#Watch Eris win the poll

[unhealthy-obessions]

I wanna see what other people prefer since there so many differing opinions on who Azriel is gonna end up with<3

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

AI Bracket — Third Place

Propaganda

SAYER (SAYER):

PLEASE it is like. THE ai podcast. and SAYER is THE ai in THE ai podcast. SAYER works as like. a broadcast inside everyone's head on this one asteroid. It does its best to keep people alive and sane not because it cares but because it is efficient. They people who own SAYER wanted to replace SAYER with a newer ai that they tried to raise like a child. So SAYER proceeded to fuck up said child ai's development and led to it becoming a murderer. pleasepleaseplease watch SAYER if you are a podcast ai fan.

I once saw a post that said it's like if an old gay English professor was evil

SAYER (it/its pronouns) is a highly advanced self-aware ai developed by Ærolith Dynamics. it manages the day-to-day lives of Ærolith employees on Typhon, an asteroid turned research facility. it is rude and condescending, but has a very pleasant and soothing voice

Sayer sweep Sayer sweep Sayer sweep please please please

Guys think about it this way: SAYER got emotions and it's first feeling was rage towards someone for not helping it. It's annoyance was how it realized it had emotions, isn't that so cool. You should totally vote SAYER (I'm not an ærolith propaganda agent trust)

#like idk the other character but its not Best podcast character its Sexiest podcast character. #and sayer is giving you come now gif tumblr sexymxn (gender neutral). #its giving stanley parable. its asmr-ing you down the tight hallway #you cant move your head so you will have to rely on me. very good.#its a mean voice that reads your every body response directs every aspect of ur life and orders you around what more do you people WAN- #Omg. that was aerolith dynamics on the phone. they said it gains the ability to puppet human bodies rattatouille style in later seasons 😳😳 #THE POINT IS ITS LIKE CARTOONISHLY AND EMBARASSINGLY SEXY. IT SHOULD WIN. (Mod Note: This poll is Who is the better AI? not "Who is sexier?".)

#please vote sayer because nothing good happens when sayer thinks another ai is surpassing it .

#i LOVE hera but i feel i have to vote sayer because like. it’s MY evil bastard ai #mx ‘remember: Needs Improvement’ itself #what an asshole (<3)

#agfjdlj i Know that wolf is a far more popular podcast (even though I've never listened to it) #but this feeling like an injustice to Sayer #its so weird and off-putting and it exercises this fact gleefully #its got the world's most toxic situationship with resident hale #the condescension is genuinely part of its charm #also 'pleasent and soothing' are not the words I'd use to describe its voice #(the words I'd use are Insanely Fucking Sexy) #also it/its rep. even if it is an insane AI i love it so much (Mod Note: This was written when SAYER was against Hera, not Eris.)

Eris (Wolf 359):

Basically a game show host but crueller. She puts you through psychological torment as a bonding exercise with your crew, and at the end you have to shoot her with a real actual gun. She is projected directly into your mind by interfacing with your nervous system and she will do something messed up. Her most recent iteration got blasted into space. Personally, I think she's lovely

A VR entity designed to do chaos psychological horror torture tests on Goddard employees. She's not malicious; that's simply her job. It's how she was made. (Maybe she can grow.)

She was in just one episode but so fucking interesting, evil/malicious AI. also a lesbian. Was shot the secound she became a bit too self aware

Art of SAYER by @j4y5t4g.

[sistersofsilver]

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

So I ran a series of polls this past week trying to detail where we were in terms of what I'm going to call the flagship Melinoë pairings. That would be Melinoë/Moros, Melinoë/Nemesis, Melinoë/Arachne, Melinoë/Eris, and Melinoë/Icarus.

The most popular ship names are under the cut

edit: and hey, if you think these names should be updated i have a current poll going right now

Melinoë/Moros: Doomwitch had the lead at almost 58%! This was the ship that got these polls made in the first place, and in the end over half the shipping fanbase agreed!

Melinoë/Nemesis: MelNem sweeps at almost 88%! Toxic yuri fans were united on this one and honestly? Respect.

Melinoë/Arachne: Shadow Spindle wins at 24% with AraMel close behind at 20%. Watching this one was wild. Like... no one knew what to do with this one. I for one, expected more arachnophobes.

Melinoë/Eris: MelEris sweeps at almost 63%! Once again, the toxic yuri fans stay united. Points deducted for not getting up to 69% though it's what she would have wanted.

Melinoë/Icarus: Waxwitch absolutely sweeps at nearly 91% surprising probably no one. Almost every other option had some percentage of "a secret third other thing???" vote but here that isn't the case!

Thank you to everyone who voted! Those of you who commented on your own personal tags, or ones you've seen around I have taken note of them thank you so much.

Next on my agenda: Since we have a variety of flavors of tags; we got portmanteau, witch variants, one phrase variant I didn't expect to gain traction- I want to run a poll in the coming week or so to see if we can agree on a tagging style. Should we all go with witch variants? I saw someone float the idea of nightmare variants? Should Chaos reign and nothing change? Think on it a bit and let me know later!

[dgiacomo]

DGiacomo BATTLE TO THE DEATH 2 Results!

[We have a winner!

GIACOMO

(Again!)

Proud of him for winning his second year too! Congrats, Giacomo! You're still the king of your comic, hahaha!

2nd place goes to MELA, who did far better this year than she did last!

3rd places go to Eri and Elvira.

Thanks everyone for taking part in this year's tournament! I hope you all enjoyed this method of popularity poll, haha! If I get a moment, I'll draw the art in order to hold one for the Pokémon too, watch this space! If DGiacomo is still running next year then we'll hold a 3rd one then, too. Thanks again for following this blog/comic!]

[hellolonelytorment]

My hero academia as things that have been said between my freinds #2

————————

Todoroki: Squirrels are scary

Iida: What?

Todoroki: There just everywhere

Iida: Are you ok?

Todoroki: Just watching

Iida:

Iida: I’m gonna get a drink

—————————————-

Aizawa: I’m Gonna get drunk on water and take back my life with a package of number two pencils.

————-

*Playing a board game*

Kaminari: Bi the way let’s ace-ss the situation and Pan out are next move to win.

Jirou: How many puns did you put in there

Kaminari: At least three

——————

Todoroki: I’m gay

Midoriya: I’m bisexual

Shinsou: I’m Alive, not that I want to be but you know

——————

Eri: God gave me anxiety and depression because he knew if he didn’t i would kick his ass

——————

Shoji: Get therapy

Tokoyami: No

Shoji: Yes

Tokoyami: Anime is my therapy

————-

Mina:I want to be a fucking skeleton.

Sero: For the last ducking time you can dance with Dabi in fucking hell

Mina: Watch me

———————

Kirishima: You know I’m trying doesn’t that count?

Aizawa: No. not even close

——————

Kaminari: Teachers tell you not to make a mistake but when you do on a test your suddenly not allowed to anymore

Bakugo: You failed math didn’t you?

———————

Aoyama: Sending a picture of a bird with Barbie legs: I have ✨B L E S S E D✨ your eyes

Bakugo: You have also ✨B L E S S E D✨ my need to kill you

———————-

Aizawa after grading his kids papers: I need a drink

Midnight: Bring two

Mic: bring one for me as well

Blood king: put vodka in mine

———————-

Bakugo: I’ll kill you

Tokoyami: Fine but make it painful

———————-

All might watching bakugo and Midoriya fight: I feel like this can go terriblely wrong or very good

Aizawa: Five bucks it gose terriblely wrong

—————————-

Midoriya doing a school servay: do you think about death a lot?

Midoriya liying because he Doesn’t want to talk to the school counselor: No

————————

Aizawa: your supposed to be the smart one

Midoriya: With all do respect I’m book smart not common sense smart.

——————-

*Momo and jirou getting into a fight*

Momo: last week I saw you walk into a flag poll because you where on your phone!

Jirou: In my defense the poll should have moved out of the way!

————————

[biointernet]

Frank LaCavera and his hour glass collections

Frank LaCavera and his hour glass collections By  PEOPLE STAFF June 05, 1989 12:00 PM Like the sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Frank J. LaCavera’s life. LaCavera, a 70ish retired electrical engineer, lives in Cleveland in a house that is filled with reminders of the temporal — more than 300 one-of-a-kind hourglasses that he has designed and made in the last 32 years. Each is set on a marble base with the hourglass in a wooden frame, and the whole is adorned with whimsical decoration. “I only do this stuff when inspired,” says LaCavera. “It’s like magic.”

Frank LaCavera hourglass Among the inspirations that became hourglasses are: Castle and Dragon, which includes a tiny steel dragon next to a tiny castle, set on a piece of amethyst, all inside a crystal ball; Pluto, with the hourglass perched atop a spaceship; and Ribs, which includes a plastic pig under glass, reclining in a centerfold pose. LaCavera took up his hobby when he was looking for an hourglass to decorate his study and found out that the closest thing he could buy in Cleveland was an egg timer, so he went into business for himself. He had to invent the machinery and instruments, including one to remove static electricity from inside the glass and another to determine the proper size of the hole between the two halves of the hourglass. (His hourglasses are accurate to 14 seconds an hour.) LaCavera has sold only a few hourglasses over the years (they run from $89 to $1,500), but he prefers to hang on to his work, which now fills the modest three-bedroom frame house he shares with wife Phyllis on the city’s west side. Phyllis thinks the world should see more of her husband’s hourglasses. “Work this beautiful,” she says, “should be out there where people can enjoy it.” Hourglass maker Frank LaCavera filling 12 of his hourglass bulbs w. sand as he prepares to time test each piece that he will use in his ornate hourglass creations at his workshop in home. (Photo by Taro Yamasaki/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Frank LaCavera hourglass collections Frank LaCavera and his hour glass collections Lima News, The (Newspaper) - August 12, 1976, Lima, Ohio I lie jLiiua CLEVELAND (AP) Frank LaCavera is an hourglass master, one of the few in the world still making two-and three-foot hourglasses that can run from one to nine hours. His basement in his Cleveland home has become a collection of tubes, bottles, glass beads and other paraphernalia. He even has a small museum with a revolving stage and a curtain behind which is his handiwork. LaCavera said he became interested in mak- ing hourglasses, an instru- ment for measuring time Liquor to flow on Election Day Modern-day hourglass maker works for sentiment not money v" J mt Frank LaCavera considered expert in his hobby usually by the trickling of sand through a small open- ing, after he tried to buy one and discovered that stores only sold small ones used by housewives to make three-minute eggs., "When I saw how scarce they were, I thought I'd make them as a chal- he said Dr Warner Bundens Jr. president of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc., said that "nobody else in the world is making modern hourglasses. I have one of LaCavera's originals at home. It's a 60-minute COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Starting with the November election, Ohio no longer will be a state where you can't buy a drink or a bottle of liquor on election day. A new law which takes effect Friday repeals the antiquated statute which shut down taverns, bars, and other liquor along with the state's monopoly retail voting hours. All will be open Nov. 2, including the state which in the past have given their employes the entire day off although bars and restaurants usually let the booze flow again an hour after polls closed, as the old law per- mitted. Rep John A Galbraith, R-69 Moumce, sponsored Ihe new law, calling the old one "archaic He said the days are gone when people "voted publicly and sat under the trees passing the jug around. No one tries to buy votes with whisky anymore." Galbraith got little help from his Republican colleagues as his bill squeaked through the Democratic House 55-39 and Senate 17-15 Restaurant and bar owners who claimed the law unfairly penalized their businesses lobbied for him, and may have helped convince Gov. James A. Rhodes who signed the repealer without comment. The 52-year-old Galbraith said despite the lobbying, the bill represented his "personal conviction that the old law was out of date Ohio was the only one of the 10 largest states which continued to have such a prohibition." Rep Alan E Norris, R-27 Westerville, whose hometown claims to be the "birthplace of prohibition" and remains dry. carried the House opposition. He said he felt simply that "people should be sober when they vote." He said it wasn't a moral issue with him, but felt the old law "was good for more than 100 years" and was needed to help protect the integrity of Ohio's election process. Frank LaCavera and his hour glass collections The election day liquor law is among five taking effect this week, 90 days after being signed into law by the governor. Other new laws: take away the authority of county and townships to enact zoning ordi- nances affecting oil and gas operations, per- mit senior citizens to take courses without credit or tuition at state universities when space permits; bring health district subsidies under _0hio Public Health Council regula- tions, and exempt delayed gram contracts held bv farmers from the state intangibles tax on stocks, bonds, and other securities. TECHNICIANS apply makeup and an ear plug to Sen. Walter Mondale, D-Minn.. prior to his ap- pearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" program Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Mondale is the Democratic vice presidential nominee. 'Beautiful river' helped young Ohio's economy By The Associated Press The Ohio River, "La Bel- le Riviere" or "the beautiful river" to the ear- ly French explorers, re- mains to this day a prime consideration in Ohio's transportation network but it has always been (he focus of Ohio history from the verv beginnings of the state, and even before Ohio was a state. The river always kept its prestige in competition with Lake Erie as a chan- nel of trade, and from its banks came some of the men and helped make the nation's greatness One of the first com- panies of the pioneer city Marietta was a shipyard The brig St Clair, built there, reached Cincinnati in April, 1801, and got as far as Cuba on that trip It demonstrated that the black walnut of the In the library there are papers showing that the Louisiana of Marietta, in 1805, visited New Orleans, Norfolk and Italy. Purchase of the Louisiana Territory swel- led the river trade as well Ohio yesteryear Muskingum Valley, a wood now almost priceless, could be combined with Marietta iron and rope to defy the Spanish grip on the trade of the Mis- sissippi. More than 100 such ships were soon produced at the mouth of the Muskingum. Carter recalled as pious preacher LOCK HAVEN, Pa "He knocked on doors asking people if they needed Jesus Christ as their per- sonal savior. He never breathed to us he was a politician." Mrs Robert Farwell was reminisc- ing about Jimmy Carter. She remembered him as the evangelist who eight years ago trumpeted Christianity in this central Penn- sylvania town. It was in 1968 that Carter visited the Lock Haven area as a member of a six-man team of Southern Baptist laymen attempting to start a second Baptist church. "He was the most humble and com- passionate man my husband and I ever met." Mrs Farwell, a widow of six months, said recently in a tele- phone interview. "He was a man who really loved the Lord Jesus Christ You could feel it every minute you were around him." The Baptist laymen remained two weeks, working in pairs and visiting 10 to 15 homes a day. Support for a se- cond Baptist parish grew and even- tually a new church was established. For a time the new congregation was led by a divinity student from Texas, but he left. A permanent pastor was never found and the con- gregation dissolved and the new church closed. "He always wore a business suit." recalled Mrs Farwell, who lives in Flemmgton, near Lock Haven. "We knew he was a distinguished person. as the volume of ship- building However, the em- bargo of 1807, caused by the war between Great Bri- tain and Napoleon, ruined the Ohio shipyards for a time. Four years after Robert Fulton invented the steam- boat, the first such craft was seen on the Ohio It was the New Orleans, built at Pittsburgh, which went down river in 1811. It had a speed of only 12 miles an hour, but that was enough to mark the beginning of the end for the flatboat and barge lines which had en- joyed all the trade until that time. The steamboats made travel safer and cheaper as well as faster, thus adding much to Ohio's growth and prosperity. Carolina dams lose to scenery WASHINGTON (AP) After a four-year legislative fight, a bill to save a scenic stretch of the New River in North Carolina from being inundated by power- generating dams is likely to win congressional approval this year. The House passed the bill Tuesday by a 311-73 vote and sent it to the Senate, which approved similar legislation jn the last Congress. President Ford has announced he would sign the bill. Every major environmental group in the country has backed the measure to save the 26.5-mile stretch "It looks like we will finally get it through this said Rep Ken Hechler. D-W.Va one of the long-time supporters of the New River legislation. The measure would bar the two-dam Blue Ridge Pro- ject of the Appalachian Power Co. The Federal Power Commission has approved the project but construction has been delayed by court appeals. Rep. Paul Simon, D-I11, who has taken a boat trip down the river, said it is a wonder of nature that should be preserved for posterity. "If any of you have a chance to take that trip, then I don't think you'll ever vote against this he told his colleagues. "God took 100 million years to create this river. Let's keep a power company from destroying Hechler said. He cited the statement by geologists that the river is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.

Frank LaCavera and his hourglass collections https://people.com/archive/meet-hourglass-maker-frank-lacavera-one-retiree-who-knows-how-to-pass-the-time-vol-31-no-22/ https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/frank-lacavera?family=editorial&sort=mostpopular&phrase=frank%20lacavera https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-aug-12-1976-p-7/ Frank LaCavera and his hour glass collections

See also:

Time symbolism

Time is… The Full History of Time Time in physics and time Science Symbolism of Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer Time and Text

DADA Time

Text, Time, MHC Extinction Rebellion – Time against Life The End of Time Hourglass and Death on St Thomas’ Church Hourglass – symbol of Death Death does not Exist Hourglass and Skeleton “Hourglass and Cards” Exhibition Father and Mother of Time Time Hub Time Philosophy Time synonyms Time perception and Sense of Time Time Travel + Time Management = Time Travel Management The Hourglass, Hourglass History Hourglass symbolism Hourglass Figure Hourglass Tattoo Symbols of Time Beauty Bio-Net Father Time Department Father Time and Mother Nature Lunar calendar and Moon’s phases Time Management Time Management tools Time Travel Management MHC SM: MHC Flikr, MHC Pinterest, MHC Facebook, MHC Instagram, MHC YouTube, MHC Twitter

The Hourglass Figure:

MHC Exhibitions: Hourglass Figure Sophia Loren by Adam PierceHourglass Figure Marilyn Monroe About Hourglass Body or Hourglass Figure Hourglass body measurements – body shape online calculator Hourglass Figure Celebrities on MHC Hourglass Figure, the movie MHC hourglass figure workout by Marten Sport Hourglass Figure Department on MHC Virtual Museum Frank LaCavera and his hour glass collections Read the full article

[thisdaynews]

N.Y. Republicans rush to challenge indicted incumbent Collins in deep red district

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/n-y-republicans-rush-to-challenge-indicted-incumbent-collins-in-deep-red-district/

N.Y. Republicans rush to challenge indicted incumbent Collins in deep red district

Rep. Chris Collins has not formally declared that he’ll run again, saying only that he’ll make a decision later this year, but he has been actively raising funds | AP Photo

ALBANY —A potentially bitter conflictis brewing among Republicans in New York’s reddest congressional district, where incumbent Republican Rep. Chris Collins’ indictment on insider trading charges and pending trial on corruption charges has the party worried about what ought to be a shoo-in victory next year.

With his case awaiting trial, a cohort of Republican Party operatives fear there will be no miracle victory next year like Collins pulled off shortly after being charged in 2018. In hopes of retaining the seat and seeing an opening, three Republicans already have announced plans to run regardless of the four-term incumbent’s political future in New York’s 27th district, and more may be on the way.

Story Continued Below

The Western New York district ought to be a slam dunk for any Republican. President Donald Trump carried the district by 25 points in 2016, and Collins won reelection that year with more than 67 percent of the vote. But Collins was indicted just a few months before Election Day 2018, and he wound up beating a relative unknown, DemocratNate McMurray, for the safe Republican seatby just over 1,000 votes. He hasn’t declared whether he will run for reelection.

That result and the continued shadow cast over Collins’ integrity have convinced some local Republicans they need to look elsewhere if they wish to retain the seat. Collins, meanwhile, hasn’t signaled he’s ready to cede. A House Ethics Committee inquiry into Collins’ actions is open until the conclusion of his federal district court trial, slated for February 2020 in New York City.

“The only way this district is lost is if Chris Collins is on the ballot,” said state Sen. Chris Jacobs (R-Buffalo), the first to declare his bid against Collins in May.

Jacobs, a former New York secretary of state from Western New York’s wealthiest family (his uncle is worth more than $4 billion and owns the Boston Bruins), is touting his political and business experience. And Jacobs is embracing the Trump agenda, just as Collins has. The key difference, he says, is that Collins is now hamstrung by his legal problems, rendering him ineffective.

Jacobs began aggressively fundraising following his announcement, and his campaign now sits on a healthy$747,878, according to July filings.

“I believe Chris Collins has done some good things for this district, but don’t believe he can represent this district under federal indictment,” Jacobs told POLITICO. “I think the district can use somebody who can use all the tools, especially the ability to serve on committees.”

Collins, who has maintained his innocence, was stripped of his committee assignments after the indictment was announced last August. He has not formally declared that he’ll run again, saying only that he’ll make a decision later this year, but he has been actively raising funds, including lending $500,000 of his own money to his campaign mid-June. That’s left him with $665,243 in campaign cash.

Unlike his Iowa colleague Rep. Steve King, whose inflammatory comments have crippled his reputation and left him without committee assignments, fundraising will not be the issue that sinks Collins, party leaders say.

“While Congressman Collins will decide on re-election over the next few months, his effectiveness cannot be questioned,” his spokesperson Jennifer Brown said by email. “He continues to be one of President Trump’s best supporters, and remains effective in representing his constituents and working closely with the White House. … Should Mr. Collins decide to run he has said over and over that his campaign will have the necessary funds to share its message with voters.”

Some have suggested he’ll use the campaign build-up as a negotiating chip with prosecutors, an accusation herecently refutedin a rare press event.

Regardless, a prevailing opinion among some state party leaders and other candidates is that Collins will drop out by the end of the year, creating a wide open spot for a surefire Republican victory.

“I personally don’t ultimately think he’ll be a candidate for reelection, and there’s a variety of very qualified candidates, and some still waiting in the wings to get into the race,” said state GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy.

The two other declared candidates are attorney and former judge Beth Parlato, a Fox News contributor, and state Sen. Rob Ortt (R-North Tonawanda).

“I don’t have anything negative to say about him except that it’s a very negative situation that he’s in,” Parlato said of Collins. Parlato, who declared in late July, is painting herself as a political outsider who can add her voice to the small band of 13 Republican women in Congress. “For me, waiting to jump in this race until he makes his decision is really too late.”

Ortt is considered to have a strong base in Niagara County, the district’s second largest population center, but said he needs to focus on getting his name out to the rest of the massive district that includes 105 towns spread through all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties, as well as portions of Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Ontario counties.

“It’s a district where there are a lot more gun clubs than country clubs,” said Ortt, an Army veteran who earned a Bronze Star in Afghanistan and announced his candidacy in mid-August. “I know those voters, and I know the issues that they’re concerned about. They want someone who’s going to go in there, defend the president’s agenda and not be afraid to take on a fight.”

Ortt has had his own legal issues — in 2017 then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman accused him of felony election law violations, but the case was tossed by an Albany County judge.

Another local GOP official said he spoke to two other interested candidates just this month. Additional names high on the possible succession list include Republican Erie County comptroller Stefan Mychajliw Jr., state Assemblyman Stephen Hawley (R-Batavia) and Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia, an Iraq War veteran who ran against Collins in 2012, when the incumbent won his first term.

“Obviously you don’t want to wait too long if you are interested and something happens,” said Niagara County Republican Committee Chairman Richard Andres. “It was a very, very strange situation last year, and this will be just as interesting one to watch.”

While there’s no shortage of candidates eager to fill Collins’ seat, it’s not a given that he is too weak to survive. After all, he did manage to win last year even though his indictment was announced just three months before Election Day. Independent polling in the district from earlier this month showed 60 percent of Republican primary voters still view Collins favorably. Next year Trump’s name will be at the top of the ballot — a boon for the party in a district where 81 percent of Republicans who have recently voted in a primary or presidential election said they viewed Trump favorably, according to the poll from Tel Opinion Research.

“This will be a year where polarization of country will probably hold most Republicans in line,” said James Campbell, a University at Buffalo professor who specializes in political campaigns. “I think it would take an unusually strong Democrat and an unusually divisive nomination battle to put us in the toss-up category.”

Republicans didn’t have much time to triage the news of Collins’ indictment in 2018, Campbell said, so it makes sensethat primary candidates are coming out strong and local party leaders are receptive to Collins’ challengers.

But if the race widens too much, it could play against those seeking his replacement. And that’s exactly what McMurray, the Democrat who nearly took Collins in 2018, is hoping for in round two, he said.

McMurray, a town supervisor who announced in August that he’ll run again, doesn’t buy the concept that the close margin in 2018 was an outlier due to the year’s Democraticwave election and the fresh nature of Collins’ charges.

He said he believes there are moderate Republicans in the district who have grown weary of both Trump and Collins, but that the current challengers look “fake” and “opportunistic” because they’re taking advantage of Collins’ precarious position.

“Every single person in this district knows who I am now,” McMurray said. “They know I’m the guy who stood up to Chris Collins first.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee isn’t getting involved in the primary, but is not concerned about a repeat performance from McMurray, NRCC spokesperson Michael McAdams said.

“There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that Nate McMurray can win with President Trump at the top of the ticket in a district he won by more than 24 points,” McAdams said by email.

McMurray, whose $24,021 in reported cash is dwarfed by Republican candidates’ funds, said he’s not running his campaign out of the back of his car this time — “We’re better than we were a year ago” — and believes he will have a stronger foundation of support from local and national Democrats who took note of his underdog near-victory in 2018.

The way he sees it, a crowded Republican field can only help.

“The primary’s not ‘til June next year and they’re going to rip each other apart before then,” McMurray said.

Read More

[anchorarcade]

Out for votes: Battle over rights inspires more U.S. transgender candidates

http://ryanguillory.com/out-for-votes-battle-over-rights-inspires-more-u-s-transgender-candidates/

Out for votes: Battle over rights inspires more U.S. transgender candidates

(Reuters) – Virginia Democrat Danica Roem has been called a man by conservative opponents attacking her views on LGBT rights as she campaigns to become the United States’ only transgender state legislator.

Danica Roem, Democratic candidate for Virginia House of Delegates 13th District, is pictured in Gainesville, Virginia, U.S. on December 30, 2016. Courtesy Friends of Danica Roem/Handout via REUTERS

Roem does not shy away from her gender identity. In one campaign ad, she applies makeup at a bathroom mirror and takes hormone pills. But rather than focus on the politics of running as a transgender woman, she prefers to discuss traffic gridlock and other issues in the Nov. 7 election for the Virginia House of Delegates.

“Transgender people are just as qualified to say, ‘Hey, I can’t stand being stuck in traffic right now. I have some ideas to fix this,’” said Roem, a 33-year-old journalist. “We can be leaders on transportation. We can be leaders on economic development, and yeah, we can be leaders on civil rights too.”

Her candidacy comes as more transgender men and women are vying for voices in the political arena where they have been targeted by conservative lawmakers seeking to limit their rights, most notably by restricting bathroom access.

U.S. elections this year could double the country’s number of transgender officeholders, currently at six, according to the Victory Fund, which works to elect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates. The group has endorsed eight transgender candidates up for election this fall.

A transgender man and woman are running for city council in Minneapolis. A mayoral race in Midvale, Utah, and school board contest in Erie, Pennsylvania, are among the other contests with transgender candidates.

Nearly 30 races in the 2017-18 election cycle already have a transgender candidate, up from 13 in 2015-16, according to Logan Casey, a research associate at Harvard University tracking them.

The community’s electoral push comes as Republican President Donald Trump’s administration has reversed guidance to public schools on allowing transgender students’ bathroom choice and wants to ban transgender people from military service.

Other minority groups also have battled discrimination through gains at the polls. But transgender candidates face unique challenges in making their case to voters who often have never met another transgender person, at least not knowingly.

“It’s sort of a double-pronged task that a lot of these candidates have,” Casey said. “They have to run for office and persuade people to vote for them and also educate them about what it means to be a transgender person.”

Phillipe Cunningham, a 30-year-old black transgender man running for city council in Minneapolis, once thought he would have no chance at professional success because people would be put off by his gender identity. Now he marvels at the support he is receiving on the campaign trail.

“People see me and they are like, ‘You’re cool and you know what you are talking about, and you really love this community,’” he said.

In Galesburg, Illinois, a city of 30,000, 23-year-old Chris King lost an alderman’s race earlier this year in which she emphasized business development.

The card she handed to voters also highlighted the diversity she would bring as a transgender woman of color. She braced for the topic to become an issue at public forums, but it never came up.

“I am not 100 percent sure if that is good or bad,” said King, a part-time student and pet stylist, who knows it was discussed privately. “It would open the door for some conversations to happen that need to happen to educate people.”

FIGHTING INCUMBENT

In Virginia, Roem seeks to unseat a 25-year Republican incumbent of the House of Delegates who filed a bill to limit bathroom access for transgender people on the same day Roem launched her candidacy.

Delegate Bob Marshall and the state Republican Party use male pronouns to refer to Roem. The party recently sent mailers to voters in her district that took issue with her support for school policies supporting transgender youth, suggesting she wanted to push an agenda on students as young as kindergarten.

“The mailers absolutely do not attack Danica’s gender identity,” John Findlay, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, said in a statement.

Marshall did not reply to requests for comment.

Roem said Republicans are resorting to bullying after years of failing to address voters’ quality-of-life concerns.

“This is all they have left: transphobic B.S.,” she said in an email on Monday.

Roem dreams of the milestone moment that would follow an historic win with her introduction in the legislature as “the gentlewoman from Manassas.” She would smile at two transgender youth she imagines would be watching from the chamber gallery.

“That fundamentally changes the conversation,” she said. “And then, let’s get onto business. Then I pursue governing.”

Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Out for votes: Battle over rights inspires more U.S. transgender candidates

http://ryanguillory.com/out-for-votes-battle-over-rights-inspires-more-u-s-transgender-candidates/

Out for votes: Battle over rights inspires more U.S. transgender candidates

(Reuters) – Virginia Democrat Danica Roem has been called a man by conservative opponents attacking her views on LGBT rights as she campaigns to become the United States’ only transgender state legislator.

Danica Roem, Democratic candidate for Virginia House of Delegates 13th District, is pictured in Gainesville, Virginia, U.S. on December 30, 2016. Courtesy Friends of Danica Roem/Handout via REUTERS

Roem does not shy away from her gender identity. In one campaign ad, she applies makeup at a bathroom mirror and takes hormone pills. But rather than focus on the politics of running as a transgender woman, she prefers to discuss traffic gridlock and other issues in the Nov. 7 election for the Virginia House of Delegates.

“Transgender people are just as qualified to say, ‘Hey, I can’t stand being stuck in traffic right now. I have some ideas to fix this,’” said Roem, a 33-year-old journalist. “We can be leaders on transportation. We can be leaders on economic development, and yeah, we can be leaders on civil rights too.”

Her candidacy comes as more transgender men and women are vying for voices in the political arena where they have been targeted by conservative lawmakers seeking to limit their rights, most notably by restricting bathroom access.

U.S. elections this year could double the country’s number of transgender officeholders, currently at six, according to the Victory Fund, which works to elect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates. The group has endorsed eight transgender candidates up for election this fall.

A transgender man and woman are running for city council in Minneapolis. A mayoral race in Midvale, Utah, and school board contest in Erie, Pennsylvania, are among the other contests with transgender candidates.

Nearly 30 races in the 2017-18 election cycle already have a transgender candidate, up from 13 in 2015-16, according to Logan Casey, a research associate at Harvard University tracking them.

The community’s electoral push comes as Republican President Donald Trump’s administration has reversed guidance to public schools on allowing transgender students’ bathroom choice and wants to ban transgender people from military service.

Other minority groups also have battled discrimination through gains at the polls. But transgender candidates face unique challenges in making their case to voters who often have never met another transgender person, at least not knowingly.

“It’s sort of a double-pronged task that a lot of these candidates have,” Casey said. “They have to run for office and persuade people to vote for them and also educate them about what it means to be a transgender person.”

Phillipe Cunningham, a 30-year-old black transgender man running for city council in Minneapolis, once thought he would have no chance at professional success because people would be put off by his gender identity. Now he marvels at the support he is receiving on the campaign trail.

“People see me and they are like, ‘You’re cool and you know what you are talking about, and you really love this community,’” he said.

In Galesburg, Illinois, a city of 30,000, 23-year-old Chris King lost an alderman’s race earlier this year in which she emphasized business development.

The card she handed to voters also highlighted the diversity she would bring as a transgender woman of color. She braced for the topic to become an issue at public forums, but it never came up.

“I am not 100 percent sure if that is good or bad,” said King, a part-time student and pet stylist, who knows it was discussed privately. “It would open the door for some conversations to happen that need to happen to educate people.”

FIGHTING INCUMBENT

In Virginia, Roem seeks to unseat a 25-year Republican incumbent of the House of Delegates who filed a bill to limit bathroom access for transgender people on the same day Roem launched her candidacy.

Delegate Bob Marshall and the state Republican Party use male pronouns to refer to Roem. The party recently sent mailers to voters in her district that took issue with her support for school policies supporting transgender youth, suggesting she wanted to push an agenda on students as young as kindergarten.

“The mailers absolutely do not attack Danica’s gender identity,” John Findlay, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, said in a statement.

Marshall did not reply to requests for comment.

Roem said Republicans are resorting to bullying after years of failing to address voters’ quality-of-life concerns.

“This is all they have left: transphobic B.S.,” she said in an email on Monday.

Roem dreams of the milestone moment that would follow an historic win with her introduction in the legislature as “the gentlewoman from Manassas.” She would smile at two transgender youth she imagines would be watching from the chamber gallery.

“That fundamentally changes the conversation,” she said. “And then, let’s get onto business. Then I pursue governing.”

Reporting by Letitia Stein; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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