IdaBriggs
IdaBriggs's JournalMichigan Primary Today: We Voted! Report
Polls opened at 7:00 am and (despite being there nearly ten minutes early), I was Voter #6 with a solid dozen of us waiting for our friendly poll workers to let us VOTE! By the time I finished, there were at least ANOTHER dozen waiting, although when I returned with some Tim Bits for the poll workers (Tim Bits are little baby donut holes from a local Canadian franchise - please don't judge the Canadian part because they are yummy!) there were only six or so more waiting.
My husband went a little before 8:00 am and was Voter #64. I don't think I have ever seen this level of activity for a Presidential Primary EVER BEFORE - I think the last "not a Federal Election" I was #17 in the late afternoon!
Our area is pretty liberal in general (Brenda Lawrence took over as Representative when our previous Representative became Senator Gary Peters) but I saw two piles for the ballot tops and they looked even (keep in mind I was #6) so I think early morning passions were definitely engaged on both sides.
As usual, a very pleasant experience at our polling place and I was proud to be a participant.
Go, America! Vote! Vote! Vote! Yeah, Team!
Am I the only one freaked out by PRESIDENT Clinton campaigning for his WIFE?
It seems total banana republic to me and just reeks of political corruption.
I am going to say this plainly: the idea that a former First Lady is running for her husband's job is for me right up there with Donald Trump being taken as a serious candidate - in other words, INSANE.
Yes, I understand the "job security" that comes for their friends if she pulls this off - that is why it is called "cronyism" - and yes, the idea that she is pulling in money from the previous relationships she has established WHILE FIRST LADY from countries where human rights violations are NORMAL --
This is NOT FEMINISM. This is a married partnership trying to violate the spirit of the 22nd Amendment.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-second_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
Yes, you can argue away that "Bill and Hillary are TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE" and thus the rule doesn't apply and I will ROLL MY EYES at the idea that those two aren't a politically powerful TEAM who LISTEN TO EACH OTHER - that is why this type of farce is called "banana republic"!
Hillary has already been in office, and anyone who wants to pretend "First Lady" isn't a powerful bully pulpit is delusional.
Bill Clinton was a charismatic leader. He is still an influential force in our political process. He is working to get HIS WIFE his old job and if that doesn't scare you, pretend this was George campaigning for Laura or Barack for Michelle --
Politicians like power, and I get that - it isn't easy to walk away from eight years in power. But for me, the answer is NO - I will not support this level of CORRUPTION because I fear the CRAZY SIDE more.
Jury, if this merits a hide because of my strong feelings on this, I will accept it. I am a liberal progressive, I will vote for qualified Democrats down ticket, but I will not vote for tyranny (Trump) or cronyism (Clinton) in 2016.
I will not bow to a royal family or live in fear of their displeasure, and I don't care if their last name is Kennedy, Bush or Clinton.
I WON'T DO IT.
Not Fun With Math...
Disclosure: I support Bernie. This post is about math, which does NOT support Bernie.
I thought I noticed something odd last night - it looked like Hillary was walking away with "red" states, while Bernie was doing well in "blue" states. Then I looked closer, and started playing with the numbers, and got a little freaked out.
I looked at only the ten states where both parties finished their primaries yesterday and looked at the vote totals to see who was getting the most "wins". I was wondering who really won. What I found was initially terrifying.
Code: HC = Hillary Clinton; BS = Bernie Sanders; DT = Donald Trump; TC = Ted Cruz; MR = Marco Rubio; JK = John Kasich; BC = Ben Carson
I used numbers from The Guardian website as of 8:00 am eastern. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2016/mar/01/super-tuesday-results-live-state-by-state
In Round 1 of this game, I rounded to the nearest thousand.
In Alabama,
#1: DT @ 372
#2: HC @ 310
#3: TC @ 181
#4: MR @ 160
#5: BC @ 88
#6: BS @ 76
#7: JK @ 38
Eeek! Bernie at 6th, Hillary in 2nd, and a total trouncing once Ted and Marco are out of the race.
Arkansas had Trump #1/Hillary #2, as did Tennesee and Texas, while the two flipped roles in Georgia and Virginia.
In Massachusetts,
#1: HC @ 589
#2: BS @ 563
#3: DT @ 299
#4: JK @ 110
#5: MR @ 109
#6: TC @ 58
#7: BC @ 7
In Minnesota it was Bernie #1/Hillary #2 while Oklahoma was Bernie/Ted and Vermont was Bernie/Donald.
In total votes cast per state, Hillary, Donald and Bernie each took FIRST PLACE three different time, and Ted got it once (in Texas). Hillary took SECOND five times, Donald three times, while Bernie and Ted each got it once. Hillary did one third and one fourth; Bernie was in 5th four times (one fourth and one sixth), while third belonged to Donald twice, Marco and Ted three times, and John had it as a personal best (in Vermont). Marco owned fourth place four times, and fifth place three. John and Ben live in sixth and seventh.
For total votes cast, here are the totals:
In Alabama,
#1: HC @ 3,485,835
#2: DT @ 2,920,181
#3: TC @ 2,483,561
#4: BS @ 2,192,670
#5: MR @ 1,866,042
#6: JK @ 588,082
#7: BC @ 438,503
Of the 5.6 million Democrats who came out to vote, Hillary took 61% and Bernie 39%.
Of the 8.3 million Republicans who came out to vote, Donald took 35%, Ted 30% and Marco 22%.
What should scare the Hillary supporters is that of nearly 14 million votes cast, Hillary ONLY took 25%. Donald took 21%, Ted took 18% and Bernie took 16%.
59% of the motivated voters were REPUBLICAN.
Pretend Hillary and Donald are the only two left. Assume they are able to keep their current support and get half of their opponents voters.
Final score: HILLARY 4.6M and DONALD 5.6M.
Yes, I know that popular vote doesn't equal electoral votes and these were mostly red states.
But "President Donald" might be a possibility. Bush Junior was supremely unqualified in every conceivable way except name recognition, and he ended up in the White House.
Urk. Bernie supporter here. Trouble with relative over Trump/Hillary.
Relative knows minimal about Bernie (he seems "nice"
but is expecting Hillary to be the candidate. 74 year old female relative will vote for Trump over Hillary because she is done with the Clintons and at least Trump will be entertaining.
My problem is that when I tried to find some reason to support Hillary, the only thing I could come up with is "she isn't bat shit crazy" like the Republicans. The comeback was "I don't trust her - there is something about her I don't like anymore."
This relative voted for Obama, Kerry, Gore and Bill, does not watch any political or cable news, does not like discussing politics, has not watched any of the debates, and associates Trump with the early "Apprentice" television show. She has stated she would "probably" pick Bernie over Trump; she used to volunteer as an election worker back in the day and basically is an "independent".
I know "primary passions" run deep at the moment. I know this is anecdotal. I had NO valid arguments to sway a Hillary vote (assuming Bernie loses) because the voter already KNOWS Hillary from her public life and just doesn't like her. Her political views are beside the point and at 74, the scare tactic "Supreme Court" isn't working.
By the end of the conversation, I wasn't sure if I wanted to support Hillary either AND WE NEVER DISCUSSED THE SUPPOSED POLICY DIFFERENCES ONCE.
Help. Urk. Primary passions are one thing, but this is ridiculous. I am at a loss.
I don't want Bill Clinton back in the White House.
He was a good President and I supported him. He was a bulwark against the crazy Republicans, but he gave them tons of ammunition with the nonsense he and then First Lady Hillary pulled. I lost track of the "gates" long before the Blue Dress debacle.
I don't want Hillary Clinton back in the White House. Switching husband for wife (or father for son) is just too much like corruption for me to stomach; while it might provide job security for their friends, I like the idea of "cleaning house" every four to eight years.
Pretending that being half of the most powerful couple on the planet DID NOT AND DOES NOT MATTER is DELUSIONAL THINKING. That a former President of the United States is ACTIVELY CAMPAIGNING FOR A SUCCESSOR who happens to be his WIFE makes me feel ill.
I did not vote for Bush Junior and this "political dynasty issue" matters to me.
The Powers in Charge of the Party need to know this unspoken issue is one that matters to me.
It is not Hillary's turn. She already had one.
I truly hope she is only running to deflect Republican attack dollars away from the real candidate, and vet him for how he handles pressure (like ended up happening with Obama).
To repeat, I do not want the Clintons back in the White House.
That is all.
My Post to the PTO Facebook Page This Morning
NOTE: My twins will turn 9 in one week, and are currently in third grade.
This morning's "don't worry about the high school bomb threat" district wide message was NOT reassuring. In point of fact, it was the OPPOSITE of reassuring. All I know is that a bomb threat was received at the high school, and don't worry because the district is committed to keeping everyone safe - except for the fact the high school has had multiple kids committing suicide in the last two years.
I want to believe some high school kid pulled a prank "bomb threat" because they wanted to turn over and go back to sleep or didn't have some homework done or got a little excited while playing a video game and maybe used some excitable language inappropriately. I want to send my kids off to school so we can resume our normal routines as we recover from mid-winter break. Unfortunately, all I know is that we live in a world where teachers and students have died in active shooter situations (which are words I had never heard of while I was growing up) and I am going to keep the kids home today because that "reassuring message" scared me half to death. Yes, it was probably a hoax, but just to be on the safe side, we are going to spend the day chilling at home.
Credible bomb threats requiring district wide messages are NOT my normal. I am most likely over reacting, but in a world where "school shootings" can occur in kindergarten classrooms, I am going to take the moment to clutch them a little tighter in the hope of keeping them safer. Tomorrow, after I talk with someone who will roll their eyes at my paranoia, we can return to normal without having to pretend to be brave. Or maybe we will be being brave.
Maybe that is really the new normal.
Silly Stuff at Kid Activity Tonight
Bored while waiting for children and struck up a nice conversation with three other adults.
"Who are you supporting in the election so far? Just curious."
One man quickly answered that he was Canadian and therefore just watching. (Very common in my part of Michigan.) The other man made a face, and said "whatever Democrat they put up, probably end up Hillary, but I like Bernie."
The woman then scolded him for not sharing his why (I had specified I wasn't asking why/just wanted a feel) and he gently explained his commitment to social issues was more in line with Democrats, and (after a deep breathe) that he thought the Republican field was just a bunch of idiots.
"Did you hear they booed Trump three times when he was telling the truth on Saturday?" I asked. "They were calling each other liars - a total freak show!"
"They are ALL the same! I can't stand ANY of them, including the Democrats!" was what the woman answered.
"Bernie isn't the same; he won't take any of the Wall Street money. He has been an Independent for thirty years, with no financial support from anyone except himself." (Correct me if I am wrong, but that is what I think "Independent" means - no $$$ from either the DNC or the RNC, right?)
The woman left without another word. No idea who she supports, but she didn't seem happy.
The kids had fun. I guess I did, too. 
I wonder if Photogate is going to be a vaccine against attacks on Bernie's integrity?
One of our fellow DU folk is a reporter, and has made some astute commentary about negative campaigning (which this appears to be - the terms "rat" and "copulation slang" are being used) being the GoTo when there are problems in a campaign, and hinted that this is probably a first wave of such attacks.
However.
One of the appealing things about Bernie is his apparent integrity. He could have chosen an easy route of being a pure Democrat, but instead worked harder as a Stubborn Independent. This means if he wanted to accomplish anything, he had to broker himself, without having a "party" to back him, and his Senate colleagues had to TRUST HIM because no one was available to "reign him in" so to speak if he lied. (I am okay with him running as a Democrat because of the two parties, it seems to be where he belongs.) Photogate was pretty bluntly an attack on one of his most appealing qualities: His Integrity.
And it is blowing up, which means (if the intrepid reporter is right) the mudslinging is going to get worse. (What else can you do when you can't win on reality?)
But now everyone knows "Photogate was a Farce" - will this create an automatic inoculation against future smears, similar to a vaccine allowing antibodies to be generated? Will it work with the press, who supposedly don't want to be tarnished as "gullible fools"? Will it work with his supporters - "wow, what will they come up with next - is Bernie really a secret Catholic woman who is being mind controlled by the Pope?"
Primary passions are important, and candidly, I am okay with this attack on Bernie's character because I am glad to see the measured response when detractors say things that aren't true because I guarantee, on purpose or accidentally, it WILL happen in the future as political opponents, other countries and even people jockeying for their pet causes all toss their opinions out there for the world to see.
How do YOU handle it when someone tells lies about you? It is life, and it happens. The leader of our country can't just decide to "never speak to you ever again" because that won't work. The leader of our country needs to be able not just to forgive, but to also make sure the behavior isn't rewarded, with the ultimate goal being to make sure that what is best for the country is accomplished.
It seems to be like parenting a teenager, really. Maybe that is why "Grandpa Bernie" seems like such a good choice?
Okay, maybe that was a silly analogy! Or maybe not. 
Either way, "Photogate" looks to me like it is going to be a Good Thing whether just as a simple "inoculation against stupid smears" or as an example of what to expect when subjected to the same in the future.
I am even more comfortable in my support of Bernie Sanders as President.
The Level of Hillary Clinton HATRED in This Country Is Appalling.
Fair Warning: I support Bernie, but respect Hillary Clinton even still.
HOWEVER.
There is a HUGE AMOUNT of "Hillary Hate" that comes not only from the Republicans (who can be outright rabid up to and including foaming at the mouth at mention of her), but also from fellow Democrats.
She was an excellent partner with her husband while he was in the White House. They both made political missteps on occasion or three, but they were better than their Republican predecessors.
She is SMART. She has the ear of powerful people worldwide from both her role as a former First Lady and Secretary of State. She is a successful woman, and has many accomplishments to her credit, including still being able to stand tall after constant attack FOR YEARS by her enemies.
And that is one of the problems with her as an electable candidate:
She Has Enemies. Lots and lots and LOTS of enemies, and not just on the Republican side of the fence. As a bonus, her HUSBAND has more than a few, too. (Anyone else remember reading some of the sickening comments from the Republican side when Bill underwent heart surgery during the Bush years?)
You don't even have to say "Hillary" if you want to increase the blood pressure of a Republican - just say "Clinton" and holiday dinner with the relatives can get all kinds of crazy. To be fair, there are many of us, myself included, who get that way at the sound of the name "Bush" (I despise that weasel who is responsible for the unnecessary deaths of so so many!) so maybe it is just a "thing" some of us humans do.
But the anger / hatred at even the name Hillary Clinton is held so high that nothing she does will EVER be enough to create a "we are all in this together/trust me to lead us out of whatever the mess du jour" mentality.
I will vote for a Democrat before I vote for any of the whackadoodles being advanced by the Republicans. As I said, my preference is Bernie. I don't think Hillary is either electable or stands a snowball's chance of getting a chance to actually govern with any hope of success.
I am not a politician. I could be wrong.
But I hope the political powers that be understand that the passion Hillary invokes in a large portion of this country is not ... Positive.
Help, Please: Special Needs Family in Missouri Needs Roof (& More)
I have been privileged to meet some amazing people over the last few years through my work with the Preemie Growth Project, and one of the most amazing families lives in Missouri. Mom and Dad now have NINE children, with six of them adopted with a variety of special needs.
The youngest child is a living miracle - Fragile X with a permanent trachea and medical issues that require round the clock care. Her life is a miracle, and she has defied all "logical" predictions about not only her life expectancy, but her physical and mental capacities as well.
The devotion required has not come without cost -- the sacrifices have been many.
They are finally asking for help.
You can read the request here - https://www.gofundme.com/qvhyenuk - they need a new roof, insulation and other things like a communication device that isn't 100% covered and costs $17K. There is more...
These are GOOD people. Please help, if you can. And if anyone knows of any organizations that can help this amazing family in Missouri, please share.
GOFUNDME LINK - https://www.gofundme.com/qvhyenuk
Thank you!
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: South East Michigan
Home country: United States
Member since: Tue Jul 27, 2004, 01:19 PM
Number of posts: 10,559
