WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022
The way our press corps reasons: For ourselves, we know of no major reason to eliminate voting by drop box.
In the now-famous 2020 election, we voted by drop box ourselves! There may be a slight administrative cost involved in supplying and maintaining drop boxes. But barring some other substantial objection, we'd favor extending the practice.
Then again, there's this:
If a person can deliver his ballot by way of a mail box, we don't exactly know why you absolutely have to have a drop box in the neighborhood too. We cite this point because of what we saw Michael Bennet (D-Colorado) say during today's Senate "debate."
We didn't see Bennet's entire address, but we didn't much like what we saw. He was boasting about the fact that they have a lot of drop boxes in Denver. Also, he was saying—rather plainly, and perhaps a bit sneeringly—that Houston should have a lot of drop boxes too.
Quite often, that's the way we liberals talk. We're very, very, very sure that we're the good and bright and decent people, and that you pretty much aren't.
In fact, we aren't nearly as bright as we think. Our tribe has been proving that for decades. We prove it in our public "discussions" every single day of the week, but only The Others can see this.
At any rate, we didn't much like what we saw Bennet say. To our ear, it was snooty and dumb. (For a much better tone, see Jon Tester.)
That said, don't make us go on to "the way our press corps reasons." It was going to take us back to such unexplained questions as this:
Two years along in the endless pandemic, what the heck is "a fitted mask?"
Restating our original point: Personally, we would favor the use of drop boxes. Did your lizard allow you to see that?
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you read about the ways your liberal party talks -- and, more importantly, acts! -- here, dear Bob.
Joe Biden's Awesome First Year
The word "dumb" doesn't even come close to describing it... It would be an insult to the dumb...
...oh, and by the way, dear Bob, what about those nuclear codes? Nuclear codes in the hands of someone with a significantly reduced mental capacity -- remember? We're extremely concerned about the nuclear codes, dear Bob...
I donated to a local voting rights/racial justice group and I think what I'm supposed to say is "aww how nice of me to think of the mistreated people." But really, if I want to see someone elected and they're 500 ballots short because of voter suppression against others, that's affecting me too. I can get on board this issue for completely selfish reasons. It only makes sense to oppose this if you can't ever imagine voting in agreement with another person.
ReplyDeleteWe must indeed all hang together.
Every Republican Senator who isn't a bigot will vote for the Voting Rights Act.
DeleteI guarantee it.
Somerby didn't like Bennett's tone. He didn't specify what was said sneeringly (perhaps, he says). Then Somerby claims that this is why people don't like liberals.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to discuss "tone" without having the video in front of us, but can it be that the sneering was due to a disbelief that Republican voting restrictions have anything to do with problems with dropboxes.
Somerby assumes that when someone uses a sneering tone, it means they think they are better than others, smarter. But there are other reasons to sneer at people, especially when those people are engaged in depriving minorities of the right to vote.
For all we know, Bennett was sneering at the poverty of the excuses that conservatives have been using to deprive legitimate citizens of their right to vote on specious grounds of election fraud (given that there is no evidence such fraud occurs, or can occur, using drop boxes for example).
I think Somerby may be representing Bennett's sneer. The idea that Bennett thinks he is superior for having more drop boxes in Denver sounds ridiculous, an invention of Somerby, but the idea that liberals are mocking Republican concerns about voting methods because these are actually just ways to discourage minorities from voting, seems a great deal more likely to me.
Bennett supposedly sneered at Houston (for having fewer drop boxes) and Somerby thinks that is important enough to write an essay about. In fact, Somerby claims that the sneering is why Republicans don't like liberals. I think Republicans don't like liberals because we call them on their racism. No one on this good earth can possibly think that the voting rights bill is about the efficacy of drop boxes and not efforts to suppress minority voting because they skew Democratic.
I think Somerby is sneering at his readers when he writes fatuous stuff like this and expects us to take it seriously. As a resident of Denver, I especially resent it when these Southerners (like Somerby) look down on us because they can't tell a sneer from our honest contempt for those who would suppress the voting rights of citizens in a poorly disguised power grab.
misrepresenting Bennett's sneer...
DeleteIf Bob was writing from experience, he'd think every liberal talks like this:
ReplyDelete"Fuck you and you're Right-wing nonsense memes."
Except liberals can mostly spell, so it would be "your Right-wing nonsense memes".
DeleteYou perhaps think I am sneering at you by correcting your spelling, but believe me that I am doing it with love and wish only the best for you.
I don't think Michael Bennet was doing any sneering. He is a very placid, low key guy. I think the sneering part was in Somerby's imagination.
ReplyDeleteDemocrats are losing significant ground with all minority groups.
ReplyDeleteSo how is expanding drop boxes going to change that? Why did Texas essentially ban them? Drop boxes help everyone vote, but just Democrats.
Delete“Not” just Democrats.
DeleteEspecially you, I assume.
DeleteThey are losing significant ground with all minority groups right now.
DeleteI don’t need them. I live in a medium sized small city with plenty of ways to vote.
DeleteIf you live in a large city, it is a help to have drop boxes.
Or if you live in the boondocks. Drop box would help so that you don’t have to drive mikes to a polling place.
“Miles”
Delete4:34-so why are Republicans banning or limiting drop boxes?
DeleteJust drive to Mike's polling place in the boondocks for your drop box.
DeleteSignificant ground with all minority groups right now.
DeleteFuck off.
DeleteBut they gain significant ground with the dead voters.
DeleteSo, all is well.
More and more blacks are realizing MSNBC's identity politics is contrived to take attention away from class divides.
Delete70% of blacks believe that racism is what makes it harder for them to get ahead than it is whites.
Deletehttps://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2016/06/27/on-views-of-race-and-inequality-blacks-and-whites-are-worlds-apart/
The percentage of Democrats who say there is too much focus on race is the same as the percentage of black people who say that, around 21-22%. Blacks are twice as likely as whites to say their problems arise from institutional racism, as opposed to individual racism.
When you say blacks are turning away from identity politics, it isn't because they consider identity unimportant but because they preferred to support someone who could win against Trump in 2020, instead of someone who was also black, such as Cory Booker.
In 2020, Trump made a variety of false promises to black voters and managed to increase his share of the black vote from 8% to 12%. As Vox points out, most of what he said during his campaign was lies:
https://www.vox.com/2020/11/4/21537966/trump-black-voters-exit-polls
You can interpret the success of the financial promises made to black male voters by Trump as a greater interest in "class" but it doesn't outweigh racism as the main cause of black problems in most black voters' minds.
There have always been and will continue to be black Republicans. They do not reflect the main trends among black voters. Democratic party appeals are to address black problems, not racism or classism specifically. Democrats have a focus on issues, not identity politics, as you seem to be claiming when you refer to MSNBC, which is not a Democratic organization nor any part of any Democratic campaign.
But it is a conservative meme that blacks are turning away from identity politics and concerned about class divides, which is why they are voting for Trump -- because he promises them financial prosperity. Like most of what conservatives push as propaganda, it is full of half-truths and lies.
The Democrats are set for some heavy, heavy, heavy losses at the voting booth.
DeleteThe trolls have acknowledged that the limiting or banning of drop boxes is racially motivated.
Delete8:03,
DeleteAnd they'll deserve it because they want to give the people too much, which is socialism. Also, they'll deserve it because they're in the bag for corporations, and won't do enough for the citizens who need it (i.e they are way too capitalist).
DeleteNo worries, dears. Let us be optimistic: dead voters will ballot-stuff the drop boxes, and it'll make democracy blossom!
5:08,
DeleteKeeping in mind that helping the lower classes will involve helping minorities, about what percentage of the 75 million Republican voters do you think will switch to voting for Democrats, if Democratic programs help the lower classes?
We notice, Bob, that you favor drop boxes.
ReplyDeleteWe also notice that you fail to provide any context for Bennett’s remarks and accuse him of “sneering”, the way you accuse liberals of routinely doing.
Bennett was speaking in the context of the current senate debate about the Voting Rights Bill.
Here is the present situation in Texas, for those who don’t get their news solely from TDH:
“S.B. 1 also makes it harder for voters to return their mail ballots, requiring that they be delivered in person and physically received by an election official. This effectively bans the use of mail ballot drop boxes, which many voters relied on in 2020. “
“How the Freedom to Vote Act Can Blunt the Worst of Texas’s Voter Suppression Law”
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-freedom-vote-act-can-blunt-worst-texass-voter-suppression-law
The bill would rectify this.
Beating a dead horse.
ReplyDeleteSo, if we only talked differently, we would get thoe ignorant Trump supporters on our side.
ReplyDelete