#Midterm Elections

[cormancatacombs]

[Image ID: A screenshot of a Blue Sky post by user Max Berger @ maxberger.bsky.social. It reads,

“Elections matter a great deal in semi-authoritarian regimes—especially the early ones before the authoritarian has destroyed legal institutions and free elections.

The 2026 election is going to matter an enormous amount.”

End of description.]

[somerandomg33k]

You know, this point.......

At this point, I hope the Democrats to lie in the next election. Trump lie about what he would do about the economy. He told a better story.

Now, Trump is a Fascist. He is not better than Kamala. And his policies will be worse for the economy.

But I hope the Democrats will re-learn the lesson that lying during a campaign will help you win. Look at 2020. Biden lied about $2000 checks will be in the mail if the Democrats win both Senate elections in Georgia.

And Liberals are already fine with the Democrats lying about campaign promises. Because several Liberals told me, "I am not surprised we are only getting $1400." So they should lie about how they will fix the economy for the midterms.

[typewriter83]

Back to work we go.

🫶🏻

[meandmybigmouth]

THEY TRIED EVERY DIRTY TRICK IN THE BOOK! LOOKS LIKE THEY NEED A NEW BOOK

[probablyasocialecologist]

There was a red wave of a kind, but it resembled the “red shirts” of the post-Reconstruction South—the white supremacist organization that used terror to keep Black people and all Republicans from the polls to ensure Democratic victories. This time it took the form of gun-toting right-wing groups supposedly providing “election security” at the polls in Arizona; of Florida passing sweeping legislation to suppress the vote, forcing newly enfranchised formerly incarcerated people to pay back all fees, fines, and restitution costs associated with their conviction before they could register, and then arresting people for supposedly voting illegally; of Georgia enacting the so-called Election Integrity Act, which reduced the number and limited accessibility of absentee ballot drop boxes and imposed new ID requirements on requesting those ballots, among other things. There are many more examples.

It is precisely because racial regimes are always fragile, however—built on deception and mystification—that force is often required to sustain them. Suppressing the vote by any means necessary has always been a requirement for advancing the “rewhitening” of America.

[racefortheironthrone]

How do you feel about electing the house every four years (presidential years) instead of two?

It is true that the United States is one of the only countries in the world with midterm elections. My understanding is that political scientists really go back and forth about whether this is a good thing - while midterm elections allow for the country to react to the policies enacted in the first two years of the most recently elected government and their outcomes, turnout tends to be significantly lower, which limits the extent to which we're really talking about a new expression of the will of the people.

Moreover, it's my understanding that political scientists worry about whether midterm elections increase the possibility of gridlock due to the tendency for the governing party to lose seats to the minority party - creating more periods of divided government. However, I think it's up in the air whether this tends to shift policy to the left or the right:

2006 saw a massive reaction to the War in Iraq, Bush's handling of Katrina, and Republican sleeze in Congress, shifting control of Congress back to the Democrats for the first time since the Gingrich revolution of the 90s.

2010 saw the Tea Party wave, which led to a persistent shift to the right both in Congress and on the state level. Although the Tea Party's fiscal policies haven't really caught on due to their negative economic effects and political popularity, their destabilizing influence on the Republican establishment certainly has persisted - opening the way for the Trump Republicans and a shift to culture war politics.

2018 saw a massive reaction to the Trump scandals and the Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, breaking the Republican control of government won in the 2016 elections as well as the first major shift to Democrats at the state level since 2010. It also showed a significant shift to the left within the Democratic Party with the election of AOC and the Squad - the first breakthrough for the progressive movement's efforts to challenge establishment Democrats.

Without midterm elections, things would be very different: although Bush being able to muddle through 2006 wouldn't really have changed things because of the way the financial crisis wrecked the Republicans in 2008, the butterflying away of the Tea Party wave would really have changed U.S politics profoundly. The Tea Party wave was unusually significant because of the way it coincided with the 2010 Census and the long-term impact it had on state government - we're only starting to get back some areas that went deep red, and even now huge swathe of the country are dominated by ALEC - so avoiding that shift would really transform U.S politics, especially on social policy.

On the other hand, without the ability to challenge Trump through Democratic control of Congress, U.S policy during the COVID crisis might have been much worse and Trump would definitely have been emboldened to accelerate his campaign of corrupting the Federal government to benefit his personal interests and attack his personal and political enemies. Who knows what would have happened on January 6th if Trump had had two more years of a completely free hand. But then again, if there's no Tea Party wave, does Trump still win in 2016?

So I'm ultimately unsure as to whether midterms are a good thing and it's so momentous a change that I'm a little hesitant to recommend it.

[onlyonteamcapforbucky]

So you're telling me destiel went canon again, Georgia went blue again AND THE DABI REVEAL IS THIS SATURDAY

[tomorrowusa]

One of the biggest differences between a 50-50 Senate and one with a 51-49 Democratic majority is committee assignments. In a 50-50 chamber, all of the committees are also evenly divided. That gives Republicans extra procedural tools to slow down business, even if they can’t stop things up entirely. But in a 51-49 Senate, Democrats will have majorities on all of the committees. This really comes to play in confirmations of presidential appointments, where the GOP has been able to gum up the works for the past two years. With 51 senators, Biden will be able to get a lot more appointments through, including those very important lifetime judicial appointments. And with Republicans controlling the House, the chances of Congress doing any substantive legislation is slim, so confirmations will be an even bigger part of the Senate’s business.

Jacob Rubashkin at FiveThirtyEight on why the Democratic net gain of one US Senate seat makes a huge difference.

[ivygorgon]

I am ordering my ballots for the year. Reminder for you to do the same: absenteeballotapplication.yourstatehere.gov

Also, what is the best time of year to do this? National Voters' Day, Jan 25?

[fotographee]

civic duty

west seneca

november 8, 2022 // 11:56 AM

click for higher resolution ;)

[trendynewsnow]

Susie Wiles Outlines Plans for Trump's First Day in Office

Susie Wiles’ Vision for Trump’s First Day in Office In a significant gathering of Republican donors on Monday, Susie Wiles, the newly appointed White House chief of staff, disclosed her intentions regarding President-elect Donald J. Trump’s first day in office. According to two individuals present at the closed-door event, Wiles indicated that Trump would swiftly seek to reinstate several…

[somerandomg33k]

You know .....

I know a friend of mine, a fellow anarchist, is hoping for the Democrats to win back either the House or the Senate in the 2026 mid terms. I understand they have to hope for something to improve in the USA. I just don't trust the Democrats to be able to successfully do so. Not if they continue the same political strategy as before. And even if they do succeed, they are still a Conservative Capitalist Party that doesn't want power once they get it. And so nothing will change. But I guess nothing change is better than Fascistic change. Oh well.

[creativemedianews]

Advocates call Trump and Republicans' anti-trans ads ‘hate and chaos’

Advocates call Trump and Republicans' anti-trans ads ‘hate and chaos’ #DonaldTrump #gender-affirmingcare

[lordzannis]

Perplexity is a versatile information tool that excels in providing insights and answers across a wide range of topics, including complex subjects like electoral systems and political strategies. Here’s how Perplexity can be effectively utilized in discussions about third-party candidates and ranked-choice voting (RCV):

Understanding Third-Party Candidates

Strategic Focus: Perplexity can help analyze the importance of focusing on midterm elections to build momentum for third-party candidates. By providing data and historical context, users can understand how local and state races can serve as a foundation for future presidential campaigns.

Voter Engagement: The platform can offer insights into voter behavior and preferences, helping to identify strategies that third-party candidates can use to engage with constituents effectively.

Insights on Ranked-Choice Voting

Eliminating the Spoiler Effect: Perplexity can explain how RCV allows voters to rank candidates, which mitigates the spoiler effect that often discourages support for third-party candidates. This feature encourages voters to express their true preferences without fear of wasting their votes.

Promoting Diversity: The platform can provide statistics and case studies demonstrating how RCV has led to increased representation of diverse candidates in elections, thereby enriching the political landscape.

Civic Engagement: Perplexity can highlight the benefits of RCV in fostering more civil political discourse, as candidates are incentivized to appeal to a broader audience, reducing negative campaigning.

Conclusion

By leveraging Perplexity, users can access a wealth of information that supports discussions about the importance of midterm elections for third-party candidates and the advantages of implementing ranked-choice voting. This tool not only enhances understanding but also promotes informed dialogue around these critical electoral issues.

Citations: [1] https://spotintelligence.com/2024/08/19/perplexity-in-nlp/ [2] https://bmcbioinformatics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2105-16-S13-S8 [3] https://ballotpedia.org/Ranked-choice_voting_%28RCV%29 [4] https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/technical-faq/3rd-party-data [5] https://www.rockthevote.org/explainers/ranked-choice-voting-an-explainer/ [6] https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/faq/what-data-does-perplexity-collect-about-me [7] https://www.platformer.news/how-to-stop-perplexity-oreilly-ai-publishing/ [8] https://www.wearegreenbay.com/technology/ap-technology/ap-amazon-is-reviewing-whether-perplexity-ai-improperly-scraped-online-content/

[mexicanistnet]

MORENA's sweeping victories in the midterm elections redefine Mexico's political map, securing 22 governorships. Despite setbacks in Mexico City, the party maintains a majority in Congress. Eyes turn to 2024, with Claudia Sheinbaum leading MORENA and a unified opposition emerging.

[toolatetobesoearly]

I voted today. 🗳️

I didn’t know any of the Supreme Court candidates for my state. We have no info before we’re faced with their names on the ballot. We don’t vote for the justices of the US Supreme Court, yet we are asked to weigh in - with zero information - on someone whose judicial (and possibly, personal) opinion will impact the state and - if this is a springboard - the nation. We deserve more input than what we get after the fact when researching them: did I vote for a good one? Did I miss an opportunity?

Usually, the vote is moot: seven candidates, seven spots. But not this time, not in my district. Seven candidates, six spots. How are we supposed to make an educated decision based on name alone? In my state, they can appear on multiple party lines, so is he really a Democrat? Does she lean Republican? Who knows???

Certain US Supreme Court justices had to get their start somewhere. Did anyone know anything about them when they were down ballot? Or did it even matter: the network will get them nominated and confirmed.