house and the statehouses will be defeated. This is going to be a glorious 2020 for the last part of it to make up for the hard of the 2020 we have had to endure under trumps.

61 days left until the election (#4233)

      The weekly unemployment numbers were less than normal this week but the methodology for counting them also changed. Given that trump is a fudge of numbers kind of guy it isn't surprising that he would put in a system that counts less unemployed to his advantage. Still there are nearly 30 million recorded unemployed below those who are not counted. All this to say that trump could care less about the future for all these folks and more about his own future in the White House. I say to all who would stumble across my blog, that trump is not the kind of human being who should ever be put in charge of other human beings.
     That being said we all are going to get a chance to change that very soon. With the election starting for us in just a few weeks through early voting our will be done. Of course we still have election interference to deal with on many levels but the many of us are well aware of the dirty tricks both the trumps and putin are playing at. They may think they can bamboozle us with their much too obvious attempts but they are only pissing into the wind. We were caught unawares in 2016 and paid a heavy price then but not this time around. We have seen the truth of trump and his bellicose pronouncements are just so out of tune with our idea of democracy and the principles that democracy espouses.
     We have real champions in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris so the fakery and foolery of trump and pence will not with stand the test of honor and truth. The three debates for Biden and trump are coming up along with the one debate between Harris and pence. In all of them the deceitfulness of the trump administration will be exposed. Biden and Harris have no time for the trump/pence nonsense and will crush both of them in due course. This coming election will finally rid us Americans of a painful daily headache the many of us have had for nearly four years. The weight that will be lifted off our heads will be a yearned for satisfaction. The dearness of our democracy is at stake and although the many of us are weary of trump's awfulness we are still resolutely poised to change the direction of our nation.

62 days left until the election (#4232)

      The end of trumps is near and I can hardly contain myself. In just over 2 weeks the early voting begins in Minnesota and South Dakota. All the primaries are behind us now so the general election is all that we need to focus and come together on. You all know my stance on things, vote for every democrat on the ballot and everyone vote as soon as the opportunity is presented. There is nothing in the existence of time and space that is more important. No, not love, nor money! Not all elections are this critical but this one is the most critical of any election in the brief history of our democracy. It is paramount above all things and we all need to do our part in voting.
     I will likely never say this again about an election as it is the most disturbing of ideas that there would be another reality where the balance of good and bad are being weighed. If we cannot overcome our own selfish tendencies within this particular capitalistic paradigm to put the nation first above our own survival then we will shortly learn that we are less able to defend our survival if trump is given another 4 or more years. Because make no mistake, trump is not wanting to leave the presidency because of his vulnerability with civil and criminal charges. He will not only demand to stay in the presidency for life but he will also convert our democracy into an autocracy where he passes his reign onto his children.
     If you think I am embellishing here just look back at trump's own words. There is enough evidence he has verbally given to make the above scenario more than possible in his mind. The trumps have already begun to destroy the balances of power between the 3 branches of government which is what he must do to take our democracy away from us. Yet there is one last step the many of us can take to make sure that trump is not able to make himself into his master, putin. Yes, putin has something on trump that makes trump an underling to a foreign adversary. Too many are helping trump to hide this but when we defeat trump at the ballot box we then can dig the truth out and then commit to punishing those for their crimes.

63 days left until the election (#4231)

      Exactly 9 weeks left until the election. As we have seen in the last few months the trump ramp up to the election is to sow discord and create havoc. His conway person told us that all of the chaos and discord that can be created is helpful to trump. We knew this but they have actually said it to verify our logical assumption. It isn't so much what they say unless they say it in conjunction with their actions. Yesterday trump actually praised the shooter of two and wounding of one in Kenosha to nobody's surprise. The struggle for our generations right now is to keep the forces of authoritarianism held in check while democracy goes forward.
     The ideological lines are there for the clear choosing so there is no doubt as to which political party we decide to back with our votes. Because for maybe the first time in our electoral process the political party is on the ballot not necessarily the persons. Voting all blue or all red is likely the most obvious outcome so there will be little of splitting our votes between candidates of both parties. The reason for that is because the governing party will need all the help it can get in every political office in the country. The federal level for sure but the state level is as vital in this election than anytime I can remember.
     9 weeks left until the votes are being counted. I for one am feeling good about our chances of getting the release of trump's grip from around our throats and getting a big gulp of air in my lungs. The metaphor is applicable because the decision we all finally make at the end of this election will most assuredly define the ability we have to breathe without constraint. From climate change to police reform the restrictions on our individual and collective rights is at stake. I am an older man who has lived most of his life already so the outcome for me is less personal as to me but to my psyche and my honor I will not let the worst of who we are, exemplified in trump, overcome the best who we can be, exemplified by Joe Biden, win out as long as I draw breath!