Politics (Comparing Presidential Approval)

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 06/16/2020 at 16:55 • Filed to: None

1

81

Buffer image! =)

Came across this over at FiveThirtyEight. Compares approval ratings of past presidents in their first 4 years with our current president. Both W and Obama were below 50% at this point, but not as low as Trump, and managed to get a little upswing before November and got re-elected*. HW and Carter both had lower approval ratings than Trump at this point, and were one-termers. Clearly, DJT’s approval has been historically low compared with all except Ford on this graphic, but all indications point to the fact that he has a very loyal base that will not budge in their support, regardless of what he does or says.

Headlines are already starting to basically predict him losing. I’d be surprised if he won a second term, but clearly, everyone thought Hillary was going to win by a landslide in ‘16, too, so all it matters is who actually shows up to vote, and where (who knows what the virus situation will be like then, and how easy/hard each respective state will make mail-in voting).

Here’s what 270ToWin’s map looks like right now:

Feel free to vent about the Electoral College, but it’s not going anywhere any time soon, so I wouldn’t waste your breathe.

One thing that will be interesting this time around is whether we’ll know the winner the night of the election or not. Odds are many, many more will be mailing in ballots this election, so it could be days (weeks?) before we know the full counts in some places.

And can you imagine what the debates are going to be like? Hooo, boy...

What does Biden have to do to screw this up? Will #MeToo come into play? Trump can’t really press that angle, but will some women not show up because of it? He clearly has work to do with the BLM movement, too.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

What would Trump have to do to win a second term? Seems like everyone’s minds are made up on him, one way or another.

Let’s keep it civil in here. Thanks.

Nibby > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 16:56

9

hijacking this to say

SCOOB/NI BBY 2020

For Sweden > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 16:58

0

Electoral C ollege ain’t played nobody Paul

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nibby 06/16/2020 at 17:00

1

+1

jminer > Nibby 06/16/2020 at 17:01

1

This has my vote!

fintail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:02

3

It’s going to be battle of the gaffe s.

I still have a bitter taste after FiveThirtyEight’s 2016 predictions.

Chariotoflove > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:03

8

I think the most consistent predictor of reelection is the state of the economy. It’s not the only one, or once in a while the deciding one. People will shout about walls and civil rights and impeachment and Russians, but if jobs come back and Wall Street looks significantly healthier by November, then Trump has a good chance of reelection, especially as Biden doesn’t seem like a particularly compelling candidate. If unemployment is still way up without enough rebound in the economy, then his chances go way down.

The funny thing to me is how the economy is such a big influencer of presidential politics even as it’s one thing the president isn’t well placed to do much about.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 06/16/2020 at 17:05

1

EVERYONE got it wrong.

Except this guy (filmed in ‘19 - things have changed a bit):

Saracen > fintail 06/16/2020 at 17:08

4

538's prediction’s are never anything more than a probability, and they say as much. They gave Hilary a roughly %72 chance of winning. Not exactly a slam dunk. Nate Silver’s model actually  gave Trump a higher chance of winning than pretty much any other non-right-leaning National poll.  They have published some good postmortem articles about the 2016 election that I suggest reading.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove 06/16/2020 at 17:08

1

Yes, many people will just vote their pocketbook.

How low does employment have to drop, you think ?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fintail 06/16/2020 at 17:09

1

How could these two have any bigger gaffes than they’ve already had?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Saracen 06/16/2020 at 17:12

2

If she’d set foot in Wisconsin one time...

Her own campaign’s polling was the worst, and let to some huge mistakes.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:13

4

George Bush Sr. and Carter both victims of the economy.

Both actually not bad at presidenting .

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:13

1

eh.....if anyone could lose to trump...its biden i guess

anyhoo....if we have to go for another 4 years i vote for ww3

mushroomclouds at dawn please

why yes...i will have fries with that

Chariotoflove > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:13

1

Now you’re asking me to read tea leaves and crystal balls. I don’t think we can get anywhere near what we had in  January, but maybe if we get below 10?

I think the trend is as important as the number. If you can get people to feel bullish about their immediate future, you have a chance. Trump is good at marketing. Let’s see what Biden can do to sell himself as the guy that can best get that number to drop.

Saracen > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:13

5

You could argue Hilary lost thanks in part to her own hubris.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:16

2

You’re assuming that there will be debates. Trump only grudgingly agreed to debate Hillary Clinton, and she basically wiped the floor with him . Why would he do so now? Joe Biden, even if he isn’t as well spoken, knows far more about social and domestic policies than Trump ever would or could.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 06/16/2020 at 17:16

1

Read my lips...

Chariotoflove > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 06/16/2020 at 17:17

2

Carter was better at being a statesman after leaving office than he was at being an administrator, but the economy doomed him above all. He was largely a victim, as you say.

Bush was fabulous at international relations, but the focus turned to the domestic economy at just the wrong time for him, and his strengths became useless.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 06/16/2020 at 17:19

1

“W iped the floor with him” but he won.

Trump likes to get in a room with someone and bully them around, and he LOVES being on TV.

marshknute > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/16/2020 at 17:20

1

“ eh.....if anyone could lose to trump...its biden i guess”

Well...I can think of one other person...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:21

1

Famous last words.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove 06/16/2020 at 17:23

1

Yeah, his campaign will say “ we” added X million jobs in the last few months , even if unemployment is still crazy high.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/16/2020 at 17:25

0

He’s already a national embarrassment , I can only imagine if he somehow wins again...

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > marshknute 06/16/2020 at 17:25

0

she already lost....thats kinda cheating...

im worried about the next election not the last one

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:29

3

eh.... fwiw we already considered you a joke since dubya...at least

a joke with a really big army.....

tho... to be fair... you were still the best option for an ally before.... nowadays... chinas looking atractive

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:29

3

It’s on Trump. If he can shut up for 5 seconds, he’s got it in the bag IMO. If he keeps tweeting BS, he’s probably gone.

I’ll leave you to decide what's more likely

Mid Engine > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:29

1

I’ll l eave this here... if she will agree to run it would be a slaughter

HammerheadFistpunch > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:29

1

Im really hoping Utah doesn’t stay red.  There is a chance, not that 6 votes is going to mean too much but what a treat it would be to lose Utah to a democrat.  

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 06/16/2020 at 17:30

2

Ooof...

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:30

2

Prepare for your challenge to be accepted.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 06/16/2020 at 17:31

1

Man, now I want to know the longest period of time between tweets during his presidency...

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:32

0

I’ve resigned myself to Trump winning a second term. I hope to be surprised but...  I see a lot of the same patterns emerging with the Bernie bros saying they’ll “vote with their hearts” and a lot of people not caring for the democratic nominee. I don’t have an opinion about Biden either way, but “old white dude” is going to have a hard time getting some of the momentum Obama and Hilary got. Then again “old white dude” might be what is needed to divert some of those who voted for Trump.

The one bright spot here is that I’d think the people who voted for Trump is 2016 as an anti-establishment/ “how bad can it be?” candidate have seen the outcome of that decision and will not vote for him again.

Hopefully.

Sidenote: Does that map take into account the few states that opted to cast their electoral college votes to whomever won the national popular vote? Or is that not a thing for the 2020 election?

wafflesnfalafel > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:33

1

I heard Biden has been hiding Antifas in his basement.

Interesting numbers - look at LBJ go!  Kind surprised at how poor Reagan’s numbers were when actually in office, (quite a bit of looking back with rose colored glasses there.)  And look at how steady Nixon was :)

MrSnrub > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:34

1

I think if the election were held today Biden would win handily. Five months from now is harder to say, but I think chances still favor him.

I read an interesting article recently regarding the demographic breakdown of Biden’s support. He’s doing worse than Clinton among Hispanic voters, holding steady among black voters, and doing much better among...white voters.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/politics/biden-hispanic-voters-analysis/index.html

This is one big reason why I think Trump is in trouble, barring any big surprises, since this indicates Biden is likely to do better than Clinton in the whiter rust belt states that were decisive in 2016.

While getting rid of Trump is a good thing, losing Hispanics and gaining whites is a bit troubling. I also read that Biden’s victory in the South Carolina primary was at least partly due to historic white turnout, which made a primary that is usually 2/3 black majority white. Again, troubling. We might get rid of Trump, but will it be at the cost of making Democrats whiter?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 06/16/2020 at 17:34

0

You think there’s any chance it will flip?

Are more Utahns behind Romney or Trump?

HammerheadFistpunch > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:37

1

It’s a tough call, I think it would take very little reminding that Romney had balls once and that would push a lot of fed up republicans to the “any blue will do” camp. Besides that the demographics of Utah have changed a lot in 4 years.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch 06/16/2020 at 17:38

0

Montana always votes republican yet we happen to sport usually one democrat senator and flip and flop in the house and governor ship. The overall state population on a presidential level I have no doubt will still vote republican based on principle not on the candidate or policy.

HammerheadFistpunch > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 06/16/2020 at 17:39

1

That bugs me so much.  “the party line” is the worst thing thats even happens to politics in this country, IMO.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:40

0

Trump loves an audience. I would doubt, during a pandemic, that the general public would be allowed in for a debate. Trump is a bully, but he’s still a moron when it comes to any policy discussion.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 06/16/2020 at 17:41

0

Yeah, it’s hard to say. It really will come down to who voted for him once and will refuse to vote for him again. Hard to think he gained anyone who didn’t vote for him in the first place, but who knows?

That whole popular vote thing only comes into play when enough states have laws on the books to have a majority of electoral votes (unless some states have committed to this regardless of this stipulation).

nermal > Chariotoflove 06/16/2020 at 17:43

1

The explanation is simple - People vote for reasons both selfish and short sighted .

As long as more people (in the correct states ) are in a better personal financial position come November than they were 4 years ago ( when goddam Obama was tryna take everybody’s guns away) , Trump will win. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 06/16/2020 at 17:45

0

And 62,984,828 people voted for that moron.

They’ re supposed to have a capacity crowd (of 19,000) here in Tulsa at a rally this weekend. We’re leaving town Saturday...

MrSnrub > Deal Killer - Powered by Focus 06/16/2020 at 17:46

1

Who’s to say Biden wants a debate either? He can only pump his brain with so much adrenochrome before it melts completely.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mid Engine 06/16/2020 at 17:49

0

Not happening. Wonder when he’ll announce his pick.

Val Demings?

Jb boin > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:49

1

Meanwhile in France, to this question :

Do you fully trust, rather trust, rather not trust or not at all trust [INSERT NAME] to solve the problems that arise in France today ?

Macron’s approval (“ confiance ” is in blue) in about 3/5years of its mandate :

Prime minister Edouard Philippe :

—

Previous president, François Hollande :

Previous president, Nicolas Sarkozy :

PatBateman > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:51

2

A couple of things:

First of all, with the exception of Michigan, this forecasted electoral college map looks the exact same as the one the night before the 2016 election, but with less assumptions. A win is FAR from guaranteed for Biden. I’d even argue that he might have a 50/50 shot at best (our last election night conjures many memories and lessons learned).

Second, don’t assume that the economy will bring Trump down like it did the last two one term presidents. We do not have an economic crisis in the US; we have a health crisis. We purposely turned off our economy to facilitate our healthcare system and to make sure they weren’t overrun. Now that that’s been largely taken care of to-date, economic numbers have shown that our economy is coming back stronger than expected. If James Carville was right back in 1992, it could spell disaster for the Ds.

Really, I think the worst thing Biden can do is to go farther left than he is right now. The far left will vote for him anyways, and skewing away from center will drive moderates away. But no one on either side of the political spectrum should expect a blowout.

However, if the DNC can’t defeat 45 this go-round, they’re horrible.

Mid Engine > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:52

1

Michelle for president, Yang as VP. Done.

Biden’s pick? IDK, pick the smartest woman to compliment his lack of mental acuity.

nermal > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:54

1

This is the map from 2016. All of the states without a strong majority one way or another will be swing states in this election, so NV / AZ / NM / CO / MN / WI / MI / OH / PA / GA / VA / NC / FL. I think that TX should be considered a swing state moving forward as well . There’s been too many liberal weenies relocating to TX from other high tax states over the past few years for it to be an R stronghold anymore. Expect Trump to spend a majority of his campaign time in those areas.

Biden will screw it up by picking a bad VP, coming across as a bumbling idiot while getting blasted by Trump in the debates, and pulling a Hillary in being lazy on campaigning. 

A Boy and His Longtail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:56

4

What I have gathered here is that regardless of who the president is, they aren’t super popular at this point in the election cycle.

As for who it’ll be next, I’m fairly cynical. My predictions are DT for 4 more, a Democrat for 8 after that, a Republican for 8 after that. D for 8, R for 8, and so on.

A Boy and His Longtail > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:57

1

8 hours? He’s got to sleep sometime

Nick Has an Exocet > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 17:59

2

I’m predicting a Trump win. If anything, I think there is an even larger “silent majority” out there. In the last election, we saw how dangerous cognitive dissonance could be. Not only were people convinced that there was no way Trump could win, but there people checked into psychiatric wards as a result.

Since then, I’ve seen those same people force the middle into silence or face public shame / ridicule / disownment of friendships / or pure cancel-culture. I would not at all be surprised if cancel-culture ends up creating a whole host of new issues in the next 5-10 years. You’re seeing it in droves with the BLM protests and phrases like “silence is racism.”

When it comes to Biden, I think there’s 1 thing that can really screw him up: himself. There are skeletons upon skeletons, constant foot-in-mouth moments, a general sense of creepy uncle vibes , and genuine look of confusion. All this without anyone even referencing the fact that he’s had not one, but two, brain surgeries where they removed the top half of his skull.

Future next gen S2000 owner > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 18:24

2

Trump doesn’t have to do much. Nothing at all really. His base isn’t wavering regardless of anything. His supporters will come out and vote regardless I think. If those opposing Trump see the polls as a lock and don’t vote as a result, Trump wins.

That’s how I see it.

Future next gen S2000 owner > HammerheadFistpunch 06/16/2020 at 18:25

0

I’m really curious to see if Trump would have won the GOP nomination if they really had opened it up.

fintail > Saracen 06/16/2020 at 18:38

0

I remember some postmortem stuff. What I took away from that debacle is that people lie in exit polls, and never undere stimate the ability of some demographics to vote.

atfsgeoff > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 18:44

3

He’s only an embarrassment to half of the nation. The other half is, for better or worse, quite proud of him

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 19:15

1

No one was predicting a landslide in 2016. Places were predicting Hillary had an 80% chance to win, which might sound like a huge chance, but a one in five chance of something happening is entirely plausible and not remotely rare. It’s a sign that things were fairly close.

In any event, one interesting thing is how consistent Trump’s approval is. Most of those presidents have had their approval rating swing all over the place (most notably W’s shooting up to 90% after 9/11 , because apparently failing to stop the largest terrorist attack in American history is a positive). Trump on the other hand has been nearly flat at 40-45% his whole term. This seems indicative that people have made up their minds about him, and are deeply entrenched in those positions. Most world leaders have gotten big boosts as people rally around the flag during the pandemic, but Trump has just seen a small drop. None of his other accomplishments or failures (however you define them) have moved the needle much at all. This suggests (but of course doesn’t guarantee) that he’s likely to see much growth over the next few months.

facw > Mid Engine 06/16/2020 at 19:53

0

It would be, though I’m not especially comfortable with the presidency just shuffling between a few high profile families. Though of course Hillary and Jeb! both losing to the Orange moron in 2016 seems to have lowered the chances of that.

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 20:22

1

So he’s supposedly narrowed down to six choices:

Warren

Dem ings

Rice

Grisham

Harris

Bottoms

All of them have problems.

Harris seems to be considered the top choice, but picking someone who has been on the wrong side of police reform just because she’s black seems foolish (not the Democratic establishment is immune to this). Harris is someone in good position to piss everyone off. Pro-reform progressives will see her as part of the problem, while more conservative voters will see her as a California liberal.

Warren would be my choice, except that under the current circumstances, selecting yet another white person (no matter how qualified) is (rightly) going to be seen as an indication that Biden doesn’t really care about minorities, and would de- energize a hugely important voting bloc. Also I don’t believe for a second that the Democratic establishment will let a 77 year old Joe Biden pick a non-centrist running mate, since whoever he picks will be heir apparent to the Democratic party, and literal heir to the presidency if he can’t make it 4 years (which wouldn’t be shocking).

Demings also has the potential liability of a law enforcement background that will be problematic for her. She’s been trying to call out her former colleagues now, but will that be enough for the ACAB people? As a representative, she doesn’t have the same network and campaign experience that a governor. On the other hand, if she could deliver Florida, that would basically seal things (though VPs generally don’t move the needle that much).

Rice has extensive foreign policy credentials, but Biden isn’t lacking those (she is someone who could easily be seen as ready to take over for Biden from an international leadership perspective should his health fail though). On the other hand, she’s never held any elective office, leaving her weaker on domestic policy, and with inexperience as a campaigner.

Grisham might be the strongest of the bunch. She only became governor of New Mexico l ast year, but she representative before that, so she has experience with a big state-wide election and in Washington. It’s not clear if voters calling for a black VP would be satisfied with Latina, but presumably it wouldn’t be a slap in the face in the same way as Warren might be.

Bottoms again has the problem having no experience with national or statewide campaigns. She also faces the difficult question of how she can be trusted to help fix the country when she can’t even fix Atlanta’s police department.

facw > HammerheadFistpunch 06/16/2020 at 20:29

0

D oesn’t look especially promising :

I wonder if Romney having the guts to endorse Biden would be enough to swing things. Romney’s done as much to challenge Trump as GOP elected official, but in this time of polarization and political tribalism, endorsing the other’s candidate is probably too much to hope.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Jb boin 06/16/2020 at 21:51

0

Yikes.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 06/16/2020 at 21:54

1

You’re right. I just remember feeling like it was a foregone conclusion. And the reaction of 95 % of the talking heads that night showed they  were clearly in shock over the result. Hell, I think Trump was shocked!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > atfsgeoff 06/16/2020 at 21:57

0

Fair point. 

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 22:02

1

I do think a lot of people hear 80% and think “pretty much a sure thing”. But yeah I was pretty terrified that it was only ~80%. And I was still shocked on election day, I thought my country was better than that.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mid Engine 06/16/2020 at 22:15

1

Oh, 3rd Party? Ha!

I do wish someone would come out of the woodwork.

I’d vote for The Rock.

Hell, I’d vote for a rock at this point. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > PatBateman 06/16/2020 at 22:16

1

That’s already been proven pretty convincingly. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 06/16/2020 at 22:19

0

Less than 20% of people voted for him. Unfortunately, that was far too many, and just enough.

(not that I wanted Hill ary as president...)

BigBlock440 > MrSnrub 06/16/2020 at 22:37

1

We might get rid of Trump, but will it be at the cost of making Democrats whiter?

Because God forbid anybody appeals to *shudder* whites ...

I guess as Biden himself said, if you want to be black, you have to vote for him.

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 22:43

1

Hillary wouldn’t have been my first choice, but compared to Trump...

I think Australian-style mandatory voting, combined with making election day a holiday, universal mail voting, or significantly expanded voting periods would be extremely good for the health of US democracy. If we are going to make bad choices, we should at least make them with as much support as possible.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 06/16/2020 at 22:59

0

I want the “none of the above” option, where they throw out the candidates and start over.

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/16/2020 at 23:05

2

Interesting, though it feels a bit odd to me. For me the real progress would be to eliminate party primaries and just run all candidates above a threshold on a ranked choice ballot. Give us more than two choices in the general election, and the ability to vote for someone other the top two without undermining other candidates that might be acceptable.

Of course that’s pretty much impossible for presidential elections since you’d need every state (or at least a bloc with a majority of electoral college electors) to do it that way. The good news is that it can be done for any other election, and for either general elections or primaries.

BigBlock440 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/17/2020 at 00:16

0

What happens if “none of the above” gets the majority vote though? It seems to me like that’s a required option when voting is mandatory, but just not voting is the equivalent where it is not. I have doubts that Russia or North Korea will just try to find somebody else if the the majority vote goes to “nobody”. I wonder what the protocol is in the rest of them though.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BigBlock440 06/17/2020 at 00:25

0

I want a none of the above option where the parties have to go back to the drawing board and bring back new candidates (and independent candidates have a chance to come forward).

I’m just  sick of this lesser of two evils BS...

Saracen > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/17/2020 at 00:41

2

“The People’s President”

duurtlang > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/17/2020 at 06:24

1

He is not wrong. I remember people in Europe speaking fondly of American principles... in the 90s. Ever since, nah. The US is more and more considered a developing country which happens to have a lot of cash. It has become backward in so many ways nowadays, it is quite shocking; democracy, freedom/quality of the media, access to education, access to healthcare, judicial system, upward mobility, strength of the middle class and on and on. It is quite sad it has slipped so far into the swamp.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > duurtlang 06/17/2020 at 08:52

0

Yeah, I get it. We clearly still have a long way to go.

OneFastPuertoRican > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/18/2020 at 14:58

1

Nothing really for me to add here except this is probably the most civil, even-handed politics discussion I’ve ever read .

And this is a car blog!

You O ppos make me proud...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > OneFastPuertoRican 06/18/2020 at 15:06

0

Thanks. I was noting the same thing.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > PatBateman 06/18/2020 at 16:57

0

Now that that’s been largely taken care of to-date,

What has been “taken care of”? Are you referring to the pandemic that is still ongoing ?

economic numbers have shown that our economy is coming back stronger than expected.

So far ...hopefully it continues, but we are in uncharted territory and no one really knows how this will all shake out.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 06/18/2020 at 17:08

1

3rd party just isn’t viable in a first past the post voting system. The US desperately needs ranked choice voting. It may have it’s own flaws, but I think they pale in comparison to the current system.

PatBateman > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 06/18/2020 at 23:38

0

Taken care of to-date, as in our healthcare system has not been overwhelmed with COVID cases. Exactly what I said in the same paragraph.

And like you said, yes, the economic numbers have come back stronger than expected so far.  

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > PatBateman 06/19/2020 at 07:48

0

Gotcha...I took it more as, “We took care of it and no longer have to worry about it”