The Race For 2024

[Politesse]

People who don’t vote and don’t want to vote shouldn’t be held to ransom to vote. Besides, that would upset the ballot harvesting shenanigans, right? That would upset a few people.

Would you agree with the statement, "Voting is a privilege, not a responsiblity"?

On a scale of one to ten, where ten is strongly agree and one is strongly disagree, I’d say about a five.

I find that hard to square with a perspective that expanding people's opportunities to vote constitutes "harvesting", or if so that such a harvest is a bad thing. If you aren't trying to restrict voting as the province of a select class, why wouldn't you want as many people as possible to be able to recognize their responsibilities to the state and vote? I get the idea that abstention should not be a crime, but it does not follow that participation should be restricted to those with the freedom to take Tuesday off twice a year without reprecussion.

 

[Elixir]

There should be an “abstain” option on the ballot. Problem solved.

 

[TSwizzle]

People who don’t vote and don’t want to vote shouldn’t be held to ransom to vote. Besides, that would upset the ballot harvesting shenanigans, right? That would upset a few people.

Would you agree with the statement, "Voting is a privilege, not a responsiblity"?

On a scale of one to ten, where ten is strongly agree and one is strongly disagree, I’d say about a five.

I find that hard to square with a perspective that expanding people's opportunities to vote constitutes "harvesting", or if so that such a harvest is a bad thing. If you aren't trying to restrict voting as the province of a select class, why wouldn't you want as many people as possible to be able to recognize their responsibilities to the state and vote? I get the idea that abstention should not be a crime, but it does not follow that participation should be restricted to those with the freedom to take Tuesday off twice a year without reprecussion.

Really, that’s what you got from that?

 

[ZiprHead]

Ron DeSantis trolled with participation trophy ahead of Iowa caucuses

The incident occurred on Saturday after the Florida governor staged a town hall in Atlantic, Iowa

www.independent.co.uk

Ron DeSantis was trolled in Iowa after being presented with a “participation trophy” ahead of the state caucuses on Monday.

The incident occurred on Saturday after the Florida governor staged a town hall in Atlantic, Iowa. An unidentified man approached Mr DeSantis, holding a small award.


“Governor DeSantis I want to present to you this participation trophy,” he said, prompting laughter from those gathered.


“You’re probably not going to win the election but we’re proud of you for trying,” the man added, before declaring: “He’s special, he’s unique, and he’s our little snowflake.”

 

[lpetrich]

Iowa’s most important poll has set the expectations for the GOP caucuses | CNN Politics and Trump holds wide lead over GOP field ahead of Iowa caucuses, poll finds | CNN Politics and Iowa Poll: Nikki Haley overtakes Ron DeSantis; Donald Trump leads big
The numbers:

• Donald Trump: 48%
• Nikki Haley: 20%
• Ron DeSantis: 16%
• Vivek Ramaswamy: 8%
• Asa Hutchinson: 1%
• Ryan Binkley: 1%
• None of these: 2%
• Not sure: 5%

Ryan Binkley?
Who is Ryan Binkley? Create Church pastor campaigning in Iowa Caucuses

Texas business executive and pastor Ryan Binkley said he has visited all of Iowa's 99 counties in a bid for the Republican nomination for president.

...
In a May 2023 interview, Binkley told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he believed he could carve a path with a platform that prioritizes unity and, at times, bipartisanship on financial, immigration and health care policy. But December's Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed 0% of caucusgoers said Binkley is their first choice.

...
Binkley is the president, CEO and co-founder of Generational Equity Group, a mergers & acquisitions and business advisory group headquartered in Texas. He previously worked in Procter & Gamble and Boston Scientific Corporation before starting Generational in 2006.

He's also the co-founder and lead pastor of the Create Church, based in Richardson, Texas.

Binkley said in recent years he had "heard calls from the Lord about what's needed in our country," leading him to launch the presidential campaign — his first foray into elected politics. He's touting his business acumen and faith in driving a candidacy that will prioritize "solutions for the country."

 

[lpetrich]

Voter tells Vivek Ramaswamy’s wife that some Iowans don’t support him because ‘they think he’s Muslim’

His wife Apoorva Ramaswamy:

She told voters: “we do not come from the traditional background for most presidential candidates.”

“We care a lot about God and our relationship with God so I understand that when people hear that we’re Hindu, you want to know like, what does that mean? Who are you and what do you stand for?”

“Our religion teaches us that all of us have been put here by God for a purpose and everyone has been given some gifts by God and it’s our job to use those gifts to the best of our ability while we are here on this Earth."

Almost half of Haley supporters say they would vote for Biden over Trump: Iowa poll | The Hill

“Haley is consolidating the anti-Trump vote,” J. Ann Selzer, a pollster who has conducted the Iowa survey over the last three decades, told NBC. “She does well with the people who define themselves as anti-Trump.”

 

[Copernicus]

...
Almost half of Haley supporters say they would vote for Biden over Trump: Iowa poll | The Hill

“Haley is consolidating the anti-Trump vote,” J. Ann Selzer, a pollster who has conducted the Iowa survey over the last three decades, told NBC. “She does well with the people who define themselves as anti-Trump.”

The interesting thing to me about this poll is not that almost half her supporters would vote for Biden over Trump, but that only 23% of her supporters would vote for Trump at all. Add that small margin of Republicans to Democratic and independent voters who will vote against Trump. It's quite possible that Biden will carry the state, even though it has been trending red. The presidential election would normally be close in a general election, so Trump cannot afford to lose marginal Republican voters in purple states. Those Republicans are still going to vote to send Republican troglodytes to Congress, but they may not allow Trump the margin he needs to carry the electoral count.

 

[Swammerdami]

I just stumbled on an interesting statistic.

Republicans WITHOUT a college degree prefer Trump over Haley by a whopping 76% to 3%.​

Republicans WITH a college degree prefer Trump over Haley by a modest 39% to 28%.​

At 9 AM in Iowa the temperature is -22°C. Presumably that cold spell is caused by some butterfly flapping its wings some months ago. If Nikki Haley ends up in the Oval Office instead of Joe Biden, blame that butterfly!

 

[Copernicus]

I just stumbled on an interesting statistic.

Republicans WITHOUT a college degree prefer Trump over Haley by a whopping 76% to 3%.​

Republicans WITH a college degree prefer Trump over Haley by a modest 39% to 28%.​

At 9 AM in Iowa the temperature is -22°C. Presumably that cold spell is caused by some butterfly flapping its wings some months ago. If Nikki Haley ends up in the Oval Office instead of Joe Biden, blame that butterfly!

However, Donald Trump has literally urged his followers to attend caucuses and cast their vote for him, even if they risk death from the arctic temperatures. Apparently, his overwhelming lead in the polls leading up to the caucus vote is not enough for him to worry about missing their votes in the general election, when his popularity with voters would be considerably less. He needs them now, because being the Republican candidate is a key part of his legal defense against all of those criminal counts.

 

[Rhea]

This comment reminded me of a famous George Carlin gig:


If you've not seen it, watch it now!

I feel like Carlin was probably far too subtle in his sarcasm on this one…

 

[Copernicus]

This comment reminded me of a famous George Carlin gig:


If you've not seen it, watch it now!

I feel like Carlin was probably far too subtle in his sarcasm on this one…

I could see where some people watching that would see it as an endorsement of not voting rather than a mockery of the attitude of the non-voter.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I just stumbled on an interesting statistic.

Republicans WITHOUT a college degree prefer Trump over Haley by a whopping 76% to 3%.​

Republicans WITH a college degree prefer Trump over Haley by a modest 39% to 28%.​

At 9 AM in Iowa the temperature is -22°C. Presumably that cold spell is caused by some butterfly flapping its wings some months ago. If Nikki Haley ends up in the Oval Office instead of Joe Biden, blame that butterfly!

That was very interesting, though not surprising. Not sure how anyone could support Trump. I was skiing yesterday in -13 degrees! Snow was great.

 

[ZiprHead]

Holy crap!!! 65% of Republican Iowa caucus goers say Biden didn't win. Only 20% say he did.

 

[ZiprHead]

64% say if he is convicted of a felony he is still qualified.

Is there any larger mass delusion event that has happened in history?

 

[Ford]

64% say if he is convicted of a felony he is still qualified.

Is there any larger mass delusion event that has happened in history?

I mean...I'm sure that you'd be able to get at least 64% of North Koreans to say that Kim is actually a god, the US is about to attack at any moment, and that Juche is the greatest idea ever, but then...that's North Korea.

They have little or no information coming across the border to say otherwise.

Here in 'Murica, we have (allegedly) freedom of information, yet still...

If a majority of people are able to look at all the information and still choose the dictator over freedom, then it's a cult.

 

[lpetrich]

Iowa Caucus 2024 Live Results: Trump Wins - The New York Times

As of this writing,
Candidate - Votes - Pct - Delegates

• Donald J. Trump - 55,835 - 51.5% - 20
• Ron DeSantis - 23,172 - 21.2% - 8
• Nikki Haley - 20,817 - 19.1% - 7
• Vivek Ramaswamy - 8,358 - 7.6% - 3
• Ryan Binkley - 765 - 0.7% - 0
• Asa Hutchinson - 190 - 0.2% - 0
• Chris Christie - 35 - 0.0% - 0
• Other - 84 - 0.1% - 0

Votes total: 109,063
Delegates: 38
Votes yet to be counted: >~ 1,000

 

[lpetrich]

Another one bites the dust.

But guess who?

Vivek Ramaswamy drops out of the 2024 presidential race, endorses Trump

I expected him to stay on, since he is so obnoxiously conceited.

No word from Asa Hutchinson, though another far-behind candidate will be continuing: Ryan Binkley.
Binkley stays in the GOP race, heads to New Hampshire, South Carolina

 

[southernhybrid]

I read this morning that the most recent poll in Georgia has Trump leading Biden by over 10 percentage points. That is very depressing. Sure, things could change, but Biden is even losing the support of Black voters in Georgia. 6% said they won't vote and 7% said they will vote for a third party candidate. We're likely screwed if this continues.

 

[lpetrich]

Another one bites the dust.

Asa Hutchinson drops out of 2024 GOP presidential race after last-place finish in Iowa - CBS News

"I congratulate Donald J. Trump for his win last night in Iowa and to the other candidates who competed and garnered delegate support. Today, I am suspending my campaign for President and driving back to Arkansas," Hutchinson said in a statement Tuesday morning.

...
"My message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front runner did not sell in Iowa," Hutchinson added in his dropout statement.

 

[Copernicus]

I read this morning that the most recent poll in Georgia has Trump leading Biden by over 10 percentage points. That is very depressing. Sure, things could change, but Biden is even losing the support of Black voters in Georgia. 6% said they won't vote and 7% said they will vote for a third party candidate. We're likely screwed if this continues.

Too soon to panic over a poll this far in advance, especially since Biden is not campaigning against Trump right now, but he is campaigning against other candidates. With everyone bashing Biden and Democrats in public media, they are going to suffer from the uncontested adverse propaganda. When the actual presidential campaign begins, there should be more positive messaging for Biden and Democrats (hopefully, anyway).