THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
Let's take one more look at the record: Love hurts—or at least, that's what songwriter Boudleaux Bryant alleged in his hit song of that name.
First, the Everly Brothers recorded it. Years later, along came Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. As a result, people have believed Bryant's irresponsible claim for a great many years.
That said, if love can occasionally hurt, Storyline can destroy. This year, pundits are tending to adopt the claim that Candidate Trump won in a rout—that this year's presidential election "wasn't even close."
They're doing so, even today, as the winning candidate's nationwide victory margin is about to dip below two points—as his share of the nationwide popular vote threatens to drop below 50 percent.
Just so you'll know:
In the three Blue Wall states, it was even closer! If Candidate Harris had won these three states, she'd be on her way to four years as a pinata locked inside the White House.
Statewide vote, Pennsylvania, 2024
Candidate Trump: 3,526,621 (50.4%)
Candidate Harris: 3,396,037 (48.6%)
Statewide vote, Michigan, 2024
Candidate Trump: 2,812,957 (49.7%)
Candidate Harris: 2,733,389 (48.3%)
Statewide vote, Wisconsin, 2024
Candidate Trump: 1,697,769 (49.6%)
Candidate Harris: 1,668,082 (48.8%)
It isn't that Trump didn't win those states, because of course he did. Also, he did win the nationwide popular vote—almost surely, by less than two points.
That said, it seems to us that those state elections were close—that those margins were rather narrow. Trump won Wisconsin by less than one point. Can we at least say Wisconsin was close?)
We're puzzled by the widespread suggestions that Candidate Trump won in some sort of a rout. And by the way, Candidate Trump had been running for years. Candidate Harris didn't even know she was running until late July of this year.
Many pundits are finding ways to treat this outcome as something it pretty much wasn't. In fairness, many pundits only feel happy and safe when they're part of a group recitation, preferably one that is wrong.
We don't know why we the people are inclined to behave in such ways. But we think you should make the occasional attempt to shove Storyline down the stairs.
This may not matter anymore. As a rough beast slouches toward the deep state, it may be too late for that.
But did the candidate win in a rout? We humans seem to be wired to make strange claims, and it's also become a big business.
Hear hear, tell it like it is brother Somerby.
ReplyDelete"We're puzzled by the widespread suggestions that Candidate Trump won in some sort of a rout."
ReplyDeleteAssuming that you're smart enough to know this already, the reason why the word "rout" is used is because Trump won all of the swing states to give him an overwhelming victory in the Electoral College, which is the metric by which we elect a president in this country. Doesn't matter if Trump wins a state by one vote or a million.
Any puzzlement on your part must be for the rubes who post here instead of Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. lol
He's not smart enough. He's a typical Democrat nutcase.
DeleteIf people in Missouri want abortion rights constitutionally protected, who cares what fascists (i.e. Republicans) want?
DeleteBob offers an excuse that Harris had less time to campaign than Trump. However, she was extremely popular when first nominated. As time went by, she lost ground to Trump. Having more time might have caused her to do worse.
ReplyDeleteThen again, it might not have.
DeleteTrump has been campaigning since 2015, even while in office. You can’t grift if you aren’t a declared candidate.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn’t matter how close it was if Harris lost.
ReplyDeleteTerrible decision by Trump. It’s reported that RFK Jr will head HHS
ReplyDeletemake polio great again
DeleteCareful. You don't want to get audited.
DeleteI for one applaud the commitment RFK Jr. has shown for the preservation of the purity of our nation's precious bodily fluids.
DeleteRFK Jr joined Trump with the understanding that he would have a significant place at the table. What did you expect, when you voted for them? You will share in the blame for the public health outcomes that accrue from this joke, if the nomination goes through. As will you the economic effects of his tax and tariff policies on the economy and national debt. Get used to owning it.
DeleteIn addition to fluoridating water, there are studies underway to fluoridate ice cream. Children's ice cream.
DeleteGuaranteed DiC will be defending the convicted felon's idiotic RFKJR pick in 3-2-1...
DeleteThe crying from white people when Trump leaves the borders open, like he did the last time he was President, makes the election worth it.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of bigots.
The assholes on the Right, who think the Left will abandon trans rights protections, just to win elections are clueless fuckheads.
ReplyDeleteThe left says "follow the science" when the issue is global warming. However, there is no scientific support for the belief that we each have a gender that may be different from our physical sex, and that we can somehow know our gender based on how we feel.
DeleteThere are people who go to great lengths to transition. It’s not a trivial decision for them. And they do feel that they are the wrong sex. That’s the evidence. And they are subjected to the full wrath of powerful conservative forces. So fuck conservatives and fuck Donald Trump.
Delete@12:11 I don't mean to refer to people who transition. I was thinking about men who don't transition, but demand to be treated like women anyway, like Lia Thomas. Men who demand to be called "she". To compete in female athletic events. To be admitted to women's colleges. To be placed with women in prison.
DeleteBTW it's one thing for an adult to transition. But, I don't approve of children transitioning. They're too young to make such a huge decision.
I also disapprove of the government paying for service men and women to transition. The point of the military is to be able to win wars. Spending a great deal of money for someone to transition may or may not be good for the individual, but it doesn't make our military more effective.
"They're too young to make such a huge decision."
DeleteThat's why you have to be 18 years old to vote. If younger, they might vote for a Republican.
Hey grandpa, why don't you read up on subjects that you feel confident pontificating about? There may not be overwhelming science to support an anatomic basis for transgender status, but there is some, which you and anyone else can look up. You've got Kristi Noem if you don't believe in climate science and RFK Jr if your preference is to reject the science of immunization in favor of some conspiracy theory about autism that has been thoroughly debunked. Or you can have both, and include another North Dakotan to preside over the Dept of the Interior with the drill baby drill directive, not apparently aware that we already export oil and are producing more of it than any country in the history of this world. These are the people you in essence voted for, in the service of an old man who makes up fictional narratives and assigns yahoos to manage them. You are a member officially of the Luddite party and have dragged us, along with your knuckles, on this four year roller coaster ride to be presided over by what will likely be the most unprepared cabinet in the history of the United States. A Fox talking head running the military? Why not? Makes perfect sense.
Delete1:27,
DeleteThat might mean something to Republican voters, if they didn't love Trump's bigotry. Alas, ...
"The point of the military is to be able to win wars.'
DeleteWe should at least give the "losers and suckers" healthcare for putting their lives on the line to protect the assets and profits of global corporations.
Tricare.
Delete@1:59 We should certainly give soldiers health care for service related injuries. But should we give healthcare to soldiers who enlist with expensive pre- existing conditions? Suppose I want to enlist needing a $5 million heart replacement? Should the military spend $5 million replacing my heart or should they simply not accept me?
DeleteSimilarly I think someone who needs expensive sex change surgery should not be accepted in the military.
Ho-hum. More cries for an additional bureaucratic government layer to make those kinds of decisions, from the party of "smaller government".
Delete11:19 What kind of idiot thinks that the military accepts heart transplant patients into its ranks?
DeleteDuuuude! We all need to take a hit on the peace pipe and just chill........... ahhhhhhhh ... Our purpose here in this life is to find a way to get along. Namaste
ReplyDeleteLike last time, that's what Trump's open borders is about.
DeleteRepublicans electing a President who stole money from a children's cancer fund is totally on-brand.
ReplyDelete