US Elections 2020 (geopolitics, informed debate, no ad hominems)

Biden

14 (66.7%)

Trump

7 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 21

Voting closed: November 02, 2020, 06:25:59 pm

[JoeKitchen]

Why not use K capitalized in your email?  It makes no difference and people better see who they are communicating with.  JoeKitchen@.... is perfectly acceptable.

No, no, no.  Like when I am writing about an actual kitchen, I will, without thinking about it, capitalize the K.  99% of the time I spell kitchen with a capital K, so doing so when I am writing about a kitchen is hard to avoid without thinking about it. 

[faberryman]

Sorry, Frank Berryman doesn't sound French.

My first name is Francois. I just go by Frank when I am interacting in English.

[JoeKitchen]

Salted pork. But to be more revealing, we called it salt pork in my family. Hog jowl is great too.

This certainly narrows it down.  For BBQ, I also assume you feel pork is king over beef? 

Do you also enjoy crackling? 

[Alan Klein]

My first name is Francois. I just go by Frank when I am interacting in English.

D'accord, désolé.

[TechTalk]

This certainly narrows it down.  For BBQ, I also assume you feel pork is king over beef? 

Do you also enjoy crackling?

Don't assume too quickly now. I'm equally happy with pork or beef. How well it's prepared is the important thing. And I like a variety of different sauce types or no sauce at all. I like variety.

Is there someone that doesn't like crackling?

And I'm just as happy with a big pot of ribs and kraut as I am with BBQ.

[Chris Kern]

I voted today. . . .  It was an online service. It cost me a whopping $0.98, because the ballot is five pages long, and free service stops at three pages. On the same day, i received a confirmation from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections (Florida) that my vote has been received. I can even go online now and see when it is actually counted. Did I mention that I requested the ballot online and got access to it online too? I am truly in awe of how efficient the whole process is.

While you were nonchalantly checking the status of your Florida ballot from Belgrade, here in a small Maryland city I'm still waiting for some indication our county board of elections has received the ballots my wife and I downloaded, printed, filled in by hand, and dropped in a postal box a week ago.  The state's election website reports sending links to the downloadable ballot PDFs to us, but is otherwise uncommunicative.

Unlike Florida, which, despite its notorious problems during the federal election 20 years ago, has developed an efficient procedure for processing ballots without requiring a voter to make an appearance at a physical polling place, Maryland is struggling with a unique, and bizarre, workflow:

The Web-delivered ballots offer front-end expediency for voters, who can follow a link in their email, enter credentials on a website and download a ballot packet to print at home on regular paper.

But on the back end, that plain paper becomes a first draft, and every voter’s choices must be transcribed onto oversize cardstock that can be scanned.

For transparency’s sake, the transcription is done by a pair of judges — one a Republican, the other a Democrat. One judge reads the ballot choices aloud, and the other marks them down on the ballot. Then the judges switch jobs to check each other’s work.

The process takes about five minutes per ballot, election officials said. As of Thursday, that added up to more than 9,000 hours of work just to get the ballots ready to be scanned.

Organizations based in Maryland were instrumental in the creation of what is now the worldwide public Internet, but apparently our state government hasn't quite got the hang of it yet.

[Manoli]

Don't assume too quickly now. I'm equally happy with pork or beef [...] And I'm just as happy with a big pot of ribs and kraut as I am with BBQ.

So one can safely conclude that (a) you’re neither vegetarian nor vegan and (b) you and Alan Klein have something in common.

[TechTalk]

So one can safely conclude that (a) you’re neither vegetarian nor vegan and (b) you and Alan Klein have something in common.

We all have something in common. Even if it's just our common humanity and need to eat.

Food is a great way for people to find common ground. Once in awhile, you try a new food that you didn't think you'd like and discover that it's delicious. Occasionally, you share a meal with someone that hasn't made a good first impression; and over food and drink and conversation, you find that they're pretty decent and likable even if there are things on which you disagree.

And I do enjoy a huge variety of regional and international cuisine. There aren't too many exceptions, but a few.

[LesPalenik]

I'm not president nor running for it.  I don't have an army of doctors checking and prodding me everyday.  If he's afraid, he shouldn't run and stay in the basement. We don't want cowards for president.

Actually, sometimes is a good strategy to start slow and add steam in the middle of the race. Seems to be working for Joe.

If I could only give one tip to an athlete looking to make their daily run more enjoyable and productive, it’d be simple: start slower.

Make your first mile your slowest mile. Get passed by someone speed-walking to catch the bus. Slither around like you are playing a game of Charades and get “bipedal snail.” However you think about it, that slow start can help improve mental and physical health long-term.

https://trailrunnermag.com/training/the-importance-of-starting-slow.html

[TechTalk]

Now combining food and politics...

How NOT to win the farm vote in Iowa

In the Iowa U.S. Senate Debate, Joni Ernst displayed a perfect example of how not to win over Iowa farmers. Agriculture is huge in Iowa beyond just the growers. There's also the transportation, storage, and brokerage businesses and the economy supported by all of those businesses and farmers.

In the debate this week, the candidates were asked about ag prices. Theresa Greenfield knocked it out of the park with her answer. Joni Ernst gave a typical evasive debate non-answer and was then pressed on it by the reporter in a gentle Midwestern manner.

Here's a brief clip (2-1/2 minutes) that perfectly illustrates a great debate answer and a lousy one...

https://youtube/Ernst, Greenfield on Agriculture

[Peter McLennan]

Now combining food and politics...
Here's a brief clip (2-1/2 minutes) that perfectly illustrates a great debate answer and a lousy one...
https://youtube/Ernst, Greenfield on Agriculture

Hilarious!  As some here might opine: "ROFLMAO!" She's obviously learned the dark arts well.  How do these idiots ever get elected?

Humour aside, I find this type of political bullshit absolutely infuriating. Kudos to the interviewers for even attempting to hold her feet to the fire.

[Alan Klein]

While you were nonchalantly checking the status of your Florida ballot from Belgrade, here in a small Maryland city I'm still waiting for some indication our county board of elections has received the ballots my wife and I downloaded, printed, filled in by hand, and dropped in a postal box a week ago.  The state's election website reports sending links to the downloadable ballot PDFs to us, but is otherwise uncommunicative.

Unlike Florida, which, despite its notorious problems during the federal election 20 years ago, has developed an efficient procedure for processing ballots without requiring a voter to make an appearance at a physical polling place, Maryland is struggling with a unique, and bizarre, workflow:

Organizations based in Maryland were instrumental in the creation of what is now the worldwide public Internet, but apparently our state government hasn't quite got the hang of it yet.

Are they using purple ink? 

[Alan Klein]

So one can safely conclude that (a) you’re neither vegetarian nor vegan and (b) you and Alan Klein have something in common.

Yes. We're both Americans. 

[Alan Goldhammer]

Jenifer Ruben! ROFLMAO! ROFLMAO!

It might help if you spelled her name correctly.  Just because a Republican switches allegiance does not mean they have forsaken their conservative credentials.  The only two who are constantly cheering on the President from the pages of the WaPo are Hugh Hewitt and Marc Thiessen.

[Alan Goldhammer]

I will briefly jump in to interrupt your usual bickering to laud the voting process I experienced.

I voted today.

By fax.

And no, my vote won't count in the 1992 election, if that is what you thought at the mention of the word "fax." It was an online service. It cost me a whopping $0.98, because the ballot is five pages long, and free service stops at three pages. On the same day, i received a confirmation from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections (Florida) that my vote has been received. I can even go online now and see when it is actually counted. Did I mention that I requested the ballot online and got access to it online too? I am truly in awe of how efficient the whole process is.

Maryland also has this but they cannot count the electronic ballots by machine.  The votes have to be reentered.  My wife and I applied for our ballots online and received them three weeks ago.  We will be depositing them in the collection box this Monday.  Maryland is counting ballots as they come in so results should be available on election night.

BTW - glad you voted and I hope everyone, regardless of political persuasion does as well!!!!

[JoeKitchen]

Nothing to see here, no mail-in ballot issues, ....

370K Pennsylvania mail-in ballot applications rejected: Report

I really think Trump is going to win on a technicality due to so many Dems voting by mail, encouraged by Dem politicians for months, and having their ballots rejected due to frivolous reasons that only mail-in ballots would entail. 

If this happens, I will be enjoying the schadenfreude this brings, especially after weeks of Republicans warning about this. 

[Alan Klein]

It might help if you spelled her name correctly.  Just because a Republican switches allegiance does not mean they have forsaken their conservative credentials.  The only two who are constantly cheering on the President from the pages of the WaPo are Hugh Hewitt and Marc Thiessen.

But Trump isn't a conservative.   He prints and spends like a socialist.   We just had the highest deficit ever.  While he's built up the military, he's been shy about getting America into foreign adventures and wars. So-called Republican and Democrat conservatives are more Neocons who got us in Vietnam and Iraq, two wars he opposed.  He's actually a social liberal, having lived and worked in liberal NYC all his life.  He is a populist which is why so many regular people like him. Republican insiders hate him almost as much as Democrats because he's opposed to insiders and the way things are done in Washington.  It drives them crazy he beat Bush and all the other regular Republicans in the presidential nomination process.  I think they were more surprised and upset than Democrats when he beat Hillary.

[Robert Roaldi]

But Trump isn't a conservative.   He prints and spends like a socialist.   We just had the highest deficit ever. 

Maybe he's a commie "libtard". Why do you support him then?

[TechTalk]

Let's raise Ike from the dead. He was a decent and thoughtful Republican. I like Ike. Of course, the lunatic fringe inside and outside the party called him a traitor and a commie. Now they are the party.

[Alan Klein]

Maybe he's a commie "libtard". Why do you support him then?

Biden and the Democrats are worse.  Both will break the bank and put us all into the poor house.